“We had a deal. Let her go.”
“Oh, I’m setting her free. And then you’ll be so distraught that she died in a fire that you throw yourself off the bridge. I call that poetic justice. I should have left you to pursue your interest in infrastructures.”
Pop looked at her, his face twisted in anguish. “Remember what I told you—”
“You don’t get to stall.” Martin fired the gun in Jo’s direction. He missed, but she thought that might have been intentional.
She tried to scream against the tape on her mouth, even though she hadn’t wanted to give Martin that satisfaction. Pop sent her a hard stare, looking as if he was trying to communicate with her through his eyes, then disappeared out the door with Martin.
What? What had he been going to say?“Remember what I told you.” Whatdid he tell me?
A small explosion resounded at the back of the office. So Martin had set up a bomb after all. One intended to burn the place down. Fire quickly spread up the walls.
I’m not goingto die. I cannot die here. God,I don’twant to die.
Jo hopped the chair toward the door. Even if she had to hop outside in this chair, she’d do it. In the early hours of the morning, surely someone would call the fire department, and they’d have this out in no time. They’d put it out before she got burned up, if she couldn’t escape.
Right. This place would burn fast. She couldn’t wait on anyone to save her.
God,help me!
The chair tipped over. Not good. This would take her longer. She pushed and tried to slide toward an escape while at the same time trying to break free of her ties. If she could break part of the chair, she could escape. Why hadn’t her father, whom she knew to be supersmart, come up with a better plan? One that couldn’t so easily leave them both vulnerable. Of course Troy Martin, a man who would kill his wife, had no plans to leave either of them alive.
“Remember what I told you.”Well, obviously Pop couldn’t just speak plainly in front of Martin, so he must have sent a cryptic message that could somehow help her out of this situation.
What was it? Time was ticking. Fire was spreading, and she hadn’t gotten free yet.
The flames spread fast and the smoke thickened. The door was only a few yards away. It might as well have been ten miles.
40
Flames consumed the R&D. Cole slammed on the brakes and parked, then jumped from the Land Rover. He raced to the shop.
God,please don’t let Jo be inside.But he feared she was inside with her father and that someone had set the place to burn down. In his mad search for Jo, he’d thought about her father’s shop. Cole might find clues there, so he’d driven through Forestview. He’d been praying for a signal, a sign, or a clue ... something. Anything. But he hadn’t expected this—the worst-case scenario he could have imagined.
Sirens rang out with the approaching volunteer fire truck, which had gotten here entirely too late. Cole raced around the back. He kicked open part of the fence that was warping under the heat and hoped Jo had found a pocket, some place that wasn’t burning. Behind the structure, flames licked the skies, and the heat prevented him from going in. He searched for a way he could get inside, while he was dying on the inside.
“Jo!” He should have told her he loved her when he had the chance.
What have I done?He shouldn’t have chased after Merrick. He should have stayed with Jo.
God,please let her not be inside. Please...
Anguish gripped him.
His knees buckled.
“Cole?” A shout came from behind. He twisted around to see her beyond the old salvage cars and parts. She was halfway up the privacy fence. “Cole!”
She jumped down and he raced toward her, grabbed her up into his arms, and held her tight. Cole would never let her go.
I love you!
Jo pulled away and gripped his arms. “Cole, we have to go. We have to save Pop! Follow me.” She raced back to the fence, and he followed.
“What’s going on? What happened?” he asked.
“Help me over this.”
