Burn For Me (Phoenix Fire #1)(45)

She kept her own face desperate, afraid. Not hard to do because she was desperate and freaking terrified.

“We have to see how much heat you can handle.” Wyatt’s voice seemed emotionless, but she knew the truth. He was enjoying what he was doing. He’d enjoy her screams. “So we must get the fire to burn as hot as possible. Maximum temperature levels are necessary.”

“It’s necessary for you to kiss my ass!” Eve snarled. Her hands fisted, and she pounded them into the glass. Nothing. She hit the window again. Again.

Nothing.

“Help me!” Eve screamed at the guard.

His eyes were wide. Wide and—

Fire was rising from the floor. From every vent. Shooting toward her, burning so hot that her clothes melted, that the floor hurt her feet, that she screamed—

And was swallowed by the fire.



Another damn guard. The guy was yanking at some door, swearing, trying so hard to get inside the room that waited before him.

“Stop!” he screamed. He pulled out his gun. Shot at the glass window near him. “Fucking stop!”

Cain rushed the guard, swung him around and—

“Help her,” the guard said. His eyes were wild. “There’s a woman in there—Wyatt’s f*cking burning her alive.”

A woman—Eve. Cain’s gaze rose to the window. He’d smelled the flames. They’d led him this way. The fire was raging inside that room, burning hot and bright. He couldn’t see her. Just the fire.

But she could handle the fire, couldn’t she? Eve could handle his heat.

The flames died away as he watched, seeming to vanish right back into the room’s floor.

And there was Eve. Naked, with her arms wrapped around her body. Shivering. Her gaze found his. Her mouth opened. She was screaming, but through that soundproofed wall, her words came to him as a whisper …

Cain, help me. Make it stop.

It was f*cking stopping.

He tossed the guard away. Kicked open that damn door, knocking down half the surrounding wall.

Eve hadn’t moved. Her arms were still around her body, and she was shaking so much. He went toward her, seeing ash float in the room around them.

Cain reached out to her. She flinched.

“Eve?”

“He was watching,” she whispered. Her voice was hollow. “I couldn’t stop it. The fire was everywhere.”

The floor below them was heating up again. Shit. Cain snatched off his stolen shirt and put it over her. It hung low, falling past her knees. “Come on.” He couldn’t stand to see her look that way. So … broken.

She was shaking her head. “They wanted to lure you in. They wanted you to come …”

Cain’s fingers locked with hers. “Screw ’em and what they want. I’m getting you out of here.”

She didn’t move. “Wyatt’s here.” A faint line appeared between her brows. “I heard him. We can find him.” Her words came faster. “We can stop him.”

She wasn’t moving. Fine. He’d move her. Cain lifted her into his arms and carried her the hell out of that place.

“But Wyatt—”

“He’s not here.” The guard had vanished. He’d damn well better stay gone. Actually, the whole place looked empty as Cain headed back for the garage. No guards. No bodies. The place was as quiet as a tomb. But he was catching dozens of scents in the air, scents that told them just what Wyatt planned next. “This place is about to explode. It’s wired—I can smell the damn explosives.”

The bastard was still experimenting. Probably watching with video cameras to see just how much fire Eve could handle.

An alarm was beeping somewhere. Understanding hit. No, that wasn’t an alarm.

It was a countdown.

His hold tightened on her, and he raced down the corridor. No guards—they’d sure cleared out fast.

The SUV waited for them, just where he’d left it. Only the gate leading back outside had been locked, trapping them inside.

“Cain?” Eve’s worried voice.

He flashed her a smile. “We’re getting out.”

He could smell the fire again. The smoke. Wyatt’s latest fire had already started.

He put her in the passenger side. Rushed around the vehicle. Jumped in and gunned the engine. “Hold on.” He jerked the vehicle into reverse.

For an instant, Cain stared at that heavy gate. Then he smiled. His hand lifted, hanging outside of the driver’s window, and he tossed a ball of flames right in the middle of that gate, weakening it. Then he pushed the gas pedal all the way down to the floorboard. The SUV lurched backward and crashed right through the gate.

They made it outside with a scream of metal and tires. Cain spun the car forward and didn’t slow down, not for an instant. He kept the gas pinned to the floor and drove as fast as he could.

Right then, Wyatt didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but getting Eve away from there.

Cain knew exactly why the freak scientist had been testing her. He knew what Wyatt wanted her to do.

You just had to see how much fire she could handle, didn’t you?

Wyatt had wanted to make sure that Eve was strong enough for a deadly job.

She’d survived the flames. Come away without even a mild burn. And Wyatt had seen it. He’d seen everything.