He barreled through the opening into the bathroom.
Carly lay curled on her side in a Jacuzzi tub. She was naked, her hands and ankles strapped by electrical tape. Her mouth was red and raw, and her eyes were uncovered by the bandage strapping her head. He could see her arms and knees were bruised, but all he cared about was that she was screaming. That meant she was breathing. But the fumes had followed him from room and room. She wasn’t safe even here.
He bent over the tub to touch her, his heart pounding so hard he could hardly hear his own voice. “Carly, it’s Noah. I got you, baby. You’re safe.” She jerked under his touch but stopped screaming. “Hold on. I’ve got you.”
He grabbed his radio and shouted. “Found Carly. Extricating.”
“Roger.” Just as Mark came through the bathroom door a second explosion occurred in the family room.
Both men flinched, but Mark was shouting a reply. “The place is booby-trapped. We need to go now. Get her out of there.” Mark pointed to the big square decorative window over the tub. “We’re going out that way.”
Noah wriggled out of his backpack and stripped off his breathing apparatus then bent and scooped Carly up by the waist. His remaining gear was bulky, impeding his efforts to haul her out. With her hands tied behind her back she couldn’t help him. But once she got her to her knees, she was able to get her feet under her and push herself to standing. He leaned in and shoved her up over his shoulder, caveman style, uncaring that she was naked, this once.
As Noah backed away, Mark stepped over the rim into the tub and swung his axe. The window shattered. He swung several more times until he had cleared the frame of glass fragments that might cut them. Then he turned to Noah.
“You two first. I’ll get the gear.” He stepped back and let Noah climb into the tub and then swing a leg over the windowsill.
Noah didn’t stop when his feet hit the packed earth outside. He suspected that a third explosion might bring the house down upon them. With a hand clamped behind her knees to hold Carly in place over his shoulder, he made several long quick strides to put distance between them and house before turning to check for his partner. He sighed in relief as he saw Mark climbing through the window. Then he turned and headed for the street where fire equipment and firefighters were arriving.
Durvan met Noah before he reached the curb with a silver blanket to cover her. Once it was wrapped around her, Durvan tried to take Carly from him. Noah held tight. “I got this.” He moved to the far side of the street from the burning house, passing firemen with hoses headed toward the blaze.
Finally, he knelt in the grass and let Carly slide from his shoulder. He caught her to keep her from falling. “Get me a knife or scissors.”
Durvan pulled a knife from his pocket and carefully slit the tape binding Carly’s wrists and ankles. More slowly, he worked the blade between her hair and the tape so as not to damage her hair or eyes.
All the while she stared up at Noah, and she was smiling. When she was free she reached up and grabbed his neck so hard it surprised him. “I knew you’d come. I knew it!” But the relief was too new. Her voice still held the plea of a prayer.
The realization that he almost didn’t make it in time sent a hard shiver through Noah as he pulled her protectively close. “Are you hurt? Did he hurt you in any way?”
She pulled back and shook her head.
But Noah needed verbal confirmation. “Is Cody responsible for this? Just say yes or no.”
“Yes.” She seemed about to say more but her voice caught and she coughed and half-choked.
He touched her face tenderly. “That’s enough. Don’t try to speak. The ambulance is here. You’re safe, and you’re going to be fine.” His tone was gentle, his expression mild. Until he glanced up at Durvan, who remained watching them.
“You can arrest that son of Satan for attempted murder now. Carly will testify to it.”
Durvan nodded. “With pleasure.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Two months later
“Come on, Harley. Faster. Faster!” Andy ran ahead of the German Shepherd who was nearly twice his weight.
They were running the obstacle course at Fort Woof. The park at nine o’clock on a Saturday was full of people and their pets. But few dared the embarrassment of trying to get their dogs to show off their physical prowess on the Agility course.
The obstacles were built low enough for even small dogs to enjoy. That meant they were not a taxing effort for Harley. But the dog gamely played along, jumping over low barriers, running through hoops, and ducking into plastic tube tunnels. Boy and dog were having a great time.