Weapon raised, he moved around the room, opening drawers and checking the closet. There was no sign of anyone staying here. None. In fact, there was a small film of dust on the drawers.
He entered the hall, Ethan stepping in from the other side. Their gazes met but only for a second.
From what he could hear, the house was silent. No footsteps or voices. So the most likely scenario was that the place was empty.
But why would someone book it, just to leave it vacant?
Ethan moved into the kitchen while Zane went to another room off the hall. He opened the door to find an empty bathroom and no sign that anyone had used it recently. There were no drops of water in the sink. No toothbrushes or tubes of toothpaste on the counter.
What the hell was going on?
He headed down the hall to the last unopened door and was just pulling it open when Ethan threw Zane to the floor as an explosion blasted out of the room.
Zane cursed and tucked his head, the floor beneath him shaking under the impact.
Another second passed and he rose and cursed again, flames already burning from the room into the hall.
Fuck.
“Come on.” Ethan ran down the hall.
Zane followed back out the bedroom window. When his feet hit the ground, he sprinted into the trees. He wasn’t taking a chance that something else had been rigged to blow.
Ethan was already on the phone to the fire department.
Zane waited until they reached his car before turning to his friend. “How did you know?”
Ethan handed him a piece of paper.
Boom! Did you make it? Did she?
Zane’s heart fucking stopped. She…
Bonnie.
He pulled his cell from his pocket, hands trembling as he called her.
She didn’t answer. She didn’t fucking answer “I need to get to Noah’s house.”
He went to climb behind the wheel, but Ethan grabbed his arm. “I’m driving.”
Zane didn’t have time to argue. He sprinted around the car and dropped into the passenger seat. Ethan put his foot to the floor and sped out of the forest.
Zane tried Noah’s number next. Again, nothing.
Shit.
He needed someone, anyone, to tell him she was safe. Someone to reassure him that she was alive.
He tried her number one more time, expecting it to go to voicemail again.
“Zane?”
“Bonnie.” Relief hit him so hard, air whooshed from his chest. “Are you okay?”
“No.” Her voice was quiet and pained.
“What happened? Where are you?”
