Wild Heat
Page 53
“What if your father had found out? What would he have done?”
Logan hadn't spoken to his father in over a decade, not since he'd convinced his mother to get the hell out. “Beaten me to within an inch of my life. But he didn't find out. And when I got away with it, I did it again.”
“Risk was the reward, wasn't it?”
Logan nodded. “Exactly. How long could I let them burn? How big could they get? It didn't take long for things to escalate. I hung out with the older kids in town, the ones who didn't give a shit what happened to them because their lives were already crap. They liked having a guy like me around who wasn't afraid to create diversions with fire. They stole stuff, then I lit fires in Dumpsters and garbage cans. Guess what got more attention?”
“I imagine store owners thought it was better to lose a couple of things off the shelves to pickpockets than watch their businesses go up in flames. How old were you when you finally got caught?”
“Barely seventeen. I was stunned. Couldn't believe it, even when I was in handcuffs. In my head, I was completely invincible.”
She gave him a crooked smile. “Some things don't change much, do they?”
He covered her hand with his own. “It might look like I take crazy risks, but I know damn well that I'm not invincible. My crew isn't invincible, either. I've relearned that lesson every single day on the mountain, every time I have to go to the hospital to visit one of my men.”
She brought his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss onto his knuckles. “That didn't come out right. I meant it as a compliment. I think you're incredibly brave. In fact, I think you're just plain incredible.”
He brushed his fingers against her lips. “Joseph taught me about bravery. He showed me that an arrogant seventeen-year-old kid was pretty much worthless unless he did something good for someone else. I owe him everything.”
“I know he feels the same way about you. I didn't talk to him for very long on Friday, but he couldn't stop talking about how great you are. How proud he is to know you.”
“He liked you, too. Quite a bit.”
She brushed aside his compliment. “He only met me once.”
“Doesn't mean you didn't make a hell of an impression.”
Maya grinned, obviously pleased by Joseph's assessment. “I liked him too. Does he have a girlfriend? A wife?”
“No. He always said his wife was the only woman he'd ever love. She passed away the year before I came to live with them.”
She frowned. “It must be hard for him to live alone. I don't know many older men who know how to keep up a house by themselves. They came of age in a different time.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “Has he seen a doctor?”
“I can't even get him to talk to me about it. There's no way he's going to walk into his doctor's office and tell them he's losing his mind.”
Maya covered his hands with her own. “My best friend's father went through this. I have some idea what kind of specialists Joseph needs to see, the questions that need to be asked. I'd like to help you, Logan. Joseph is a fine man. He deserves to live a long, healthy life.”
Logan placed his hands on either side of her face and simply held her. She covered his hands with her own. He was about to kiss her again, taste some more of her sweetness, when a flash of color outside the bedroom window caught his attention.
He jumped from the bed, his chest clenching with dread and foreboding. “Quick, get dressed.”
Maya obeyed his sudden order without a word, her movements efficient as she found one of his T-shirts and put it on, along with her jeans.
“There's a fire extinguisher on the wall next to the door in each bedroom. Grab them all, then wait at the top of the stairs for me.”
He took the stairs three at a time and what he saw out the windows on the main floor of his house confirmed his worst suspicions. Smoke was streaming in under the doors, and the redwood decks surrounding his house were completely engulfed in flames.
There was nothing wild about the fire surrounding his house. The blaze had been set deliberately to make sure they couldn't get out easily—if at all.
He ran back up the stairs and found Maya standing by a window, surrounded by fire extinguishers, her expression fierce.
“Your beautiful house,” she hissed in anger. “I'm going to make the arsonist pay for this.”
Most women would be worrying about saving their own lives right now. Not Maya. If he hadn't already figured out that he loved her, he'd have known it now as she faced the deadly danger utterly unafraid.
From what he could tell, the fire was moving fast around the base of the house and up the surrounding trees. They didn't have much time to get out. He cupped his hands and held them out. “We've got to go through the attic to the roof. Hop on and I'll hoist you up.”
Her natural athleticism showed as she easily pushed the cover off the ceiling and pulled herself up into his attic. He grabbed an axe from a closet then jumped and grabbed on to the edge of the two-by-four with his fingertips, lifting his body up into the peaked, unfinished space.
“Move back,” he said, then swung the axe over his shoulder into the roof. He closed his eyes as shards of wood splattered. “Cover your face with your hands.”
Her voice was muffled as she said, “Anyone ever tell you you're kind of bossy? And that it's pretty hot?”
Rather than replying—but appreciating her good humor in a supremely shitty situation—he swung again at the wood, finally seeing a patch of blue sky. It didn't take many more hits to open up a big enough hole in the roof for them to squeeze through. He shoved a metal storage trunk under the opening.
“Time to go.”
She hurried over, and before he could warn her to be careful on the steep pitch of his roof, she was gone. He held on to the axe as he followed her out. She was walking along the slate tiles as if she'd been born balancing in precarious situations. Still, Logan held his breath until she made it to the more level section, over his kitchen.
From the roof, they could see the carnage all around them. Logan's barn and garage were heading the way of the house, as was his truck. Everywhere they looked, they saw fire.
They stood beside a skylight and weighed their options, which were getting slimmer by the second. Logan walked the perimeter of his roof, looking for an escape route. While he hunted for a way out, he talked to keep Maya calm.
Logan hadn't spoken to his father in over a decade, not since he'd convinced his mother to get the hell out. “Beaten me to within an inch of my life. But he didn't find out. And when I got away with it, I did it again.”
“Risk was the reward, wasn't it?”
Logan nodded. “Exactly. How long could I let them burn? How big could they get? It didn't take long for things to escalate. I hung out with the older kids in town, the ones who didn't give a shit what happened to them because their lives were already crap. They liked having a guy like me around who wasn't afraid to create diversions with fire. They stole stuff, then I lit fires in Dumpsters and garbage cans. Guess what got more attention?”
“I imagine store owners thought it was better to lose a couple of things off the shelves to pickpockets than watch their businesses go up in flames. How old were you when you finally got caught?”
“Barely seventeen. I was stunned. Couldn't believe it, even when I was in handcuffs. In my head, I was completely invincible.”
She gave him a crooked smile. “Some things don't change much, do they?”
He covered her hand with his own. “It might look like I take crazy risks, but I know damn well that I'm not invincible. My crew isn't invincible, either. I've relearned that lesson every single day on the mountain, every time I have to go to the hospital to visit one of my men.”
She brought his hand to her lips and pressed a kiss onto his knuckles. “That didn't come out right. I meant it as a compliment. I think you're incredibly brave. In fact, I think you're just plain incredible.”
He brushed his fingers against her lips. “Joseph taught me about bravery. He showed me that an arrogant seventeen-year-old kid was pretty much worthless unless he did something good for someone else. I owe him everything.”
“I know he feels the same way about you. I didn't talk to him for very long on Friday, but he couldn't stop talking about how great you are. How proud he is to know you.”
“He liked you, too. Quite a bit.”
She brushed aside his compliment. “He only met me once.”
“Doesn't mean you didn't make a hell of an impression.”
Maya grinned, obviously pleased by Joseph's assessment. “I liked him too. Does he have a girlfriend? A wife?”
“No. He always said his wife was the only woman he'd ever love. She passed away the year before I came to live with them.”
She frowned. “It must be hard for him to live alone. I don't know many older men who know how to keep up a house by themselves. They came of age in a different time.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “Has he seen a doctor?”
“I can't even get him to talk to me about it. There's no way he's going to walk into his doctor's office and tell them he's losing his mind.”
Maya covered his hands with her own. “My best friend's father went through this. I have some idea what kind of specialists Joseph needs to see, the questions that need to be asked. I'd like to help you, Logan. Joseph is a fine man. He deserves to live a long, healthy life.”
Logan placed his hands on either side of her face and simply held her. She covered his hands with her own. He was about to kiss her again, taste some more of her sweetness, when a flash of color outside the bedroom window caught his attention.
He jumped from the bed, his chest clenching with dread and foreboding. “Quick, get dressed.”
Maya obeyed his sudden order without a word, her movements efficient as she found one of his T-shirts and put it on, along with her jeans.
“There's a fire extinguisher on the wall next to the door in each bedroom. Grab them all, then wait at the top of the stairs for me.”
He took the stairs three at a time and what he saw out the windows on the main floor of his house confirmed his worst suspicions. Smoke was streaming in under the doors, and the redwood decks surrounding his house were completely engulfed in flames.
There was nothing wild about the fire surrounding his house. The blaze had been set deliberately to make sure they couldn't get out easily—if at all.
He ran back up the stairs and found Maya standing by a window, surrounded by fire extinguishers, her expression fierce.
“Your beautiful house,” she hissed in anger. “I'm going to make the arsonist pay for this.”
Most women would be worrying about saving their own lives right now. Not Maya. If he hadn't already figured out that he loved her, he'd have known it now as she faced the deadly danger utterly unafraid.
From what he could tell, the fire was moving fast around the base of the house and up the surrounding trees. They didn't have much time to get out. He cupped his hands and held them out. “We've got to go through the attic to the roof. Hop on and I'll hoist you up.”
Her natural athleticism showed as she easily pushed the cover off the ceiling and pulled herself up into his attic. He grabbed an axe from a closet then jumped and grabbed on to the edge of the two-by-four with his fingertips, lifting his body up into the peaked, unfinished space.
“Move back,” he said, then swung the axe over his shoulder into the roof. He closed his eyes as shards of wood splattered. “Cover your face with your hands.”
Her voice was muffled as she said, “Anyone ever tell you you're kind of bossy? And that it's pretty hot?”
Rather than replying—but appreciating her good humor in a supremely shitty situation—he swung again at the wood, finally seeing a patch of blue sky. It didn't take many more hits to open up a big enough hole in the roof for them to squeeze through. He shoved a metal storage trunk under the opening.
“Time to go.”
She hurried over, and before he could warn her to be careful on the steep pitch of his roof, she was gone. He held on to the axe as he followed her out. She was walking along the slate tiles as if she'd been born balancing in precarious situations. Still, Logan held his breath until she made it to the more level section, over his kitchen.
From the roof, they could see the carnage all around them. Logan's barn and garage were heading the way of the house, as was his truck. Everywhere they looked, they saw fire.
They stood beside a skylight and weighed their options, which were getting slimmer by the second. Logan walked the perimeter of his roof, looking for an escape route. While he hunted for a way out, he talked to keep Maya calm.
