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“That can’t be good,” Doc said.
Another bang resounded from above; I flinched and ducked. A flaming beam busted through the ceiling, dividing the room in half, Wolfgang on the other side.
Doc tugged on my arm. “Get on my back.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I hiked up my dress and climbed on, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“I need to breathe, Violet.”
Oops. Loosening my hold, I helped pull the plaid cover—wet, warm, and heavy—around my shoulders and over my head.
“Ready?” Doc yelled over the snarling flames.
“Let’s go!” I tried not to choke him as he opened the door, stepped into the inferno, and sprayed a path through the flames.
The blanket did little to shield the heat. By the time we reached the stairs, I thought my skin was going to melt off my shoulder blades and leave a sticky trail. The stench of smoke and burnt plastic made me cough, my throat scalded by the acrid air.
Doc paused at the top of the stairs, then threw the fire extinguisher aside.
“What are you doing?” I cried.
“It’s empty,” he shouted back. “Hold on tight. The staircase is about to collapse.”
I dug my fingers into his shoulders, squeezed his hips between my thighs, and buried my face in his neck. There was no way he’d lose me. Shaking off a tick would be easier.
He grabbed me behind the knees and started down what was left of the stairs. I snuck a quick look over his shoulder halfway down and nearly screamed. Flames surrounded us, eating the wood banister, licking the walls, gobbling up the ceiling. Down below, past the flames, the front door stood wide open. Darkness beckoned from beyond.
An explosion rumbled behind us, rattling the house. The staircase groaned and tipped. Doc stumbled, his shoulder bumping into a flaming wall. I cringed and yanked my hand away, waiting for the wood underfoot to give way and take us down with it.
A growl reverberated through Doc. He shrugged me higher on his back, then flew down the remaining steps two at a time and shot through the entry. He didn’t stop until we’d reached the front gate. He tore off the steaming blanket and I dropped to the dry grass, coughing and gagging, gasping for oxygen. Doc bent over me, sucking in fresh air.
When I found my voice, I said, “Wolfgang is still up there.”
A crash rang out through the open front door. We both stared into the inferno.
“That was the staircase.” Doc kneeled next to me. “I can’t get to him.”
I rolled onto my back and gazed up at the stars. Sirens wailed in the distance.
The image of Wolfgang lying on the floor haunted me. Would he feel the pain as the flames devoured him? Would I hear his screams of agony through the broken window? Or would he suffocate before the fire reached him?
Why did I care after all he’d done to me? To those poor little girls? To this town?
“Violet.” Doc leaned over me and brushed back my hair. His fingers trailed across my forehead, down my cheekbones, over my lips. His dark gaze held me captive. “I—”
“Here comes the cavalry!” Harvey crowed from the sidewalk. The front gate shrieked open.
Doc snatched his hand back and sat up. Whatever he’d been about to say was his secret now.
“Hey, Harvey,” my voice croaked as I spoke, my vocal chords like brittle taffy. I tried to wave at him as he approached, but my hand was trembling too much.
“It’s good to see you breathing, girl.” Harvey blinded me with a flashlight. “Shit. Where are your eyebrows?”
