Blazing Love

by Chantel Rhondeau

Laura mumbled the words over and over as she sat in the waiting room of Sayle Regional Hospital. No one had told her anything since they’d pulled five bodies from the burned out house. Three went into ambulances. Two went in body bags.

  Carlos and Sterling sat beside her, Carlos holding her hand. “He’s going to be okay, you know?” he said. “Thayne’s the biggest, baddest man on the crew. He and Frankie are both great guys. They’ll be fine.”

  She squeezed his hand and wiped away a tear from her cheek. “I know.”

  I wish either one of us believed that.

  By the time they’d fought the fire back and searched for Thayne and Frankie, enough time had passed that Laura was surprised everyone didn’t come out in a body bag. Carlos had assured her that Thayne was still breathing, although his suit had been badly burned. Carlos had explained his legs and arms had severe steam burns from the sweat of his body getting too heated by the flames.

  It didn’t sound as though Frankie was as lucky as Thayne, if one could call Thayne lucky. The kid’s gloves were off, destroying his hands. If he pulled through, Frankie would never fight fires again.

  Sterling stood, pacing the small room. “Why can’t they tell us what’s going on? I know there’s no way that little kid made it, not without protective gear, but Thayne and Frankie have to be okay, don’t they?”

  Biting her bottom lip to keep herself from screaming at him, Laura tucked her hands beneath her thighs and stared at the floor. They all knew things were critical with both men.

  The door to the waiting room creaked open, and Laura looked up hopefully. Disappointment etched over her when she saw Vicky walk through the doorway instead of a doctor.

  “I just heard,” Vicky said, rushing forward and folding Laura into a hug. “How’s he doing?”

  Laura shrugged her away. “Like you care. You hoped this would happen. Why are you here, Vicky? Reporting back to that little criminal?”

  “Criminal?” Vicky took the seat Sterling had vacated, grabbing Laura’s free hand and refusing to let go. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but please don’t push me away. You can’t believe I really wanted Thayne hurt. I was scared for you when I said those things.”

  Counting to ten very slowly in her head, Laura did her best not to explode. It was weird, but for the first time in seven years, she wasn’t having a panic attack during a crisis. As a trade-off, she wanted to rip everyone’s heads from their necks until someone told her Thayne was safe.

  “I heard your little brother got that job.” Laura stared at Vicky and sneered. “Is he setting these fires himself or hiring it out?”

  Releasing her hand, Vicky leaned away from her. “I don’t understand. You think Tony is responsible for this?”

  “I’d about bet my life on it.”

  Although it’s hard to ignore what the captain said. Could it be him?

  Captain Smith was taking care of all the paperwork for Thayne and Frankie, calling their families to inform them of the accident. He had yet to come to the waiting room, and Laura hadn’t spoken with him again while waiting for the other firefighters to find Thayne. She should have questioned him further.

  “You’re being ridiculous,” Vicky said. “Tony wouldn’t set fires to get a job. If the mayor hadn’t had him working on this, he would have found something else for him to do. The mayor’s our uncle. It was pretty much a given if Tony wanted a job that he’d get one. He was just trying to impress you. He doesn’t care about the fire department or these fires. It makes him look incompetent too that he can’t find the culprit.”

  Even though Laura wanted to believe Tony was still the bad guy, Vicky’s explanation made sense. Even from one date, Laura knew Tony was a big talker. He would have wanted to be doing something impressive before boasting, which was why likely he said he was in business management and didn’t elaborate.

  It was possible he was just a creep and a bad date, not an arsonist and now killer.

  “That only leaves one person,” Laura mumbled. “I didn’t think it was him.”

  Carlos’s head snapped her direction. “Him who?”

  They aren’t going to turn on their captain. No way. Who can I tell, though? It has to be kept discreet. If I’m wrong or misheard him, I could ruin Captain Smith’s life.

  Laura shook her head. “I-I d-d-don’t—”

  The door swung open again, stopping her stammering. A man who nearly rivaled Thayne in the godly looks department strolled through, a pretty blonde woman following in his wake.

  “Laura Lyon?” he asked, his deep voice and penetrating stare sending a shiver of fear through Laura. This man had power and wasn’t afraid to use it.

  Blowing out a breath, she grabbed her courage and nodded. “I’m Laura. And you are?”

  He chuckled, surprising her. “I’m the man who will put a stop to this. I won’t have fires in my city. Not again. I heard from your Facebook page that you were at the scene today. I want to know everything you saw and heard, no matter how small it seems. Can we talk?”

  Laura stood as the man’s identity finally clicked into place. “You’re Nick and Carlie Kendall, aren’t you?”

  The woman slipped her arm through Nick’s and smiled up at him. “Told you she was observant. She’ll figure this out. She can help us.”

  Nick glowered down at Carlie. “She’d better, because if anyone comes after you again, my lady, I’ll—”

  “It’s not our enemy, sweetheart, or I’d already be dead.” Carlie patted Nick’s arm in a soothing motion, but Laura noted the twisted scars on her arms beneath the loose-fitting long sleeves of Carlie’s white blouse.

  “Maybe not, but your placed already burned once.” Nick’s look softened as he gazed at Carlie. “I will protect you this time.”

  That explains the burns. No wonder they are so keen to offer a reward and stop this arsonist.

  Laura glanced around at the others in the room, deciding she shouldn’t talk in front of them. “Do you have somewhere we can go? I think I have an idea of who’s behind this.”

  Nick grinned, the look feral and a bit frightening on his hard face. “Good, because I know how to take care of them.”

  ***

  I can’t tell if he believes me. It’s a good damn thing his wife is so nice, or I’d probably be running screaming from this room.

  Laura felt shaky and scared again. The anger that had sustained her fear was burning away and transmuting to her regular panic. She wished they’d tell her something about Thayne. Nick had scared a nurse into promising to find them when there was word.

  “So if it is the captain, what’s his motive?” Carlie asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Laura agreed. “Plus, Thayne respects him a lot. I’ve been racking my brain for a reason. But that sure sounded like a confession.”

  Nick frowned and leaned forward, trapping her in his intense gaze. “But he said it wasn’t supposed to happen that way. The kids shouldn’t have been home, right? You’re sure he said that?”

  Laura nodded and shuddered. “I’m not likely to hear that wrong, though I’ve been trying to convince myself that I did. Vicky says it’s not Tony, and I believe her.”

  A light tap sounded on the door to the empty patient room Nick had commandeered.

  “Come in,” he called.

  A doctor still wearing a scrub hat and a troubled look entered the room. “You guys are Thayne Bloodgood’s family?”

  “Yes,” Nick answered without hesitation at the lie.

  Laura’s heart thudded with fear. The doctor looked grim.

  “He’s in the ICU now, but the burns on his chest, back, and legs are extensive. We have to worry about infection now, but his vital signs have stabilized and we cleaned his wounds.”

  “Can I see him?” Laura asked relief flooding through her. It didn’t matter that he was burned. They could make it through that. She’d nurse him back to health. If he couldn’t work again, she would find two jobs to take u
p the slack. All that mattered was he lived.

  The doctor glanced around the room. “Only one visitor at a time, and you have to wear a suit and go through decontamination.”

  “What about the other firefighter and the child?” Nick asked.

  He’s certainly up on all the news. Did they report all this on Facebook or does he have other means of getting information? If it’s on Facebook, I should take the page down. How horrible for anyone to find out that way!

  The doctor shook his head, sorrow in his gaze. “I’m not allowed to talk to you about their care, besides, I’ve only heard rumors.”

  Nick nodded. “Me too. I heard the child died shortly after arriving and the other fireman is barely hanging on.”

  The doctor gave a bland look. “I can’t say that’s true.”

  “But you aren’t saying it isn’t.”

  Of course he isn’t. Nick obviously has a source of information and I’m sure it’s right. There’s no way that little kid could have lived through something Thayne barely survived. And if Frankie’s gloves were off...

  Tears slipped down her cheeks, and Carlie reached out to hold her hand. Tears marred the pretty young woman’s face as well. Up until now, the arsonist’s crimes had been horrible, but three children dead and two firefighters’ lives at stake? It was too much.

  Laura pressed her lips firmly together and looked at Nick.

  He raised one dark eyebrow in question.

  “Get that bastard. Find proof that I’m right, and fry him.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Pain had become Thayne’s whole world. He wondered if living was even worth it. Any time spent in relative lucidity from the drugs they pumped into him was torture. It felt like forever had passed, and he still hadn’t seen Laura.

  Was she pissed off that he didn’t call? Did she have a panic attack and had to be hospitalized when the house exploded?

  These questions floated through his brain with no real sense of urgency, barely penetrating the drugs.

  When the meds wore thin and the pain returned, he didn’t have time to think about anything except his desire to die.

  Someone pressed a damp cloth against his forehead, murmuring words of encouragement. Thayne wanted to open his eyes, thank them for being with him, but it was too much effort. The drugs had a hold of him again, and he slipped off to sleep.

  ***

  Come on, god man. At some point, you have to open those gorgeous green eyes and let me know you’re okay.

  Laura had talked herself hoarse at his bedside, and it felt like forever since she slept, but Thayne still hadn’t fully regained consciousness. The part of her that begged to give in to panic insisted he never would, but she couldn’t believe that. The nurses came in so often to shoot a dose of morphine into the IV line mixed with a sedative that it was no wonder he couldn’t wake.

  They kept reassuring her that it was good he slept, that he’d heal faster.

  Thayne’s back and a good portion of his muscular thighs had been severely burned, as well as spots on his chest and stomach. The doctor said he was lucky. It would have been much worse without his protective gear.

  It looks bad enough to me.

  Mostly, they were second-degree burns, with the ones lower on his thighs going into third-degree. There was speculation that Thayne might have trouble walking in the future, depending on the extent of nerve damage, but Laura couldn’t worry about that all now.

  “You have to live, god man,” she croaked from her dry throat. “You promised you’d never leave me, and I’m holding you to that.” She squeezed his hand, thankful the skin remained intact there so she could touch him.

  A light tap sounded on the door. Laura turned, expecting a nurse to walk through.

  Nick Kendall strode inside, shutting the door behind him and adjusting the mask over his face. When he looked back at Laura, it was hard to tell whether he was happy or grim feeling with his mouth covered.

  “Do you have any news about Wilson Smith?” she asked, knowing that would be the only reason Nick would come back here. She’d meant to go onto Facebook or watch the news, find out what was going on. She’d meant to do a lot of things in the past few days, but somehow leaving Thayne wasn’t worth hearing if the police made an arrest.

  Nick stalked across the room, moving like a hunter, which Laura guessed he was from the comments he’d made to his wife before. Whatever Nick was to this town, it wasn’t just a prominent businessman. He sat in a plastic chair near the end of the bed. “He’s in custody and confessed to everything. You were right.”

  Laura sagged slightly as relief flooded through her. “It really was him? So the fires have stopped?”

  “They’ve stopped. I thought you’d like to know.”

  “Well, shit,” a scratchy voice said on Laura’s left. “Frankie and Carlos were right.”

  “Thayne?” Laura jumped slightly at his voice, then looked at the room’s door, hoping a nurse would appear. “Your sedative wore off too early. I’ll find the nurse.”

  As she tried to get up, Thayne’s hand tightened on hers. “Don’t leave me, cat woman. I’ve been waiting forever for you to get here and see me.”

  “I’ve been here the whole time, as soon as they let me come in.” Laura relaxed into her chair and lightly stroked Thayne’s cheek with her free hand. “I’m right here with you. Always.”

  Thayne blinked, his eyelids looking heavy. “Love you.”

  Within moments, he’d dropped back into sleep, but relief flooded through Laura like a raging river. He was okay. He still knew who she was, who he was, and he’d been able to gain consciousness again, even if only for a few seconds.

  “I was so worried,” she whispered.

  Next to her, Nick shifted, drawing her attention. “It’s lucky they have him so drugged. When Carlie got burned, the pain was horrendous and Thayne looks worse off. They gave Carlie morphine, but we had to get out of that hospital as soon as we could and it took a long time for her to recover.”

  But she did recover, and she seems fine now. That gives me more hope than I’ve had since that first picture came over the internet. Thayne will make it.

  “I figured Carlie was caught in a fire,” she said. “I saw the scars on her hands.”

  Nick nodded. “And those are after a lot of surgeries. It’s a long healing process. Thayne will need you. I’m sorry I didn’t get involved sooner and find out what was going on in my city. I should have stopped this before those kids died.”

  I don’t know why he thinks it’s his fault or responsibility, but Carlie did say something about their enemies.

  “I wish it hadn’t happened, but at least he’s been stopped.” Laura paused, wondering how it all worked. “If Smith set the fires, how did they start the days he worked, while Thayne as with him? He couldn’t have managed it.”

  “He wasn’t alone.” Nick’s eyes narrowed, looking hard and angry. “When the mayor laid off all those firefighters, five of the older men came to Smith to ask about options. I guess they were all close to retirement age, and the layoffs meant a reduction in their pensions. They weren’t going to be able to survive comfortably into their old age. During his confession, Smith said pleading the case with the mayor didn’t make a difference. He didn’t care. The most loyal protectors of Sayle would be without their full retirement.”

  “Of course he didn’t care.” Laura shook her head. “The mayor was more interested in giving high paying jobs to his family with part of the emergency services wages and the rest he was using to make tax cuts so the people would be happy. Those firefighters must have been in dire need to set a fire after so many years of fighting them.”

  “They were desperate,” Nick agreed. “I think the mayor should be brought up on charges.”

  Laura nodded her agreement. “At the very least, he’ll lose his job. That’s something, I suppose.”

  “He’s already out. The courts are looking at him now and deciding how responsible he is for these ev
ents,” Nick said.

  “Good. He might not have set the fires, but he abused his power and put everyone in town at risk.”

  Nick nodded. “Anyway, continuing with Smith’s confession, he said after the meeting went so bad with the mayor, they came up with a plan to force the mayor to rehire the laid off workers. They’d set a few fires to tax the fire department’s lowered resources, out in the country in abandoned buildings and such. Smith figured the people in town would complain pretty quick about there not being enough services to go around, forcing the mayor to do the right thing.”

  “But no one noticed or cared about small fires,” Laura continued, understanding, “so they were forced to start more and more blazes.”

  Nick nodded. “And then things got out of control. After Smith’s arrest and news got out about the children’s deaths, the other five men turned themselves in to the cops even though Smith never named them. They just wanted their jobs back and the money they should have rightfully had, but now they’ll serve time.”

  Laura hoped none of the men involved were Thayne’s friends. He’d already have to deal with the fact that his captain was the mastermind behind the entire plan. How would he handle knowing that men he trusted, men he thought of like brothers, could do this to the city and kill people? Over money. Granted, she wouldn’t want them to go without enough retirement funds in their old age, but they murdered children and caused a hardship for countless others.

  “I’ll keep Thayne strong,” she muttered out loud. “I won’t let this news destroy him or his ability to trust.”

  After all, he’s the one teaching me how to trust again. I know something about how hard it is, but Thayne will be okay. I’ll make sure of that.

  First thing she’d do when the hospital released him was introduce him to Dr. Mason. She might not like the man as someone to socialize with, but he was a good psychiatrist. He’d help Thayne keep things in perspective.

  “My news isn’t all bad,” Nick said.

  Laura returned her attention to him, raising an eyebrow in query. “Oh?”

  “Darwina Jones, the firefighter injured last week, has taken a turn for the better. She’s going to make it.”