Hot for You (21 page)

Well, at least she was going to try not to
think about it all. Her stomach churned as the image of the woman
on fire popped into her mind and she pressed her palm to her
abdomen. She had to get those images out of her mind. Maybe that
hadn’t really been a woman on fire. It could be special effects,
couldn’t it?

She took the elevator down to the lobby,
trying to think about anything but the videos and the woman. When
the doors parted, she headed out and across the lobby to the coffee
shop. The smell of dark roast invigorated her as she went to the
counter.

The perky young brunette barista, with
Dahlia
on her nametag, smiled at Carilyn. “Ready for a cup
of hot coffee and a pastry?” She inclined her head toward the
pastry case.

“Sounds terrific.” Carilyn relaxed and looked
over the pastries. “I’ll have a large dark roast and one of those
cheese Danishes.” She paid with the cash she’d brought with her
then stuffed the change back in her pocket.

Dahlia used a pair of tongs to put a Danish
into a small pastry bag and then poured a cup of coffee before
giving both to Carilyn. After adding sugar and half-and-half, she
sat at a small table near the entrance.

Instead of dwelling on the horrors, she
thought about Cody. The way his eyes lit up when he smiled, his
sexy little grin, and his hard, muscular body that felt so good
against hers when they made love.

Love.
Cody had told her that he loved
her, but she hadn’t been able to say it back to him. It was too
soon and she had to think about her life back in Kansas.

As she ate her Danish, her thoughts turned to
Sam showing up and how he’d told her he wanted to get back together
with her. It had been such a shock to see him, and an even bigger
shock to find out why he’d returned.

Could she ever go back with Sam if she
returned to Kansas City and left everything she’d come to love here
in Prescott? She frowned as she considered it. No, she couldn’t.
Heck, she couldn’t even get herself to think about leaving Cody
behind. Just the thought of being separated from him tore her up
inside.

She knew the truth. She was in love with Cody
and she would do anything to be with him. Including moving to
Arizona. She bit into her cheese Danish, feeling a sense of
excitement that she hadn’t felt before.

Compared to her love with Cody, it seemed to
her that her love for Sam had been more friendship than
anything.

“Hi.” A man’s voice jerked her from her
thoughts and her eyes shot up to see a vaguely familiar
geeky-looking guy wearing a tweed suit. He had stringy hair hanging
out from beneath a felt hat, a bushy red mustache, and a beard. He
stood over her and was smiling. “Can I sit here?”

The coffee shop had plenty of empty tables
and she tried not to frown as she set her Danish on a paper napkin
on the table. She really didn’t want company right now unless it
was Cody.

Before she could respond, the stocky man was
pulling out a chair at her table. “Thanks,” he said with a smile.
“You don’t remember me, do you?”

She shook her head as she looked at his
longish hair that fell over his bearded face. His smile didn’t
reach his pale blue eyes behind his horn-rimmed glasses and
something tingled at the base of her neck.

“You do seem familiar.” She forced a smile.
“Where have we met before?”

“At Jo-Jo’s.” He looked a little put off by
her not remembering exactly who he was. “I bumped into you by the
bathrooms.”

“Oh.” Yes, she could see the resemblance
although she didn’t remember the mustache and he hadn’t worn a hat
or suit. “I’m sorry. I guess I’d had one mojito too many.”

“I’m Nathan.” He pushed hair out of his eyes
with one hand. She noticed his other hand was below the table. “Why
don’t we go out for lunch and I’ll treat?”

“I can’t.” She offered Nathan a smile even
though she didn’t feel like smiling. “I’m waiting for my—my
boyfriend to get back.”

“Isn’t he gone, Carilyn?” Nathan said as he
stared at her.

“Cody will be back—” She froze. “I didn’t
tell you my name.”

A grin spread across Nathan’s face as he put
both hands on the table. Something small and black was in one of
his stubby-fingered hands and he wore a silver ring with a blue
stone. “I know a lot about you, Carilyn Thompson.”

Chills rolled over her body, her scalp
prickling. “I need to go. Cody will be here any minute now.”

Nathan’s expression and his eyes grew cold.
“I’ve been watching you both, Carilyn. I know he just left twenty
minutes ago so I’d wager I have a minimum of an hour’s head
start.”

Her gaze dropped to his hand and she looked
at his ring again. She grew lightheaded as she realized it was a
ring like the one the man in the video had been wearing when he’d
tossed a lit match on the pile of matchsticks beneath the redheaded
Barbie doll.

“Leave or I’ll scream.” Her voice shook as
she clenched the tabletop with her fingers.

His grin grew more sinister as he opened his
hand and laid a small, cheap cell phone on the table. “All I have
to do is call a special number and your
boyfriend
will get
blown to bits this time.”

She stared at him in horror. “Don’t.
Please.”

“It all depends on you.” His eyes grew cold.
“Come with me now, or I swear I’ll bring the wrath of God down on
the McBrides and every other cop who’s in that warehouse right
now.”

She didn’t have a choice. “Where are you
taking me?”

He picked the phone up off the table, pushed
his chair back, and stood. “Come on, sweet Carilyn. You’ll find out
soon enough.”

***

Excellent.
Nathan felt almost giddy
with excitement as he put his arm around Carilyn’s shoulders and
walked with her out of the coffee shop. He steered her to the left
so that they could head out the back exit.

“Don’t give any sign that might make me want
to press that speed dial number on the phone,” he said close to her
ear. “Understand?”

“Yes.” She sounded stunned, her voice
trembling as she looked straight ahead. “I understand.”

They walked down the hall. With his disguise,
he was certain he wouldn’t be recognized if they ran into anyone.
Not that anyone had ever paid him much attention to begin with.

Which was one reason why being Firebug was so
much fun. He received plenty of attention now—although anonymously.
He knew he’d never be caught. He was too good, too smart. It was
almost a shame that no one would ever know he was the genius behind
the fires…and Janice’s death.

He supposed he’d be considered a serial
killer once he took care of Carilyn. He’d have to be even more
careful than he already was. The FBI might be called in if they
found her body. He wasn’t sure that he wanted it to be found, but
he did want to make a video and put it up on YouTube, too.

Once he and Carilyn stepped through the rear
exit and into the sunshine, he looked around to make sure they were
alone. Still keeping his arm around her shoulders, he guided her
down the sidewalk to the back of the parking lot. Carilyn slipped
in mud at the edge of the sidewalk, the puddle caused by a leaking
irrigation bubbler. He scowled as he caught her before she could
fall, then jerked her along to a beat-up white Corolla that he’d
had for years that he only used for his special “field trips”. It
was the kind of vehicle that blended in and didn’t attract
attention.

He opened up the back passenger side door and
beckoned to her. She hesitated. He held up the phone and she
hurried to slide onto the bench seat. He looked around again then
pulled a zip tie out of his tweed jacket pocket.

“Give me your wrists.” She did what he told
her to and was trembling as he used the zip tie to secure her.

Again he looked around as he took two
handkerchiefs out of his other jacket pocket. “Scoot over,” he said
and seated himself beside her when she obeyed him.

He had her bend down so that she couldn’t be
seen as he gagged her. Tears rolled down her face and then he put a
handkerchief blindfold on her. He worked as quickly as he could,
but with his stubby fingers he wasn’t exactly deft.

When he finished, he said, “Lie down,” then
shoved her onto her side.

She gave a muffled groan when her head hit
the rear passenger door.

Once again he checked his surroundings as he
slid out of the back of the Corolla. He swung her legs onto the
bench seat so that her knees were bent and her feet inside the car.
He took another zip tie and secured her ankles with it. He picked a
blanket up off of the floorboards and spread it over her.

After he was done, he rested his hand on her
ass and she shrank away from him. He scowled. He got out and
slammed the door shut before going around to the driver’s side and
climbing in. He locked all four doors, started the vehicle, and
backed out of the parking space.

On the way to his destination, he whistled a
tuneless tune and grinned to himself. He’d done it again. Just like
he’d had Janice Barnhart, he now had Carilyn Thompson.

He drove up into the Bradshaw Mountains for
some time until he was deep in the forest and almost to a couple’s
seasonal home that would be vacant until summer. He’d have to find
another place once he was finished with Carilyn.

Or better yet, he could set the cabin on fire
with her body inside. It was far enough out of town that he could
watch it burn for a long time before anyone showed up to
investigate it. He’d have plenty of time to enjoy the fire.

When he reached the cabin, he backed the car
up to it then climbed out and opened the back door. He grabbed
Carilyn under her armpits and dragged her out of the car. He almost
dropped her as her lower half landed on the ground, but managed not
to completely let her go.

She didn’t fight him as he dragged her out.
Clearly she knew it was useless and she didn’t want to cause him to
trigger the bomb at the warehouse. He did like a fighter, though,
so he hoped she’d show a little spirit when he got down to
business.

Her legs bumped along the steps when he
dragged her up them, and she whimpered. He’d thrown Janice over his
shoulder but had ended up hurting his back, so this would have to
do. By the time he got her inside the roomy cabin and had pulled
her up into a chair he’d set up earlier, he was sweating like
racehorse.

Being a redhead, she had a fair complexion,
but she looked even paler than he’d noticed before. Not surprising,
he supposed, considering that she’d no doubt seen the videos that
he’d uploaded. Of course the contrast of the black blindfold and
gag against her pale skin was emphasized.

He shrugged off the tweed jacket and tossed
it aside, leaving him in a dirty white T-shirt. He raked his
fingers through his sweaty hair, and then braced his hands on his
wide hips as he stared at her. It was her fault that she was here.
If she hadn’t rejected him when he’d offered to buy her a drink, if
she’d considered going out with him, he would never have had to do
what he planned to do now. Like Janice, she deserved it.

He got out a piece of chalk, crouched down
and drew a large circle in front of her. That was where he’d pour
the gasoline. He wanted to extend the amount of time it would take
for the fire to get to her. When he finished drawing the circle, he
stood.

What was going on in that pretty little head
of hers, he wondered as he walked around her and the chair just
outside the circle. He took in her disheveled red hair, wrinkled
shirt, dusty jeans, and muddy shoes.

He thought about stripping her out of her
clothes and keeping her tied up naked, but decided that would be
too distracting. The last thing he needed would be to get
distracted when there was so much to do. Besides, he wasn’t a
rapist and he didn’t molest women—rapists were the lowest of the
low.

But you’re a murderer, Nathan,
went
through his mind in his mother’s voice.
That’s as low as you can
get.

“No.” He tried to shake off the thought and
her shrill tone, but it echoed in his head, over and over
again.

You’re a murderer, Nathan… Murderer…

He clapped his hands to either side of his
head. “Stop it!” he screamed.

Rage tore through him and he stepped forward
and slapped Carilyn so hard she fell off the chair. The gag muffled
her cry of pain and surprise.

“Bitch.” He jerked her up and onto the chair,
forcing her back onto the seat hard. He grabbed a rope lying near
the camera and then bound her from shoulders to waist to the chair.
Her wrists were still zip-tied in back of her, and her ankles were
still bound. “It’s your fault. Your fucking fault!” he shouted.

With a howl of anger, he jerked off her
blindfold. She blinked away the sudden brightness of light in the
cabin and stared at him with wide horror-filled green eyes. A red
handprint stood out against her pale skin.

As she watched him, he paced the floor,
muttering to himself as he kept hearing his mother taunting him.
You’re a murderer, Nathan… Murderer…

With another scream, he dropped to his knees
on the floor and clapped his hands over his ears as if that might
block the sound of his mother’s voice in his head. That old bitch
had burned him, left him with a scarred body and mind.

He could feel ropes binding him to a chair
and the pain of cigarettes burning into his torso and on the soles
of his feet. One time she’d held his hand over a gas flame as he
shrieked and sobbed, until his hand blistered. When she was
finished, she put burn ointment on the wound and wrapped it with
gauze. For a while she left him alone, but then she couldn’t help
but use him as her personal ashtray.

How he hated her.

But she was his mother. He loved his
mother.