Page 126 of Heart of Thorns

The door has been blocked.I scan the parking lot, searching for any sign of the arsonist—Stephen. Not Ben.

I move my attention back toward the fire. Rhys has climbed up on a dumpster in the alley, and he gets level with a window that’s been halfway boarded over. The flames haven’t made it there yet, by the looks of it. He breaks the glass with his elbow, and I wince.

He disappears inside a moment later.

Nausea pulls me under. I clench my eyes and press on my stomach.

Just breathe, Briar.

If anything happens to Thorne, because of me, I’ll never be able to climb out of this dark hole that I’ve been in since my accident.

He’s the only one who’s been able to drag me out, and now I’m about to have to draghimout.

Rhys and Ben, too.

I open my door and wince at the heat.

The popping, creaking, and wood splinting noises echo all around. The fire roars louder the closer I get. I rush to the entrance of the old building and curse.

Fire has started to eat away at the door, but the wood slab that was wedged under the door handle is obvious.

Stephen. You motherfucker.

I spin and narrow my gaze.

He’s here somewhere.

There are many reasons an arsonist seeks fires. After my accident, I did a deep dive on the minds behind arsonists—their reasons, triggers, feelings.

One thing that remained constant was their excitement.

Most like to watch.

I jog over to the wooded area across the street. On the other side of it is the football stadium, the visitors’ entrance lit up and just barely visible through the trees.

The heat of the fire swipes up my back, and sweat drips down my spine. I cringe from the reminder but ignore it as I scan in between the trees. Shadows cling to them, making it almost impossible to discern if I’m alone. Impossible with my naked eye anyway.

I grab my phone and press the record button. I give the area the once-over again. The faint sound of siren’s catches my ear, and my knees buckle with relief.

I glance back to the fire, and the relief disappears.

Like a monster, the fire grows, destroying anything in its path. Flames flicker through the columns of thick black smoke that pour out of the upper windows.

They need to get out. Now.

The sounds of sirens grow clear, but something snapping in the distance catches my attention.

My jaw snaps shut. I glare with a fierce vengeance. All the anger I’ve held since that night explodes like the roaring fire behind me when Stephen sees me. One pan of him on the video is all I need and I know I have it.

Our eyes snag.

He’s caught and he knows it.

I move with a purpose, but to my surprise, it isn’t toward him.

Adrenaline hides the ache in my knee, and I run toward the window that Rhys climbed through. I don’t climb as easily as he did but I make it up there in record time.

“Rhys!”