Page 65 of Hot For You

The sound of an engine met her ears and she perked up. It sounded more like a car than a truck. As it came closer she fantasized that it was someone who could help her. Maybe the owners had returned or somehow Cody had found her. She had to hold out hope.

Rock crunched beneath tires again as the vehicle approached, then the engine was cut and all went quiet. Moments later the front door to the cabin opened and Firebug came in, and her hopes vanished.

He slammed the door behind him with one hand. In his other he had a water bottle that he drank from. The bottle slipped from his hands and bounced on the floor, water spilling over the chalk line he’d drawn. He frowned and picked up the bottle before setting it aside.

The man put his hands on his hips again as he stared at her. The fury he’d exploded with earlier seemed to be gone and he had what might be considered to be a pleasant expression on his face. Pleasant if he wasn’t such a sicko and if she didn’t hate him so much.

“Comfortable?” he asked almost jovially. He gave a sick smile. “I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Nathan. I’m going to have fun with you.”

The anxiety crawling up inside her like clawed hands was sky-high. Her stomach turned even queasier than it had been. She tried to focus her oncoming panic attack and turn it into anger. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. There was nothing else she could do considering she was gagged and bound.

“Sorry to leave you so long, but it was time to visit my mother.” He went to her and she fought to keep from shrinking back as he reached for her. She put every bit of hate she felt into her glare. He reached behind her and untied the gag before tossing it on the floor. “She gets upset if I don’t visit her regularly.”

Her jaws felt sore as she clenched her teeth and looked at him.

“Not so perky now, are you?” he said with an amused look. “I’ve got you where I want you.”

“Let me go.” She croaked the words.

His mouth split into a grin. “Yeah, right. And I’ll order a limo to take you to your door with a bottle of wine, a box of chocolates, and a dozen red roses while I’m at it.”

Her face flushed at his sarcasm and she clenched her hands into fists, wishing she were free so that she could lunge at him and claw his eyes out.

“Oh, let’s see.” He went to the duffel bags and pulled out a pink box. “Yes, we’ll start with this.”

Her skin went from hot to cold as she saw that the box was about the same size as one that a Barbie would come in. He busied himself opening the box and eventually pulled out a redheaded doll.

Her heart pounded in her throat as he brought the doll to her and set it on the arm of the chair that she was sitting in, so that it was beside her.

“What are you going to do?” Her voice trembled. She’d asked even though she was sure she knew, but he ignored her question anyway.

“You’re just as superficial as this doll, aren’t you?” He had a hard edge to his voice and a nasty look on his face. “Too good for someone like me.”

She barely heard him as she stared at the doll, horror filling her. In the video with the woman he’d set on fire, there had been a Barbie next to her. Carilyn’s stomach churned. Was he going to burn her along with the doll, too?

Nathan returned to the pile of bomb stuff and opened the other duffel. He brought out another box, smaller this time. When he turned to face her, her stomach dropped. It was a box of matches.

He took a match out and struck it on the side of the box. The match burst into flame.

Chapter 25

Arnie, the computer forensics tech, examined Carilyn’s laptop as Cody talked with Reese in Cody and Carilyn’s hotel room. They’d just searched the room for anything that could be a clue to Carilyn’s whereabouts, but it looked like all they had was the barista’s description and Carilyn’s laptop.

Reese’s hand was bandaged and spots of blood had appeared where his fingers should be. If he felt pain, he didn’t show it. His partner, Detective Petrova, had been ordered to take time off because of the severity of her concussion and the wound to her head. According to Reese, she’d fought with the captain over it, but in the end lost the battle.

“There’s got to be some place that we can start.” Cody dragged his hand down his stubbled jaws. “The longer it is until we find Carilyn, the greater the chance that we’re not going to find her alive.”

“We’re working on it,” Reese said, looking grim.

Cody wanted to tear something apart, anything. He wished Firebug were here so that he could let the bastard have it.

“We’ve got something.” Arnie set a cell phone down on the desk and motioned Cody and Reese over.

Cody’s heart rate jumped as he strode to where Arnie sat. “Whatever this program is, it’s powerful,” Arnie said like an excited kid with a new toy. “Unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It gave me exactly what I needed.”

“Get on with it.” Cody couldn’t help the gruffness in his voice.

“This Firebug guy hid his tracks so well that it’s just amazing that this program got to him,” Arnie said.

---