And then quick footsteps come down the hall and I race out the living room and kitchen, hitting the door, sobbing, my curls clinging to my cheeks as I push at the deadbolt.
A quick whoosh is all the warning I get. Pain explodes behind my eyes and everything goes dark.
It’s the fire crackling that wakes me. Smoke fills my lungs, burning. I can barely breathe. My chest is pounding, aching.
It’s dark. I reach out with my hands but sob when they don’t move. Struggling at the tape that’s holding them tight to the heavy leg of the couch.
Closing my eyes, I pray. Pray that I die before the fire gets me. Pray that Reed isn’t the one that finds my body.
Tears trickle down my cheeks. Pray that if there’s any justice out there, any being that cares about things like this…that somehow Reed will find me and get me out of here.
The fire crackles, my tears trickle into my hair and I close my eyes, knowing that it won’t be long. None of this will matter soon.
I wish I could see Reed one more time though. See his dark eyes and the smile that somehow only happens for me. Tender, sweet, smart Reed.
He doesn’t deserve this and neither do I.
Fate’s a fickle bitch though. Sometimes we just don’t get what we deserve.
CHAPTER 13
Reed
Fire creeps along my spine as I stare at that damn map. There has to be something there.
But the longer I sit and stare at it, the worse the burning ache along my spine gets. I stand up and pace around the room, not sure what’s going on.
But something’s wrong. I can feel it.
Another fire? Maybe.
But Mercy’s home. She’s safe. Mom is…at the bingo hall.
My legs eat up the tiny space of my office and I duck out into the hall, lengthening my stride, shaking my head and clenching my hands.
“It’s fine,” I mutter to myself. “It’s all good. I just need to figure out what’s going on and we’ll catch Frank. He’ll go back to jail and I’ll tell Mercy that I love her. It will all be fine.”
But the itch won’t go away and that pin…is bothering me. There’s no way that Frank didn’t know I’d know what that was. So why would he be so careless as to bring it to where he planned to start another fire?
It didn’t make sense.
Unless he wanted me to find it. Wanted me to know that it was him.
“But why would he want to do that?” I don’t get it.
“Jesus, Reed. Would you quit stomping around like a wounded buffalo? Some of us are trying to sleep up here.”
Glaring at James, I groan. “There’s something wrong. I can’t help it. There’s something wrong! He had to know I would know that pin. Why would he leave it there?”
James shrugs and yawns. “Probably fell out of his pocket.”
I shake my head. “Nope. I don’t believe that. Frank would not fuck up like that. He was sending me a message. What the hell was it?”
“I don’t know. But you’re not going to figure it out pacing around here. Go to sleep. Maybe that will do it and you can quit keeping me awake. I need my beauty sleep.”
Snorting, I pull out my phone. “I’m just gonna call Mom and Mercy. Make sure that they’re alright.”
Rolling his eyes, James drops into a chair and sighs. “Fine. Do it. Just get it over with so I can sleep.”
