Page 59 of Seductress

“Yeah, I’ll head out soon. I just want to make sure everything’s set for Monday so you don’t start your new job with a huge mess to sort through and quit on me.”

Penelope laughed, but I was only half joking. After the talk I’d had with my father a few days earlier, I hadn’t waited to start implementing some changes, the first one being to promote Penelope to assistant manager. She’d worked long, hard hours on her feet for years, and she was looking forward to a desk job, especially since it came with a nice pay bump. And I was excited to hand over some of the administrative work so I could spend more time up front with my customers. It was a win-win for both of us, but I wanted to make sure all my ducks were in a row before Pen stepped into her new role.

“You don’t have to worry about me quitting, not after everything you’ve done for me.”

“You’ve earned it,” I told her earnestly. “I didn’t do anything except reward dedication and loyalty.”

“If you say so. All I know is I’m over the moon about my new job, and I can’t wait to get started.”

I really was lucky to have someone like Penelope on my team. “You’re going to do great,” I said. I’d made the right choice picking Pen, no doubt about it.

Her face went soft, happiness shining in her eyes, and I was so glad I could give her that. “Thank you,” she said again.

“Like I said, you deserve it. Now get out of here. And enjoy the rest of your weekend.”

“Okay.” She started moving backward toward the exit as she pointed at me. “Don’t stay much longer, okay? You get some rest too.”

“Yes ma’am.”

She left shortly after that, and I got back to it. I held out for as long as I could, working for half an hour, but my eyes started to cross and I knew if I kept going, everything I did from that point on would have to be scrapped and redone.

I shut the computer down, grabbed my purse from the bottom desk drawer, and headed out, locking the office door behind me. I moved through the kitchen, checking the door to the back alley to make sure it was locked before heading toward the front.

I was just about to turn from the back hallway into the dining area when the sound of glass shattering reverberated through the restaurant, and a second later, flames shot up everywhere.

A second glass pane broke as a second Molotov cocktail burst through the window and shattered against one of the tables. Flames spread across the floor so fast, they looked like a living, breathing thing. I’d never seen fire move like that, and in no time, so much of the dining area was engulfed in flames, I could feel the heat stinging my face.

Fear gripped me so tight, it muddled my brain and delayed my reaction. By the time the voice in the back of my head screamed at me to run, the smoke was already thick.

I spun on my heel and ran for the back of the restaurant as I fumbled with my purse, scrambling to find my keys. It took way too long, but I finally managed to get the right key into the lock. When I shoved at the door, nothing happened. It didn’t budge.

My eyes started to sting as the smoke from out front made its way to the back.

Think, Hardin. Think! I thought, then dug frantically through my purse for my phone. Tears of panic and frustration welled in my eyes when I couldn’t find it, making it hard to see. In my frenzy, I upended the bag, dumping everything out onto the floor.

“Where is it? Where is it?” I repeated as I batted stuff around before finally remembering that I’d left it on my desk by accident.

The flames were halfway down the hall by the time I made it to my office. A sob tore from my chest the moment I spotted it. I snatched it up, the smoke making my eyes and throat burn as my finger swiped frantically at the screen.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

I coughed, feeling like I choking on the smoke. “Someone set the restaurant on fire, and I’m trapped.”

* * *

Ford

The tones sounded; the call came through. Junior’s Pizzeria was on fire with a female trapped inside. I heard those same words on replay in my head so many times I was sure they were burned onto my brain.

The instant that information had been relayed, everyone jumped into action. There was only one female that the 911 operator could have been talking about. The panic that had gripped me like a vise when Hardin’s shed had caught fire was nowhere to be found. This wasn’t going to be like last time, because I wouldn’t allow it, damn it! I’d made my decision. I was going to choose happiness, and I refused to believe that fate would be so cruel it would give me this kind of love twice, only to take it away both times.

I moved on autopilot, dressing out in full bunker gear without even registering what I was doing. The next thing I knew I was in the truck and we were flying through the open bay door.

“We’ll get to her, Grimes,” Crawford assured me from his seat in the truck right across from me. “We’ll get to her.”

We had to. There was no other option, because there was no way I was losing her.

By the time we reached the main stretch of the small downtown area I could already see the flames in the distance, and I knew what we were walking into was bad.

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