Page 60 of Twin Threats In Austin
“Hey,” an officer from the opposite side of the trailer called out. “You gotta see this.”
There was more? Rochelle took a deep breath—a mistake, given the stench—and turned toward the kitchen.
What else waited for them?
Chapter Twenty-One
As Rochelle crossed the kitchen, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye in the backyard along a patch of trees. A flash of red caught her attention. She froze as she realized what was happening. “Camden.”
He doubled back, walking toward her in a couple of quick strides. “What is it?”
As he looked out the window, the first flame was lit.
“Everyone out!” he shouted. But the flame spread in a matter of seconds.
“Gasoline,” she said as she searched for a fire extinguisher or anything they could use to break through the fire circling the trailer.
“Shirts up over your nose,” Camden said as everyone gathered.
“The twisted bastard has a mannequin with a blond wig that he’s been pounding with a hammer,” one of the officers said.
“He wants the evidence to go up in flames,” Rochelle stated as she bolted toward the front door. “We have to make a run for it.”
Before she could say another word, Camden and Benny were to either side of her. A bonus for this perp would be to kill her in the process of wiping out evidence.
Then what?
Didn’t Asher Foley realize he would be on the most-wanted list for the rest of his life after killing six law-enforcement officers from multiple agencies? Then again, maybe he didn’t care.
As the trio emerged, a shot rang out.
Camden pulled her back inside. They ran to the back door instead, and then bolted outside. “Stay close to me.”
The rest scattered.
One of the officers jumped the fire and then rolled onto the scrub brush to put out the flames. Others followed suit after finding a spot. One by one, they went for it. As someone made it across, they rolled to put out any flames and then pulled their weapons so they would be ready in case shot at or attacked.
Smoke filled the air, whipping around in the wind. Rochelle lost sight of Camden in the flurry of activity. Rather than wait, she saw an opportunity and then went for it.
The jump took all of two seconds as flames licked at her. She immediately dropped and rolled just to be safe. A fireproof vest covered her chest, but the rest of her body was exposed. In the melee, she lost a shoe but that wasn’t important right now.
Where was Camden?
She had to know he’d made it across safely. She scanned the area, still sitting on her bottom after making sure all the flames were out. Shock kept her left hand from hurting despite the burn marks. In the jump, she’d rolled her ankle, but she was otherwise okay.
“Rochelle,” Camden called out.
Rather than give away her location, she moved toward the sound of his voice. Hopping on a shoeless foot, she landed on a thorny stick, lost her balance, and smacked the hard dirt once again.
“Hey,” a familiar voice whispered from behind her. She immediately shifted her attention toward Kage. “Let me help you get out of here.”
“Camden,” she said through a wince as she tried to stand up, keeping her weapon aimed at Kage.
His hands came up, palms out. “Don’t shoot. I’m here to help.”
“You disappeared on us,” she stated.
“Because you tried to arrest me,” he said with disdain. “Remember?”
