A fire alarm blared.
The drapes fell away and exposed the broken window.Callum inspected the front yard as best he could, then stalked to the kitchen door that opened to the backyard, scanning for threats as the fire crawled across the pink rug, consuming the beautiful little details Alicia had obsessively pulled together.
Grace couldn’t move.Why would Dominic want to set Alicia’s house on fire?
“You two, get out.Where’s your fire extinguisher?”he demanded, then realized she wasn’t right behind them.“Grace.Now.”
“Dominic’s out there!”she cried, then she saw the gun in Callum’s hand.
“Wish he were,” he growled.“Let’s go.”
But Dominic never did his dirty work.“Callum, it’s a trap.”
The kitchen fire alarm screeched.Alicia struggled to pull Argos and Toto out the back door.Sherlock clawed Grace’s arms and hands.Grace refused to loosen her hold, but she couldn’t move her feet.
Callum registered her panic, that she might rather die in a fire than face him again, and hustled to her.She braced for him to yell.
“I promise you, baby.”He wrapped an arm around her back and half-carried her and Sherlock toward the door.“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
That kickstarted her brain.Her legs moved.She and Callum moved into the fresh morning air.Sherlock demanded freedom.Argos and Toto barked and yanked at their leashes.Grace searched for her ex-husband or his goons.Callum swept around the house as though he was in the movies, gun sweeping, and then returned to herd her and Alicia from the backyard toward the driveway.
“I don’t understand.”Sherlock tore at Grace’s chest.“He’s not here.”
“Get in the car,” Callum demanded.He lowered his gun and pulled Alicia’s keys from his pocket.How did he have the wherewithal to grab her keys on the way out?Just as calmly, he dialed 911 while ordering, “Get in the car, pull onto the street, and lock the door.”
Alicia forced Argos and Toto in the backseat.Callum succinctly reported the pertinent details to the emergency dispatch.Black smoke poured from the broken window.She was looking for Dominic.
“Grace,” Alicia called.“Get in.”
Sherlock hissed and clawed.Tears pricked her eyes.She had brought this to Alicia’s picture-perfect house.Callum yanked open the passenger door of Alicia’s car.“Trust me.”
Grace toppled inside and released Sherlock, who sprang from her arms into the backseat with the dogs.
“Go over there.Keep the engine running.If anyone that you don’t like shows up, drive away.I’ll find you.”Callum shut the door and turned toward the house.
Alicia backed out of the driveway and parked where he had directed.
Black smoke billowed and wheezed from the broken window.She couldn’t see the fire but imagined the way it would eat through Alicia’s books and belongings.Tears spilled down Grace’s cheeks again.“Alicia, I’m so sorry.”
Unflappable Alicia let her bottom lip tremble.“We’re safe.”
Grace reached over and gripped her hand.After all the times that Alicia had held hers, this didn’t feel like nearly enough.She didn’t know what more to do.“I’m so sorry.I will make this right.”
“We’re safe,” Alicia repeated, voice cracking.
Grace would do anything to rewind time and never cross the doorstep to the beautiful house and break her friend’s heart.They watched Callum retrace their path into the backyard.
“I never should have brought this to your home.”
“Youdidn’t do this.I know that.”Alicia squeezed Grace’s hand and shook it.
Finally, they heard sirens.An eternity passed before the fire engines roared down the street and people in gear jumped out.Callum exited the front door with a fire extinguisher in his hand.
“Every day, I hate my ex-husband more.”
“What if it wasn’t him?”Alicia muttered.
“Who else could it possibly be?”
