Satisfied that Oksana was now tethered safely to her, Beth began back toward the door as Liliya was doing.
The click when it came seemed extremely loud to Beth. Her gaze immediately jerked forward in search of the source, and she spotted the lever Oksana’s lower half had been lying on and instinctively flattened herself to the ground just before the world erupted in noise and light. An explosion, and screaming and shouts all sounded at once. Beth ground her teeth and closed her eyes as a wave of terrible heat rolled over her, and then she just leapt up and began to run, hardly aware of Oksana’s lower body bouncing against her legs as she went.
Through the smoke and flames, Beth spotted Liliya lying unconscious near the slowly closing doors. Changing direction, she ran toward the other woman, her gaze sliding to the doors as she went to see that Kira was struggling to keep the doors from closing. Pain burning along her back, and terrified they wouldn’t make it out in time, Beth screamed and put on a burst of speed.
“Beth needs help.”
Scotty’s hand tightened convulsively around his phone at those words.
“Where is she?”
Mortimer rattled off an address that Scotty repeated to Rickart. The man immediately pulled a U-turn and headed back the way they’d come. Returning his attention to the phone, Scotty asked, “What’s the situation?”
“I don’t know. But it must be bad. One of Kira’s bodyguards called, Marta I think. She was freaking out. She said Oksana was in pieces, Nika was down, and Beth said to call for blood, cleanup, backup, and just everyone. She’d never say ‘just everyone’ unless it was a shit storm. Beth doesn’t panic.”
“What the hell did ye send them into, Mortimer?” Scotty barked with dismay. “Ye were to be sending them on soft calls. Ye promised me that in exchange for me bringing me men o’er!”
“I did!” Mortimer yelled. “At least, it was supposed to be a soft call. Some kids found a coffin in an old barn. It was a joke job, for Christ’s sake!”
Scotty forced himself to calm down. “Who’s with her?”
“Kira and her bodyguards,” Mortimer answered sharply. “There are six of them out there.”
“Six minus the one in pieces and the one who’s down,” Scotty growled and then glanced to Rickart. “How far out are we?”
“Two minutes,” Mortimer answered over the phone, having heard the question. “I have your vehicles on the monitor right now. Odilia and Donny are too far out to be of use, but Magnus is closer than you are. You should be able to see him when you turn the next corner. You are practically on his tail.”
Scotty glanced forward as they took the corner and grunted when he saw the SUV speeding in front of them.
“You will see the barn after the next corner,” Mortimer said as the SUV in front disappeared around the corner in question.
Scotty didn’t respond. He just ended the call to climb into the back of the SUV and grab the blood cooler.
“I see it. I—Holy Mother of God!” Rickart shouted as Scotty turned to make his way back to the front of the SUV with the cooler.
Scotty jerked his eyes forward at that and stared in horror at the barn in front of them as it seemed to implode. Fire rushed out through the doors as if they were the gates to hell. The flames receded back into the building just as quickly, but thick, dark smoke immediately began to billow out in its place, almost obscuring the inferno raging inside.
Cursing under his breath, Scotty unstrapped the fire extinguisher next to where the cooler had been, and climbed back to the front of the vehicle with both items as Rickart followed Magnus’s SUV almost to the doors . . . the slowly closing doors, Scotty saw with a frown and spotted two women, one on each door, trying to hold them back.
Magnus’s SUV stopped and the man was running for the doors first, but Scotty wasn’t far behind, leaping from the vehicle before Rickart had quite brought it to a halt.
Magnus ran to the door on the left, adding his weight and strength to the woman’s to try to keep it open, so Scotty went to the door on the right. Recognizing Kira Sarka struggling with that door, he dropped his burdens and moved up beside her.
“Where’s Beth?” he shouted, slamming into the door and digging in his feet to try to prevent it moving. Much to his amazement, while he slowed the door, he didn’t stop it.
“She’s inside!” Kira yelled over the roar of the fire.
“I’m on it!” Rickart bellowed, rushing past them and racing into the smoke and flames.
Scotty almost let go of the door and chased in after him, but good sense made him hold his position. They had to keep the door open or Beth didn’t have a chance. Grinding his teeth, he put his shoulder to the wood, desperate to stop its movement, but merely slowed it a little more. The doors were more than half-closed now.
Relief raced through him when he spotted Rickart hurrying out of the blinding smoke with Beth in his arms. He stayed where he was until the man carried her past him, and then released the door, grabbed up the cooler of blood and hurried to where Rickart was laying the woman on the ground. It wasn’t until he stood over her that he realized it wasn’t Beth, but the petite blond bodyguard, Liliya.
A shriek sounded behind him then, and Scotty whirled toward the barn. For a moment, all he saw was smoke and more smoke, and then fire raced out of the closing doors.
“Dear God, she’s on fire!” Rickart gasped beside him.
Scotty knew at once that it was Beth. With his heart in his throat, he charged forward, throwing himself on her and rolling her across the ground. It didn’t take him long to realize that was a mistake. Rather than put out the flames ravishing her, Scotty was quickly on fire himself. Fortunately, Magnus had more sense than him, and snatched up the fire extinguisher he’d left by the door. Rushing to them, he raised the extinguisher, and Scotty closed his eyes as the foam sprayed out of the nozzle.
Twelve
Scotty was walking along the ocean shore, enjoying the cool soothing water rushing over his feet. When he saw Beth walking toward him in a fiery red dress, a smile claimed his lips. Happy to see her up and well, he hurried to meet her, eager to take her in his arms. She seemed just as eager, and they met and embraced there on the shore’s edge. But as he bent to kiss her, Scotty realized it wasn’t a dress she wore; Beth was engulfed in flames, and now so was he. The fire licked along his skin and burned his hands, arms, chest, and face as they fell to the ground screaming. They rolled, and rolled, and . . .
His own screams woke him. Scotty sat up abruptly, his heart drumming so loudly in his ears that it took a moment before he became aware of a soothing voice saying, “It’s all right. You’re safe. I’ve given you something for the pain. Rest now.”
Turning his head, he stared blankly at the woman speaking, a redhead with soft silver-green eyes. “Who’re you?”