Page 13 of Raging Inferno

Presley decided to text Dominic once she left the scene and let him know Gia was with her.

After ensuring Gia was securely belted into the back seat—she wasn’t sure what age was appropriate to sit in the front, so she erred on the side of caution—Presley headed to Nancy’s address. Black smoke filled the sky as they neared the scene, where several emergency vehicles crowded the street.

Gia leaned forward between the seats and pointed. “Hey, my dad’s here.”

“We made a deal, Gia,” Presley reminded her as she parked away from the commotion. “Remember? You stay here with the doors locked. I’ll be right back. Then it’s corn dog heaven. Right?”

“Right,” Gia agreed.

Presley slid out of the Escalade and locked the doors. Then she jogged toward the flames. The house, located in an area of closely spaced, quaint bungalows, looked to be fully engulfed. It was made of brick, so maybe it wouldn’t be a total loss, and hopefully, the homes on either side would be spared. Presley prayed that no one had been inside when the fire broke out.

She found Dominic in his turnout gear, standing off to the side, barking orders into a walkie-talkie.

“Was anyone inside?”

He whipped his head toward her. “Presley? What are you doing here?”

“I recognized the address as Nancy Baker’s.”

“You shouldn’t be here.”

“I was a cop, Dominic. I can handle a crime scene.”

“We don’t know if it is one yet.”

“It is.” She was sure of it. “Have you found a body?”

“Not yet. It’s still an active fire, so it’s too hot to go inside. We . . .Gia?What are you doing here?”

Presley swung around to see the girl marching determinedly toward them. “Hey, you promised to stay in the SUV.”

“Gia is with you?” Dominic shook his head. “What’s going on?”

“She showed up at the station, and I thought she was too young to be alone, so I promised her corn dogs and a malt if she stayed in the vehicle while I checked out the fire. I was going to let you know she was with me.”

“Gia, where is Mrs. Maxx?”

Gia shrugged her shoulders. “She didn’t show up.”

“You walked all the way to the station? Why didn’t you call me?”

“I didn’t walk. Tracey’s mom dropped me off after soccer practice.”

“I’ll call Ms. Pringle and see if she can come get you.”

“No, Daddy. Please.” She clutched Presley’s arm. “Presley is taking me out to eat.”

“Honey, we can’t impose on her. She didn’t sign up for this.”

“I don’t mind, Dominic,” Presley told him. Though she had things she needed to do, she couldn’t disappoint the young girl. “I can look after her until you get off.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Dominic’s walkie-talkie squawked. “I need to handle this. Presley, I owe you for watching out for Gia. You can head to my house, and I’ll meet you there when I can.”

As soon as he strode away, Presley whirled toward the girl. “We had a deal, young lady. Oh, I’ll still take you out to eat. But now it will be tofu burgers and beet juice for dinner.”

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