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The thought was drifting through his mind when there was a sudden blur of movement and Rayne appeared directly behind Mark. She held her hand over her head and was clutching something in her fingers. Was that an ice pick? He had only a brief glance at the weapon before she was jerking her arm down with all her strength, slamming the weapon into Mark’s back.
The man grunted in shock, his eyes widening even as he arched his back in a futile attempt to escape the pain. Niko allowed a humorless smile to twist his lips as he stepped forward and, with one crushing punch to the jaw, knocked him out cold. Mark dropped to the floor, landing flat on his face with the handle of the pick sticking out of his back.
Niko took a second to savor the sight. He wished he’d gotten in a few more blows, but just seeing him crumpled and bloody soothed part of his hunger for justice.
“Niko.” Rayne grabbed his arm, giving him a small shake. “We have to get out of here.”
He blinked, belatedly realizing the room was swiftly filling with smoke. He turned, intending to head toward the opening only to realize that the flames were already consuming the foyer. Swiveling back, his gaze landed on the large front window. That was their only hope of escape.
“Stand back,” he urged Rayne, grabbing a small coffee table and rushing forward.
Once he was next to the window, Niko turned his head and smashed the table through the fragile pane. The window easily shattered, spraying shards over the front porch. Turning back to inspect the opening, he nodded toward Rayne. There were still jagged bits of glass, but her heavy jacket should protect her.
“You go first,” he insisted.
She hesitated, glancing over her shoulder. “My mother.”
“I’ll hand her out to you,” he promised, urgently gesturing her toward the window. He had no idea how much damage the fire had already done. He wasn’t eager to have the house collapse on top of them.
“Okay.”
Rayne climbed onto the sofa and through the opening, turning once she was standing on the porch. Niko moved to scoop the unconscious Tami from the carpet and carried her to the window, pushing her out of the house headfirst. Thankfully the older woman barely weighed anything, and Rayne hooked her hands under her mother’s arms and tugged her toward the nearby stairs.
Niko started to climb out to join them, only to hesitate. His first instinct was to let Mark Jefferson burn to death. What better way to purge his bitterness at his sister’s death than to know the killer was reduced to ashes? But another part of him wanted the bastard to suffer. Day after day. Year after year. For a man like Mark, losing his pride would be worse than losing his life.
With a muttered curse, Niko turned back, hissing at the heat that was becoming unbearable. Then, with a grim determination, he crossed to grab Mark’s foot and dragged him to the window.
He didn’t want revenge for Nat’s death. He wanted justice.
* * *
Two days later Rayne headed out of the hospital where her mother was being pampered by a bevy of doctors and nurses in her private room. She’d just received a text from the auto repair shop that her van was waiting in the parking lot with a new window and the interior freshly cleaned. Her bags were packed and she was ready to go.
Stepping out of the glass doors, Rayne crossed toward the van that was parked next to the sidewalk. It was Chicago, so the winter air was cold enough to bite into her flesh, but the sky was a brilliant blue and there wasn’t a hint of snow in the forecast. A perfect day for a drive.
Nearly blinded by the early morning sunlight, it took Rayne a second to spot the dark form leaning against the side of her vehicle. Not until he straightened and stepped toward her.
“Niko.” Her heart took a funny dive as she allowed her gaze to absorb his sculpted face and the eyes that rivaled the blue sky for brilliance. He was wearing black slacks and a long trench coat that gave him a hint of elegant power. She hadn’t seen him since she’d been whisked off to the hospital with her mother, but she’d assumed he’d returned home to share with his parents what had happened to Nat before they heard it on the television. “I didn’t expect to see you.”
“I wanted to find out how your mother was,” he murmured.
She wrinkled her nose. “Physically she’s fine. In fact, she’s going to be discharged later today. But emotionally. . .” She heaved a sigh. Tami had been crying and wailing nonstop, playing her tragic role as victim for all it was worth.
Mark sent her a sympathetic smile. “I heard Mark was still in jail.”
“Yes.” Rayne had spoken to the prosecutor earlier that morning. It would be months, maybe even years, before Mark’s actual trial, but he was confident he had a solid case to ensure that he could get a life sentence. “He’s being charged with murder, three attempted murders, arson, and sex with an underaged victim. Plus, my mother refuses to pay for his bail.”
“Good for her,” he said, his voice hard with satisfaction. No one had a greater desire to see Mark Jefferson punished than this man.
“I think she’s finally seen the light. She’s even talking about joining my dad in Singapore. At least until the trial.”
There was a brief silence as Niko stared down at her, his golden hair ruffled by the breeze. Heaven almighty, he was gorgeous. Her heart took another one of those crazy dips.
“And what about you?” he asked.
“What about me?”
He glanced at her refurbished van. “Are you going to hit the road?”
