“What little enterprise did you have going on the side?” she asked out of curiosity. “Prostitution?”
She remembered what he’d said about allowing Mandy to conduct her blow-and-go freelance work down the street from the bar, a solo act that kept her in crank. Maybe the bartender hadn’t lied about everything he’d told her. But when he didn’t answer, she guessed something else.
“Fencing stolen merchandise?”
That got a reaction. Jake looked at her with eyes narrowed. Had Mandy been the link between Jake “the snake” Cordell and her old boyfriend, Jason Burke?
“I’m done talking,” he said.
But Jess wasn’t done asking. “Weren’t you afraid Beladi and Pinzolo would find out you were operating under their noses?”
By his sudden reaction, she knew she’d struck a chord. The madman with the wild eyes was back. He aimed his gun at her head, and yelled, “Shut the fuck up!”
Jess knew she had pushed too hard.
It took all her concentration to think through what he’d told her. Keeping her mind off Seth’s body had been a challenge. But now she had to focus on getting Max and Alexa out of here—the strain made worse as she glanced toward the old man.
Normally Max had a vacant stare, but now he looked at her. His tear-filled eyes locked onto hers, and his lips moved without a sound, his frustration clear. She had to do something. And without Alexa’s help, whatever happened would be up to Jess.
She had no one else.
Sam stood outside the stone wall of the house on High Street, staring at the grounds awash in moonlight. No sign of movement and no lights, but with the windows boarded up, she didn’t expect to see much.
Ray hadn’t arrived yet, so she was faced with a decision. Should she wait for backup to arrive?
Taking a risk, she gripped her weapon and made her way around the perimeter of the house, looking for any sign that Jessie and Alexa had been there. Soft turf from the earlier rain made it slow going. And her shoes got caked in mud, but she got her answer as she neared the front door.
Muddy footprints.
Even under a cloudy night sky, she saw dark prints on cement. Two different sets. She listened for sounds coming from inside the old mansion. None came. But something else seized her heart in a cruel vise. She ran from the house and stood on the grounds to get a better look from a distance. It took a moment for her to see it.
Through the boards covering the windows, a red glow flickered into the darkness. And soon she felt the heat and smelled the distinct odor of—
“Smoke,” she gasped. “Oh, Jessie.”
The first floor of the Millstone mansion was on fire. And she had no doubt Jessie and Alexa were inside.
“Damn it!”
Sam holstered her gun and raced to the front entrance. She charged the door and kicked, despite the boards nailed across it. She hit it twice, barely budging it. When that didn’t work, she yanked at the boards like a madwoman, hoisting a foot against the doorjamb to give her leverage. After one two-by-four came loose, she tossed it aside and tried again. This time she got a clearer shot and kicked again.
It cracked open. And the heat from a wall of flames nearly blew her back, scorching her skin.
“Jessie!” she yelled, and cowered, raising a hand to cover her face.
When she didn’t get an answer, Sam shrugged out of her wet windbreaker and covered her mouth and nose with the damp garment. She took a deep breath and ducked through the door.
She wasn’t going to let Jessie down this time.
Jess heard a loud crack echo through the house, and someone yelled, but the words were garbled and she couldn’t make them out. She turned to see smoke filtering through the base of the door.
“Fire…there’s a fire,” she cried, and scrambled to her feet.
“No. NO!” Jake aimed his gun at her, but ran for the door. He grabbed the knob and pulled, but the door wouldn’t open. “Shit!” With eyes bulging, he backed off and waved his weapon at her again, yelling, “You…Open it! Now!”
Jess did as she was told, twisting the knob with both hands. It turned as if it were unlocked, but still didn’t open. She yanked on it again, but it wouldn’t budge.
“It’s not locked, but something is blocking it on the other side. I can feel it.” She took a step back and kicked the door. Still nothing. “If it’s bolted from the outside, we’re in trouble. Since you’ve got the gun, you gotta decide what to do, Jake.”
The bartender had control of their situation, but when she turned, the man’s face looked stark white. His chest heaving, Jake looked as if he were hyperventilating. And fear gripped her when she remembered seeing the strange metal brackets screwed to the door. They looked like antique clothes hooks, but now she knew they were more than that. Someone had locked them in, bolted the door from the outside.
“Who’s out there, Jake?” she pressed. “Who set you up?”
She could tell by the look on his face that she’d hit the mark.
“No, that can’t be…I didn’t kill her. I swear.” Fear replaced Jake’s crazed rage. “I never killed anyone.”
With the noise in the room, Alexa stirred and moaned, raising a hand to her head. Wincing in pain, she rolled to one side. “What…happened?”
Jess dropped to the floor near her and brushed back her hair. “Are you okay? Can you stand?” She helped Alexa to her feet. The woman was groggy and unsteady on her feet, but she quickly recovered.
“Jake was telling me about Mandy, but we got a more pressing problem.”
She pointed, and Alexa turned toward the door. When she saw the smoke, she shook her head. “This doesn’t look good for the home team.”
“Yeah well, Jake’s not thrilled with it either. Apparently someone considers him a loose end. He’s locked in here, too.” She took off her jacket and tossed it to Jake. “Shove this under the door. Maybe we can block the smoke.”
They were trapped in a windowless room. The fire would soon raise the temp to an unbearable level. And the air had already grown so hazy with smoke that Max had started to cough. Yet despite a fire burning the roof down over their heads, she thought about what Jake had said.
“Wait a minute. You said you never killed anyone?” She stared at Jake, and he shrugged.
“I lied…about the kid,” he admitted.
“What?” She turned her back on Jake and stared down at Seth. “If you’re jacking with me, I’ll…”
Jess raced to Harper and dropped to her knees. His head was turned toward the wall, and she couldn’t see his face. But she stroked his soft curls, something she wouldn’t have done with him conscious. He looked as if he was asleep. Tense and holding her breath, she placed a finger to the side of his neck. His skin was warm to the touch. It took her a moment to find it, but a faint pulse throbbed under her finger. And when she laid a hand to his chest, she felt the gentle rise and fall of very shallow breathing.
“He’s alive,” she cried, stifling a laugh as her eyes blurred with tears. “Seth’s alive.”
She turned him onto his back, cradling his head. His eyes fluttered, and he moaned. Pressed against her hand, she felt a large knot on the back of his head, and his hair was sticky with blood. The bartender must have been forced to slug him, not a smart move if he had intended to stage a suicide. All things considered, Jess found herself happy that Jake had a brain the size of a walnut.
But with Seth staying unconscious for so long meant he probably had a concussion or worse. He needed a doctor.
“Jessie?” Seth’s dark eyes opened, barely. He struggled to focus. And with the noise from the fire, she almost didn’t hear him. But his saying her name sent an adrenaline rush through her body that triggered a smile, despite their circumstances.
“I’m here, Seth.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m right here.”
“My father…”
“He’s here, too.” She grinned.
Seth shifted his eyes to gaze at his father, but Max surprised them both by reaching out a trembling hand. Harper took it, giving the man a weak smile.
“Very touching, but this ain’t gettin’ us out of here.” Jake jerked an arm toward the door, the one holding the
