Page 83 of Raging Inferno

“Go away, Branch.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. We need to talk, Jed, or should I say Ed? I’m coming in.”

Eddie turned his arm toward the open door.

“Don’t do it, Eddie,” Presley warned.

Two shots sounded almost simultaneously. Blood and brain matter splattered against the window as Eddie fell. Presley rushed forward and jerked Gia out of his grip, twisting her soshe didn’t see the carnage. Then Dominic was there, ripping his daughter from her arms and hugging her tightly.

“Nice shot,” she told Kayne. Then she dashed outside to find Reggie lying in a pool of blood. She dropped beside him. “Reggie, can you hear me?”

No answer. She whipped her shirt over her head and used it to staunch the flow of blood pumping from his chest. She was wearing a vest, so she was sufficiently covered. Reggie, however, was not. If he had, it might’ve stopped the bullet from penetrating.

“Let me take care of him. I have paramedic training.”

She glanced up to see Dominic. “Gia . . .”

“She’s going to be okay. She knows I need to help him.”

Presley glanced over her shoulder to see Gia hovering close. The tape and binds were gone. She looked shell-shocked but alert. Presley wondered if she realized what had happened to her kidnapper.

Kayne jogged over. “An ambulance is on the way.” He crouched down to assist. Since they were caring for Reggie, Presley pushed to her feet and went to Gia.

With a sob, Gia ran to her and jumped into her arms. She hugged the girl tightly. “I’m so proud of you, Gia.”

Gia pulled back to look at Presley’s face. “Me? Why?” Her voice was watery.

“You were so brave. If you can handle a situation like that, you can tackle anything. You are a superhero.”

Gia hugged her tighter. “The only way I got through it was thinking about you. I knew you wouldn’t be scared. You could kick that guy’s butt.”

Presley chuckled. “I wanted to when I knew he had you, but then I saw the determined look on your face. You held your own.”

Sirens sounded, and soon, emergency personnel poured into the parking lot. Dominic and Kayne yielded Reggie’s care to the medics. Dominic came over and took Gia from her, crushing her against him again. Presley saw the shudder that wracked his body.

“Presley, take a look at this.” Kayne held out his phone. “I found this in Smith’s car. I snapped pictures before the police confiscated it.”

“It’s a manifesto.”

She quickly scrolled through the rantings, all directed at her. Sheesh, he’d genuinely hated her. All because she’d been a victim of his beloved father. The last page was an action plan. It talked about his intention to request access to files from the Serenity Shores Police Department using his partner’s credentials, hiring Fitzgerald to ask around town about her, and finding a way to lure her back.

He’d certainly succeeded in doing that.

Chapter Twenty-One

Dominic’s pulse still hadn’t slowed to normal. It had shot into the stratosphere when Elaine Chang had called to tell him Gia was missing. It’d climbed higher when he’d watched in horror as Eddie Smith held a gun to her head and then at Presley. He’d almost stroked out when bullets started flying.

Kayne Serruto had executed a perfect shot. Dom knew he’d been a Navy SEAL, and those guys were total rock stars. Still, Dom wasn’t sure how he’d done it, but he did not doubt that if Kayne hadn’t killed Smith, he would’ve shot Gia, Presley, or both. He owed a massive debt of gratitude to Kayne. When he said as much, Kayne waved him off.

“No thanks necessary.”

Now, as Dom held Gia and watched Detective Reggie Branch being loaded into an ambulance, he concentrated on breathing deeply. They had caught the person responsible for tormenting Presley and for setting the arson fires, resulting in multiple murders. The ordeal was over.

Dominic glanced over his shoulder to see Eddie Smith being wheeled out in a body bag. He held Gia’s head against his chest so she didn’t see what was happening. It took everything in him to refrain from going over and kicking the shit out of his lifeless corpse. Didn’t matter that he was already dead. For what he’d put Gia and Presley through, he deserved all the hell Dominic could rain on him.

He ran a hand over Gia’s downy soft hair. She was being so strong. He’d have to get her back into counseling. He didn’t want her to have nightmares from the ordeal, especially since he’d have enough for the both of them.

“Did he hurt you, baby?”

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