“Even if it’s empty, there’ll be residual gas. So yeah, it’s going to burst and become a projectile.”
“It could come this way.”
“It could take out the chief.”
“Again, Finn, I don’t give a shit about him. I just want us to get out of this alive.”
A thunderous crack came from the burning house.
Second floor caving in. Thank Christ we weren’t in there.
“Finnegan O’Sullivan.” Chief’s voice bellowed. Even over the roaring fire, his words were clear. “I saw you. I know you’re out there.”
“We’re not coming out.” Ulysses shouted back. He glared at me.
Another gunshot rang out. This one entirely too close for comfort as it splintered the wood above our heads.
“Fuck.” Ulysses spat the word.
“Sliver?”
“Nope. Just thinking what a fuckwit he is. And that you’re going to try to save him.”
“Yeah. I am.” I raised my hands and, slowly, stood.
“For fuck’s sake.” Ulysses spat out the curse. And then followed my lead.
“Uh, Chief.” I cleared my throat.
Gerard swung the gun back and forth between Ulysses and me—clearly unable to decide who to shoot first. “What?” Another bellow.
“There’s a propane tank behind you.” With that, I dove for Ulysses, tackling him to the ground.
He landed with anoof.
Moments later, a deafening explosion rent the air and consumed the night.
A massive blast of hot air roared across my back, even as Ulysses struggled to get out from under me. “Stay the fuck down. That was the tank exploding. We’re lucky it didn’t land over here, but that fire just got major fuel.”
“Your chief?”
My breath caught. I didn’t want to look. No way he survived that blast. Hell, we shouldn’t have survived it.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
My gaze clashed with Ulysses’s.
“Colton.”
We said the name at the same time.
Finally, I rolled off him. “We need to get out of here.”
“To try to hide from the cops?”
I snickered. “Yeah, no. Colton’s going to know we were here. He’ll see my pickup truck and your SUV down the road.”
“Fuck.”
