by Diana Duncan
She located scissors in a utility drawer. Murmuring quiet nonsense, she used towels and strips of the moiré to bandage Murphy’s bloody wounds. He whimpered a few times, but knew that she was trying to help and didn’t snap or bite.
While she worked, the fire’s roar grew louder. Smoke crept around the wet towels. Hazy air heated to stifling, and sweat beaded on her forehead. Crouched beside the listless dog, she stared up at the skylight. There was no way to hoist herself up, much less Murphy. Coughing, Kate assessed the room again. She would not passively sit there and die.
Her glance snagged on the walk-in refrigerator. Lights had worked in the main room before the electricity shorted out. If the refrigerator was operational, the heavy steel appliance would be cool, well insulated, and smoke free inside. She jumped up, and flung open the doors. Cool air rushed out. Yes!
The gloomy interior appeared empty, except for metal canisters marked with the symbol for hazardous chemicals. Her stomach clenched. Daniel’s explosive. She didn’t dare remove it. If it didn’t stay cool… She pushed aside uneasiness. Once the refrigerator’s interior grew hot enough to combust the explosives, she and Murphy would suffocate to death, anyway. “C’mon, Murphy,” she coaxed. “Come here, boy.”
Murphy whined and struggled to get up, but couldn’t. She eased him onto a tablecloth, grabbed the remaining towels and black silk and dragged him into the refrigerator.
She shut the doors, enveloping them in total darkness. The wounded dog needed to stay warm. By feel, she wrapped him in tablecloths and the silk. Shivering from the sudden drop in temperature, she spread a pallet of towels for him to lie on. She draped a towel around her shoulders and sat beside him. He lifted his head and rested it in her lap.
She stroked his soft fur. “Liam said the SWAT team is coming,” she reassured him, and herself. “They’ll call the fire department.”
Misery seared her. Liam hadn’t had Murphy to guide him. Did he make it out? Shaking, she huddled with the weak dog, sharing body heat. Or had he become disoriented and died in the blaze?
Alone in the cold blackness with a dying companion, she had nothing to do except torment herself with the cruel image. The barriers around her heart shattered into shards of ice. A sob burst free. Aubrey’s chances for a future had burned up with the photos. Everything was gone. Had she lost Liam, too? Hugging Murphy, she sobbed out her sorrow.
Had Liam died without ever knowing that she loved him?
Kate had no idea how much time had passed. But the tears had long dried on her cold cheeks before she finally heard clanking and stomping. Numbly, she cocked her head, afraid to believe. Were those voices? “In here,” she croaked. “Help!”
The doors swung open and a burly firefighter stared at her in disbelief. “I’ll be damned! Are you all right, Miss?”
“Yes.” She gestured at the dog, who was barely clinging to life. “But he needs help, fast. Can you carry him?”
“You bet.” He lifted Murphy from her lap. Another firefighter helped her up. Her joints were stiff from both cold and trepidation. The firefighter offered to carry her, but she declined. She needed to walk, not be carried like a victim. He stripped off his coat and wrapped it around her, and she stepped out of the refrigerator and into warmth. Trembling, she leaned on his arm as she hobbled through the smoldering, stinking wreckage. The kitchen end of the building was still somewhat intact, but the outer perimeter was a charred shell. If Murphy hadn’t led her to shelter, she would have died in the fire.
The man carrying Murphy followed. “The refrigerator was a clever shelter. But I’m glad we found you when we did. If you’d stayed in there, you’d have succumbed to hypothermia or suffocation.”
Kate nodded. “I know.” She’d considered both options before entering the refrigerator, and during the torturous vigil inside. Falling asleep in the pervasive cold and never waking up was preferable to burning to death. But dead was dead.
The firefighter supporting her patted her arm. “I didn’t think we’d find any survivors after we discovered the bodies.”
Bodies? Her breath stopped. Her heart stopped. The world stopped. “Wh-who were they?”
“One was a big dog.” He grimaced. “The other we’ll have to ID with dental records.”
She swallowed hard. Willed herself to keep on slogging through the ashes of ruined dreams. Who had died? Daniel…or Liam? “D-did you find any others? Anyone who was injured?”
“Afraid not.” Devastated, she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from bursting into tears, and he softened. “But we weren’t the first responders. Were there others inside?”
“One man.” The man who meant everything to her. Why had she clung to denial so long? Whey hadn’t she told him how she felt? Now she might never have the chance.
“I’ll notify the captain.” He caught her as she stumbled through the blackened frame of the doorway. “Watch your step.”
Bedlam assaulted her as she staggered outside. Choking gray smoke veiled the predawn air with spectral fog. Firemen and cops shouted and ran. Fire engines, police cars and ambulances flanked the burned ruins, harsh red-and-blue lights strobing. Dirty canvas hoses snaked along the asphalt. A steady, mournful drip echoed from the blackened skeleton.
So this was what hell looked like.
She turned to the firefighter behind her. “Take the dog to an ambulance. Maybe a paramedic can help him.”
He frowned. “You need to be examined yourself.”
“No.” She had to find Liam. The ambulances were empty, so she checked each fire truck, each police car. He wasn’t there. Starting at the beginning, she looked again. She circled the parking lot, searching every man’s face. None was the familiar face she longed to see. She couldn’t find his brothers, either. If Liam hadn’t made it, they’d be with his body…in the morgue. Her heart labored in her chest, and it hurt to breathe. She did not want to accept the hideous possibility that Daniel had escaped and the ravaged body was Liam’s. As wrenching minutes ticked past and she didn’t see him, desolation crept over her.
Another grim circle later, she was forced to face the horrible truth. Broken and lost, she clutched the firefighter’s coat around herself. Grief slammed into her. Tears she’d thought all cried out spilled down her cheeks.
Liam was dead.
She peered through tears at the ambulances nearly hidden behind the murky smoke. But Murphy was still alive. It was up to her to make sure he got medical treatment. Taking care of his partner was the final thing she could do for Liam.
She trudged toward the ambulances, dodging cops and firefighters. Just ahead, through the wavering haze, she saw a man coming toward her. A tall, broad-shouldered man, with thick dark hair. Her sobs jammed in her lungs, and she squinted, desperate to make out his features. A brief flicker of hope flared…then was snuffed out by dark despair. No, his stride was different. Instead of a confident, graceful lope, the man moved slowly. Painfully. Head down and shoulders slumped.
He walked closer. The smoky curtain parted. He lifted his head, and his face swam into clear view. Kate gasped. Reeled to a halt.
It was the man she never thought she’d see again. The only man she longed to see. Liam!
He saw her. He faltered, stumbled, and then his beautiful face creased in a smile. “Kate!” he cried hoarsely. He broke into a run, and scooped her into his arms. “Kate!”
Sobbing too hard to reply, she flung her arms around his neck. The coat fell away unheeded, and she hugged him tight. The sun grazed the horizon, flooded the sky with saffron light. His heartbeat thundered against hers, and she kissed his bristled cheek. He was warm. Vital. Alive!
He buried his face in her neck and hugged her tightly in return. “I thought I’d lost you.”
“Mm-me t-too. I m-mean y-ou, too,” she sobbed.
“Shh.” He stroked her hair, rubbed her back. “It’s okay. Everything is okay, now.” He eased away, cupped her face in his hands. His gaze traveled over her. “You’re not hurt?”
“Minor smoke inhalation. Grady forced an oxygen mask on me for a while. No biggie.”
She sniffled, for the first time unashamed of her tears. She had a right to cry. “Where were you?”
“Around back, showing my brothers and the investigators where I busted out.” His thumbs gently wiped away her tears. “That crowbar saved my life. After I coldcocked Daniel with it, I lugged him away from the fire. I used the crowbar to smash through an outer wall. When I turned back to get him, he was gone. He must have crawled away, thinking he could escape.”
She ran her fingers through his silky hair, traced his sculpted cheekbones, his soft lips. She couldn’t stop touching him. “The firemen found his body. He didn’t make it.”
“I know.” His voice was raw. “Neither did Murphy.”
“Yes, he did! A firefighter brought him out right behind me!”
His green eyes lit up. “Where is he?”
“I think he’s in an ambulance.” She bit her lip. “He’s hurt, Liam. I don’t know if—” she couldn’t finish. Instead she grabbed his hand. “Let’s go find him. He needs you.”
Hand in hand, they sprinted to the ambulances. The dog lay motionless on a stretcher inside the vehicle. Grady hovered over him, holding an oxygen mask to the canine’s nose. An IV line trailed from a shaved spot on the dog’s front leg.
Grady looked up at their approach, his face grave. Liam rushed to Murphy’s side, and Grady patted Liam’s back. “Easy.” He hesitated. “It’s bad, bro. His vitals are barely there.”
Liam tenderly stroked Murphy’s head. “What are you waiting for? Let’s get him to the vet hospital.”
“I had to stabilize him, or he wouldn’t have made it to the hospital. Hop in the back with him.” They complied, and Grady slammed the doors and sprinted around to the driver’s seat.
Siren blaring and lights flashing, the ambulance tore out of the parking lot. Grady radioed ahead to the vet hospital. Kate clung to a support bar as they careened around a corner. “They let you use a people ambulance for a dog?” she called out.
“No,” Grady hollered back, and she heard the wry smile in his voice. “But when did that ever stop me?”
A fast, wild ride later, the ambulance screeched to a halt at the hospital entrance. Grady wanted to stay, but dispatch said they needed the bus. Grady hugged his brother, and wished him and Murphy the best. He promised to have someone drop off Liam’s Mustang, saluted Kate and sped away, tires squealing.
Liam and the vet tech wheeled in the stretcher bearing the unconscious dog. The vet tried to convince Liam to wait outside, but he insisted on accompanying his wounded partner. He’d warned her in the ambulance that Con and Aidan would be tied up at the crime scene, and couldn’t be there to support them.
She dropped into a seat in the empty waiting area, wrapped her arms around herself and prayed.
After an endless, lonely vigil, the inner door finally opened. Liam slumped against the door frame. His face was bone-white and tears glittered in his eyes. Kate gasped. “Oh, no!” She rushed over and flung her arms around him.
He clung to her. “He—he made it through the surgery.” He swallowed hard. “He needs to be kept quiet and rest for the next twenty-four hours. But the vet thinks he’ll be okay.”
She caressed his damp cheek. “Why are you crying?”
“Back at the fire site, when I thought I’d lost you, I—it ripped my heart out.” He inhaled a trembling breath. “I never want to feel that way again.” He dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Nobody has ever put you first. Not your parents, not your sister, not your so-called fiancé. You deserve to always be first.” He hugged her tight. “If you can’t bear to be around Murphy, then I—” He choked, swallowed again. “I’ll send him to live with Grady. He loves Grady, and I can visit him whenever I want. I need you, Kate.”
The air rushed out of her lungs. Her knees went weak. Tears blurred her vision. Nobody had ever made allowances for her, much less the supreme sacrifice he offered. “That’s the most incredible, generous wonderful offer I’ve ever received! But I can’t allow you to do that.” She smoothed his tousled hair. “If you guys don’t live together, you can’t work together.”
His eyes swimming with anguish, he slowly rose to his feet. “I know what I’m giving up.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’d never separate the team of Murphy and O’Rourke. Ever.”
The outer door crashed open, and two little girls rushed inside the clinic, followed by a man carrying a chubby beagle. “Our doggie is having puppies!” the smallest girl announced breathlessly.
Kate managed to smile at her. “How exciting!” She slid her arm around Liam’s waist. He was shaking. “If you’re ready to go, let’s continue this conversation in private.”
Chapter 16
7:00 a.m.
The local cops had delivered Liam’s car. When Kate somberly passed him the keys, he opened the passenger door for her, and then slid into the driver’s seat. He started the engine, and she looked at him, her fawn’s eyes sad and vulnerable. She appeared ready to burst into tears. “I can’t believe it’s finally over.”
He merged into traffic, and déjà vu whammed him back to the night they’d met. Then, it had been dark and rainy, but fiery anticipation had burned inside him. Today, it was sunny and mild, but apprehension chilled him to the bone. His worst nightmare would soon become reality.
Kate was about to walk away from him. Again.
His heart lurched. Watching helplessly as the casino had burned with her inside, he’d wanted to die. Losing Pop was the only thing that had come close to the agony. He stopped the car at a red light, idling in morning rush hour traffic. He couldn’t bear to lose her. He’d offered to board Murphy so they could be together. Standing over his unconscious partner in recovery, the decision had torn his guts out. Yet he’d had no choice.
He gritted his teeth. She’d turned him down. She’d refused to separate them. His life was gridlocked, his hopes and dreams at a standstill like the dozens of cars backed up behind this never-ending stoplight. The signal finally flashed green, and he drove the Mustang forward. His future remained stalled.
He was about to lose her forever.
The sun blazed mercilessly, stinging his still sensitive eyes, and he flipped down the visor. He’d always loved sunrise. Each day brought a new beginning, a fresh start. Ironic. At the start of a new day, his life was set to crash and burn.
“Things didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped.” Her voice quavered. “And now I have to let someone down.”
Here it comes. He braced for the blast. The shock waves of pain. The torment as his heart incinerated to ashes.
“Everything is ruined. Gone.” She brushed a stray lock of hair from her face. “I can’t pay for Aubrey’s transplant.”
His breath whooshed out. Hellfire. His fingers clenched on the wheel. He was a selfish bastard. Kate had run the obstacle course from hell, with more family fallout to come. Reaching over the console, he took her hand. “We still have another day. We’ll think of a way, I promise. Try to put it aside so you can rest. You won’t be any good to her if you’re out on your feet.”
Hope flickered in her gaze. “If we can’t make it happen, nobody can.” She rotated her hand so they were palm to palm, and linked her fingers with his. “Thank you. For everything.”
Her hand felt so small. So fragile and trusting. Thoughts of what Daniel had nearly done to her clawed at his insides, and he swallowed a bitter wash of bile. He would die to protect her. He almost had. “I’d do it all again, Kate.” Everything. Anytime.
“How did you know about Daniel? How did you find me?”
“Etienne told me Daniel was your former fiancé. The kid’s statement plugged in the motive.” Frowning, he changed lanes. “Sorry I had to arrest Etienne. The evidence was solid.”
“I’m sure it was.” Her voice was low, her bo
dy taut. “Daniel manufactured it.”
“And did a damnable job.” He headed toward the Strip. She’d need a hotel. “When Alex put you into my custody, he warned me the bomber might be involved with Les Hommes de la Mort. I couldn’t take any chances. I had to lock up any viable suspect.”
She gasped. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to scare you any more than you were.”
“What does a terrorist group have to do with Etienne?”
How much should he divulge? Junior had had the guts to disown terrorists. His current record was as spotless as Granny O’Rourke’s parlor. He released her hand to shift. “Ask him.”
She nodded. “Etienne has traveled a rough road. When you look into his eyes, an old soul stares back. Whatever’s in his past, there is no way he would knowingly hurt anyone.”
“He’s lucky to have you on his side.” Her devotion was no surprise. “Etienne said you’d been engaged to Daniel. He also said Daniel had motive, means and opportunity to hurt you, and my instincts hit red alert. Then Zoe phoned with buried intel. Daniel is the grandson of Phillipe Marché, the infamous bomber. Everything jelled into a nasty picture.”
She gulped. “Daniel claimed he killed his parents, foster parents and grandfather.”
“I don’t doubt it. Interpol thought Marché’s last hit was a suicide bombing—more of Tyler’s handiwork.”
“He would have killed me.” She fidgeted with her singed hem. “After.”
“We beat him at his own game.” Tyler hadn’t raped her, either, luckily for the bastard. Liam snarled. He’d been serious as a heart attack about gelding him. “I phoned to warn you, but the nurse told me you’d left with him. I freaked. I was afraid I’d never make it in time.” The excruciating interval counted among the worst of his life. “I arrived as you left the parking garage.”
“The second time today a mocha has saved me.” She gave him a wobbly smile. “I drank one earlier and had to stop in the ladies’ room. I grabbed a few minutes to freshen up. I was determined to rescue Etienne, and didn’t think I’d be very intimidating if I looked like something the cat dragged in.”