Blazing Hotter (Love Under Fire Book 2)

by Chantel Rhondeau

  Kenneth shook his head. “You don’t understand. I’ve been trying to save her. Rose has gone crazy.”

  “Who the hell is Rose?” Thayne asked, not lowering his gun.

  It was Rose in there with Cassie. Frankie swallowed down his surprise. “Rose is a different nurse at the rehab center, not the one we suspected.”

  Behind Kenneth, the sputtering flames inside the doorway rose higher, catching at the moldy straw insulating the wall.

  “Frankie?” came a soft voice from inside the cabin. “Help me.”

  “It’s Cassie!”

  Not thinking about the danger to himself, Frankie throttled the wheelchair’s control as far as it would go and zoomed toward the entrance.

  Kenneth dodged out of the way at the last second before Frankie hit him, and a scuffle ensued behind him as the others took him down. Despite their yelling and the sound of a gunshot, Frankie didn’t turn back.

  Flames licked at the walls all around him and a trail went further into the hut, leading to a bed. The bed was free of flame, but not empty.

  Cassie struggled against ropes holding her down, trying to undo the knot on one hand with her other free hand. “Frankie, quick. He dropped a knife over here but I can’t reach it.”

  The flames did their best to cut off his access to her, and the smell of burning rubber and plastic mixed with the pungent aroma of kerosene.

  He could walk. He had to. It was now or never.

  Undoing the straps holding him into the chair, Frankie lurched upright, charging through the fire with a stumbling gait. He hit something soft and fell down, unsurprised to land on top of a body. So this was what happened to Rose. The fire hadn’t reached her yet, but the woman wasn’t moving.

  “Hurry, Frankie,” Cassie begged. “I thought I wanted to die, but I heard you out there and all I want is to be with you.” She began coughing as smoke seemed to overwhelm her from her position higher up on the bed.

  Crawling as best as he could without regard to Rose’s body, Frankie dragged himself across the floor, spotting the glint of metal near the bed. “I see it. I’m coming.”

  Reaching for the hilt, it was as though his hand couldn’t grasp the handle of the knife. His fingers just wouldn’t close. Frankie looked over his shoulder, seeing that the fire had them surrounded. Only the spot around the bed hadn’t caught fire yet. His chair was a lost cause and if he didn’t get Cassie out of here soon, they would both join the chair in a fiery death.

  “No!” He yelled, clenching as tightly as he could.

  His hand finally contacted with the knife and he jerked it upward toward Cassie. “Take it,” he screamed. “You have to cut yourself loose.”

  Deep coughing still came from her, but her fingers closed around his and she transferred the knife to her grasp. After a few seconds, her feet slid over the edge of the bed and her hands were against his shoulders.

  “Come on, Frankie,” she pleaded. “We have to get out of here.”

  “Go,” he ordered. “I’ll be right behind you.” He looked up on the bed, spotting the moldy blanket. “Put that over your head and run through the fire. You can make it out.”

  Her eyes narrowed and she shook her head, as though suspecting what Frankie already knew. He wasn’t getting out of this hut. “We’re going together,” she said.

  Although she hissed in pain and Frankie shuddered to think what Rose and Kenneth had done to her, Cassie bent down and tried to lift him to his feet. Knowing she was in pain, he couldn’t let her struggle through on her own. He didn’t know where the strength came from, but Frankie pushed himself upright with his bad hand and helped as she pulled him to a standing position.

  Grabbing the blanket from the bed, Cassie swirled it over both their heads, holding him close to her and helping him run for the doorway.

  “Watch out for the chair,” he warned as they raced toward freedom.

  Each step was an agony as his legs protested so much movement, but he had his woman and they were going to be together. That was all that mattered.

  ***

  Cassie stumbled from the building, every inch of her body hurting and her lungs burning for fresh air. She didn’t have time to rest, though. People stood on the beach and they had Kenneth surrounded at gunpoint. As much as she hated the necessity, they had to save Rose.

  “Rose is still in there,” she yelled as loud as she was able with her smoke-filled lungs. “Someone has to save her. Kenneth knocked her out so he could frame her for the murders, along with Sandy, I think. Rose wore a wig to look like Sandy. She knows what all he did and is the only one who can help stop him.”

  Over Laura’s screaming protests, Thayne charged into the flames, swooping the blanket off Frankie and Cassie as he ran past. Seconds later, he came back through, holding Rose’s limp body in his arms as he shed the blanket from his shoulders.

  “You idiot,” Laura said, rushing toward the group. “Why would you risk making me a widow on our wedding day?”

  Thayne dropped Rose on the ground to gather his wife into his arms, kissing her deeply. “I’m okay, cat woman,” he said. “I’m fine. We couldn’t let her just die, even if she is a killer.”

  When Laura nodded and buried her head against Thayne’s chest, obviously forgiving him, Cassie allowed herself to collapse. It was still hard to breathe and the sand filling in cracks between all the rocks seemed to scrub her cuts raw.

  Frankie crawled up beside her, gingerly tracing her cheekbone with his fingertip. “I can’t believe they did this to you. I’m so sorry, Cassie. I should have never let you leave.”

  Cassie sighed and closed her eyes. “You think you could stop me?”

  Frankie chuckled. “No. You’re going to do whatever you want to. That’s one of the things I love about you.”

  “Oh, Frankie.” She opened her eyes, nearly weeping when she saw how much tender love filled his gaze. “I’ve been an idiot. Love scares me, I just didn’t realize it. I’ve never let myself get too close to anyone so that I couldn’t lose them. But I don’t have a choice anymore. I love you. All I want is to be with you, no matter what struggles we have to conquer to make it happen.”

  He nodded. “I’d kiss you, but I’m afraid to hurt you.” He glared over at Rose’s unmoving form. “Are you certain she’s only knocked out and not dead? As much as I wish her dead, I’d sure like to see her behind bars.”

  Even though it hurt, Cassie forced a smile. “She and Kenneth will both go to prison, and you and I get the last laugh, love. We get to be together.”

  The sounds of engines whined on the ocean wind and suddenly the beach was full of people. Some in security jackets slapped cuffs on Kenneth Morgan while another group came toward Cassie. Half of them stopped to check Rose, but two approached Cassie and Frankie.

  “I’m Dr. Peterson and this is my wife, Betty. It’s a good sign that you are conscious, but we need to get you to our clinic right away.”

  “Can either of you stand?” Betty asked.

  Frankie made eye contact with Cassie and laughed. “Considering my wheelchair just burned in that damn fire, I know I can’t anymore tonight. But I’m fine, take care of Cassie.”

  The doctor nodded to show he was taking Frankie at his word, and he and Betty focused their attention on Cassie.

  Trying not to cry out in pain as the doctor strapped a blood pressure cuff onto her cut and bruised arm, Cassie let herself feel relief. It was finally over. She no longer had to worry about anything. Her vision started to feel funny and Cassie knew she could finally succumb to the pain she felt, letting the doctor take care of everything.

  “Any allergies?” Betty asked. “Any medical history we should know about?”

  It sounded like the woman’s voice came to Cassie through a long tunnel. Cassie’s addled brain wasn’t working well anymore, and she just wanted to sleep. Could Kenneth have hurt the baby by punching her? Or what if the doctor here gave her the wrong kind of medicine? She couldn’t relax just yet.

 
; Clawing onto consciousness, she whispered, “Don’t let my baby die.”

  ***

  “Baby?” Frankie looked toward Cassie for an explanation, but the doctor and his wife had already lifted her off the ground and rushed her toward their vehicle. He turned on Laura instead. “What is she talking about? I know you know.”

  In the light provided by vehicle headlights and the moon, Laura paled. “I... uh. Well...” She shrugged. “It’s not my place to say.”

  Thayne bent over Frankie, helping him to sit upright before looking at his wife. “You know something, cat woman, don’t you? I can see it in your eyes.”

  Laura sighed and shook her head. “You’ll have to talk to Cassie for particulars. She’s not sure she’s pregnant, so nobody freak out, okay?”

  It was obvious that was all Laura would say on the matter. To prove her point, she walked back to the ATV they arrived on, leaving Thayne to help Frankie.

  Frankie looked at his friend, unable to stop a grin from spreading on his face. “She told me she hasn’t been with anyone else in a long time. I’m going to be a dad.”

  “Lord help us all,” Thayne joked. “Does that mean you are going to forgive her for whatever the two of you fought about before she left tonight?”

  Frankie hadn’t exactly explained the entire situation to their friends, as worried as he was about Cassie. “I was never mad at her in the first place. She freaked out, said there was some lie she needed to come clean about, and then left.”

  Thayne’s eyebrows rose. “I like Cassie, but I don’t like that she lied to you. What do you think it was about?”

  Despite Thayne’s open skepticism, Frankie felt joy bubbling deep within. “She said she couldn’t get pregnant. Do you think she was trying to trap me into a relationship? She was so uncertain that first night, needing to be reassured that I found her desirable and sexy. Maybe she thought I wouldn’t stay without a baby.”

  “You think she got pregnant on purpose to trap you?” Thayne’s skepticism turned to anger. “That’s low.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Frankie corrected. “It means she wants to be with me as much as I want her.”

  “You’re really okay with the fact that she tricked you?”

  Frankie shrugged. “Maybe she didn’t try and trick me. Maybe she thought she was telling the truth but something when wrong. Either way, it doesn’t matter. I win if I get to be a dad and get her.”

  Thayne sighed but nodded. “Okay, then. I’ll be happy for you and trust you know what you want, little brother. Let’s get your ass to the ATV so we can go check on your woman.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Cassie had been in and out of consciousness for days. Traveling back to Washington and getting set up at Sayle Regional had taken a lot out of her, with the doctors giving her heavy drugs.

  Unfortunately, every time she woke, Frankie wasn’t in the room. Laura and Thayne had both assured her that Frankie was there all the time, holding her hand and reading her books, but said she slept deeper when he was around.

  Cassie could only guess that was because his voice comforted her, but now that she was fully alert and awake for the first time in a week, it was a shock to find her room empty of visitors. Whether it was her mom and stepdad, her stepbrother, Laura and Thayne, or one of the nurses, Cassie hadn’t been awake and on her own since Frankie walked through fire to save her.

  Looking down at her arms, she took an assessment as best she could of the healing process. The cuts had scabbed over and her bruises from the beating were appearing more faded. The pain was also at a tolerable level, and Cassie didn’t feel the need to click her medicine pump, which was usually the first thing she did upon opening her eyes. She just might live through this.

  The door to her room clicked open softly and a mechanical sound filled the room as Frankie rolled inside, shutting the door and rolling to her bedside, carefully balancing a glass of water on his wheelchair’s tray.

  “I thought the chair was ruined,” Cassie said.

  Frankie jumped in surprise, making the water slosh dangerously in the cup as he looked up at her. “You’re awake!”

  She nodded. “I’m awake. They told me you’ve been here, but I kept sleeping. Sorry about that. I’ve missed you.”

  He rolled the rest of the distance between them, reaching out to hold her hand. “I’ve missed you too. As far as the chair, it was a loss. Luckily, my dad had talked me into putting insurance on it after my job interview that day. They worked quickly to fill the claim and get me mobile again.”

  “That’s a relief,” she agreed.

  An awkward silence filled the room, and Cassie didn’t know what to say. The last time she’d talked to Frankie, she had admitted she loved him. After everything that happened, did he still feel the same? She was only more sure now that she wanted to be with him, but the last month had been crazy. It was a lot for anyone to take in.

  “Listen,” she said, unable to handle the silence longer, “I’m not sure if you’re still up to moving in with me, but that’s what I want. However, I haven’t come clean with you and I need to tell you something.”

  “I already know,” Frankie said. “It’s—”

  A knock sounded against the doorway, stopping whatever he’d been able to say. When the door opened, Detective Emily Rogers poked her head inside. “Oh, good,” she said. “You’re both here. That’ll save me a trip of tracking down Frankie.”

  “You have news on Rose and Kenneth?” Cassie asked, figuring there would be no other reason the detective would come to the hospital in person.

  Rogers nodded, pulling a chair beside the bed next to Frankie and sitting down. “Now that Rose is fully recovered and has left the hospital to join us over at the jail, she’s awful talkative.”

  Cassie grunted, not surprised. “Stupid woman didn’t realize Kenneth was using her, but that certainly became clear when he knocked her upside the head.”

  “Too true,” Rogers agreed. “She’s been spilling her guts out in exchange for a good plea.”

  “You’re letting her off?” Frankie shook his head. “She’s the one who cut Cassie up.”

  “She’s not getting off,” Rogers clarified. “It was clear her lawyer would use a temporary insanity defense, and the district attorney worried it would work. He offered no trial and a cushy sentence inside a really nice mental facility.”

  “How long?” Cassie asked, wondering if Rose would have her freedom in a few short years after having killed that third girl in Cassie’s place. “You know she did everything the night Kenneth had that emergency surgery, right? She didn’t have to do that. She wanted to provide him with an alibi, and from the joyful way she cut into me, I think the woman likes killing.”

  “I know that.” Rogers sighed, crossing one leg over the other. “The problem is, without her cooperation we don’t have a lot to hold over Kenneth. True, he was in that shack with you, but he is maintaining he was there to save you. It’s your word against his and he was already making noise about how you wrongfully accused him once before.”

  Cassie narrowed her eyes, thinking that over. It would be a stretch for any jury to believe Kenneth had gone all the way to Hawaii on a hunch that Rose was planning to kill a woman who had once wronged him. What person in their right mind would try to rescue that person? If he had some concern, he should have called the cops.

  “She’ll still get life,” Rogers clarified, “just at a nicer place than she would have otherwise.”

  Frankie met Cassie’s gaze. “It’s fair,” he said, “especially if she can help nail Kenneth and make sure he doesn’t get away with it.”

  “That’s how we see it,” Rogers agreed. “He killed three people and tried to kill you and Rose. She kept some of their text messages and even though they are vague and not outright confessions, between the two of you testifying and his ex-girlfriend agreeing to be a character witness against him, telling why she left and fled across the country, we believe he’ll plead guilty and for
ego a trial. The DA is taking the death penalty off the table if he does.”

  “But he’ll get life?” Cassie asked.

  “Life sentences for each murder.”

  Cassie squeezed Frankie’s hand, glad it was finally over. “As long as they are both locked up and can’t hurt anyone. I’m fine with that. Is Lynn okay? Did Kenneth... hurt her?”

  To Cassie’s relief, Rogers shook her head. “She said it was all control and mental abuse. Nothing physical like what he did to you, but enough to keep her scared and under his thumb.”

  “I wish I’d done more to warn her.” Cassie sighed, wishing there had been something she could have done. “I tried, but she didn’t want to listen to me.”

  “Kenneth is good at what he does,” Rogers said. “There was nothing you could have done. Unfortunately, with people like him that are such good liars, everyone has to figure it out on their own.”

  Speaking of liars, Cassie still needed to come clean with Frankie. There was still one thing she needed to know before Rogers left, however. “What about Sandy? Rose had a wig to make herself look like the other nurse, and I think she was planning to pin the murders on her. Judging by Kenneth’s plans being different, I’ve been worried if he hurt Sandy.”

  Rogers shook her head. “We found Sandy locked up in her own basement shortly after Frankie rescued you from that hut. Apparently, Rose and Kenneth broke into her house the day before. They chained her up downstairs but left her with food and water within reach.”

  Cassie exchanged a startled glance with Frankie. “Why would they do that?”

  “I only have guesses, since they are both denying they did anything to her,” Rogers said. “They knew we were watching Sandy after the whole flower thing. It was her credit card they used to purchase tickets to Hawaii. Rose probably thought they were going to come home, untie her, and let her take the fall for killing you and the other women.”

  Frankie narrowed his eyes, seeming as confused as Cassie felt. “But then why did Kenneth decide to kill Rose if he already had Sandy standing by to take the rap for it?”