Justice Reborn (Cowboy Justice Association Book 8) (10 page)

J
osie was coughing, each breath a searing pain in her chest. Her body almost folded in half as she strained to expel whatever foreign object or substance that had taken up residence in the back of her throat. Beginning to panic as sleep dissolved, her gritty eyes burned as she slowly lifted her lids only to find something much worse than a tickle in her throat. The room was filled with smoke and her skin felt prickly due to the heat.

Fire.

The bad guys had found her and were trying to either smoke her out or simply kill her and anyone else that happened to have the bad luck to be anywhere in her vicinity. Remembering Amy’s face in those last few moments, Josie knew she couldn’t allow her resolve to waver. She had to stay strong and this was a lousy way to die. No way was she going to become some sort of crispy critter in a plastic body bag when the sun came up. She had way too much to live for and high on that list was bringing Amy’s killers to justice and clearing her own name.

Remembering what she’d been taught in grade school, Josie slid out of bed and straight to the floor where the air was slightly clearer. Her heart tripped in her chest before accelerating and she shifted into survival mode, letting her instincts rule over her emotions. Fear-induced adrenaline zipped through her veins but she shut out the panicked voices in her head, concentrating solely on escaping the fiery tomb of her motel room.

A sliver of light came through the curtains and the outline of her backpack was clearly visible through the haze. So far there were no flames in her room, which was a blessing. Sending up a prayer of gratitude she crawled on her belly, the acrid smoke stinging her nose and throat while the rough carpet fibers scraped her skin. The room was unbearably hot and by the time she reached her backpack she was slick with dirt and sweat.

Blinking back the tears that had begun to gather in her eyes, she grabbed her backpack and lone pair of shoes sitting next to it before moving the foot and a half to the door. Tentatively, she reached for the doorknob but thankfully the metal was a normal temperature which indicated that there wasn’t any fire on the other side. Through the haze of panic and fear, she vaguely registered the sound of sirens and the flash of lights outside but it didn’t assuage any of the terror that was clawing its way out of her chest. People who wanted her dead were on the other side of that door. She’d been fooling herself to think she was safe here in this tiny town.

But she couldn’t stay on this side of the wall either.

Pulling open the door, she shoved herself outside of the room and into the parking lot, choking and coughing on the fresh oxygen that assailed her pained lungs. Still on her hands and knees, she felt a set of strong arms try to pull her up and frenzied panic took over. She wouldn’t allow those men to take her. She kicked and scratched despite the disparity in their sizes and the fact that she was still wearing a set of shortie pajamas. Their arms and legs were covered so she was doing little damage even as their voices began to penetrate her brain.

“Ma’am. Ma’am. I’m trying to help you. Please, I’m trying to help you.”

Josie finally looked up at her captor through the glaze of tears and saw the face of one very concerned firefighter who probably thought she’d lost her mind. With a sob of relief, her body went limp and she let him pick her up and carry her to a stretcher where he set her down gently. Two EMTs converged on her simultaneously, asking her non-stop questions that she numbly answered but her gaze was riveted to the burning building. Orange and yellow flames jumped in the air only three rooms from where she’d been sleeping. A few more minutes and it would have probably been all over.

Her face covered in an oxygen mask, the EMT cleaned the scratches in her palms and knees from where she crawled onto the pavement. She didn’t have any other injuries so they wrapped her in a blanket and let her sit in the ambulance as they tended to the other guests in the motel.

She pulled the mask from her face and grabbed the jacket of a firefighter as he passed by.

“Hank?”

Her voice came out as a croak but the man appeared to understand. He patted her on the shoulder and nodded with a smile. “He’s okay. He rushed into one of the rooms to help someone get out so he has a few minor burns and smoke inhalation but he’s going to be fine. The other ambulance took him to the county hospital.”

Sighing with relief, Josie leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, exhausted and scared. So far she hadn’t seen anything nefarious but she couldn’t be too careful. Getting out of town was paramount but she couldn’t leave like this. She needed a shower and a change of clothes. And a plan. A plan would be excellent. Last time she’d run she hadn’t had time to think anything through but this time she needed to be strategic. She had to think ahead.

The next bus out of town wouldn’t even be here until almost lunchtime. She’d memorized the schedules for just an event like this but she didn’t have a place to hide until then. That was the problem. There was no other motel in Cypress Corner and that would be the first place they’d look for her anyway. Perhaps she could hide out in the diner bathroom or maybe in the alleyway behind the grocery store.

“Ma’am?”

A voice shattered her stream of consciousness and her eyes flew open, taking a moment to focus on the man in front of her. Dirty and sweaty, he was wearing the typical fireman uniform of yellow jacket and hat. Why he wasn’t assisting the other men who were currently pointing high-pressured hoses at the now crumbling building she didn’t know, but perhaps they had everything under control.

“Ma’am?” he repeated. “Is there anyone we can call for you?”

She shook her head a trifle forlornly. She was alone and that fact was brought home to her like a freight train against a brick wall at this moment. “No. Is everyone okay? Did everyone get out?”

“Yes, ma’am. Everyone is accounted for.” His gaze went back to the building still in flames before returning to her. “There’s a motel in the next town about thirty minutes away and there are lots of hotels in Ocala. No one is going to be staying here for awhile. Even in the rooms that weren’t burned there’s smoke and water damage.”

The news just kept getting better. The universe wasn’t going to cut her any breaks.

“I don’t have a car.”

The man’s expression was sympathetic but still surprised. She would have bet that not too many people traveled through this town without a vehicle. There was a good reason for her predicament but she wasn’t about to tell him.

He turned to the left and the right, looking around the parking lot filled with fire engines and people milling about. This was probably the most exciting thing that had happened in town in years.

“Maybe you could get a ride with someone?” he suggested. “Another traveler?”

Trust a stranger? Amy had told her to trust no one and Josie had already blown that rule out of the water by trusting Evan. She didn’t know if anyone here had seen her face on television or read about her in the paper.

Wait…Evan.
Damn. She had to trust him one more time. No matter what her mother or Amy said.

“There is someone you can call,” she finally replied, pulling the oxygen mask off completely. “Can you call Evan Davis?”

*   *   *   *

Christ on a crutch, this woman was going to be the death of Evan. His fingers tightened on the steering wheel and he gave her a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. Lisa was curled into a ball in the passenger seat almost as if she was trying to see just how small she could get. She’d stared out of the window without saying a word the entire drive back to his place and he loathed the idea of making her relive what had to be a traumatic event but he needed to know she was okay. Or at least that she was going to be okay.

“We’re here.”

He pushed open the vehicle door and ran around to her side to help her out. When he’d shown up at the motel, she’d been quite a sight sitting there in the ambulance still wearing her pajamas and an oxygen mask. He’d almost passed out with fear until she’d opened her mouth and spoke, thanking him for coming to get her.

The poor girl didn’t have anywhere else to go and now he was afraid she was going to get on the first bus out of town. Somehow he had to keep that from happening. Not only was she the best employee he’d ever had, he
liked
her. She was funny and kind and hardworking and intelligent. She was the kind of woman he’d been wanting to meet and now she was in his life. That’s where he wanted to keep her.

Keeping an arm around her shoulders as they walked up the front porch steps, his mind was already running through the changes he needed to make in the house to accommodate his new roommate. They entered and she immediately sat down on the arm of the couch, taking another gulp from the bottle of water a fireman had given her. Her expression was almost vacant and lost and he had to restrain himself from pulling her into his arms and telling her everything was going to be fine.

Because he’d be a liar.

Lisa hadn’t said much and he had no idea how much she’d lost in the fire. She barely had any belongings to begin with and she said some were destroyed… Somehow he’d make her accept new clothes even if she balked at his offer, but knowing how stubborn she was it wouldn’t be easy. He wanted to help her if only she’d let him. He’d actually been shocked when he got the call to come pick her up, which only illustrated just how screwed she was in the situation. She had no place to go and no way to get there even if she did.

“Why don’t I go make you some tea? That might feel good on your throat.” The few words she’d spoken had sounded hoarse and she’d coughed a few times during the drive home. “You can head upstairs and use the shower. I’ll put out a t-shirt and pair of shorts you can wear if you like. I’m not sure what you were able to save.”

She had on shoes but he’d bet his last dollar they were her only pair, just like the pink pajama set she was currently wearing. He’d only known her a week but he was certain he’d seen every piece of clothing in her wardrobe. This girl was seriously down on her luck.

Lisa blinked at him a few times and then nodded. “Don’t go to any trouble. I really just want to get clean and get some rest.” Her eyes filled with tears and her lips trembled, almost breaking his heart. She looked like her world had imploded. “I hate to leave you without any notice but I’m planning on being on the bus out of town tomorrow.”

Her statement was like a dagger to his chest and he had to take a few painful breaths before he could reply, keeping his tone even as though her words didn’t send panic flying straight through him. “I bet after some sleep things might look a lot better. Maybe you should put off making any decisions until later when you’re well rested.”

She shook her head and rose to her feet, holding onto the sofa for support. “I have to go.”

“And you look so happy about it,” Evan couldn’t help but mock. “Listen, you’ve gone through some shit tonight and are in no position to be making life-altering decisions. Get a shower and some rest. Tomorrow we’ll have breakfast and talk. If you feel the same, I’ll drive you anywhere you want to go. But I think once you’re rested you’ll see that this is no reason to leave.”

Sniffling, she rubbed at her damn cheeks looking almost like a guilty child. His heart softened and this time he did reach out and pull her into his arms, stroking her back and the tangled strands of her hair while she cried softly into his cotton shirt. “You don’t understand. I have to go.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand. You’re a free agent from what you’ve told me. You don’t have to be anywhere and have no ties. You can stay.”

“No, I have to go.”

Her voice was shaking and he was sure she was about to burst into tears again, something he wanted to avoid. He was trying to make her feel better, not worse. “Go on upstairs and get in the shower. I bet you’ll feel a hundred percent better if you do.”

He led her to the staircase and gave her a gentle push, watching her as she ascended to the second floor, clutching her battered backpack like a lifeline. He’d follow in a few minutes and grab some clothes for her to wear, but in the meantime he’d put on some hot water for tea. Then he’d tuck her into bed.

Tomorrow? He’d find out just why she couldn’t stay. Something just wasn’t right. He knew she had secrets and he’d respected them but this fire had thrown everything into chaos. Lisa was frightened; anyone with two eyes could see it.

Just what was she frightened of?

He wanted answers and he’d get them. In the morning.

Chapter Eleven