these somewhere and is totally innocent. We’ll have to tell Cage and Gina, let them sort it out.”
“Meanwhile, Nick is still out there, and Roselea is burning.” Whatever hope of finding Nick alive seemed to have been burned away with the fire. Jaymee felt suddenly heavy, unable to even lift her finger, her head sinking into the lumpy pillow like a weight.
Dani squeezed her hand. “I wish I could tell you something to make you feel better, but there’s nothing to say. Everything is pretty much shit right now.”
“Thanks for being honest. I don’t need sugarcoating.” A sob worked its way up her sore throat as Jaymee finally voiced her biggest fear. “God, what if he’s dead?”
“You can’t think that way.”
“When Lana was killed, I thought burying her would be the hardest part, that nothing was worse than saying goodbye to that casket. But this is worse. Not knowing where he is or what happened hurts so bad I feel it in my bones.”
“I know.”
Dani held her hand but said nothing more. Jaymee gave herself to the pain, allowing the hot, ugly tears to fall. They left soot-stained blotches on the crisp, white pillow.
“I won’t stop looking until I find out what happened.”
“Neither will I,” Dani said. “I promise.”
A soft knock on the door caught their attention. Jeb Riley, white coroner’s badge gleaming against his black shirt, hesitated in the doorway. He carried the black bag of death, as Cage liked to call it.
An unseen knife slashed right through Jaymee, piercing her stomach so that she nearly gagged. “Why are you here? Did they find Nick? Are you here about his body?”
“No, no.” Jeb stowed the bag over his shoulder and came to her bedside. “An elderly lady passed a while ago, so I had to come in. I heard what happened and stopped by to check on you.”
“She’s going to be fine.” Dani still sounded shaky.
“You’re lucky. People are saying the house exploded.”
“Her car was in the garage,” Dani said. “It exploded.”
“Penn’s car.” Jaymee felt terrible about the loss. He’d be more concerned about her well-being, but she still felt like a horse’s ass, even if Penn had insurance.
“How did it start?” Jeb asked.
“They don’t know yet,” Dani said. “Joseph Stanley called Jaymee over and knew she was there alone.”
Jeb started chewing on a generic antacid. “Do they think someone wanted to hurt her?”
Dani glanced at her. Jaymee shrugged.
“We don’t really know right now,” Dani said.
“Understood. But I don’t like the idea of you two being alone with Nick missing and Jaymee being roughed up. She could have been killed.”
“We’ll be fine,” Jaymee said. “We’ll stick together, I promise.”
Jeb looked disgruntled, and Dani led him into the hall, assuring him they would call if needed.
Jaymee tried to rest, but every time her eyes shuttered closed, visions of smoke and flames attacked, trapping and melting her body into nothing but ashes and bone.
To hell with sleeping.
Two hours later, the afternoon bleeding into evening, Jaymee and Dani walked out of the hospital. Jaymee thought she’d prepared herself for the sight of the demon on the horizon, but her breath still left her in a hard whoosh.
With the sun setting in the west, the eastern sky blazed with a red, smoke-covered behemoth. A gray pall covered downtown as residents stood on the sidewalks, some carrying things to their waiting vehicles, gaping at the fire less than five miles away.
“Fire Marshall said if it gets within two miles of town, we’ll be forced to evacuate.” The portly owner of the beloved creamery Sweet Treats huffed past talking on his cellphone. “Some people already are, but I’ll be damned if I leave.”
A light wind still blew to the east, driving the fire away from town. For now.
“Jaymee.”
She turned to find Joseph Stanley, his right hand bandaged, hurrying toward her. “I’m glad you’re all right.”
“Thanks to
“Meanwhile, Nick is still out there, and Roselea is burning.” Whatever hope of finding Nick alive seemed to have been burned away with the fire. Jaymee felt suddenly heavy, unable to even lift her finger, her head sinking into the lumpy pillow like a weight.
Dani squeezed her hand. “I wish I could tell you something to make you feel better, but there’s nothing to say. Everything is pretty much shit right now.”
“Thanks for being honest. I don’t need sugarcoating.” A sob worked its way up her sore throat as Jaymee finally voiced her biggest fear. “God, what if he’s dead?”
“You can’t think that way.”
“When Lana was killed, I thought burying her would be the hardest part, that nothing was worse than saying goodbye to that casket. But this is worse. Not knowing where he is or what happened hurts so bad I feel it in my bones.”
“I know.”
Dani held her hand but said nothing more. Jaymee gave herself to the pain, allowing the hot, ugly tears to fall. They left soot-stained blotches on the crisp, white pillow.
“I won’t stop looking until I find out what happened.”
“Neither will I,” Dani said. “I promise.”
A soft knock on the door caught their attention. Jeb Riley, white coroner’s badge gleaming against his black shirt, hesitated in the doorway. He carried the black bag of death, as Cage liked to call it.
An unseen knife slashed right through Jaymee, piercing her stomach so that she nearly gagged. “Why are you here? Did they find Nick? Are you here about his body?”
“No, no.” Jeb stowed the bag over his shoulder and came to her bedside. “An elderly lady passed a while ago, so I had to come in. I heard what happened and stopped by to check on you.”
“She’s going to be fine.” Dani still sounded shaky.
“You’re lucky. People are saying the house exploded.”
“Her car was in the garage,” Dani said. “It exploded.”
“Penn’s car.” Jaymee felt terrible about the loss. He’d be more concerned about her well-being, but she still felt like a horse’s ass, even if Penn had insurance.
“How did it start?” Jeb asked.
“They don’t know yet,” Dani said. “Joseph Stanley called Jaymee over and knew she was there alone.”
Jeb started chewing on a generic antacid. “Do they think someone wanted to hurt her?”
Dani glanced at her. Jaymee shrugged.
“We don’t really know right now,” Dani said.
“Understood. But I don’t like the idea of you two being alone with Nick missing and Jaymee being roughed up. She could have been killed.”
“We’ll be fine,” Jaymee said. “We’ll stick together, I promise.”
Jeb looked disgruntled, and Dani led him into the hall, assuring him they would call if needed.
Jaymee tried to rest, but every time her eyes shuttered closed, visions of smoke and flames attacked, trapping and melting her body into nothing but ashes and bone.
To hell with sleeping.
Two hours later, the afternoon bleeding into evening, Jaymee and Dani walked out of the hospital. Jaymee thought she’d prepared herself for the sight of the demon on the horizon, but her breath still left her in a hard whoosh.
With the sun setting in the west, the eastern sky blazed with a red, smoke-covered behemoth. A gray pall covered downtown as residents stood on the sidewalks, some carrying things to their waiting vehicles, gaping at the fire less than five miles away.
“Fire Marshall said if it gets within two miles of town, we’ll be forced to evacuate.” The portly owner of the beloved creamery Sweet Treats huffed past talking on his cellphone. “Some people already are, but I’ll be damned if I leave.”
A light wind still blew to the east, driving the fire away from town. For now.
“Jaymee.”
She turned to find Joseph Stanley, his right hand bandaged, hurrying toward her. “I’m glad you’re all right.”
“Thanks to
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