Page 87 of Brandon’s Mate

No!

She would not let Monster Wolf kill Callie like it had killed the men who had taken her, over a year ago. They might have deserved to die. Callie didn’t.

It will not survive. We cannot carry it. Leave it to die, or kill it. Killing is cleaner. Killing is a mercy.

Run for safety? she said scornfully. Leaving a wounded friend behind?We’re better than that. Braver than that. She thought about her dad. The man who gave you to me is better than that.

She’d inherited Monster Wolf from Brody, and he was a good man who’d raised her to be something other than a killer.

He’d managed to control the monster inside him. She would too.

Slowly, slowly, she forced Monster Wolf back inside once more. It howled defiance, wanting to tear down the door and run. Save itself.

It probably could tear through the door, but she couldn’t let it take over. She’d damn well find her own way out of here.

She yanked the emergency latch out of the door, then found a heavy-duty bottle opener with a can punch at the other end. She gouged the pointed end through the inner door until she could reach the wiring for the safety latch.

The fire roared outside.

Don’t panic, she told herself. You are not allowed to panic.

She grabbed all the non-alcoholic liquid she could find. Cases of fizzy water. Jugs of juice. She piled it all near the door.

Then she yanked on the wiring for the emergency latch. She felt it go, and the door opened. Heat and smoke poured in.

Kitty shut the door, tore off part of her shirt and wrapped it around her face. Then she did the same for Callie. She opened the door again.

They were near the end of a hallway. Flames were crawling across the floor, but the fire hadn’t gotten a good hold here yet.

She flung out the glass bottles of water, smashing them on the walls and floor. The flames started to fizzle out. It looked like the end of the hallway was fairly clear—they might be able to find a path outside.

Kitty knelt and dragged Callie’s good arm up over her shoulder. “This is gonna hurt, but it’s gotta be done,” she said. “Come on, girl, it’s time for us to leave.”

She stood, pulling Callie up along with her, and slung her over her shoulders into a fireman’s carry. Then she started off down the hall, broken glass crunching under her boots.

The smoke stung her eyes so she could barely see. The hall ended by the kitchen, but Kitty could see the back half the room was a mass of flames. No getting out that way.

She turned towards the bar, and another wave of dizziness came over her.

The drugs still weren’t out of her system, and Monster Wolf was fighting her. It still wanted her to drop Callie and run.

Leave her!

Shut the fuck up.

The front of the bar was on fire too, but there might be a way out through the restrooms. If not, she’d batter through the floor to the damn basement if she had to.

The smoke was so thick now she could barely see. Kitty dropped to the floor, crawling, still carrying Callie on her back. It was a little less smoky down here, but she was getting disoriented. Faint.

Above her, she heard an ominous creaking. Looking up, she realized that the fire must have traveled through the attic crawlspace and burned through the beams. As she watched, chunks of flaming wood and acoustic tile crashed to the floor, and the ceiling buckled above her.

Brandon’s truck roared around a curve, tires shrieking as he pushed them to their limits. Ahead of him he could see a glow in the sky.

Moments later, the smell of smoke hit him, and he knew.

One last curve and he fishtailed into the entrance to the bar, sending up a spray of gravel. The lot was almost empty, and the Crows’ Nest was on fire.

The whole front of the building was ablaze, flames spurting through the roof and licking the sky.