“Yeah, good thinking, Sinclair.”
He nudges the extra canister toward me with his boot.
I pick it up.
We move through the house again, opening every door and clearing every room. Closets, bathrooms, storage spaces. Each time a door swings open my chest tightens because I expect to find another girl inside. We don’t.
Seth moves ahead of me, pouring gasoline in heavy streams across the hardwood floors and rugs. The fuel spreads quickly beneath furniture and through the open doorways.
I take the other canister into the main room and circle the space. Gasoline runs down the curtains and across the door frames. I tilt the container higher and let it spill over the walls and furniture.
I want this place to burn fast.
Upstairs, smoke already drifts down through the stairwell from John’s room.
Seth glances at me once as we move for the door together.
The smell of gasoline sticks to our clothes as we step out of the villa.
We don’t stop. We put distance between us and the house, boots hitting the path as we move toward the dock.
Behind us, Seth flicks the lighter.
The small flame appears for half a second before he drops it.
The gasoline ignites instantly.
Fire races across the floor and climbs the curtains in seconds. Heat pushes outward as smoke begins to gather along the ceiling.
The villa finally looks like what it is.
Hell.
Seth and I break into a run for the dock while the fire behind us roars to life, growing louder with every step.
Beau already has the girls inside the boat.
He reaches out and grabs my arm as I climb in. Seth steps in behind me.
The boat pulls away from the dock while flames burst through the villa windows and begin to consume the roof.
I watch the fire swallow the house. I stare at it until distance softens the details. The fire keeps rising. Smoke rolls over the water.
Seth’s arm settles around my waist and pulls me closer while the fire spreads across the roof.
Beau steers toward the coast.
Seth turns his head toward me. His face is smeared with sweat and smoke.
“You hungry?” he asks.
I blink at him because the question feels strangely normal after everything that just happened.
“Yeah,” I smile. “A little.”
Chapter 86
Seth
