Page 67 of Scorched

“Crichton!”

The other man turned. He said something into the radio, then hung it up on the hook on the dash. “Hey, Briggs. Did you find your sister? She and her friends are all right.”

“Yeah, I talked to them. Maggie said her car exploded.”

Crichton nodded. “It did. Stickley and McPherson are putting it out now. You want to assess it once it’s out?”

Declan nodded. “Any idea what happened?”

“Not yet. It definitely exploded, though. The roof and all the doors are blown off. The blast blew in the back door of the coffee shop too.”

“Did it do any other damage?”

“All their cars were parked close together. The two on either side of Ms. Archer’s took the brunt of the explosion and were heavily damaged. The other two cars look like they escaped the worst of it.”

He ran a hand through his hair. He hoped Tara didn’t drive her old Ford into town tonight. She loved that truck and had restored it herself.

The radio on the dash crackled to life. Crichton picked it up. Declan listened as Stickley gave the all-clear.

“Let’s go.” He didn’t wait for Matt. Moving at a brisk walk, he strapped his helmet on as he made his way into the shop and through to the back door. Smoke hung heavy on the damp air as he exited and got his first glimpse of the devastation.

His heart stuttered as he took in the destruction. Maggie’s car was a charred, smoking hull of what it used to be. He could see the roof panel behind the car in the small parking lot. London and Rayna’s cars on either side were smashed in from the force of the doors and the pressure wave. Glass glittered in the light from the streetlamp. Smoke and steam rose in thick wisps.

“Jesus,” he muttered. Declan stepped closer, doing his best to turn off his emotions and look at the scene like he would any other. He peered closer at the interior, noting the higher degree of damage near the driver’s side. Dread settled deep inside him, making his heart pound.

“Stickley, look under the driver’s seat and tell me what you see.”

“What am I looking for, exactly?” Stickley asked as he crouched.

“Char patterns and pavement destruction.”

He nodded and bent his head to peer under the car. “There’s a charred area about two feet in diameter and pieces of the car embedded in the pavement.” He lifted his head to look at Declan.

“Fuck.” Declan wanted to punch something. “Okay. We need to call forensics. Have the police cordon off this area. Someone planted a bomb in this car.”

Stickley’s eyes widened. “You’re sure?”

Declan nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure.” He ran a hand over his jaw. Tension made the muscles in it tick. Someone just tried to kill Maggie.

The chaos around him registered, and the urge to find her again hit him hard. “I’m going to call for assistance. Don’t let anyone else back here.”

Stickley nodded, and Declan spun away, jogging through the coffee shop, not caring that the motion jarred his ribcage with each step. Reaching Maggie was his number one priority. Only then would he call for help. He wove through the hose lines and emergency vehicles. His shoulders dropped a fraction, and his heart slowed as he caught sight of her where he left her.

“What did you find out?” Macy asked as he reached them.

His eyes connected with Maggie’s. He couldn’t think of a nice way to tell her the news, so he blurted out the truth. “I think someone planted a bomb under the driver’s seat.”

She blanched and her knees buckled. Declan wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

“Why would someone want to hurt Maggie?” London asked. “This is insane.”

“I don’t know, but we’ll find out.” He looked down at the woman in his arms. “I need to call your brother. Are you going to be okay for a few minutes?”

Some of that famous Archer grit showed itself as she straightened. Her eyes hardened as some of the shock cleared, and she nodded. “Do what you have to and find this asshole.”

He pressed a kiss to her temple, smoothing back a tendril of dark hair that fell over her face. “I will. Stay with the others. Don’t wander off alone, okay?”

She nodded again.

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