Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
She looked up at me, not a hint of fear. “Just so we’re clear. We’re ending him, Inferno. Right? I’m willing to do everything I need to -- whether or not you ask it of me -- but I want to know what the expected outcome is, so I don’t fuck up and kill someone I’m not supposed to.”
I had to laugh at that. “Honey, you won’t be killin’ anyone, no matter what.”
She narrowed her gaze at me. “You’re not going back to prison for this, Inferno.”
I laid my hand over hers and squeezed. “Don’t worry about that. No one will go to prison for this fuck’s death. He’s not worth it and Knuckles won’t have it.”
Later, we made love late into the night. We both needed it, and I’d been hard for the woman since she’d started showing a vicious streak. No, that wasn’t true. I’d been hard for her way the fuck before that. She kept me in a constant state of arousal when I was in her presence.
At 2:47 a.m., my phone let out an alert I hadn’t heard in a long fucking time. The fire station’s electronic tone drops, followed by the automated message saying what was on fire, the location, and the anticipated resources that would be needed.
I heard “Charlotte Avenue” and “Second alarm requested,” and I was up and moving. Just like I used to when this was my job. I pulled on jeans, boots, and a T-shirt, all lying on the floor.
“Inferno?” Juniper sat up in bed, clutching the covers to her chest.
“I’ll be back, honey. If you need to, go to Knight’s office. He’ll keep you updated.”
“Please be careful, Inferno. I meant what I said. You’re more important than anything else.”
I hurried back to the bed and leaned in to kiss her, then rested my forehead against hers. “I swear to you, honey. I’ll be careful and I will come back to you.”
“You better.”
I grinned, still holding her to me. “I will.” Then I kissed her once more before leaving.
I filled Knuckles in on my way downstairs, and he sent a couple of guys with me as backup. I didn’t wait for anyone to get ready, instead heading to Juniper’s bakery as fast as I dared.
The city was dark, but the sky over her block glowed vicious and orange, underpinned by a rolling, chemical blue. The place was burning very fucking hot.
I parked my bike on the street, far enough away from the scene not to get trapped accidentally or have debris burn my ride. The heat was so intense there was no way to get anywhere near the place, even with the crosswind. The bakery window was already blown out, glass pooling on the pitted sidewalk. Flames worked through the top floor, licking across the roofline to eat into the corner wall with a hunger that wouldn’t be denied.
One engine was already there, laying line and prepping water. The crew chief was a fresh-faced kid who didn’t even register me as I moved past. All focus was on containing the fire because nobody with half a brain would try even getting close to the bakery. Brett had moved, and I’d been one day too fucking late.
I’d been about to go find Danner and thank him for adding me to the loop alert when I heard a scream.
I spotted the chief and shouted over the racket. “Hey! You got anybody inside?”
The chief shook his head, not even looking at me. “No reports of occupants. Building’s supposed to be empty, so I didn’t risk it.”
The hardware store next to Juniper’s bakery was already being licked with flame, whorls of orange peeling the paint. That’s when I remembered an old squatter who often camped between the buildings, or slipped in the back of the hardware store. He’d likely been passed out when everything went to shit, what with the rotgut I often saw him drink.
“Fuck,” I swore, jogging around the back of the building. It took longer than I’d like and not only was it hot as shit, but any water making it to the ground was hot enough to burn.
The back of the building wasn’t fully engulfed, but the smoke inside would still be thick and acrid. Sure enough, another scream sounded, but from the bakery instead of the hardware store. Had the old guy gotten inside the shop while Juniper had closed it?
Without thinking about it too much, I kicked in the back door. I couldn’t let anyone burn alive. That was too cruel for words. Smoke hammered my lungs before I even stepped inside. The bakery was a Goddamn hellish landscape. The fire was mainly in the front, but the smoke still rolled at me in wave after scorching hot wave. I skirted the wall, one arm up to shield my face, and barreled through the back door.