Only Her (A K2 Team Novel)(82)

Jamie snorted. “This morning, baby wanted peanut butter pancakes with banana slices and whipped cream, and a slab of bacon.”

Sugar grinned. “I love being pregnant. I can blame everything on baby.”

She and Jamie headed off to their car, their arms wrapped around each other, and Riley walked toward the parking lot with Jake and Maria.

“You coming to eat with us?” Maria asked.

“I’ll pass, but thanks for the invite.” While she’d been with the group, she hadn’t felt like a fifth wheel, but now she did. And what if they started asking questions about Cody? She wouldn’t feel comfortable discussing him with his friends.

“Oh, come on. We’ll go someplace quick and casual.”

Riley’s phone buzzed with a sound she’d never heard before. Puzzled, she fished it out of her purse, frowning at the screen as she read the text message from her new alarm company.

“What the . . . My house is on fire?”

“What?” Jake grabbed her phone, his eyes darting over the screen. “Let’s go.”

He started running, and Maria grabbed Riley’s hand as the two of them chased after him. They piled into his car, and he tossed Maria his phone. “See if you can get ahold of Cody and your brother.”

“My cats,” Riley whispered as Jake used the grass shoulder to pass cars leaving the airport, ignoring the blaring horns. She estimated they were at least an hour from her house, and she choked down a sob at what she feared she would find when she got home. One hope that she held on to was the small sign at her front door for this very reason, stating that there were three cats inside. She knew that firemen paid attention to those notices.

“Cody’s not answering, so I left a message,” Maria said, peering around her headrest at Riley. “Logan’s on his way to your house. You have cats, right?”

“There are two in the house. If they’re scared, they hide under my bed in the front bedroom.” She listened as Maria passed the information on.

If Cody was still with his doctor, he probably had his phone turned off. God, she wished he were home. Even if things were over for them, he would do everything in his power to save Arthur and Merlin. There was someone, though, she could call for help. She found Mike’s number in her contact list and called him.

“My house is on fire,” she said as soon as he answered.

“I know. Recognized the address as yours when it came over the radio. I’m here now.”

“There’re two cats inside. Have they found them?” Riley squeezed her eyes shut, afraid of the answer.

“No. They saw the posted notice, and they’re inside looking for them.”

“There are only two cats, not three, and tell them to look under my bed.”

“Will do.”

“I should be there in about . . .”

“Thirty minutes,” Jake said. “Tell him I’m going way over the speed limit and to call the cops off me.” He spouted off a license plate number. “In fact, if there’s a cop near the I-10 eastbound lane from Alabama into Florida, an escort wouldn’t hurt.”

Riley passed the information on to Mike, along with a description of Jake’s Jeep.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” she said. “If they find my cats, will you call me back so I can breathe again.”

“Promise. Gotta go.” He hung up.

Riley stared at her phone as panic swelled like a giant tidal wave, threatening to drag her under. Why did he have to go right then? What was happening?

Please, God, I beg you. Let them find Arthur and Merlin.



Cody turned his phone back on as soon as he walked outside. The session had been grueling, and he felt as if he’d been flayed alive. Tom hadn’t lied. They’d rehashed Cody’s nightmare until he could speak about it without thinking he was going to come out of his skin. The process had left him raw, yet in a strange way, cleansed. Desensitized. They’d done that all right. Now that he’d had a breakthrough, Tom wanted to see him again tomorrow afternoon.

He hit the remote to unlock his truck, and as he climbed in, his phone beeped, telling him he had a message. The hell? Riley’s house was on fire? Was she back from the air show? He had to get to her. With a heart that felt like it might explode, he raced out of the parking lot, tires squealing.

Smoke was visible as soon as he turned onto their street, but a cop, who had his patrol car parked across the road, blocking traffic, stopped him. Instead of arguing that he should be let through, Cody pulled over, parking on the shoulder of the road. He got out, and ignoring the order to stop, ran past the officer. No one was going to stop him from getting to her.