Page 55 of Dark

A wall of heat slammed into my chest right as we reached the line of neon-yellow fire engines. Hayden staggered back, fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt. Hoses snaked out from multiple trucks like the intestines of a disemboweled beast, spewing water as flames streaked the night sky an eerie orange. A caustic, chemical stink seared the air. Eyes watering, I lifted the collar of my shirt.

“Oh my god.” Hayden caught sight of the gutted remains of her trailer. Gagging, she doubled over.

Brody, who was in uniform along with a group of deputies, started towards us. Hayden wiped her mouth while I rubbed her back and held her hair out of the way. One of the EMTs, all geared up, shoved a water bottle into her hand, shouting to be heard over the hiss and snap of the hoses.

“–need to get you both out of this smoke.”

“I got this.” Brody clapped him on the shoulder. “They’re with me.”

He jerked his chin, motioning for us to follow. Hayden rinsed her mouth, face pale and drawn. We passed Dallas, who was handing out BBQ sandwiches to the fire crew and first responders out of the back of his SUV’s tailgate. Beside him, Lacey poured water and sweet tea from ten-gallon jugs.

“We’ve got problems,” Brody said once we were standing off behind the waving line of yellow crime scene tape. “Two scents. Both shifter. Our guy from the video plus a new player. West is out there tracking them now, and I just texted Cal. They’re gonna have a hell of a time finding anything with all the smoke and wind—”

“How did he get so close?” Hayden demanded.

“There was a shift change.” Brody propped his hands on his service belt. “He slipped through.”

“If Ellie had been there—”

“She wasn’t.”

Hayden glared daggers. “That the best you got?”

My brother leaned in. “You want to know how many people have been busting their tails to keep you and your sister safe—”

“Hey,” I growled, getting up in Brody’s grill. “No shit we’re all tired and getting sloppy. But her fracking trailer is on fire. Some guy is out there hunting her. So you’re not going to freak out on her for getting upset about it.”

My brother’s eyes grew hard as ice chips. “You wanna try that again?”

Hayden’s head whipped around. “Why is Lacey here?”

Brody’s eyes flicked to mine. I gritted my teeth, suddenly getting it. Lacey. The shift change.

“Hays—”

I turned just in time to see her take off in a dead run.

“The f—" I barked, bolting after her.

Brody cursed. Dallas lifted his head from the sandwich line. Vaulting one of the coolers, he jumped in front of that five-alarm train wreck a second before Hays reached Lacey. She lunged around him and he made a grab for her. A warning growl ripped from my throat. Startled, Dallas threw up his hands.

“You bitch!” Hayden shouted.

Oh, for the love of hell. My girl had pipes. Literally everyone, from the volunteer firemen to the EMTs loading equipment back onto their rig, turned to gape. Because hey, it was the Caldwells. Free barbeque and a show.

“Whoa, chill out.”

Hayden darted for Lacey again, forcing Dallas to sidestep to keep between them.

“Are you crazy?” Lacey hissed. “Shut up.”

“She doesn’t want the pack offering me protection.”

At this, Lacey paled.

Reaching them, I grabbed Hayden around the waist. “Daisy, c’mon—”

Wrestling like a wildcat, she clawed at my arms. “She’s the one who’s been texting me threats.”