Page 29 of One Little Spark

A wave of exhaustion, physical and emotional, rolled over her and Hazel tipped her head to rest on the comfortable cushions, closed her eyes and focused on breathing her troubles away.

Chapter Fourteen

What the hell were they doing in there? Doc Lawrence had pulled the blinds down on the second floor.

The man ground his teeth. His anger was getting the best of him, and there was nothing for it. He needed those files gone. If Doc Lawrence and Hazel Kincaid had to die, so be it. She was becoming a pain in the ass, anyway, always poking around in things she shouldn’t be.

He pushed his way through the rose bushes and went to the window of the room they’d been in the other day. It was dark, but the shade was up. Doc Lawrence must have raised it again. Slowly, he jimmied the window lock. The best thing about old houses was the old windows. Not nearly as secure as their present-day counterparts.

The lock turned, and he quietly slid the window upward. He listened carefully. Sounds in the kitchen. The kettle just beginning to boil. He quickly pulled himself up onto the windowsill and swung his legs inside.

He listened again. More kettle noises and some dishes rattling. He moved down the hallway and peered around the doorway into the kitchen. Doc Lawrence was pouring water into a tea pot.

He pulled the gun out of his pocket. This was going to be fun.

Chapter Fifteen

Aiden gulped air. His heart was pounding, and he was covered in sweat. He must have dozed off while he was lying on top of his bed in the firehouse. He’d had a nightmare. Hazel. She was in trouble. He sat up.

But it was just a dream.It must be. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he took a deep breath and then another. He drank some water, but the feeling wouldn’t go away.

He stood. Yes, it was only a dream, but he knew deep down in his gut Hazel was in trouble. In serious trouble. He grabbed his cell and punched in her number. Her cell just rang and rang and then went to voicemail. Jory. For sure he had some tracking app for Hazel and his mother.

Aiden flew across the room and down the stairs. When he entered the TV room, all the guys looked up at him, but Jory wasn’t there. “Where’s Jory?”

Captain Hastings pointed toward the bays where the engines were parked.

Aiden ran into the area and looked around. He heard a clanging off to his left. He went around the back of the rig and found Jory polishing some equipment. “Jory—"

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Jory, I—"

“Get the fuck away from me,” Jory said and pushed Aiden out of his way.

Aiden slammed him against the truck and held his arm under Jory’s chin. “Shut up and listen to me,” he said through clenched teeth. “Hazel is in trouble.”

Jory was livid. His eyes were filled with hatred, and Aiden knew that if he didn’t hold his friend in place, they would end up fighting. He also knew Jory hadn’t heard a word he’d said. Hewas struggling against Aiden’s hold.

“Stop!” He slammed his friend against the truck again to get his attention. “Hazel is in trouble. My gut is telling me Hazel is in serious trouble. I’ve called her, but she’s not answering. We have to find her.”

When Jory blinked rapidly, Aiden knew what he’d said had finally registered. Jory stopped struggling and held up his hands.

Aiden let him go and stepped back. “Do you have an app to track her?”

Jory pulled out his cell. “Yeah.” He clicked the screen and brought up the app. A few seconds later, he said, “She’s at fourteen Elaine Avenue. Isn’t that Doc Lawrence’s place?”

The station alarm went off. The dispatcher announced a house fire and listed the address. It was the same one Jory had just read off.

“Fuck!” Aiden swung around the side of the engine and grabbed his gear. Jory was two steps behind him.

The rest of the guys started coming in as Aiden was pulling on the last of his gear. “The fire is at Doc’s place. Hazel is there and she’s not answering her phone!”

Captain Hastings looked at Jory for confirmation. Jory nodded. Captain Hastings grabbed his gear and ran around to the front of the truck. “We gotta move. It’s one of our own out there.”

Chapter Sixteen

Hazel coughed, waking herself up. She’d fallen asleep sitting upright, waiting for Doc. What the heck was taking him so long? She opened her eyes. The room was full of smoke. She coughed again. She was having a hard time clearing the fuzziness from her brain. What was going on? Where was all the smoke coming from? She tried to get up off the sofa, but she was seized by big, wracking coughs.

---