Page 69 of Hot For You

When they came to a fork in the road, Cody told Reese to turn left. A little ways further, the app told him they needed to make a right. The phone was within half a mile if the app was correct.

Cody’s heart beat faster as they approached. “We should stop here,” he said as they came within two hundred feet of the location. They couldn’t see anything ahead, but didn’t want to be spotted.

“Stay with the car,” Reese said to Sam. “I need you to tell my men which way we went. If you follow, I have to I’ll cuff you and lock you in. Understand?”

Sam set his jaw but nodded.

Reese and Cody climbed out of the car. “You stay back,” Reese said. “I’m breaking the damned rules letting you come with me.”

Cody nodded, with no intention of staying back at all.

They headed through the brush, careful to stay out of sight. Finally, up ahead they saw a cabin through the trees. Reese started to step forward when Cody grabbed his arm, stopping Reese. Cody pointed down at a silver wire that glinted in the little bit of sunlight that filtered through the pines.

“A trip wire,” Reese said grimly, echoing Cody’s thoughts.

Cody nodded. “Looks like it.”

While Cody marked a tree, Reese took out his cell phone and called the dispatcher to have her let backup know about the trip wire.

“We’ll wait a few minutes ’til a couple of my men get here to show them where the wire is.” Reese was holding his mutilated left hand close to his side. The spots of blood were bigger now. “I’ll also have backup then.”

Cody gritted his teeth, not wanting to wait, but knowing they had to in order to make sure no one tripped the wire. God knew if it would trigger a bomb or something alerting Morris to their presence. He figured Reese was probably missing his partner, Detective Petrova. They were one hell of a team.

It was only a few minutes before two officers, one of whom was John McBride, met up with Reese and Cody.

“Stay here,” Reese said to Cody as he stepped over the wire.

Cody ignored him and stepped over it, too. John followed but said nothing.

“Damn it, Cody,” Reese muttered. “Just make sure you stay clear. I don’t want you getting harmed.”

They eased through the brush, closer and closer to the cabin. An older model white Corolla was parked in front of it. When they reached the edge of the brush, Reese and John drew their weapons and made sure it was clear.

“Stay here, Cody,” Reese growled. “Wait until I tell you it’s safe.” He looked at the cabin. “If it’s safe.”

Cody prayed Morris didn’t have any surveillance cameras set up as Reese and John crouched low and made their way to the cabin.

In spite of what Reese had ordered him to do, Cody started to follow—and then he smelled something burning.

His gut clenched as he saw smoke coming through a partially open window.

* * *

Nathan laughed as the fire started to burn hotter in a ring around Carilyn, and terror ripped through her. The circle smoked where the water had been spilled on the chalk line he’d put around her and he coughed as the smoke streamed past his face. The smoke made her cough, too.

“I’m going to have to leave soon,” he said in between coughs, “but I want to watch you go up in flames.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she struggled harder against her bonds, knowing it would do no good. She couldn’t help the tears, but damn it, she wasn’t going to scream. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

But as the flames grew higher on the chalk line, the heat becoming oppressive, she couldn’t stop herself. She let out a scream of fear so loud that her throat hurt. She was going to be burned alive.

Nathan smiled. “Good, good.” He backed away from the fire, a look of rapture on his face. “I like that. Scream again.”

Sweat dripped down the sides of her face, as it grew hotter. She clenched her teeth to hold back any more screams, but she knew it was going to be impossible to hold them back once her flesh started to burn.

A crash echoed through the cabin and she startled. Through the flames she saw Nathan whirl around.

“No!” he shouted as he held out his arms as if to keep anyone from passing him. He backed up to the flame. “You can’t have her!”

---