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I don’t care. All I care about is that my woman is in there and she might be hurt. She might be… I jump to the floor inside and crouch, running to hide.
I hang my head as I look around some shelves full of books in the back.
No. She’s not dead. I would feel it. My heart would be broken right now if she was gone. So I know that she can’t be.
I slip around a shelf and then stop when I hear her soft voice pleading. Begging him to let her go.
Rage boils up inside me and I slip my gun out. I’m gonna kill that worthless bastard and then I’m taking my woman home.
CHAPTER9
Hartley
“Nobody has to know about this, Gary! Please just let this go. Leave town and it will all be over.”
The smirk on his handsome face makes me want to throw up. I always knew there was something off about him. Now I know what it is. He’s completely insane.
“So you won’t tell a soul that I set all those fires and almost killed you and your boyfriend? Well, that’s mighty big of you. But I don’t think I can trust that you’re gonna do that.”
My voice rises as fear overwhelms me. The fire he started is taking root and building merrily in the corner of the makeshift office, boiling up and roiling into the air. My throat is starting to burn and my eyes are stinging.
“Gary! Please don’t do this! I never meant to hurt you!”
“Too damn bad. You were always so damn holier than thou. Butter wouldn’t in your mouth and you never even swore. No matter what happened. You just smiled and kept laughing at everything. Well, it’s not fucking funny! And you’re not laughing now, are you? I’ve got your attention now! Got you begging for me, huh?”
“Why the hell can’t you just accept rejection like every other man on the planet?” I growl, refusing to beg anymore. This monster doesn’t get to get off on me begging for my life.
He glares at me. “You really don’t get this, do you? I’m in control now! Plus, it’s fun to watch the cops and the firefighters chasing their tails. Not even realizing that it’s me. And I’m right under their noses. They can’t see me. They don’t know that I’m there. And they haven’t got a clue that I’m the one that they’re looking for. I hold their lives in the palm of my hand and they can’t do a damn thing about it because they don’t know!” He throws his head back and roars with laughter, tossing another burning book behind me, just skimming my shoulder so that I can feel a spark take on my sweater. Burning merrily. I turn my head and try to blow it out. But it doesn’t. Instead it starts to burn hotter. And since my hands are tied behind my back, I can’t do anything to save myself.
Tears burn my eyes and sting my nose as heat starts to hit me, making me hiss with pain. It starts to feel like my shoulder is being ripped apart from the inside out and I fight the scream that’s welling up inside me.
I’m not giving this bastard the satisfaction. And yeah, I know. I swore. In my head so that doesn’t count.
I see a shadow move out of the corner of my eye and I’m not sure at first if it’s the flames moving or something else. Until I see the corner of Booker’s uniform as he pops his arm out with his gun. I turn quickly and, ignoring the pain in my arm, start struggling and groaning. I need to get Gary’s attention away from what I’m assuming is the cavalry hiding somewhere in the building.
Gary grunts and comes over towards me, his hand cocked back and I cringe away, closing my eyes, knowing that I’m about to get hit. Before he touches me, I feel a blast of air past my cheek and then Gary’s screaming wildly.
I open my eyes, stunned. Then scream as I see that Gary’s on the ground, rolling around with Booker. The two men look like raging animals as they growl and snap at each other. Fists collide with bone and muscle.
“Booker!” I scream. The fire on my sweater is burning so bad that my skin is boiling. But the two men seem intent on killing each other. “I need help, Booker!”
He freezes and his eyes widen when he sees that my clothes are on fire.
“Shit!” He jerks his fist back and slams it into Gary’s jaw, knocking him out in one colossal punch, before getting his legs under him and throwing his lax body off.
“I’m so sorry, Red. I should have been paying attention to you instead of this…”. He kicks out at Gary again. He pats at me, putting the slow burn to rest. I sigh in relief although my shoulder still freaking hurts.
“I wish I could kill him. But I’d get in trouble for that. Plus I want him to stand trial for all the trouble he’s caused.”
His strong hands tug at the knots of the rope and he growls when it doesn’t want to come loose. “How the hell did he tie these things?”
He finally gets it looser but can’t get it off and by now the huge area is being overtaken with crackling flames and smoke.
“Dammit, where the hell are those guys!” Almost like he calls them, the chief and the investigator, Dan, come around the corner.
“Need some help or are we just here for clean-up!” Dan says, smirking.
Booker grabs me and I hit his big, broad shoulder upside down. “Ooof!”
