Alena scrambled to help, steadying Melissa’s shoulders as Cal boosted her through the frame. Raines and Miller were already there, reaching in, gripping her arms and pulling her out.
The second Melissa was clear, Cal swung to Alena. “Move.”
She didn’t argue. She shoved herself through the window frame, boots hitting dirt, the humid air rushing against her face. Cal landed right behind her, his gun slung tight against his chest.
“Run!” Raines snapped.
They bolted, the grass tearing under their boots, weeds slapping their legs as they tore away from the trailer. Alena’s lungs burned, every stride a prayer they’d put enough distance between themselves and the device.
Behind them, a deep whoosh of heat and sound ripped through the air. Alena spun just enough to see flames bloomingthrough the trailer window, fire swallowing the curtains and spilling outward.
The trailer had become an inferno.
Chapter Ten
Cal stood in the doorway of Raines’ office, Alena right beside him. The smell of cold pizza hung heavy in the room, the untouched box sagging on the sheriff’s desk. Raines paced with the phone pressed to his ear, his voice clipped as he gave updates to the fire department.
Across the room, an EMT crouched beside Melissa. She’d refused transport to the hospital, insisting she just needed to sit, so they’d brought her here instead. Cal wasn’t sure if that was stubbornness or fear, but either way, she looked fragile enough to crumble at a touch.
Her skin was chalk-pale, her hands trembling as she clutched the blanket the EMT had draped over her shoulders. Her eyes kept darting to the door, to the window, as if she expected Dexter or someone worse to come crashing through.
Cal’s chest tightened. They’d pulled her out of that trailer by seconds, maybe even less.
Melissa’s voice came in a hoarse whisper. “We were so close. We almost died in there.”
Cal exchanged a glance with Alena, then turned his attention back to Melissa. He needed answers, and he needed them fast.
Alena’s voice was low beside him. “She’s right. We barely made it.”
Cal gave a small nod, though his eyes stayed on Melissa. She was in no shape to be pressed, and like Alena, he wasn’t about to force answers out of her now.
Raines ended his call with a sharp click and set the phone down on the desk. He dragged a hand over his jaw, muttering, “Fire chief says the timer probably didn’t activate until the door latch moved.” His mouth tightened, and a string of profanity slipped out under his breath.
Cal caught the look in his eyes. Raines was replaying it, blaming himself for nearly setting it off.
“There’s no way you could’ve known,” Cal said, his voice steady. “The trap was meant to look ordinary. Anybody would’ve tried that door.”
Raines exhaled hard, pacing a step before stopping to brace both hands on the back of his chair. His shoulders stayed stiff, the weight of it hanging there.
Cal kept his focus calm, but inside he knew one thing for certain—whoever had set that trap wasn’t finished yet.
The EMT packed up his bag and stood. “Other than some bruising on her wrists and face, she seems okay. I still recommend she be checked out at the hospital.”
Melissa shook her head hard, clutching the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “No. I can’t. Hospitals… I can’t do that. After Dexter, they made me stay in one for a couple of nights. I still wake up sweating from those memories.”
Alena’s voice was soft, almost a whisper. “I understand.”
Cal glanced at her and knew she did. She’d spent her own nights in a hospital after the warehouse, broken and stitched together in ways that didn’t always show. And David… he’d spent far too many nights there too. The three of them carried scars that didn’t always bleed but never fully healed.
Melissa kept her eyes on the floor, her hands twisting in the blanket. “I just need to be anywhere else. Not there.”
Cal didn’t argue. He understood too well.
The EMT zipped his bag, gave Melissa a final nod, and slipped out. Raines shut the door behind him, the quiet stretching in his office.
He turned back toward her, his voice gentler now. “Can we get you anything? Something to make you more comfortable?”
Melissa shook her head, then glanced at the desk. “The pizza. Can I…?” Her voice cracked a little. “I haven’t eaten since they took me.”
