The Better to Bite(66)

My dad’s eyes narrowed on her. “Take her to the station, Jon. Keep her in the conference room until I get back down there.”

I winced when the nurse wrapped my arm a little too tightly. Rafe took my hand.

Jon led Cass out. More like dragged her out.

“She knows about us,” Charles Channing said quietly. “We can’t have the folks in Haven—”

“I’ll deal with her.” Again, my dad’s promise was ice-cold. I didn’t speak, not yet. I figured I’d already done enough with my whole getting shot bit.

My dad glanced down at me. “Heather,” he said to the lady who’d just bandaged me, “take her to the hospital.”

No. I didn’t want to leave him. No way.

When my dad blinked, I realized I’d spoken. I cleared my throat and rose to my feet, with Rafe right beside me. My arm burned. Not bee stings anymore, but more like the skin and muscle had been doused in flame. I hadn’t realized that a bullet would feel so much like fire, but then, I hadn’t ever planned on getting shot, either. “I’m fine.” Maybe. Hopefully. I would be once the pain stopped. At least nothing vital had been hit.

“Take her to the hospital.” His eyes glittered. “I don’t want arguing from you, Anna. I want you safe, and I want you damn well safe now.”

Dad was definitely furious. I was the one who’d been shot. Shouldn’t I get some sympathy from the man who’d accidentally shot his own daughter? Huh?

“I’ve got her, sir,” Rafe said and his hold on me was strong, but careful. His fingers didn’t come close to my wound.

Brent stepped forward, too. “I’ll make sure she gets there safely.”

Wasn’t that sweet. Pity the werewolves hadn’t moved fast enough to take a bullet for me. Maybe next time.

My dad stared at me as a muscle jerked in his jaw. He didn’t speak. Didn’t relent. Fine. Whatever.

I let Rafe and Brent lead me out of that theater.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Rafe muttered, his lips close to my ear.

I shivered. Okay, I wasn’t feeling so well right then. The pain wasn’t lessening up. And what had I been thinking? “That I couldn’t let her kill you.” Again, my normal routine of blurting kicked in, but I was far past the point of monitoring myself.

He glanced down at me in surprise.

Brent made a faint growling sound.

“Either of you,” I whispered.

Heather held the door open for us.

“There’s a killer in this room!” My dad’s voice thundered as we left. “And I’m finding out who he or she is!”

The air hit me. Chilled and carrying the faintest scent of…smoke.

Smoke? We’d only taken a few steps when the sharp odor fully registered.

We all seemed to catch the scent at the same time. Light plumes of smoke rose from the sheriff’s office. Rising slowly, slowly…

A loud boom rocked the night, and the station erupted in a ball of flames.

I screamed then, as loud as I could, and I rushed forward. But Rafe hauled me back.

“No, Anna, no!”

The fire crackled and windows shattered. Orange and red flames flared higher.

“Cass—she’s in there!” Not just her. “Jon and Shirley are inside! We’ve got to help them!”

Brent stared at the flames with a slack jaw. Voices rose behind us as those who’d been in the theater rushed outside.

Rafe nodded and pushed me back. “Stay here!” Then he raced for the burning station.

Stay—

Bodies pushed against me. My dad caught my uninjured arm and pulled me against him. The smoke was thick now, so thick. Chaos reigned as voices shouted and folks shoved to get away from the scene. My dad’s body curled around me, protecting me, as he led me around the burning station and to safety.

In moments, I found myself standing in front of the station. “Baby, don’t come any closer to the fire.” My dad stared down at me, the lines on his face deeper than I’d seen before. “I have to go in…my people are in there. But you—please, stay out here where it’s safe.” He nodded and someone—nurse Heather—took my arm as he stepped away.

I blinked against the smoke. I couldn’t see Rafe. Couldn’t see Brent. My dad had already advanced toward the blaze, and I could hear him, yelling orders left and right.

A siren blared. The fire station was only a couple of blocks away, and I knew the truck would be there soon.

Soon enough?

Rafe burst out of the building then. He had Shirley slung over his shoulder. Jon and Cass were right behind him. Jon had Cass in a fireman’s carry and he was hauling butt for all he was worth.

When I saw them all, I started to breathe again.