Kansas City's Bravest by Julie Miller

Author:Julie Miller [Miller, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, General, Romantic Suspense Fiction, Love Stories, Arson, Kansas City (Mo.), Arson Investigation, Suspense, Undercover Operations, Erotica
ISBN: 9780373227198
Google: 5RmUIDxQhz8C
Amazon: 0373227191
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2003-07-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

A familiar bolt of adrenaline shot through Gideon, heightening his senses and turning on a rusty radar that had died that night with Luke Redding.

Fire.

Meghan dashed up the stairs ahead of him. “Matthew!”

Reawakening the firefighter role that beat in his blood, he hurried behind her to the landing. An anticipatory energy thrummed through his nerve endings, making each movement quick and precise. “There.”

A whispery carpet of light gray smoke seeped from beneath the closed door at the top of the stairs. Meghan’s decisions were quick and instinctive and right on the money. She spread the flat of her hand against the closed door and checked for heat on the other side.

Assured that it was safe to go in, she opened the door. “Matthew, honey, are you in here?”

Smoke rolled out into the hallway behind her. There was finally enough of it rising in the air to trigger the smoke detector. The piercing alarm cut right through Gideon’s brain, adding to the charged urgency in the air. He kept the tension in his body under tight control, forcing rational thought to the forefront. Where was the kid? Gideon added a louder voice to the search. “Matthew?”

Gideon hovered in the doorway as Meghan swept aside the smoke and entered the room. “Talk to me, sweetie,” she begged.

A quick assessment of the bedroom indicated the fire was contained. Smoke had risen to the ceiling and was settling, but hadn’t filled the room yet. The only identifiable flames shot up from the tall, metal trash can near the window. “The curtains.”

Meghan saw the fuel source ignite the same time he did. She reached for the trash can. “Ow.”

He could hear the others moving about downstairs, responding to the alarm. “Meghan?” Dorie’s voice was high-pitched with panic. She’d had a rude awakening to danger. “Gideon? Boys? What’s wrong?”

Gideon debated his next move for about half a second. He yelled down the stairs. “Dorie, get out of the house!”

She was a smart enough lady not to ask questions. “Boys!”

The metal can with the Chiefs logo must be hotter than an oven. “You all right?” he asked Meghan. He rushed in and ripped down the curtain panel, stomping out the flames beneath his boot before they could take hold. He reached for her hand. “Let me see.”

“No. I’m fine.” She crossed over the closet and slung open the door. “Matthew?”

If the lack of an answer alarmed him, Meg must be worried sick. “We’ll find him.”

“I know.” She coughed once and knelt down, checking the hidden recesses of the closet. “Matthew?” When she turned he could see the redness in her eyes. Smoke irritation or tears? “He isn’t here.”

She needed a comrade-at-arms right now, not comfort. “Where’s the fire extinguisher?”

“Under the kitchen sink.”

He was already out the door. “I’ll get it. You keep looking.”

Gideon bounded down the stairs and ran to the kitchen, passing Dorie with Mark in her arms. “It’ll be okay.” He paused only long enough to tweak the little one’s nose and to visually reassure the older woman.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.