The window closest to him exploded. Glass ricocheted into the bush near him, making him stumble back.
He moved. He could move. He took a step forward, and another, towards the smoke and the heat and the flames. He’d managed to do it yesterday when fighting that bushfire because he was in a rage. And he had rage now. Rage that some bastard would come here and take what he loved away from him.
Not bloody likely.
He called Reid as he moved, one step then another, closer to the cottage, speeding up every step he took.
‘Flynn. Did you find her?’
‘There’s a fire in the cottage. Call the CFA. Get everyone here or we’re going to lose everything.’
‘What about Prita?’
‘I think she’s inside. I’m going in to get her.’
‘Flynn, Flynn—’ but he didn’t hear anymore. He’d dropped the phone on the ground and was at her car, the heat from the flames already engulfing the front of the cottage, hitting him like a wave. He couldn’t go in that way. Needed something to protect him. Prita carried a picnic blanket in her car. He knew. He’d given it to her. He ran to the boot and thankfully it was open. He pulled out a thick blanket and wrapped it around himself. Another window blew out and he ducked the flying glass as he ran around to the side of the cottage. His knee protested every step, but adrenaline helped him to push on. He’d pay for it later, he knew, but he didn’t care. He just hoped the door into the kitchen or the back door could be an entry point. Hoped with everything in him that she wasn’t in that front room, because if she was, it was too late.
Smoke was pouring out of the eaves of the house and the windows that had blown out. As he ran down the side of the cottage, another window blew out, raining glass around him. He held the blanket tight over his head, wishing he had something wet to tie around his mouth to keep out the smoke, but he didn’t have time to go back and find something. This would have to do. He ran up onto the side verandah where the kitchen door was. There was smoke in the kitchen but he couldn’t see any flames there yet. He reached for the door when it was flung open and two figures stumbled out and into him. He caught them both, one of them crying out, a screech of pain.
‘Flynn. Your knee.’
‘Prita.’ He looked down and into those beautiful eyes he thought he was never going to see again. ‘Prita.’ He went to pull her closer but she shifted back, arms around the other woman. There was blood on her arms, on her shoulder. ‘You’re hurt.’
‘Don’t worry about me,’ she said, moving to take more of the other person’s weight. ‘Worry about Cherry. He put a knife in her. We have to get her help.’
His gaze finally took in Cherry. There was a knife sticking out of her shoulder. It had been roughly bandaged, but there was blood everywhere and she was looking like she was about to pass out. Smoke was starting to pour out of the door behind them and he could hear the roar of flames coming closer. ‘We have to get away from here.’
He thrust the blanket at Prita. ‘Cover yourself.’ Then picked up Cherry, the extra weight making him stumble, but the smoke and heat behind him pushed him to move. They had to get away before the whole place went up. He limped down the steps and out into the paddock at the side of the house, into the clear, trying to put a break between them and the fire raging behind him. Prita was yelling something at him about his knee and letting her take some weight, but he couldn’t stop. More windows exploded and glass pinged around him. He glanced at Prita to see if she was okay. She was running beside him, holding the blanket as if to protect him and Cherry. She was supposed to protect herself. He had no breath to argue though.
Then they were through the gate and into the paddock clear of any glass spray and turned and watched the fire envelope the cottage, flames licking up and up, hoping like hell the sparks wouldn’t light in the bush around the house and take everything with it.
‘Put her down. I need to put pressure on the wound.’
He laid Cherry down on the blanket she’d put on the ground, almost collapsing beside her, but somehow managed to stay on his feet. ‘What can I do?’
‘I need bandages.’ He stripped off the shirt he’d thrown over his t-shirt and began to tear it into strips. ‘We need to call the air ambulance.’
‘They’ve sent it for Mac.’
‘They found him? Is he okay?’
‘His head is pretty bad.’
‘Shit, shit.’ She glanced around her. ‘We need to get Cherry to hospital.’ She looked longingly at her car and the ute, so close to the flames now, it was too dangerous to try to get to them. He could run up to the barn and get the other ute, but he didn’t want to leave Prita. That Max Smith bastard was out there somewhere. He’d run into the bush, but maybe he was still hanging around looking at his handiwork. What if he’d seen her come out of the house? He might be sneaking back right at this moment, might see her here and come to finish the job he’d failed to do.
Flynn swung around amazed not to feel pain in his knee anymore, his mind clear. He was ready to take on anything to protect Prita. There was no way that bastard was getting anywhere near her again. There was no sign of anyone near. If he was wise, he probably would have a car waiting for him and would be long gone by now. He
