On the Ropes 2: Insidious Obsession by Michelle Cary Page A

poured from the corner of the building, and he thanked God for letting them all get out safely. Instinct told him this fire wasn’t some random accident. Not with the way it had been directly in front of her door only. He’d dismissed the first incident as a probable case of mistaken identity, but now…there was no mistaking this. Someone had specifically targeted her and had known she was alone.
    His heart clenched at that realization while Amber sobbed against him. He pulled her a little closer and turned his attention to Logan, who stood holding Lexi. Cole mouthed a silent thank you . Logan simply nodded in return as he held Lexi close and stroked a hand through her hair.

Chapter Sixteen
    Cole sat on the couch in catering with Amber stretched out, asleep, her head on his lap. He tried not to think about what had happened earlier that morning, but images of the fire kept popping into his mind. Coming so close to losing the love of his life left him with an unsettled nervousness he couldn’t contain. Never before had he experienced such an overwhelming feeling of fear and helplessness, and he didn’t like it one bit.
    Mark walked through the double doors, stopped, and scanned the room. The moment he made eye contact with Cole, he turned on his heel and stalked toward him. “Hey, how are you guys?”
    Cole nodded. “Amazingly good considering the situation.” He glanced down at Amber. “She finally managed to settle about ten minutes ago and rest. She’s putting on a tough facade, but I know she’s freaked out. However, I actually think Lexi might be having a harder time keeping a grip.”
    “Really?” Mark quirked a brow. “That’s unusual.”
    “I know. She’ll be fine for a few minutes, then suddenly start crying again. Logan got so concerned he took her to see Dr. Martin.”
    Mark let out a heavy sigh and eased onto the empty couch. “Well, I think everyone involved has a right to be upset.”
    The tone in Mark’s voice sent an uncomfortable shiver racing up Cole’s spine. “I agree, but why do you say that?”
    Mark leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I just got off the phone with the fire chief. He said this morning’s fire was a clear case of arson.”
    Cole’s blood began to boil as Mark’s words slowly sank in. They’d all suspected the fire was somehow connected to the graffiti incident but had hoped it was an accident. Hearing that it was in fact intentional made him want to hunt the asshole down, whoever it was, and beat him to a bloody pulp.
    Mark continued. “It didn’t take them long to get the fire extinguished, and from what he said, the pour pattern was obvious almost from the moment the flames were out. Apparently someone used an accelerant on and around the front of her door. The arson investigator called the police in, and they’ve also opened an investigation, but at this point, it’s obvious someone means to do her harm.”
    “What was the deal with the sprinkler system not working?”
    “He said there was a malfunction in the system. They don’t believe it was connected to the arson, but just a terrible coincidence instead. I guess that’s why they try to use fire-retardant materials in these newer hotels, because you never know when something isn’t going to work right.”
    Cole rested a protective hand on her as she slept. How in the hell was he supposed to tell her about this? More importantly, what was he going to do to protect her? “So what do we do?” Knowing what he now did about her past, the last thing he wanted was for them to get some crazy notion to send her home where she’d be alone and on her own.
    Mark rubbed his chin. “I’ve talked with Gene and a few others who needed to know, and we all agree, since everything has happened at the hotels and not at the arenas, we’re going to do what we did when we were doing that whole kidnapping story line with Lexi.”
    “So a different hotel for Amber?”
    “And you, Logan, Lexi, and