Deadly Vows. Shirlee McCoy
Читать онлайн книгу.
and sprinted out of the kitchen and into the thickening smoke, the words echoing in his ears, reminding him of all the things he should have said, all the time he should have spent. He’d worked hard, made millions of dollars in hundreds of real estate deals, but he’d lost the only thing he’d ever truly valued.
Lost, but found again.
He couldn’t die. Wouldn’t die. Not when Olivia might still need him.
He dropped to his knees, smoke stinging his eyes and lungs and crawled back into the living room, praying that he would make it back to Olivia before the flames consumed the house and everything in it.
THREE
Two minutes.
One-hundred twenty seconds.
Such a short amount of time, but Olivia knew better than most that a few moments could change a life completely. In December, she’d celebrated Christmas alone, congratulating herself on not giving in to her parents’ demands to fly to Florida to be with them. She’d dressed up on Christmas Eve and attended candlelight service, refusing to feel self-conscious about being there alone. Then she’d returned home and decorated a tiny Christmas tree, drank hot chocolate and danced to “The Nutcracker Suite.” Alone and independent and almost happy to be that way.
And then it had all changed.
Ford had come knocking, telling her all the things he knew she wanted to hear. Somehow she’d fallen into the fantasy of renewal, glimpsed the dreams she’d given up on and let herself believe that he’d changed. Regret had come immediately, and she’d run outside and into more trouble than she’d ever imagined she could find. Now she was a puppet, pulled by invisible strings, going in directions she didn’t want to.
She coughed, thick smoke filling her throat and burning her eyes. How long before the fire spread to the kitchen? How long before the entire house was engulfed in flames? Could she afford to wait any longer for Ford to return?
Could she live with herself if she left without him?
Lord, please, let him come back soon.
The prayer whispered through her mind as she grabbed a dish towel, soaked it and covered her mouth and nose. It wasn’t just herself she needed to worry about. She had the baby to think of. An innocent life she needed to protect. But she couldn’t just leave Ford and the two marshals to die.
She dropped to her hands and knees, crawling to the kitchen threshold. “Ford!” she shouted, but the words barely carried through the dish towel and over the crackling roar of the fire.
“Ford!” She tried again, and this time a shadow appeared in front of her. Broad and tall and darker than the thick smoke. Olivia blinked, scrambling backward.
“I thought I told you to leave!” Ford shouted, towering over her, one of the marshals held in a fireman carry over his shoulder. Another man followed close behind.
“I was worried,” she said, standing, relief and fear mixing, stealing her breath and her strength. She put a hand on the wall, steadying herself.
“You could have worried from outside. Come on. The whole living room is in flames. It won’t take long for it to spread to the roof.”
“Let me go first.” Marshal James limped out from behind Ford.
She followed him to the kitchen door, the smoke thicker, the room nearly black with it. She coughed, gagging on the moist, hot air she inhaled.
“Wait until I call for you,” Marshal James said as he stepped outside. Several seconds passed as the fire in the living room crackled and hissed and the thick blackness intensified.
Ford pressed in close to Olivia, leaning out the door, still carrying the fallen man. “If he doesn’t call us outside soon, we’re walking out without the go-ahead. The way that fire is blazing, the whole place could collapse.”
The imagine of the house shuddering, then falling in on itself flashed through Olivia’s head. Not a pretty picture. Especially if she, Ford and Marshal Louis were still in the house when it happened.
“All right. We’re clear. Come on,” Marshal James said as he reappeared in the doorway and took Olivia’s arm, gently guiding her down the back steps. “Are you okay, Ms. Jarrod.”
“Fine. It’s your partner I’m worried about,” she responded, pulling off the wet cloth and turning to watch as Ford approached. Cool air bathed her cheeks, filled her lungs. She was safe. They were all safe. For now.
Ford stopped beside her, carefully lowering the unconscious marshal to the ground, and bending over him. “He’s still breathing, but his head is bleeding a lot. We need to call an ambulance.”
“Already done,” Marshal James said, his voice raspy with smoke.
“Maybe we should wait at a neighbor’s house until they come. I don’t like the idea of Olivia being out here in the open.” Ford put a hand on Olivia’s shoulder, and she knew she should step away. He was her husband and the father of her child, but whatever else he’d been had died a long time ago. Allowing herself to believe differently would only make it harder to say goodbye.
“Go, but not to the neighbors. Find a ride out of town and keep going until you’ve put as much distance between yourself and this town as you can,” Marshal James said, as he leaned over his partner. He didn’t look at Olivia and Ford as he said it, and for a moment Olivia thought the smoke and heat had wreaked havoc on her brain cells.
“What are you saying, James? You want us to leave the program? Go out on our own?” Ford asked, frowning a little as he met Olivia’s gaze.
“What I’m saying is that we’ve done a great job of keeping Ms. Jarrod safe.” He looked up, his expression hard and grim. “Look, I could lose my job for saying this, but I’d rather lose my job than see you or your wife lose your life. There’s a leak somewhere in the organization. We’ve suspected it for a while, but can’t find it. If you stay in the program, there’s no guarantee either of you will live to see the Martino trial.”
“But—” Olivia began, the sound of sirens cutting off whatever question she planned to ask. Good thing, because she wasn’t sure what to ask. What to say.
“Sounds like help is here. Better make your decision about what you want to do before they come back here.”
“It’s made. Thanks for the warning. Come on, Olivia. Let’s go,” Ford said, taking her hand and pulling her across the backyard.
“Go where?” Olivia asked, but she didn’t resist his gentle grip. Didn’t even try to pull away as they walked through the yard of the house behind hers.
“Like Marshal James suggested—far away from here.”
A shout came from somewhere behind them, and Olivia’s pulse jumped. She glanced back, saw the house nearly consumed by flames, dark figures spilling around the side and into the backyard. Firefighters? Police? More federal marshals?
“If we’re going it alone, we’d better pick up the pace. You game?” Ford asked, and she looked up into his face. It wasn’t often he asked an opinion and rare that he included anyone else in his plans. What was he thinking? Worrying about?
There was no time to ask.
No time for anything but a quick nod. “Yes.”
They ran through the yard behind Olivia’s, cut around the side of the house and out onto a sidewalk where a crowd of people stood staring at the flames that shot up into the black sky. If anyone watched Olivia and Ford race away from the scene, Olivia didn’t notice. She was too busy trying to keep pace with Ford.
Dusk threw long shadows across the road as Ford pulled Olivia away from the crowd and further along the quiet street. At six foot two he was nine inches taller than Olivia, his long legs eating up the ground at a pace she normally wouldn’t be able to match. Funny how motivating fear could be. Not only