Glancing at Brandon, Jasi was relieved. He may not be a gun-toting CFBI agent, but he was strong and intelligent. He also knew arsonists.
Five minutes later, they were seated in a spacious Infiniti FX75 SUV.
"When you said rental I was thinking more along the lines of a nice little compact," Jasi complained as they screeched out of the hotel parking lot.
"Bigger is better," he winked, then grinned.
Clenching her hands in her lap, Jasi stared straight ahead, determined to ignore his innuendo. Her imagination, however, had other plans.
"Jesus, Walsh!" she snapped. "I'd like to get there in one piece, thank you."
Brandon laughed lightly as he wove the silver SUV in and out of traffic. "Relax, Jasi. I know what I'm doing."
It wasn't so much what he was doing that had her all hot and bothered. It was what the man was capable of doing. Being in close confinement with him made her palms sweat. Watching his strong hands shifting gears with ease brought dangerous thoughts to her mind.
Gripping the door handle tightly, her heart stopped beating when they took an off-ramp and headed for the highway. Somewhere between the vans and trucks loaded with camping gear, she felt the familiar pitter-patter of her heartbeat, kicking itself into high gear. While they dodged through unusually heavy traffic, she wondered whether everyone in Kelowna was escaping something.
Maybe they knew something she didn't.
Jasi pressed the glow-light on her watch. They were making good time. Perhaps there was a chance that they would catch Gibney after all―before he made it to Washburn's property.
Peeking from beneath her lashes, she examined Brandon's profile. Part of her was desperate to take the plunge, dive right into a relationship with him. But the controlled agent in her told her it wouldn't work out. Long distance relationships never did.
Neither did relationships for a Pyro-Psychic.
At least not this Pyro-Psychic, she thought resentfully.
Fully alert and running on adrenaline, Jasi thought of Cameron Prescott. Child abuse left scars and often they were permanent. But some scars were below the surface, invisible to the human eye.
Jasi thought Cameron had been lucky. The reporter had escaped while her twin brother had been forced to endure more abuse, until he died. But perhaps Ronald Jones' death hadn't been accidental. For all anyone knew, Charlotte Foreman could have murdered him. Maybe she had gone too far.
Leaning her elbow against the window, Jasi rested her chin in her hand and watched the passing shadows. The headlights of the SUV bounced off the green board of a highway sign. Loon Lake was about twenty minutes away.
"There's no sign of Gibney's vehicle," she murmured uneasily.
"We're almost there," Brandon promised.
A few seconds later, he swore and the SUV lurched. In front of them, a line of twenty or so vehicles sat stationary. A chemical truck slanted sideways across the middle of the road. Nearing the truck, Jasi could see that one of its back tires had blown. Thankfully, it had not rolled over or spilled its load.
"Damn it!" she swore. "We've got to get through!"
Brandon's eyes drifted to hers. Then he winked. Shifting gears, he hauled on the steering wheel and the car slid precariously close to the right shoulder.
"Jesus, Walsh!" she shrieked, fisting her seat belt with both hands.
"Hold on," he grinned.
The SUV dipped, sending Jasi crashing into the door. Gripping the left side of the seat, she held on while her right hand white-knuckled the door handle.
"Sorry," he apologized contritely.
Sucking in a gasp, she examined the vehicles they passed while Brandon carefully navigated between stressed out travelers. One man, probably in his eighties, flipped them the bird. Jasi leaned across Brandon and flashed her badge at the old guy. The man's hand disappeared in a flash.
"We're gonna make it, Jasi."
They had made it by the tenth car―the halfway mark.
Brandon thumped on the horn when someone veered out too far on the right. A rusty station wagon rattled out of the way and they gathered speed as they passed the chemical truck.
When they finally cleared the stalled traffic, Jasi checked her watch again. It was after one in the morning. They had lost some time. Martin Gibney had been on his own for over forty-five minutes. Not alone, she reminded herself. Cameron and Baker would be there too. She was sure of it. Baker had probably been forced to call from the cabin.
"We have to hurry, Brandon," she urged. "I have a very bad feeling."
Brandon cranked the wheel and headed east on Beaver Lake Road, following it past Doreen Lake. A few minutes later, he geared down and turned south onto a loose gravel road, pitted with craters. Instantly they were plunged into a dense forest. Tall, looming trees blocked most of the moonlight and made it difficult to see the road ahead.
A minute later, they came to a large wooden post with a dull light on top. A black and white sign hung from raw rope chains.
Loon Lake.
With no street lamps to guide them, Brandon slowed the SUV. Just ahead, Jasi could make out the shadows of unlit chalets and a few log homes. Interspersed were cabins with warm lights glowing from inside.
Suddenly Jasi's data-com chirped insistently.
"Ben!" she chided, activating the speaker so Brandon could hear. "Where were you two?"
"Sorry, Jasi. We went dancing―"
"Dancing?" she sputtered. Natassia and Ben, two of the CFBI's most dedicated agents went dancing?
"I know," Ben said sheepishly. "But we're on our way. We're almost to Beaver Lake Road. We tried you earlier but there was too much interference. We couldn't get through."
"The reception here is bad," Brandon agreed. "By the way, we went past a chemical truck with a flat. Just before the turn-off to the lake. We had to take the shoulder."
"Okay. We're right behind you."
Relieved, Jasi ended the call.
Brandon slowed as they arrived at the fork in the road.
"Take a right here," she reminded him.
She pressed her face against the window, gazing up at the sliver of moon. The stars glittered in the clear black sky, thousands of tiny lights dancing above her―unlike Vancouver where the brilliant city lights obliterated most of the night sky.
As Brandon edged the vehicle closer to the western side of the lake the trees parted, and Jasi recognized the area where the fire trucks and tents had been pitched. The SUV veered down the road toward Washburn's cabin. When they reached the edge of the doctor's property, Brandon slowed the SUV to a dead crawl.
Jasi pointed to an empty RV pad, half-buried by overgrown shrubs. "Pull over and park there. We'll walk the rest of the way."
Sniffing the humid night air, she reached into her pocket, found the nosepiece and slipped it on. Strange, she thought. Washburn's cabin had burned down four days ago and the air still reeked of smoke.
When the SUV stopped, Jasi jumped out, grabbed two flashlights and chucked one at Brandon. Then she started running. Rounding a corner, she stopped dead in her tracks.
A black BMW sedan had been abandoned on the side of the road.
"Gibney's car," she whispered.
"Yeah," Brandon nodded. "Baker's is over there."
Half-hidden in the shadows of a narrow lane sat Baker's Mitsubishi Zen. Walking toward it, Jasi put her hands to her eyes and peered through the driver's window.
The Zen was empty.
"We've got trouble, Jasi."
Rushing to Brandon's side, she was about to ask him what was wrong. That's when she noticed that the trees ahead of them were lit by a deadly fiery back-glow.
"Oh, hell!" she groaned.
23
Thursday, June 21, 2012
~ Loon Lake, BC
Flames licked angrily at the large shed at the back of Washburn's property. Black smoke belched out of the tiny windows, thick and pungent.
Jasi swallowed hard as they raced for the building.
&nb
sp; "Brandon! Baker and Gibney are inside."
"You stay here!" Brandon yelled.
She shook her head stubbornly. "No! There are two of them in there. You need me."
She watched while Brandon quickly tore off a strip of his shirt. Then he hissed in a breath, leaned down and roughly captured her lips. His kiss was brief, almost desperate.
"Okay, Jasi. You stay close to me. The smoke will be thick and it'll be hard to see in there. Stay low! Got it?"
He wrapped the cloth around her mouth and nose, securing it snugly behind her head.
"Got it?" he repeated.
"Yeah." She threw her pack on the ground.
Brandon kicked in the door to the shed and a thick curl of smoke erupted from the entrance. He quickly ducked within, taking swift, sure strides.
Jasi followed in his tracks.
Inside the shed, it was pitch-black. Except for the fire that engulfed a mound of what appeared to be old blankets. Frenzied flames leaped above, reaching toward the ceiling. But other than that, Jasi could barely make out her own two feet. Crouching low, she held one hand out in front and kept contact with Brandon's jacket.
After a few seconds, her eyes adjusted to the fiery infernal and she could make out bare shadows and shapes. It was difficult to breathe and the intense heat scorched her throat while sweat trickled down her face and into her eyes. The roar of the fire was deafening. Wood popped and hissed, a dragon spitting fire, and every now and then, Jasi heard a resounding crack, like a gunshot.
"We have to hurry," Brandon warned. "There might be chemicals in here."
Seeing something, she tugged on his arm and pointed to the corner behind the door. "Over there!"
Someone was tied to a chair.
The man's head slumped forward, lifeless. She couldn't make out whether it was Martin Gibney or Allan Baker. Choking on noxious smoke, she pushed ahead, ripping at the knots in the rope that bound him.
Then the man's head lolled backward.
"It's Baker!" she yelled hoarsely.
"We need a knife," Brandon shouted. "Stay here!"
He disappeared into the blaze.
Kneeling beside Baker, Jasi closed her eyes and wrestled blindly with the rope. She gagged on a thick cloud of fumes, coughing violently. The nosepiece couldn't block enough of the fumes and she could feel herself slipping. Her reality shifted and the irresistible lure of psychic energy threatened to drag her in.
"Jasi?"
Brandon shoved her fumbling hands aside and began slicing through the ropes with a fishing knife. Then he hoisted Baker over his shoulders while Jasi hastily pushed herself to a standing position.
"Brandon!" she yelled, swaying dizzily.
"What's wrong?" Brandon demanded, one arm grabbing her around the waist.
"Too much smoke. It's taking me…in…"
"Shit!" he swore. "Get outside!"
"Not yet! Where's Gib―"
"Now, Jasi!" Brandon shouted, grabbing her arm and shoving her ahead of him. "I'll come back for Gibney. You shouldn't be in here."
"I'll be fine in a few minutes," she lied. "Give me Baker. I'll take him outside."
Pulling both cans of OxyBlast from her pocket, Jasi passed him one. "I'm stronger than I look, Walsh! You need to find Gibney. He's in here somewhere."
Brandon adjusted Baker's limp body over her shoulders. "You sure you can carry his weight?" When she nodded, he eyed her suspiciously, then strode toward the burning blankets.
Jasi forced herself toward the open door, gripping Baker tightly. The heat from the fire singed her lungs and brought burning tears to her eyes. Staggering under Baker's dead weight, she struggled to bring the OxyBlast to her mouth.
She dropped it.
Shit!
Jasi couldn't pick up the can and hold onto Baker at the same time so, gathering her strength, she made a beeline for the door. She could feel Baker's limp body pressing her to the ground…and he began slipping from her shoulders.
Panicking, she urged herself into a trot, and when she finally reached the open air, she felt like she had reached an impenetrable wall. She pushed through the invisible wall and stumbled, almost losing her grip. She made it a few yards away before her strength finally gave out. She dumped Baker on the grass, gripped his arms, and then dragged him under a tree, away from the flames. Then she slumped to the ground, panting and gasping for oxygen.
"Hurry up…Brandon!" Jasi rasped loudly.
Please, God! Let Brandon get out of there in one piece.
"Jasi!" someone yelled.
Natassia and Ben dashed toward her. Their guns were drawn as they peered into the shadows.
"Are you okay?" Natassia asked.
"Brandon's…in there," Jasi replied, distraught and breathless. "Cameron… took off somewhere."
Ben glanced at the raging flames. "I'm going in. Jasi, move back a bit, as far as you can." He disappeared into the burning building.
Natassia eyed her with concern. "Jasi?"
"Baker's…over there," Jasi said sluggishly. "He's alive, I think. No burns…as far as I could…tell."
Worried, Natassia inspected her. "You need to get away from the smoke. Go! I'll call the paramedics and stay with Baker."
Jasi shifted to her feet, her eyes latching onto a patch of trees just north of the cabin. A strong wind was carrying the black smoke south, she realized. The air would be clearer by the trees.
"I lost my nosepiece in the fire. I think Baker…knocked it off me. When Brandon put him over…my shoulders." She spoke more to herself. Natassia was already a few feet away.
Jasi concentrated on moving her feet.
One foot in front of the other.
The ground was spongy and damp, and she leaned against a young sapling, its bark slightly damp and soothing. Her head felt woozy, thick with cotton.
The shed was not a massive fire, she told herself. In ten minutes, she'd be back to normal.
She watched Natassia lean over Baker's immobile body, checking for a pulse. Her partner raised a thumb in the air. Baker would live.
But damn it! Where were Brandon and Ben?
Something stirred in the dark behind her.
There!
Jasi turned, expecting to see a bird or small animal. What she saw instead was a flicker of yellow. Someone was cutting through the trees, heading for the road―someone wearing a yellow jacket.
Cameron.
Jasi pushed herself away from the tree, her feet pounding toward Natassia.
"Cameron's in the woods," Jasi rasped, grabbing her pack from the ground. "I'm going after her."
Natassia's head jerked up. "I'll send Ben after you when he comes out." She tossed Jasi the keys to Ben's rental.
With a hasty glance toward the burning shed, Jasi made a decision. Ben and Brandon would watch out for each other. Cameron Prescott, on the other hand, needed to be brought down.
Grabbing the Beretta from under her jacket, Jasi checked the clip. Praying that she wouldn't have to use it, she gripped the gun in her right hand. She inhaled deeply.
Then she began stalking Cameron through the woods.
Deep in the thick forest, rays of moonlight cast haunting shadows between the moss-covered trees. Fishing a flashlight from her pack, Jasi flicked it on. Her head twitched nervously from one leafy specter to the next. Still disoriented from the smoke, she thought of a movie she had seen years ago―The Blair Witch Project.
She shivered.
Crack, crack.
A wisp of yellow disappeared into the dense brush.
Adrenaline jumpstarted her heart and Jasi lengthened her pace. Trotting cautiously through the woods with only a thin stream of light from her flashlight to guide her, she realized that she couldn't afford to lose Cameron now. If the reporter reached a vehicle, she could vanish without a trace.
Losing her balance, Jasi stumbled clumsily against a rotted stump. One hand scraped over rough bark while the other aimed the thin light toward the trees, searching for signs of Camer
on.
Where are you?
Shit!
Her sense of direction was compromised and she spun around, searching for a clue. Nothing.
What do I do now?
Turning in slow circles, Jasi squinted up through the thick canopy of branches, hoping to get her bearings. When she lowered her eyes, she glimpsed something glowing on the ground a few feet away.
Something florescent pink.
Moving cautiously, she crept forward.
A child's pink skipping rope lay on the ground.
Jasi's heart stopped.
"Follow it," a voice whispered behind her.
Terrified, Jasi whirled around, shining her light carelessly into the trees. Nothing moved in the dark.
"You're losing it, Jasmine McLellan," she muttered.
Warily eyeing the skipping rope, she followed it―all the while wondering how something from her nightmares could possibly be in the woods. Or someone.
Creeping forward, Jasi came to the end of the pink rope. The trees opened slightly, revealing the moon, and ahead of her, she recognized the same fallen cedar where they had found the piece of yellow fabric.
Jasi knew where she was now.
Snap!
Following the noise of snapping twigs, she prowled forward stealthily, guessing that they were near the road…near the vehicles. Cameron would have her choice of Baker's Zen or Gibney's BMW…if she had their keys. And if she took the Zen, Jasi would never catch her.
Yellow fabric…
Something teased her memory.
She plucked an earpiece from the bottom of the data-com and plugged it in one ear.
"Data-com on!" she ordered softly. "Natassia."
When she heard Natassia's voice, she whispered, "Contact Ops. Find out about that fabric and get back to me."
"Are you still following her, Jasi?"
"Yeah, she's almost to the road―by the vehicles. I'll get her."
"Okay, but be careful. Baker is conscious, by the way. Some minor injuries and smoke inhalation. Ben called Ops for an airlift and Brandon's on his way to you."
"What about Gibney?" Jasi asked.
There was a pause at the other end, then Natassia said, "Not good, Jasi."
Jasi broke communication, leaving the earpiece in place, and eased her way toward the road. With the Beretta clasped to her chest, she leaned against a tall pine and marked it with a swipe of the neon chalk. If she were lucky, Brandon would find it and determine her direction.
Divine Intervention (Divine Trilogy) Page 19