“I think so. There was an intruder, and he attacked me.”
“Are you injured?”
“I can walk. Look, there are two children living here, and I think their father may have started the fire.”
“Emergency personnel are on their way, and I’ve also notified the police. Wait outside for them.”
No way. Ezreal ended the call and pulled himself to his feet, shouting, “Sara.” He listened and heard the crackle of flames for the first time. “Janna. Brand.”
His first steps were unsteady but with each one he became surer. The smell of smoke was powerful at the top of the stairs. He remembered something about toxic fumes from burning synthetics and dropped to his knees. A light glowed from under the door to her bedroom.
“Sara.” Ezreal crawled to it and felt the door handle. It was warm but not hot, so he opened it.
She lay sprawled on top of her bed, her arms raised above her head where they’d been tied to the headboard. Duct tape covered her mouth. She had her face turned into her shoulder as though trying to keep from breathing the fumes, but he could see a bruise growing on her cheek and a trickle of blood running from her forehead.
Rage such as he’d never experienced flooded through Ezreal. Forgetting his pain, he leapt to the bed and found she was bound by plastic strips like the police used. He dug out his pocketknife and cut the tie. As soon as her hands were free, Sara ripped off the tape, barely wincing, her eyes wild with fear.
“It’s Landon.”
“Are you all right? Can you move?”
She shifted. “Yes.”
“Where are the children?”
“I sent them the back way to Francie’s.”
Praying that the kids had made it in the dark, Ezreal took her hand and jumped off the bed. He felt the stab of pain but adrenaline kept him on his feet.
“Crawl,” he said, dropping to his knees and pulling her down with him.
They scrambled from the room and down the hallway. The fire had more than doubled in size since he’d come up. They staggered down the stairs and out the front door. He was pulling her back from the house when her bedroom window exploded, sending flames and glass flying toward them. Ducking, they staggered back, Ezreal twisting around to put his back between Sara and the debris.
They turned around to watch her home as flames engulfed it. In the distance sirens blared, getting louder.
“Did the children get to Francie’s?” Sara whispered, her body trembling.
Feeling for his phone, he was relieved it hadn’t fallen out. With shaking hands, he pulled it out and found two texts, one from Bill saying he was on his way and another from Rafe.
Have the kids. Taking them to your place.
Ezreal told Sara as he texted a reply back.
Sara’s safe. Ex on the loose.
She’d started to cry, and Ezreal pulled her into his arms. Coming off the adrenaline rush, he was starting to feel every bump and bruise from his tumble down the stairs.
“Maybe we should sit in my car,” he said. “You can talk to the kids.”
He got her situated and gave her his phone. Bill Ryze drove up just before a police car did, followed by a fire truck and an ambulance.
“I thought you were the quiet one. You look terrible,” the older man said, scowling at the house. He took a quick look in the car. “Is Sara all right?”
“I don’t know how much smoke she took in before I got in there and cut her loose.”
“What?” Bill gave him a sharp look before glancing back at the car. “Are her wrists bleeding?”
“He used those plastic handcuffs and then set her room on fire.” Ezreal was finding it difficult to keep his anger down. He couldn’t let that happen in front of her again, but if he ever got his hands on her ex-husband, Ezreal had no doubt he’d turn violent. And he resented that he was having that distasteful feeling.
