Dancing with Fire

by Susan Kearney

  Kaylin and Lia raced across the yard to their home. Together they searched the downstairs, kitchen, office, and dining and living areas, shouting for their father. And all the while she wondered if the explosion had been sabotage. After two hard-looking men had paid them a visit last week, they’d had a break-in. Afterward, her father had changed the locks.

  Now, she wondered if those men had threatened him. Had they returned and blown up the lab? Or was the fire an accident?

  “He’s not answering,” Lia half yelled, half sobbed.

  He’d have to have been deaf not to have heard them. “Maybe he’s on the phone with 9-1-1.” Kaylin sprinted upstairs, Lia on her heels. But again, they didn’t find him. Kaylin spun around, grabbed Lia’s hand, and clenched it tight. “Let’s check the garage and his car.”

  Panic urging her onward, Kaylin opened the door that led from the house to the garage. She flipped on the light. Dad’s ancient Oldsmobile sat parked on the right. She held her breath, hoping he’d pop up from under the dash with his lopsided grin.

  Lia’s voice trembled. “He’s not here, either.”

  “Let’s go back outside. Maybe he’s with a neighbor. Or he’s searching for us while we’re looking for him.”

  “I’m scared. I’m so scared, Kaylin.”

  “We’ll find him.” Kaylin wrapped her arm around her sister’s thin shoulders. She was scared, too. But she had to clamp down and lock out the terror. It was her job to take care of Lia and Becca. After Mama’s liver had shut down and she’d died, she’d left Kaylin her love of dance, her roses, and her job. So Kaylin couldn’t give in to her own fear. She had to be the adult, even when inside she was crying.

  They hurried outside. The flames had grown higher, the heat more intense. Neighbors congregated down the block, holding their children tight, fear reflected on their faces. Kaylin didn’t see her father or Sawyer anywhere.

  Sixty feet away, the flames consumed the lab, the heat forcing them to retreat. Neighbors on the far side of the block gawked from their yards as if the Danners were a Florida side show attraction. Kaylin heard the squeal of car tires, the driver clearly eager to avoid the flames near the street. Even Randy had the sense to stay back from the fire and sat cowering by the studio door, whining uneasily.

  Kaylin led her sister away from the house—even as she prayed that, too, wouldn’t also go up in flames. She began to advance around the backyard when her sister planted her feet and stopped.

  “Look!” Lia pointed to a man running like an Olympic sprinter straight toward the flames. “It’s Sawyer.”

  Her father’s partner bolted across the side yard. With a crowbar in hand that he must have fetched from his vehicle, he ran, no hesitancy in his stride. But a black cotton T-shirt and hip-hugging jeans were no protection from the heat or the flames. Eyes narrowed in determination, lips tight with resolve, Sawyer’s tan face was red—too red from his proximity to the fire. Sparks landed on him, but he didn’t so much as bat them away. Arms pumping, biceps bulging, he raced straight for the burning lab’s side door.

  “Sawyer, stop!” No one could enter that building. No way. Kaylin’s throat tightened with fear. Either Sawyer hadn’t heard her or had paid no mind. He was about twenty feet from the burning lab when a third explosion blasted open the door, ripping it from its hinges and knocking him off his feet. The crowbar flew from his hand.

  The force of the blast slammed him to the ground, and the industrial-sized door missed crushing him by only a few inches. Flat on his back, he didn’t move. Blood trickled down his forehead and into his dark hair.

  Lia gasped, hid her eyes against Kaylin’s chest, and wailed. “He’s dead. Oh, God, he’s dead.”

  Praying Lia was wrong, Kaylin stepped away from her sister. “Stay here.”

  Ducking to keep stray embers from her eyes, Kaylin sprinted to Sawyer. She drew hot air into her lungs and tried not to wince at the increasing heat. He sprawled on his back, one arm flung over his eyes. Blood trickled from his sliced scalp, seeping over his temple and ear, and she hoped that meant his heart still beat.

  When sparks threatened to ignite his clothing, she grabbed the towel that was still around her neck and used it to flick embers and ashes from his legs and chest. Flames danced up his shoulder and she smothered them with the towel.

  “Sawyer. Get up.” She grabbed his calloused hand, surprised at the warmth and size of it. Kaylin tugged, but the guy didn’t budge. Not an inch. This man was fit. And muscles were heavy. Too heavy for her to pull him to safety.

  Something burning drifted onto his jeans and began to smoke. She snapped the towel at it, but wasn’t quick enough. The flames caught. What did they teach kids in school? Stop, drop, and roll.

  He was already down. “Sawyer,” she screamed and shoved him onto his side. “Roll.”

  He moaned, opened eyes that were clear and blue and stared straight at the burning building. By his sad gaze, she could have sworn he’d awakened clear-headed and immediately recalled what had happened at the lab. The explosion. Her father still missing.

  “You’re on fire. Burning up. Roll,” she ordered, shoving him with a strength that came from years of dance training.

  He tightened his fingers on hers, pulled her down. “You’re burning, too.”

  He kept his wits, rolling in the grass with her in his arms. They both swatted the flames with their hands. Randy kept barking. Lia shouted for help, her voice surprisingly shrill and loud. But working together, Sawyer and Kaylin finally beat the fire on their clothing into submission.

  For one long second, he lay on top of her, his chest against hers. Their gazes locked, and she couldn’t look away. She couldn’t read his expression. Couldn’t guess his thoughts.

  Then he rolled aside and helped her to her feet. He now possessed several charred holes in his jeans, and his ripped shirt looked like he’d gone through a shredder, but the flesh beneath didn’t appear to have blistered.

  “You okay?” Breathing evenly, he stood, towering over her, his broad shoulders slumped, head bowed.

  She blurted the first thought in her mind. “That was crazy. For you to try . . .”

  “I had to.” His massive hands closed into fists.

  He’d had to try. Something about the rawness in his voice at that moment cut through her fear and touched her heart. Kaylin had always kept Sawyer at a distance. For one, he was too damn good-looking. For another, she wanted nothing to do with a dreamer like her father. And lastly, she didn’t intend to put down one more root that might keep her from leaving town.

  Still, she didn’t hate him, either. Her father had told her his history. After losing his own parents in a car accident, he’d grown up with his grandmother, without a father figure. Sawyer and her father had bonded, the two of them working in the lab, fishing, bowling, fixing cars, and drinking beer. Even when he’d been away at college, he’d returned and worked with her dad during the summer. No doubt her father had wanted a son—and Sawyer had needed a father. Case closed.

  They’d fit. Not by blood, but by common interests. And mutual respect. Enough for Sawyer to risk his life on the chance her father was still inside the lab.

  Fire engines with alarms wailing roared down the street, arriving with sheriff’s cruisers, their red and blue lights flashing. Deputies made the neighbors move back.

  Lia, her round green eyes dilated with shock, ran over and hugged Kaylin. “Hold me. Please. Dad’s gone. He’s not in the house. Or your studio or across the street. Hold me and don’t let go.”

  Her little sister had always been on the delicate side, like their mother, and with her blond curls blackened and streaked from the ashes, her frail bones trembling, Kaylin feared Lia was about to collapse. All three of them backed away from the heat toward the curb, with Kaylin supporting Lia. “We’re okay. I’m all right. Sawyer has a cut on his he
ad, but he’s fine, too.”

  As she embraced her sister, she couldn’t help thinking that if her father had been out of the lab, like Sawyer, they would have found him by now, too. Between the smoke, the oncoming sirens, and the stench, her hopes of finding her father alive dwindled, especially as she stared at the ruined lab.

  Sawyer raised his head, and he was anything but defeated. His blue irises burned with sorrow and fury, and in that moment, if his rage had been a hurricane, the storm would have taken out the state of Florida. The force of his rage was almost palpable, and she took a step back. Then another. She knew the moment his anger and helpless frustration turned to something else. She could almost smell his determination to find out what had happened, a consuming intensity that canceled out the reek of the fire.

  Kaylin didn’t know Sawyer well, but he wouldn’t have headed into that inferno unless he believed her father had been inside the deadly fire. Despite her terrible fear for her father, she’d never forget that Sawyer had risked his life to try to save him. Still, that didn’t mean her father had been inside. A tiny part of her refused to give up hope. Maybe there was a safe pocket inside the building that had protected him from the fire. They might yet find her father safe.

  3

  AS FIRE RESCUE rolled out water hoses, a deputy approached Kaylin, Sawyer, and Lia. Kaylin pressed the towel into Sawyer’s hand. “Put this on your head to stop the bleeding.”

  He ignored the towel and faced the deputy, who introduced himself. “I’m Deputy Bryant. Are you all right? Do you require medical attention?”

  Sawyer made quick introductions and refused any treatment. Blood dripped into his left eye. Finally, he pressed the towel to his scalp, and it quickly soaked up blood. Too much blood.

  “Ma’am, can you tell us who might have been in the building?” Deputy Bryant asked.

  “My father, Henry Danner. And he’s missing. Lia and Billy had just left him before the explosion.”

  “Lia’s your sister?”

  When Lia didn’t speak up but trembled at her side, Kaylin nodded, her throat raw from the smoke. “And Billy is Mitzy’s son.”

  “Mitzy?”

  Lia began to tremble so badly, Kaylin feared she might faint. “Sweetie, why don’t you sit right here by the curb.” She lowered Lia until she was sitting. When a paramedic began to fuss over Lia, mostly comforting her, Kaylin stood and answered the question. About a year after Kaylin’s mother’s death, the family had needed a housekeeper, and they’d hired Mitzy. When money had gotten tight, Mitzy had taken an outside job, but by then, Mitzy and her dad had grown close, and she and her son had stayed. “Mitzy’s my father’s friend. She lives with us. So does her son, Billy.”

  The deputy made notes on a pad. “And where is Mitzy today?”

  “She works as a cashier at Walmart. Her shift is almost over, and she’ll be home soon.”

  And Kaylin would have to explain all over again, to Mitzy and to Becca, Kaylin’s sister, what had happened. By then, hopefully they’d have found her father. She must have paled, because suddenly Sawyer gently put an arm around her shoulder to lend her strength.

  “Give her a minute.”

  Grateful for a few moments to collect herself, she appreciated his kindness. Sawyer’s voice, so gentle for such a big man, reminded her that her father had decent friends, starting with Sawyer and Mitzy. Mitzy had effortlessly joined their household three years ago, but only recently, when she was sure they would welcome it, had she attempted to assume a motherly role.

  Still, Mom had left Kaylin in charge. If Dad hadn’t survived . . . she couldn’t go there. Couldn’t give up on him. Not yet.

  Lia seemed to be okay, talking quietly to the paramedic, and that calmed Kaylin, too. Slowly Kaylin regained her composure and nodded at Sawyer. “Thanks.” She seemed to be thanking him a lot.

  Deputy Bryant returned to his questions. “Did you see anyone else enter or leave the lab today?”

  “Sorry. I never pay much attention.”

  “What exactly does your father do here?”

  Kaylin let Sawyer answer. In truth, she didn’t have the energy. Until she knew if her father had been in that burning building, she could barely focus on the conversation.

  “Dr. Danner was making biodiesel fuel,” Sawyer said.

  “Biodiesel. From corn oil?”

  “Soybean.”

  Deputy Bryant paused. “Biodiesel’s the stuff the president says is going to help solve our fuel crisis, right?”

  Sawyer nodded. “Trucks can take it right into their fuel tanks without any modifications.”

  “Were there other employees inside?”

  “We haven’t hired anyone yet. Actually, we haven’t even started operations. We’re still working out the kinks.”

  Sawyer went on to tell the deputy that her father’s invention might be valuable enough for someone to make him a target. The deputy wrote everything down but looked skeptical. He turned to Kaylin. “Does your dad have any enemies?”

  Kaylin shook her head.

  “Have you had any trespassers or threats or—”

  Sawyer cleared his throat, but his voice remained roughened from smoke inhalation. “Kaylin, why did your father upgrade security while I was gone?”

  The urgency in Sawyer’s tone made her refocus on the conversation. “Last week two strange men rang our bell. Dad brought them inside, but he didn’t look happy about it. They looked pretty hard-edged.”

  “They came to the house?” Sawyer urged, and after Kaylin nodded he spoke to the deputy. “Dr. Danner always conducted business at the lab. Since I was out of town last week, I don’t know what was discussed. But our project might be very threatening to people in the oil business.”

  “Do you have their names?” Deputy Bryant asked Kaylin.

  She shrugged. “Sorry. I don’t remember.”

  “What did these men look like?” the deputy asked.

  She tried to pull herself together. “They looked Middle Eastern, with dark hair and swarthy skin. Dark eyes. Cold eyes. They spoke English with thick accents. One even sported a shiner that had to be painful.”

  “What were they wearing?”

  “Business suits.”

  “What did they talk about?” the deputy asked.

  “I don’t know. After the introductions, Dad ushered them out.”

  “Did the men threaten you or your father?” Deputy Bryant asked.

  She shook her head. “It was just their appearance that spooked me. Oh, I almost forgot. Both men were clean shaven. They spoke broken English. But what really freaked me out is that when Dad introduced us, they didn’t acknowledge me. The silence was awkward and not just because of the language barrier.” She shivered. “They creeped me out. And even Dad must have noticed. He quickly escorted them to his lab. To tell you the truth, I was relieved to see them go.”

  “Did you ask Henry about the men later?” Sawyer asked.

  “He promised they wouldn’t come to the house again. But then he clammed up. I’m certain he changed the locks because of them.”

  “Did Dr. Danner tell you that was why he changed the locks?” Deputy Bryant asked.

  She shook her head. “He’s been really tight-lipped about the meeting.” Kaylin looked at Sawyer. “You know how he is when he goes into full-avoidance mode.”

  “Do I ever.” Sawyer spoke to the deputy. “Dr. Danner is brilliant, stubborn, eccentric, and secretive.”

  “So you enjoy working with him? You and Dr. Danner have a good relationship?”

  Kaylin sucked in a hard breath. If the deputy’s words were meant to make Sawyer uncomfortable, he didn’t appear to notice.

  “Dr. Danner thinks outside the box,” Sawyer continued, his tone full of admiration. “And he has a passion for his work, an ent
husiasm that makes working with him a pleasure.”

  Sawyer had pegged her dad, all right. Meticulous about his work, protective of his family, yet naive when it came to judging people, her father was a mass of contradictions. While her father exasperated her at times, Kaylin didn’t just love him. She admired and respected him as well.

  Deputy Bryant looked up from his notes at Kaylin. “These men who came to your house. Have you seen them again?”

  “No. A few days later someone broke into the lab, but they didn’t take anything. I thought the break-in was tied somehow to our visitors, but we had no proof. Dad may have been suspicious, too, because he changed the locks and beefed up security. He filed a report with the sheriff’s office.”

  “I’ll check on the report. When you said your father beefed up security, do you mean he hired a guard?”

  Kaylin wondered if they’d ever know what had caused the explosion. “Dad installed extra security cameras inside the lab. They must have burned up.” She glanced at the smoking building. The roof had caved in. Two of the metal walls remained upright at one corner, but the rest was a heap of charred metal. And smoke obscured the remains like a shroud.

  “The security system may not be a total loss,” Sawyer contradicted her. “Henry was meticulous about removing the footage from the camera and backing it up onto his computer.”

  “Can we talk about this later? My father’s missing.” Kaylin stared into a second deputy’s face as he joined them, and she prayed for good news.

  “Fire Rescue found a body inside,” the deputy, a black man with kind eyes, told them. Then he quietly conferred with Deputy Bryant.

  A body? Blood roared in her ears. She forced words through a throat raw from smoke and from holding back tears. “Was it my dad?”