Monk:Kelly will start the fire on the ground floor to keep Helia from getting out if she breaks free of her ties. You need to not be there
A beat passed before her response.
Kendall:You’re going to get her?
Monk:Wouldn’t leave either of you for the world. Once Kelly’s out, I’ll slip in. I can lower Helia down from the top deck. My brothers will take care of Kelly. I promise
He added that last bit with a silent prayer to whomever might be listening. Kelly was amateur hour compared to many of the ops he and his brothers had executed, but he knew how sideways they could go, too. Even with the best planning.
Kendall:Okay, heading out the back door. I think she’ll go out the front, closer to the car
Monk:Head to Vanessa and Harry. They’ve called Agent Perry
He held his breath but true to her word, less than thirty seconds later, Kendall’s slim form slid through the tiniest of cracks in the back door. Closing it softly behind her, she then darted into the vineyard and headed straight for the cover of the kitchen building.
A text from Mantis popped up on his screen: His brothers were in position. Monk responded with a summary of what Kendall had told him and his plan. A beat later, he received a confirmation.
As they waited, a stillness stole through his body. He and his team had done this hundreds of times before. Failure wasn’t an option, and success would come through executing the plan.
The curtains on the ground floor ruffled, as if someone moved rapidly around the room. From his location on the northwest side, he couldn’t see the front door, but Mantis’s text giving him the go-ahead came at the exact moment he spotted the first wisps of smoke filtering under the back door.
Trusting his brothers to deal with Kelly, he bolted toward the back door, well aware that throwing it open would add fuel to the flames that likely already licked the floors and walls. Still, it didn’t stop him. Not pausing to assess the situation, he burst into the kitchen and dashed to the stairs, taking them three at a time. The first cough hit him on his second step, and by the time he reached the second floor, heat singed and stung his skin. Pushing through the thickening smoke, he ran into Helia’s bedroom, flames claiming her first floor in a series of crackles and crashes.
He scanned the room but saw no evidence of Helia. Not willing to risk missing anything, though, he threw open her closet doors, then got down on his hands and knees and searched under the bed, too, the floor hot beneath his hands and bowing far too easily for his liking. Tucking away the knowledge that Kelly had likely used an accelerant—no way would a fire burn this hot and fast in December—he pulled his shirt over his nose and throat and left Helia’s room. As he reached the door to the top deck, the first-floor staircase collapsed with a reverberating groan, taking some of the second floor with it.
The sound of sirens drifted into his consciousness, but only on the fringes of his focus. There, in front of him, propped up against the half wall, was Helia, her mouth gagged and her hands and feet bound to each other.
Breathing in the fresh air mingled with smoke, he knelt beside her, pulling the gag down first. He’d deal with the ties next, but he needed to know if she was conscious.
“Helia?” he called, the roar of the fire growing louder and louder.
Her eyes flickered open, but only a vague sense of recognition lit them. Judging by the spot of matted blood in her hair, she’d been hit and had a concussion, but she was alive. He chose to focus on that.
“We’re going to get out of here,” he said, hoping the flames weren’t leaping out the windows. That would make it hard to lower her to the ground. So would her concussion; he wouldn’t count on her being able to land on her feet. But first things first.
Pulling a knife from its ankle holster, he cut her free, then sliding his arms around her, he rose.
“Collin!” He heard a familiar voice and spun, hoping to god Kendall hadn’t followed him in.
“Down here, Collin!” she shouted.
He inched over to the opposite half wall, testing the floor as he moved, then looked over the edge.
Kendall, Philly, Lovell, and Dulcie stood in the bed of his pickup that they’d backed up to within feet of what was left of the water tower. Kaden waved to him from the driver’s seat.
He didn’t stop his grin and nodded in acknowledgment of Kendall’s plan. Brushing a kiss over Helia’s brow, he whispered, “We’re getting out of this. It’s going to feel scary, but trust me.”
She blinked in confusion, but her words were clear. “Of course I trust you.”
He kissed her again before easing her body away from his. She panicked, gripping his shirt until he stopped. He didn’t pull her back, though, just waited for her to look at him.
“Trust,” he said.
She stared, then nodded and let go.
Gently, he eased her over the edge, then released her legs to dangle in the air. Holding her hands, he lowered her down into the waiting arms of his brothers. They caught her feet, and when Lovell gripped her hips and nodded to him, he let go. She dropped the last few inches into his brother’s protective hold. As soon as they cleared her safely away, he swung over the wall, hung from the ledge, then pushed his body away from the building and dropped into the truck. His feet barely hit the bed before Kaden pulled away.
And it was none too soon as the front half of the tower collapsed, sending sparks and debris into the cold December air.
