one another as he set the bottle down had Kansas opening her eyes again. She saw the bottle, then raised her eyes to his. “What’s that?”
“Modern science calls it aspirin. You can call it whatever you want,” Ethan told her, sitting down at his desk again. Because she was looking at the oversized bottle as if she wasn’t sure what it might really hold, hesaid, “You look like you have a headache. I thought a few aspirins might help.”
Picking the bottle up, Kansas shook her head in wonder. “This has got to be the biggest supply of aspirin I’ve ever seen.”
“We get it by the truckload around here,” Dax told her as he walked into the room, catching the tail end of the conversation. He raised his voice slightly to catch the rest of the task force’s attention. “I suggest you all take a few with you.”
Kansas swung her chair around to face Dax. A leaden feeling descended on her chest. There could be only one reason why he was saying that. “Another one?”
“Another one,” Dax confirmed grimly. “Just got the call.”
Ethan was on his feet, grabbing his jacket and slipping it on. “Where?”
“Down on Sand Canyon,” he answered. “The place is called Meadow Hills.”
Kansas stopped dead. She recognized the name instantly. “That’s a nursing home,” she said to Dax, but even as she said it, she was hoping that somehow she was wrong. She wasn’t.
Dax nodded, holding a tight rein on his thoughts. He was not about to let his imagination run away with him. “Yeah.”
Kansas shuddered, trying to curtail the wave of horror that washed over her. She couldn’t get the image of terrified senior citizens out of her head.
“What a monster,” she muttered.
“It’s still in progress,” Dax told them as they allhurried out the door. “Luckily, the firefighters got there quickly again. They’ve been a regular godsend. They had a lot of people to clear out, and I’d hate to think of what might have happened if they’d delayed their response even by a few minutes.”
Kansas said nothing. She didn’t even want to think about it, about how helpless and frightened some of those older residents of the convalescent home had to feel, their bodies immobilized in beds as they smelled smoke and then having that smoke fill their fragile lungs.
Another wave of frustration assaulted her, intensifying the pain in her head.
“Why can’t we find this bastard?” she cried, directing the question more to herself than to any of the men who were hurrying down the hall along with her.
“Because he’s good,” Ethan answered plainly. “He’s damn good.”
“But he’s not perfect,” she shot back angrily.
“That’s what we’re all counting on,” Dax told her.
Reaching the elevator first, Kansas jabbed the down button. When it failed to arrive immediately, she turned on her heel and hurried over to the door that led to the stairwell.
Ethan was quick to follow her. “Running down the stairs really isn’t going to make that much of a difference,” he told her, watching the rhythmic way her hips swayed as she made her way to the door. “In the long run, it won’t get you there any faster.”
Kansas didn’t slow down. Entering the stairwell, she started down the stairs, her heels clicking on the metal steps.
“I know,” she tossed over her shoulder. “I just need to be moving.” She hadn’t really meant to share that. What was it about this man that seemed to draw the words out of her? That seemed to draw out other things, too? “It makes me feel as if I’m getting something accomplished.”
“We’re going to catch him,” Ethan told her with quiet affirmation once he reached the bottom step and was next to her.
She looked at him sharply, expecting to see that he was laughing at her and being condescending. But he wasn’t. He looked sincere. Which either meant that he was or that he was a better actor than she’d initially given him credit for.
Kansas went on the
“Modern science calls it aspirin. You can call it whatever you want,” Ethan told her, sitting down at his desk again. Because she was looking at the oversized bottle as if she wasn’t sure what it might really hold, hesaid, “You look like you have a headache. I thought a few aspirins might help.”
Picking the bottle up, Kansas shook her head in wonder. “This has got to be the biggest supply of aspirin I’ve ever seen.”
“We get it by the truckload around here,” Dax told her as he walked into the room, catching the tail end of the conversation. He raised his voice slightly to catch the rest of the task force’s attention. “I suggest you all take a few with you.”
Kansas swung her chair around to face Dax. A leaden feeling descended on her chest. There could be only one reason why he was saying that. “Another one?”
“Another one,” Dax confirmed grimly. “Just got the call.”
Ethan was on his feet, grabbing his jacket and slipping it on. “Where?”
“Down on Sand Canyon,” he answered. “The place is called Meadow Hills.”
Kansas stopped dead. She recognized the name instantly. “That’s a nursing home,” she said to Dax, but even as she said it, she was hoping that somehow she was wrong. She wasn’t.
Dax nodded, holding a tight rein on his thoughts. He was not about to let his imagination run away with him. “Yeah.”
Kansas shuddered, trying to curtail the wave of horror that washed over her. She couldn’t get the image of terrified senior citizens out of her head.
“What a monster,” she muttered.
“It’s still in progress,” Dax told them as they allhurried out the door. “Luckily, the firefighters got there quickly again. They’ve been a regular godsend. They had a lot of people to clear out, and I’d hate to think of what might have happened if they’d delayed their response even by a few minutes.”
Kansas said nothing. She didn’t even want to think about it, about how helpless and frightened some of those older residents of the convalescent home had to feel, their bodies immobilized in beds as they smelled smoke and then having that smoke fill their fragile lungs.
Another wave of frustration assaulted her, intensifying the pain in her head.
“Why can’t we find this bastard?” she cried, directing the question more to herself than to any of the men who were hurrying down the hall along with her.
“Because he’s good,” Ethan answered plainly. “He’s damn good.”
“But he’s not perfect,” she shot back angrily.
“That’s what we’re all counting on,” Dax told her.
Reaching the elevator first, Kansas jabbed the down button. When it failed to arrive immediately, she turned on her heel and hurried over to the door that led to the stairwell.
Ethan was quick to follow her. “Running down the stairs really isn’t going to make that much of a difference,” he told her, watching the rhythmic way her hips swayed as she made her way to the door. “In the long run, it won’t get you there any faster.”
Kansas didn’t slow down. Entering the stairwell, she started down the stairs, her heels clicking on the metal steps.
“I know,” she tossed over her shoulder. “I just need to be moving.” She hadn’t really meant to share that. What was it about this man that seemed to draw the words out of her? That seemed to draw out other things, too? “It makes me feel as if I’m getting something accomplished.”
“We’re going to catch him,” Ethan told her with quiet affirmation once he reached the bottom step and was next to her.
She looked at him sharply, expecting to see that he was laughing at her and being condescending. But he wasn’t. He looked sincere. Which either meant that he was or that he was a better actor than she’d initially given him credit for.
Kansas went on the
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