Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls #1)(90)

“No!” he screamed. “We can’t leave them.”

“I’ll go back in a minute.” Hannah released him to open the garage door. She pushed him into the garage and helped him get into the minivan. With the baby still in her arms, she climbed into the driver’s seat and backed the van out of the garage. When the vehicle was clear of the building, she drove it across the grass and parked it behind Ellie’s house, where she hoped the fire couldn’t reach. Then Hannah climbed into the back and set Faith in her car seat. “Can you buckle her in, Carson?”

He nodded, his face wet with tears.

“Do you know how to lock the van doors?”

He nodded again. Hannah put the keys on the front seat. “Lock the door behind me, and don’t open it unless it’s safe.”

“OK.”

“I’ll be right back.” She jumped out of the vehicle. The locks clicked behind her.

Praying that the car was far enough from the house, Hannah raced for the back steps. Flames shot from the front of the house, and smoke poured from the open door. She pulled the neck of her sweatshirt over her nose and ran inside. The front of the house popped, whistled, and boomed. Fire crackled.

“Nan!” Hannah coughed as she ran into a cloud of black smoke. In the corner of her eye, she caught movement. Outside, a man ran across the backyard. He was heading for the van—and the children.





Chapter Thirty-Four


Grant turned into the development on two wheels. Tires squealed as the car lurched around the corner.

He called Ellie and told her what had happened. She and Julia were fine. In a crowded ice rink, they should be safe enough, and Mac would be with them any minute. He hung up and dialed Hannah; her phone rang four times and switched to voice mail.

Damn it. He pounded the steering wheel.

Grant turned down the street. The thin wail of sirens announced emergency vehicles were on the way, but the sight of flames pouring from the front of Lee’s house sent Grant’s heart catapulting into his throat. No!

He slammed the car to a stop in the middle of the street. Leaving the door open and the engine running, he raced toward the door. But the porch was completely engulfed in flames. Grant ran around the building to the back lawn. Sweeping his eyes across the scene, he took in the sight of his sister disappearing into the smoky house and a man running toward Ellie’s backyard, where the minivan was parked. Through the side van window, he could see Carson’s face pressed to the glass.

Grant hesitated for a second. Heart breaking, he veered toward the children. His body slid into combat mode as he overtook the running man. Grant tackled him in the grass, landing on top of him. The man flipped onto his back. His hood fell away.

Donnie Ehrlich.

Fury fueled Grant’s first punch. His fist connected with Donnie’s face with a crack of bone. Blood spurted. Grant hit him again. And again. Making the sonofabitch pay for what he’d done to his family.

Then a loud boom behind him snapped him out of his rage.

Hannah!



Ellie glanced at the crowd around her. Twenty parents had been on the bleachers ten minutes ago, but the majority of the kids had already rehearsed their routines and left. Still, she was hardly alone. At the entrance to the ice, the remaining few kids and coaches queued up, watching their teammates perform and waiting their turns. Julia’s name was read over the loudspeaker. She was next on the ice.

The nerves playing Ellie’s skin had nothing to do with her daughter’s rehearsal performance. All she could think about was Grant’s phone call. She couldn’t believe Corey Swann had been her extortionist. She scanned the crowd again. Grant had said Donnie Ehrlich was still on the loose, but she didn’t see anyone in the arena who didn’t belong.

The skating club was running the evening exactly as the carnival would occur next week. Julia’s lower-ranked team had to wait until the end of the show. The beginning of the carnival was always the most crowded. The advanced team would perform first and get to enjoy the rest of the evening. By the time the younger kids performed, the bleachers would be mostly empty. But that was to be expected.

The advanced skaters were the most serious. They practiced hours every day, coming in before school and again in the afternoon. Their dedication deserved to be rewarded. Their prima donna attitudes still grated on Ellie, and after the bullying episode with Lindsay Hamilton, she would never look at those girls the same way again. She’d read those horrible texts, and while the police had no way of proving that Regan and Autumn had sent them, everyone knew they had.

“Do you think Autumn’s choreography is original enough?” a man’s voice asked.

Ellie followed the sound. Rinkside, Joshua Winslow was talking to Coach Victor. The coach crossed his arms over his body. “Don’t worry. Autumn is going to nationals. We have all summer to perfect her routine.”

“Maybe we need to hire a new choreographer.” Josh frowned. “I thought her moves looked stale.”

“Her routine is fine,” Victor argued.

“Autumn isn’t happy with it, and it’s her career. If she wants a new choreographer, we’ll hire one.” Josh’s hand flew up in the air in an angry Kermit flail. He stalked away from Victor. The coach rubbed a frustrated hand down his face. Ellie turned away. Parent tantrums were hardly new.

Anger and shock welled in her throat as she thought about Corey. He’d threatened to hurt Ellie’s family just to get his hands on whatever evidence Lee had found. Had Corey arranged to have Lee and Kate killed as well, all to protect his daughter from the consequences of her actions?