A soft sigh rustled in her ear. “You know, don’t you?”
“Yeah, Seth, I f**king know,” she whispered right back to him. Three suspects in the station. One on the loose. Didn’t have to be a damn genius to figure out who the bad guy was.
“If you tell them it’s me on the phone, I’ll light him up right now.”
“Don’t!” Too sharp, too loud. She cleared her throat. “Don’t worry, Ryan, I’m okay. You don’t need to come down here.”
“Because you’re coming to me,” he taunted. “You’re gonna get away from the cops and the agent ass**les, and you’re coming to me.”
“Why?” Why the f**k had he done all this?
But he only laughed. “Get here in time, and maybe you can save him.”
Bullshit. He’d kill her and Kenton both. Or try.
“He’s already surrounded by gasoline. One light… he’s gone.”
Why? The question screamed through her mind.
“You know, I think I like the gas best. Its fire is so damn beautiful, and it burns so fast.”
Asshole.
“If I see a cop,” he rasped, “so much as one f**king flashing light, he’s dead.”
Her eyes closed.
“You and the flames, Lora. You and the flames. Let’s see who’s stronger. The fire can f**king judge.”
“Where?” she whispered from a mouth gone bone dry.
“Your place.” Another low laugh. “Knew they’d never look here.”
And her neighbors were all at work during the day. No one would be there to see the flames, at least not until it was too late.
“Hurry, Lora. We’re waiting for you.”
The call ended. Her fingers tightened around the phone. Damn nightmare. She shot a glance over her shoulder. The cops were huddled around Hyde as they got their orders. No one was watching her. Not now.
Her gaze darted to the door. That exit was so close.
I’m coming, Kenton.
Monica shoved her way through the cops in the bullpen and reached Hyde just as she heard him ask, “What do we know about Seth MacIntyre?”
“A team of my cops are at his house,” Captain Lawrence said as he straightened his spine. “They’ll do a sweep to see—”
“That’s not good enough.” Hyde pointed his index finger toward Ramirez. “Get over there. If you find something, you call me.”
Ramirez nodded. The poor guy looked as if he was about to collapse, but he spun away and ran for the door.
Hyde looked at Monica. “Did you find anything at the scene?”
Monica slanted a quick glance Sam’s way. Sam seemed even paler now. “Blood.” Not enough for a death scene, but enough for her to know that Kenton had been hurt when he left that parking lot.
Sam flinched, but she sucked in a deep breath and her shaking hands reached for a nearby folder. “Seth MacIntyre received two burn injuries in his life,” she told them quietly as she handed the file to Hyde. “The first incident occurred when he was—”
“Just a kid.” Garrison’s gravelly voice interrupted her. “He was just a kid when that fire tore through his house. It killed his mom and dad. I barely got him out, and the flames burned the hell out of his arm.”
“What was the cause of that fire?” Monica asked as she reached for the file. Luke was behind her, watching and waiting.
Garrison’s chin notched up. “Accident—it was an accid—”
“You sure?” They were dealing with a serial arsonist. One who loved the fire more than life. Just when had that addiction started?
Garrison’s shoulders hunched. “No… no, he was a kid… he had to bury his parents. He got sent to live with an uncle outside of town… Just a kid.”
But Monica knew some monsters were made as children.
Just a kid. That was an excuse that she’d stopped believing years ago.
“Seth… you really think…” Garrison sagged against the desk. “He can be a bit of a prick sometimes, but a killer?”
“Sometimes, you don’t see the killers,” Luke replied. “Not until it’s too late.”
“He worked by my side, right in the fire with me, for years.” Still disbelieving.
“Until the fire caught him,” Sam murmured. “About two years ago—”
“Carter pulled him out.” Garrison swiped his hand over his forehead. “Bad one, that night. Beam fell from the ceiling, caught his leg, screwed up his knee. Carter had to haul him out…” He blinked. “Carter.” A stark whisper. His eyes lifted slowly, and met Monica’s stare. “You’re telling me… you’re saying Seth killed Carter?”
“Uh, Hyde…” Sam’s hesitant voice stopped Monica from responding. “Where’s Lora?”
“She’s coming.”
Kenton forced his eyes open. He squinted as he tried to see through the darkness and focus on—
Seth MacIntyre smiled down at him.
Kenton lurched forward, only to be jerked back. His arms and legs were tied, shit, bound to the bedposts. Lora’s bedposts.
His gaze flew around the room. Lora’s room. The scent of smoke still drifted in the air.
“Guess you’ve been here before,” Seth murmured.
“Let me the f**k go!”
Seth’s smile stretched. “I told you that Lora was just using you.” He leaned close. Come on, ass**le, just a bit closer. “She wanted to get her revenge on Carter’s killer—”
“On you!”
He blinked. “Well, yes.” His smile didn’t dim. “She would do anything for her revenge. Well, I guess she did do anything, didn’t she?”
Ah, now he was close enough. Kenton slammed his head into Seth’s. He caught the bastard’s nose and heard the crunch of bone. Blood splattered on him.
“Bastard!” Seth stumbled back as his hands flew to cover his broken nose. “Look what you f**king did!”
“Newsflash, I’m gonna do a hell of a lot more!” He yanked at the bindings—bedsheets. They’d been cut and tied around him. His head throbbed, the drumming ache making nausea rise in his throat as—
Something wet hit his chest. Wet, and that smell… Christ.
Seth was smiling again. The bastard smiled through the blood that dripped onto his lips. “Figured this would be fitting for you. The bed you f**ked in will be the bed you die in.” He hefted the container he was holding and poured more gasoline onto Kenton’s body and face.