CHAPTER Nineteen

Kenton’s phone rang just as he stepped out of the hotel room. “Lake.” He shoved the keys into his pocket, adjusted his jacket, and felt the brush of his holster.

“Has Donalds got the woman?” Hyde demanded.

“Yeah, she’s detailing her.” He’d walked them out moments before and headed back into the room just to grab some files. Although he knew Kim would keep a careful watch on Lora, he couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy. He wanted Lora with him so he could watch her himself and make absolutely certain she was safe.

“Pick up Davenport and get your asses down here. Sam’s got a list of names—”

Names? “Who?”

“She’s been looking for firefighters, men who’ve been burned.”

That fit. They’d thought it was a firefighter in the beginning, until they’d seen the link with Malone. A link that was still there. “What about Malone? What happened to—”

“Alibied by one of Lora’s neighbors.”

“Okay.” He digested that. “But Malone is still tied to the cases. It’s no coincidence that he had a history with all the victims.” A link. Malone was the link, perhaps unknowingly, but he could lead them back to the killer.

“We’ve done some more digging, and we found four men who fit Davenport’s profile. I want you both here because we’re bringing ’em in, and we will get the killer to break.”

That sounded like one fucking fine plan. “Be there in twenty.” He shoved the phone back into his pocket and quickened his step. Monica’s room was on the other side of the hotel. Deliberate, that, after his last unfortunate encounter overhearing her and Luke in a hotel with thin walls.

Four names. Excitement had his heart thundering.

“Agent Lake!”

Kenton spun at the call, tensing. “What are you doing here?” His hand rose, going close for his gun, just in case. Not a firefighter, but…

“I wanted to talk to you and Lora.” Seth came closer, the limp slowing him a bit. “I checked at the station, but you weren’t there.” He shook his head. “I’ve found something.”

Cars buzzed by on the interstate, and their engines roared.

“What?”

“I think—I think I know who started the fires.” Seth’s voice lowered. “I don’t want to believe it, but…”

Kenton lowered his arm and stepped forward. The traffic was getting louder and making it harder to hear.

“I think it’s…” A broad smile covered his face as Seth’s hand came up. “Me.” A spark of electricity shot from the taser in his hand.

“Fuck!” Kenton jumped back.

Too late. The metal probes slammed right under his rib cage, and his body convulsed. Kenton fell, the files scattered, and his head hit the concrete.

The burn unit. Lora’s spine stiffened as she stared up at the sign in Memorial Infirmary. She’d been here so many times. First, she’d come as a kid for her own painful treatment. Ryan’s wounds had been worse than hers, so she’d come back during all of his long visits. Over the years, she’d also gone in with her teammates when they were injured and checked up on survivors.

Wade wasn’t talking yet. He couldn’t with that tube still down his throat. But she’d paid her respects to him. The chief was still talking to Sherri, and tears trickled down the woman’s cheeks.

The road ahead wouldn’t be easy for Wade and Sherri, but at least they’d be together.

The scent of fresh flowers filled the air. She’d brought roses, though Wade would have cussed her out if he knew that. The man had always said they were too girly.

“Lora.” She blinked and found Sherri in front of her. “Lora…” More tears fell as the other woman’s arms lifted and wrapped around her. “Thank you.” A whisper.

Lora held her tight. Sherri. Sweet Sherri. She’d always come to the station, smiling and flirting with Wade.

“Everything’s gonna be okay,” Lora told her, aware that her own voice was getting choked up. It was just that this place stirred up so many memories.

A lot of people had survived because of this place.

And some—some just hadn’t been strong enough.

“Wade’s a fighter. He’s gonna make it.” He would. She pulled back and stared into Sherri’s tear-filled eyes. “You keep telling him that, okay?” Because it mattered. You had to hear the words over and over. The pain—you had to know that you’d get past it.

“I will,” Sherri promised.

Because sometimes just surviving wasn’t enough. He’d made it through the flames, but now Wade had to want to live.

The shrill cry of her phone stopped Monica just as she was leaving her hotel room. She yanked the phone up even as her heart raced. “Davenport.” Maybe Sam had found—

“What the hell is taking so long?” Hyde barked.

Hyde.

“You and Lake were supposed to be here thirty minutes ago. I want these interrogations started ASAP. Let’s get this—”

“Kenton?” She turned and met Luke’s puzzled stare. “Wait—what do you mean we were supposed to be there?” She’d crashed hard once she and Luke had gotten back to the hotel, but she hadn’t missed a call from Kenton.

Silence hummed on the line. “You haven’t seen Lake?”

Goosebumps rose on her arms. Beside her, Luke tensed.

“I talked to him fifty minutes ago,” Hyde told her flatly. “He was supposed to pick you up and bring you to the station.”

Her heart kicked into a double-time rhythm. “I haven’t seen him.” That’s not like Kenton.

“He’s not answering his cell.” She could hear the hint of worry in Hyde’s voice.

Hell. Hyde wasn’t the type to worry without cause. “I’m going to his room.” Be there. Please, Kenton, be there.

Kenton wasn’t in his room. With some help from Luke, she’d busted the door down. The bed was empty, the covers rumpled, and Kenton wasn’t there.

But his SUV sat waiting, still parked in front of his room.

“This isn’t good,” Luke muttered.

No, not good at all.

She yanked out her phone and dialed his cell as she paced along the line of rooms. Answer, answer…

But the phone just rang and rang.

Monica froze, then slowly lowered her cell.

She heard the peal of sound then. A loud, quick beat that came from close by. She stumbled forward and her gaze scanned the ground near the ice machine. Oh, hell, it was—

“His cell.” Luke’s grim voice.

Monica glanced up and let her stare sweep around the lot. “We’re going to need a crime scene unit out here.”

“You need to come with me.”

Lora glanced up at Kim’s voice. Garrison and Sherri both turned toward the agent as she stood in the doorway.

“Why?” But she knew why. Phoenix. Lora rushed forward, and Garrison followed right on her heels. “Is there another fire?”

Kim shook her head. “Not yet.”

Not yet? Her brows dipped down. “Then why—”

The agent’s gaze held hers, and Kim’s lips pressed together. She swallowed, then said, “Kenton’s missing.”

And Lora’s world stopped.

When they arrived at the police station, Lora shoved her way through the crowd of cops with Garrison right at her side—until she found the man in charge.

“Hyde.” Hyde slowly turned toward her with his jaw locked and his eyes grim.

“Where is he?” Lora demanded.

“We have a crime scene unit at the hotel.”

A crime scene unit. She took the words like a punch to the gut. “Kenton’s been taken, is that what you think? Is that what you’re telling me?”

The voices quieted around her as everyone waited to hear Hyde’s response.

“It’s too early to know for sure.”

What? She flew at him. Her hands grabbed his pristine white shirt, and Lora yanked him close to face her. “Don’t give me that crap,” she ordered, her voice nearly a yell as the fear that had filled her during the long drive over finally destroyed her control.

Just found him. Can’t lose him—Jesus, Kenton!

“Do you think Phoenix has him, Hyde? Tell me!”

Hyde glanced down at her fists, then he looked back up at her eyes. “You should try to remain calm.”

A broken laugh slipped from her lips. “Trust me, I’m way past calm.”

If Phoenix had him…

Hyde’s hands closed over hers and slowly unpried her fingers. “There’s been no contact from Agent Lake in over two hours. We have no specifics at this time.”

“Two hours?” They’d waited this long to notify her? He could already be dead. Burning.

No.

“But I think it’s safe to assume that Agent Lake did not leave willingly from the Millway Hotel.”

Her breath hissed out. “Has there been a call? I mean, if Phoenix has him, he’ll call and give us a fighting chance.”

“There was no call for Bob Kyle.” Jon’s voice. Tired. Angry. She glanced at him and saw the dark circles under his eyes.

His words sank in, and they might as well have been a knife, because they cut right through her.

“What the hell is this?” Garrison demanded

Her head slowly turned toward him. Everything seemed slow right then.

Garrison stopped at the desk. His gaze was on the files. “My men?” His face tightened.

Kim crept closer to him, eyeing the files, but saying nothing.

“I thought we were past this. I thought—shit—”

“That’s a list of suspects…” Pete’s voice carried easily across the room. He stalked in and shook his head. “But it’s narrowed down now, right, Ramirez? Guess you and Sam tightened the list.”

“Down to four,” Sam said as she brushed past some uniforms. She looked as tired as Jon. The same dark circles lined her eyes, and the same tightness hardened her mouth.

Lora gazed at her as she tried to focus on what they were saying, but—dammit! She just kept seeing Kenton in her mind. Kenton, surrounded by fire. “Y-you’ve got four suspects?” Did that mean Pete had been cleared? Had he—

“You know them well, Ms. Spade,” Hyde told her, and she could only blink at him. “Some you work with, some you call friends.” He paused, then, “Frank Garrison—”

“The hell you say,” Garrison snapped. “Kenton knows I had nothing to do with—”

“Rick Suvalis,” Hyde continued quietly. “Max Quint, and Seth MacIntyre.”

Her right temple throbbed. “How—”

“They’re all tied to the station,” Sam said.

“And they’ve all been injured by fire,” Pete added. “That was the link, wasn’t it? I knew after I talked to Davenport… they’d all felt the burn.”

“What the fuck?” Garrison shoved the files away. “I’m no killer. You can’t—”

“Yeah,” Pete said. “It sucks being a suspect.”

Lora’s gaze rose to Garrison. He didn’t fit the age profile Davenport had given for Phoenix, and—“Garrison’s been with me at the hospital. He didn’t have anything to do with—with Kenton.”

“We’ve already ruled you out, Garrison,” Hyde said, voice unruffled. “And we’ve got two of your men waiting in Interrogation right now.”

Two?

“Quint and Suvalis. It was easy enough to round them up.”

Then just one was missing. One…

Seth.

Her breath caught even as her phone rang, vibrating in her pocket with a squeal. She pulled it out and glanced down at the screen. Lora could feel all the eyes on her. Don’t know that number. She turned away, fumbling. “Hello?” Not a good time. End the call. I can’t do this—

“Walk away from them.” A man’s whisper.

She didn’t take another step. “What?”

“Alert them, and he burns right fucking now.”

Lora lowered the phone and swallowed back the ball of fear in her throat. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Hyde’s watchful eyes on her. Kim stood at his side now, with her hand on his arm. Lora cleared her throat. “M-my brother…” She motioned to the phone. “Ryan wants to make sure I-I’m all right.”

Hyde nodded, then bent to whisper to Kim.

Lora pushed through the crowd and headed for the corner at the far right. “What do you want?” she asked quietly.

A soft sigh rustled in her ear. “You know, don’t you?”

“Yeah, Seth, I fucking 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 assholes, and you’re coming to me.”

“Why?” Why the fuck 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 fucking 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 fucking 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 fuck go!”

Seth’s smile stretched. “I told you that Lora was just using you.” He leaned close. Come on, asshole, 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 fucking 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 fucked 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.

The liquid spilled over Kenton and soaked the sheets beneath him as he struggled. Fear pumped in his blood. So much gasoline.

“She’s coming, you know.” Seth walked around the room, still pouring that gas and slowly making a trail toward the door. “Maybe she’ll save you. Or maybe she’ll just burn with you.” He stilled. “It’s time for that bitch to burn,” Seth whispered.

She’s coming. Kenton’s heart stopped beating. “No, don’t you touch her!”

But Seth just laughed. “I won’t need to.” Gasoline sloshed onto the floor. Lora’s floor. The house she loved. “The fire will do the touching for me.”

“No, no, wait, come back!”

Seth shook his head. “I got to get ready for Lora. She’ll be here soon.” His head cocked. Blood still streamed from his nose but the guy didn’t even seem to be aware of the pain. He walked away and Kenton’s eyes narrowed. Wait, something was different. Kenton couldn’t figure—

The bastard wasn’t limping.

The witnesses had never mentioned a limp, so he hadn’t seriously considered Seth as a suspect. The witnesses had seen him walking—no one had mentioned a limp.

Shit, he hadn’t thought of the guy as the killer, even though the guy had fucking shown him a trophy wall at his office. All those grisly pictures—staring right back at him.

Fucking trophies. Serials always liked to keep a part of their crimes. Seth had kept all the gory photos and put them right out front for the world to see.

The prick had flaunted it right in their faces.

“Nothing’s wrong with your leg!”

Seth stopped. “Something was wrong.” A shrug lifted his shoulders. “But I got it fixed. About six months ago, I had some surgery and did some rehab for a while.”

And the fires had stopped. While the killer healed, the fires had stopped.

Seth set down the gasoline can and stripped off his shirt. “The limp was fake, but these…” The shirt hit the floor and almost instantly became soaked in the gasoline. “They’re all real.” Long, angry red scars swiped over his arms. “My first.” His fingers traced a lighter line near his left elbow. “But not my last.”

Sick freak. “Lora’s going to bring the cops. She’ll bring my agents! You’re screwed, man, screwed—”

Laughter. Seth picked up the gas can. “No, she won’t bring anyone. I really do know her pretty well. She won’t risk your life.”

“You don’t know a thing about her!”

Seth’s eyes narrowed. “I know what her face looks like when she breaks. What she looks like when her world burns and she screams and she begs her lover to live.” He used the back of his right hand to swipe the blood from his mouth. “I saw it, saw her, and it was so damn beautiful.” He turned away and murmured, “Maybe I’ll see all that again.”

“No, come back!” Kenton wrenched his arms, nearly breaking his wrists as he struggled. “Come back!” Because he knew what that bastard was doing.

Setting a trap for Lora.

And using him for the bait.

“Lora wasn’t talking to her brother.” Peter slammed the phone back down on his desk, and Monica turned to face him. “Ryan hasn’t heard from her. Now he’s scared and mad as hell and wants answers.”

Why would Lora lie? Monica knew the answer—to protect Kenton.

“She’s got three brothers,” Garrison said, “Maybe one of—”

“Ben and Jake were there.” Peter gave a negative shake of his head. “None of them called her.”

“She lied,” Hyde fired, gritting his back teeth. “Dammit, she had him on the phone.”

“No.” Garrison was adamant. “If Kenton had called—”

“Not Kenton.” Monica spoke quietly, as her gaze rose to meet Luke’s. She saw the understanding in his gaze. “Phoenix.”

“She would have said something.” Sam’s eyes were huge behind her glasses. Her trembling hands sent paper flying across the desk. “She—Lora would have told one of us. If the guy has Kenton—”

“If the guy has Kenton, that’s exactly why she didn’t say a word.” Luke’s watchful gaze shifted to Sam. Monica knew he saw the same thing that she did on Sam’s face—too much fear. She wasn’t ready to be back in the field.

Garrison’s bushy brows rose up as his fist slammed onto the desk. “If Lora’s gone, she’s trying to save him!”

“Yes,” Monica said, because that was the only explanation that made sense.

“No victims have survived so far.” Hyde’s voice flowed flatly.

Sam flinched.

Kenton. A good man. A good agent. He’d always had her back, and she trusted him completely.

Hyde turned to Garrison. “You almost lost two men at the Randall house.”

“Because he sets the fires to trap ’em! Phoenix is—”

“Seth MacIntyre,” Hyde snapped. “No more fancy names. We’re not dealing with a myth. We’re dealing with a man. A fucked-up, fire-hungry freak who has my agent.”

Garrison’s shoulders fell. “And my firefighter.”

Lora would be walking into a trap and she knew it.

“Lawrence!” Hyde snapped. “Get your men out there! Start canvassing the streets! She’s probably on foot. She’s—”

“In my truck,” Garrison said, voice subdued, and Monica’s gaze flew back to him. Garrison swallowed. “When we came in, she—she had the keys.”

Finally, a break. Monica’s heart slammed into her chest as she called out the order, “Let’s get an APB out on that truck—make, model, tag!”

As they scrambled, Hyde watched them with his hands tight at his sides and said, “And get us hooked up immediately with 911. If a fire call comes in…” His eyes met Monica’s.

When, not if. They both understood, even if the others didn’t.

Hyde cleared his throat. “When that call comes in, we’re going to be ready.”

Hold on, Kenton.