up again. “You don’t trust me?”
He laughed like she’d said something truly funny. “Oh, Layne, I trust you plenty. Good night, sweetheart.”
Then he shut the door.
And all she could think about was Gabriel Merrick.
About how much she wanted to hit him. Really hard. Right where it would count.
But worse, about how much she’d liked, just for an instant, the way his arms felt when he’d caught her in the hallway.
CHAPTER 11
Following a fire truck was harder than he expected. Gabriel couldn’t blow through red lights, and people sure as hell weren’t pulling over to give him the right of way. Once, he thought he’d lost the truck, but then he heard the wail of a siren and caught a flash of lights through the trees. Two turns and he found them.
He parked half a mile down the road, part of a line of cars along the curb. He cracked the window and sat for a minute.
He’d worried this might be a false alarm, like a sparking outlet or a cat in a tree or some crap like that.
But something was burning he could feel fire calling him even from here.
Come play.
He took a deep breath. In it, he tasted smoke.
Like his own community, the houses here were widely spaced, with lots of trees to provide plenty of shade. People were already wandering down the street to gawk at the destruction. Better than TV.
Like he was in a position to judge.
He thought about walking down the street with everyone else. But there was a chance he might be recognized. Kids from school lived in this neighborhood, and he’d helped Michael with a few jobs over here. One of his favorite running trails ran right through the woods behind the houses.
He walked up a driveway nonchalantly, like he was going to head up the front walk. No cars sat in front of the garage, and the drapes were all drawn, so he walked right past the front door, around the corner, and into the woods.
The trees here weren’t quite as dense as behind his own house, but the sun had set and his clothes were dark. He slipped between the trunks, following the call of his element until his eyes could take over.
Gabriel stopped short at the tree line. Smoke poured through every window of the two-story home. Fire blazed through what was left of the roof. Smoke detectors were definitely working they screeched into the darkness and gave Gabriel a shot of adrenaline he so didn’t need.
Firefighters had smashed most of the windows on the first level, but they were working toward the back. Gabriel felt the flames cheer at the presence of more oxygen. Radios crackled with static and commands. People were yelling incoherently in the front yard. He could barely make out the words over those damned smoke detectors. Flashover . . . stairs unstable . . . pull out . . .
Then a woman screamed in the front yard, a sound full of anguish that twisted something in his chest. He’d heard a sound like that once.
Gabriel had to put a hand against a tree. He shouldn’t have come here.
Come play.
Smoke was everywhere. He clenched his eyes shut. It felt like he couldn’t breathe again.
The fire thought it was a game. A sick, twisted, cruel game of destruction.
Come. Play.
The worst part was that he wanted to.
“You all right?”
The voice spoke from his shoulder. Gabriel almost came out of his frigging skin. He actually staggered into the tree before his heart would slow down enough to let him talk.
“Hunter,” he choked.
“Yeah?”
Gabriel got it together and pushed off the tree to punch him in the chest. “What the hell is wrong with you? Jesus.”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
His heart still wasn’t too sure about that. “What are you doing here? Go home.”
Hunter shrugged and looked past him at the house. “I followed you. What are you doing here?”
He’d followed him?
“Dude, I’m not playing.” Gabriel stepped close and pointed up the street. “Get out of here.”
Hunter didn’t move. “You want to go in, don’t you?”
Yes.
Gabriel
He laughed like she’d said something truly funny. “Oh, Layne, I trust you plenty. Good night, sweetheart.”
Then he shut the door.
And all she could think about was Gabriel Merrick.
About how much she wanted to hit him. Really hard. Right where it would count.
But worse, about how much she’d liked, just for an instant, the way his arms felt when he’d caught her in the hallway.
CHAPTER 11
Following a fire truck was harder than he expected. Gabriel couldn’t blow through red lights, and people sure as hell weren’t pulling over to give him the right of way. Once, he thought he’d lost the truck, but then he heard the wail of a siren and caught a flash of lights through the trees. Two turns and he found them.
He parked half a mile down the road, part of a line of cars along the curb. He cracked the window and sat for a minute.
He’d worried this might be a false alarm, like a sparking outlet or a cat in a tree or some crap like that.
But something was burning he could feel fire calling him even from here.
Come play.
He took a deep breath. In it, he tasted smoke.
Like his own community, the houses here were widely spaced, with lots of trees to provide plenty of shade. People were already wandering down the street to gawk at the destruction. Better than TV.
Like he was in a position to judge.
He thought about walking down the street with everyone else. But there was a chance he might be recognized. Kids from school lived in this neighborhood, and he’d helped Michael with a few jobs over here. One of his favorite running trails ran right through the woods behind the houses.
He walked up a driveway nonchalantly, like he was going to head up the front walk. No cars sat in front of the garage, and the drapes were all drawn, so he walked right past the front door, around the corner, and into the woods.
The trees here weren’t quite as dense as behind his own house, but the sun had set and his clothes were dark. He slipped between the trunks, following the call of his element until his eyes could take over.
Gabriel stopped short at the tree line. Smoke poured through every window of the two-story home. Fire blazed through what was left of the roof. Smoke detectors were definitely working they screeched into the darkness and gave Gabriel a shot of adrenaline he so didn’t need.
Firefighters had smashed most of the windows on the first level, but they were working toward the back. Gabriel felt the flames cheer at the presence of more oxygen. Radios crackled with static and commands. People were yelling incoherently in the front yard. He could barely make out the words over those damned smoke detectors. Flashover . . . stairs unstable . . . pull out . . .
Then a woman screamed in the front yard, a sound full of anguish that twisted something in his chest. He’d heard a sound like that once.
Gabriel had to put a hand against a tree. He shouldn’t have come here.
Come play.
Smoke was everywhere. He clenched his eyes shut. It felt like he couldn’t breathe again.
The fire thought it was a game. A sick, twisted, cruel game of destruction.
Come. Play.
The worst part was that he wanted to.
“You all right?”
The voice spoke from his shoulder. Gabriel almost came out of his frigging skin. He actually staggered into the tree before his heart would slow down enough to let him talk.
“Hunter,” he choked.
“Yeah?”
Gabriel got it together and pushed off the tree to punch him in the chest. “What the hell is wrong with you? Jesus.”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
His heart still wasn’t too sure about that. “What are you doing here? Go home.”
Hunter shrugged and looked past him at the house. “I followed you. What are you doing here?”
He’d followed him?
“Dude, I’m not playing.” Gabriel stepped close and pointed up the street. “Get out of here.”
Hunter didn’t move. “You want to go in, don’t you?”
Yes.
Gabriel
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