Page 55 of Built of Flames

But he wasn’t wrong. Mitch thought through his interactions with Kent, looking for clues and proof.

The Speers family had gone through a tough time a few years back before Steve retired. He’d been caught behind the wheel drinking and had been forced off the drive rotation for the engine.

That had pissed him off. There’d been a big blowout between Steve and the Chief. He didn’t remember the details, but he could visualize Steve’s flushed face and the fury radiating off him. Had Kent been there? Did he blame the Chief in some twisted way even though his dad had been the one driving drunk?

Or was it Steve behind it all?

He tuned into the conversation between Christo and his dad just as they hung up. “What if this is a distraction? So he can get to Bella?”

Christo’s face paled, and he put in another call to the station. “Send two out here to replace me and Mitch. Then be ready. We think there might be another call.”

He hung up the phone and frowned. “They’re sending a truck for us.”

Mitch wanted to run, but Roberto’s house was across town from his, with the firehall in the middle. No matter what, he was too far away. Was that why Kent had chosen Roberto’s place?

Christo’s phone rang, and he motioned for Mitch to lean in.

The Chief’s voice was thick with emotion. “Kent isn’t answering. I’ve tried his father to see if he knows where he is, but there’s no answer there, either. Any answer from Isabella?”

“Not yet, Dad. They’re sending a truck with replacements for us, then we’re heading home to see if she’s there. Maybe she’s left her phone off, or she’s out with some friends. She might not even be in town yet.”

A siren heralded the incoming truck. “We’ll call you as soon as we know.”

Mitch jumped in the driver’s seat as soon as Paul cleared out of it. Christo’s door wasn’t quite closed when Mitch had the truck in gear and he pulled a U-turn.

Never had the small town felt so very big.

Christo echoed his thoughts when he swore. “Hurry, Mitch. Hurry.”

When both their phones beeped at the same time, Mitch’s hands jerked on the wheel and he hit the gas.

Hurry.

All Fired Up

Consciousness returned to Bella in a wave, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. She kept her eyes closed and her body still as she stretched her senses. Her head throbbed from where Kent had slammed the butt of the gun into it, but she didn’t think she’d been shot.

The hard surface beneath her felt like a wooden floor. Her hands and feet were tied together. No one spoke or moved around her, and she let her eyes flutter and open a little. If he was watching, she hoped he would think she was stirring, but not awake.

Definitely a wooden floor. No carpets.

When there was no reaction to her movements, Bella took a chance and opened her eyes wider. The shock had her opening them all the way and letting out a small gasp.

She was in her old apartment above the garage on Mitch and Christo’s property.

Her tiny dining table and chairs were piled together. Scattered over and around them were any of the clothes she’d left behind.

Kent had built a pyre of her belongings, and he planned to burn it with her in the room.

Sweat broke out over her body, and Bella swallowed hard to fight down the nausea. He planned to kill her. Judging by the scene in front of her, he wanted her alive before he lit the pile.

He wanted her to know she was dying when she was helpless to do anything about it.

Bella’s body shuddered at the thought. She knew exactly what fire did to a body. She had to get out, get away.

A look at her ankles and wrists showed she wasn’t tied with anything so helpful as a frayed rope. Nope, Kent had used plastic zip-ties. They were tight enough to hurt, and her fingers and toes tingled.

She would need a knife or heavy-duty scissors. And she’d need to do it soon, before her hands were useless. Before Kent returned.