Everything within her wanted to be part of the action. Headlines began to spin in her mind.
Heroic Hotshots Race into Burning Building to Stop Deadly Chemical Fire.Thesemen and women put their lives on the line to protect and serve the public.
This was the story she needed to share. Once she knew all the hotshots were safe.
She couldn’t sit here any longer. “I need to use the restroom. I’ll be back.”
Dani headed down the hallway and found the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face.
How could that slimeball Senator Deville somehow fund a terrorist camp in the woods? The same men who’d murdered Josh. The senator had questionable morals, but bankrolling killers? Clearly there was a master plan in the works.
But what was it? Why would the senator dabble in biological weapons? What was his endgame?
Water dripped from a faucet somewhere in the bathroom. Dani froze. Instinct told her she wasn’t alone. Had Jamie followed her?
No, she would have seen the door open.
In the mirror, Dani saw a blur of black. A man in a mask hulked behind her.
She spun around but was too slow. An arm snaked out and grabbed her. A heavy hand clamped over her mouth.
A gloved hand covered by a white cloth.
She tried to bite down, but the grip held tight.
Her scream came out like a squeak.
She kicked and flailed her arms, but his hand shifted to clamp over her mouth and nose.
Air.
Her lungs burned.
His other arm squeezed her diaphragm.Can’t breathe.
“You couldn’t just leave it alone, could you? This is all your doing. But I’ve got plans for you.”
The familiar voice jolted her, and she kicked harder. But the lack of oxygen began to take a toll.
“No! No.” The rag muted her voice. The bitter taste of a chemical sealed her fate. Dani choked. The bathroom walls began to spin, and she lost feeling in her arms and legs.
With her last ounce of energy, she prayed. Not for herself.
But for Grizz.
The only way out of this mess for both of them was for God to perform a rescue mission.
* * *
Grizz knew they were out of time. Now that those embers had landed on the roof of the chemical plant, they had to move fast.
Get in. Stop the fire from spreading. Hightail it out of there. But without knowing what these men were up to in the compound, the dangers were unknown.
The hotshots headed into the compound and joined the smokejumpers at the edge of the camp. The thick smoke blinded Grizz, but he pressed forward, seeing only a few inches ahead of him with each step. He knew his team was marching directly behind him.
Grizz tapped his radio. “Sanchez, Kane, and I are going to check out the main door of the building to see what we’re dealing with. Everyone else keep fighting the fires in the surrounding buildings. Watch the roof. We see a few hot spots.”
The place was too quiet, and Grizz’s stomach clenched. What were they walking into? One spark could ignite the chemicals and blast a crater in the side of the mountain. And with the winds this season, the last thing they needed was an explosion to rain toxic chemicals across the region.
