Page 49 of Hot For You

An object slammed into the truck’s windshield, smashing it on the driver’s side and she screamed again.

Debris rained from the sky as the house was consumed by fire. She paused a moment as she waited for the worst of it to fall. She opened the vehicle’s passenger door, climbed out, and ran toward Cody who was sprawled face down on the ground just feet from the truck.

“Cody!” Blood pounded in her ears as she dropped beside him and shook his shoulder. “Are you all right? Cody, please.”

The fire lit up the night and she could see that his hair looked wet behind his head. With a trembling hand, she reached out and touched the wet spot. Her fingers came back coated in blood and she barely kept from screaming again. Forcing herself to breathe, she checked his throat for a pulse and found one. She didn’t have any medical training, but it seemed like a solid pulse and it had been easy to find.

Struggling to keep panic at bay, she looked at the fire eating up the night, felt the heat, and tried not to breathe in the acrid smoke. What had happened?

The answer came to her despite the fear clouding her mind. The arsonist had blown up Cody’s house. How could it be anything else?

Her skin went cold despite the heat of the fire. What if the arsonist was still here? She felt like she was going to hyperventilate and she forced herself to calm down. She had to think of Cody and not worry about shadows and what ifs.

She looked back at Cody and then at the truck. With no one there, she needed to take him to the hospital but the driver’s side of the windshield was smashed in. Leigh’s car was next to Cody’s truck. Somehow she was going to have to drag his body to the car and get him into it.

How was she going to do that? He was over six feet and around two hundred pounds of dead weight.

She clenched her jaw. She was just going to have to do it.

The fire roared like a beast as she grabbed Cody beneath his arms and tried to drag him. He was too heavy. Clenching her teeth she tried again, and managed to move him a few feet. Her back strained, her arms ached. She grunted and dragged him closer to the car.

She lowered him as it occurred to her that she needed to dial 9-1-1. She’d been so freaked out, so intent on getting him away from there that she hadn’t been thinking straight.

Just as she reached for her phone, lights blinded her.

For a moment she was frozen in place, like a deer caught in headlights. What if it was the arsonist? She dodged beside the car so that it was between her and the bright lights.

Spots danced in front of her eyes as she regained her sight. What was happening?

Voices came from the other side of the car and she jerked her attention toward the sound.

“Do you think Cody’s in there, Clint?” a woman called out in a frantic voice.

“I saw someone over by the car, Ella,” the man named Clint shouted. “Let me have a look while you call 9-1-1.”

“All right,” Ella said. “Be careful.”

Clint—that was Cody’s brother’s name, and Ella was his fiancée. Her mind spun. Carilyn shook off the dazed feeling and scrambled to her feet. “Over here,” she called out. “Cody’s over here.”

A big form came toward her and then a man was kneeling beside Cody who was still facedown on the ground.

“Cody.” The man rested his hand on Cody’s neck as he looked up at Carilyn. “I’m Clint, Cody’s brother. What happened?”

“The house exploded and something hit him in the head.” Tears started flowing down her cheeks. “Is he going to be okay?”

“His pulse is strong.” Clint reaffirmed her conclusion. “But any damage beyond his head wound, I couldn’t tell you.”

She nodded, more tears flowing down her face. “I tried to get him to the car, but he’s too big.”

“Ella is calling emergency.” Clint looked grim. “We’re a good distance out of town so it’ll take a little longer for the paramedics to get here.”

“What if that’s too late?” Carilyn’s voice quivered.

Clint reached out and rested his hand on Carilyn’s shoulder. “He’s going to be all right. My little brother is one tough hombre.” He squeezed her shoulder. “What’s your name?”

She swallowed. “Carilyn. I’m—I’m staying with Cody.”

“We saw the explosion from the road when we were near.” Clint glanced at the fire. “Do you know what happened?”

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