Chapter Ten
Nico had heard the hissing sound, right before the flames had shot up around Callie and him. He took hold of her to pull her to the ground, only to realize the ground was on fire.
And the flames were spreading.
He caught the scent of some kind of accelerant and figured it’d been put…well, every damn where. All over the trail for sure, and it’d been a miracle that Callie and he hadn’t been standing right on a spot of it when it’d ignited.
Or rather when it had been ignited.
Because someone, either Tucker or the bald guy had done this. Hell, maybe even Dante since Nico couldn’t think of a reasonable explanation for him to be here. Later, he’d try to suss that out. But for now, he had to figure out what the hell he could to do to save them.
The smoke and heat stormed right at them. Smothering him. Making it almost impossible for him to see. But Nico shot glances all around, looking for any way out. Callie seemed to find one first because she latched onto his hand.
“This way,” she insisted.
She leapt off the trail into a narrow clearing where there was no fire. Not at the moment anyway, but it was possible that some of the ignitions were on delayed timers. That way, they could maybe jump into a clear spot only to be on fire a split second later.
“Go to your right,” Nico heard Owen say through the earbud. “I’m using the drone to find an escape route, and that’s a safe spot.”
Good. They needed that kind of help, but going right meant jumping over some flames. They weren’t especially high, more like a long stream of campfires, and Nico prayed they would stay that way until they were over them.
They did.
But Nico wasn’t breathing easier just yet. They had a ways to go, and they would fight for every inch of ground they gained.
“Now, thread your way to the left and move as fast as you can,” Owen added. “The fire department’s on the way, but they’re twenty minutes out, and there are new fires popping up.”
Twenty minutes was way too long. Callie and he would die from smoke inhalation before then. So far, they’d gotten lucky. He didn’t think either of them were seriously burned, but it wouldn’t stay that way if they didn’t keep moving and get the heck away from this.
“You’re only about ten feet from the road,” Owen let them know after they continued to move to their left. “There’s no fire there.”
Nico didn’t know what to make of that. Why wouldn’t their attacker try to set the vehicle ablaze so they couldn’t use it for cover?
Was that proof that Dante was involved?
Maybe not. Dante wouldn’t have known for certain that Callie would arrest him and put him in the Hummer. She could have dragged the man with them. Besides, Tucker was still his top contender for creating this shitstorm, and Nico was betting the asshole was nowhere near this fire.
Just ahead of him, Callie jumped over a ribbon of flames that sprang to life. Nico was right behind her, and they landed in a small clearing. Unfortunately, it didn’t stay clear for long.
More fire.
More smoke. Both came right at them. And they had to fight their way through both before Nico finally saw the road and the Hummer.
Callie and he hurdled over the last strip of fire, and they landed on their feet with a jolt onto the asphalt. Both of them immediately lifted their guns, their gazes sweeping around to see if there was a threat. Hard to see much of anything though with the black smoke billowing right at them.
Both of them were coughing now, and Nico figured Callie’s eyes were stinging as much as his were. “Get inside the Hummer,” he told her.
She was already heading in that direction, but like him, she was also keeping her gun ready. Not just for anyone around them though. Also for Dante. Just in case he’d managed to get in a position to attack them once they were in.
Nico practically dived into the vehicle behind the wheel. Callie did the same on the passenger’s side, and in the same motion, they both whirled around to aim their guns at Dante. But the man was still on the backseat, still in cuffs. And he didn’t appear to be attempting to escape.
“What the hell’s happening?” Dante blurted, the franticness in his voice and all over his expression. “Did you set these fires?”
Nico ignored him, and while Callie kept her gun on Dante, Nico started the engine and sped away. He needed to put some distance between them and those fires in case it did spread onto the road.
“Owen, what’s your status?” Nico asked.
“No fire where we are,” Owen was quick to reply. “We’re making our way to Tucker.”
Just in case Owen and the others ended up needing their help, Nico stopped the Hummer a good hundred yards from the fire. Far enough away from the flames but close enough to do a quick response for backup.
“According to the drone feed, there’s no fire around Tucker either,” Owen added a moment later.
Of course there wasn’t. The SOB wasn’t going to risk burning himself alive or being overcome by the smoke.
But that set off a new question in his head.
Had Tucker meant for Callie and him to die in those flames, or had he intended for the fire to cause them to run in his direction? Straight toward him so he could gun them down?
That theory didn’t work for Nico. Because they clearly hadn’t gone toward the man. Just the opposite. They’d worked their way back to the Hummer.
So, why exactly had the fire been set?
Nico didn’t get a chance to try to answer that because Dante interrupted his thoughts.
“Is the witness in there, in that fire?” his cousin blurted.
Nico turned in the seat to shoot Dante a glare. “What do you know about the witness?”
Dante got a deer in the headlights look that quickly morphed into frustration. He was no doubt regretting that question because it linked him to not only this particular shitshow but to, well, everything. Including Abilene’s murder.
“Lawyer,” Dante muttered.
Nico threw the asshole a disgusted look for clamming up, and he hoped once the cops got him into interview, they’d be able to squeeze something out of him. If not, then Nico would see about Dante being taken into federal custody. There’d be some legal wranglings for that to happen, and he’d have to do it without letting the world know he was FBI, but the Bureau might be able to put more pressure on Dante than Outlaw Ridge PD could.
“We’ve got Tucker in our sights,” Owen said through the earpiece, and his voice was practically a whisper now. “The drone still isn’t picking up any other heat sources.”
So, where was the bald guy? Since he’d been driving Tucker’s truck, he had to be involved with the man in some way. But how? And why wasn’t he here now? Had Tucker cut ties with him, or was something else going on?
He silently cursed all these questions he had and hoped soon they’d be able to get answers from Tucker and Dante.
“Tucker still hasn’t moved…” Owen said, his voice trailing off before he cursed.
That put both Callie and Nico on instant alert, and they waited. Nico got a bad round of worst-case scenarios, wondering if Owen and his team were about to be ambushed or engulfed in flames. It was possible Tucker had lured them to this point with the intention of setting off even more fires.
Owen spoke again after what seemed to be an eternity or two. “Tucker’s been tied to the tree, and the gun is taped in his hand.” He paused. “He’s dead.”