Even with Cocoa’s help, it was an arduous task, taking far longer than she’d anticipated. Smoke filled the room, burning her eyes and likely Cocoa’s, too. They were watering so badly she had to close them while continuing to work at the binding holding her right wrist hostage against the arm of the chair.
After what seemed like forever, the tape gave way. Using her right hand and her teeth, she managed to free her left hand and then her feet. Now the living room was filled with smoke, rendering her completely blind.
A wave of panic hit hard, and she knew that this was exactly what she’d be like in a couple of years. Completely blind. Unable to find her way around without help.
If she lived that long.
Cuddling Cocoa to her chest with one hand, she crawled along the floor toward the door. The increasing sense of heat against her face gave her pause. She needed to get away from the fire, not move closer to it.
Stinky had set the fire near the doorway, effectively blocking her escape route. She turned and crawled toward the wall containing the large picture window. Heat radiated from that way, too.
Which way should she go? Eva cowered on the floor with Cocoa, fear rising in her throat like a wave of bile. The pup lurched forward, but Eva hung back, fearing it was useless.
They were trapped!
* * *
The sound of Abernathy’s frenzied barking penetrated the darkness in his mind. It took Finn a moment to realize he was lying on the driveway behind his SUV. With a low groan, he placed a hand on the rear bumper and used that to lever himself upright. His stomach gave a sickening lurch, the pounding in his head matching the beat of his heart. He felt the lump on his temple, his fingers detecting the stickiness of blood. Willing himself to ignore the pain, he opened the back hatch, allowing Abernathy to jump down.
His K-9 partner was beside himself, weaving around his legs, tail wagging as he sniffed at his hands and clothes. As much as he wanted to give his partner some well-deserved reassurance, there wasn’t a moment to waste.
“Come, Abernathy.” He looked toward the home Eva shared with her roommates, assuming the guy who’d hit him had gone inside to find her. Seeing the flicker of yellow through the window sent his heart up into his throat.
The house was on fire!
Eva!
He lifted his hand to his radio to call it in just as a man darted from the house. Finn barked into the radio as he moved. “This is unit twelve, I need backup and fire trucks to fight a fire!” He rattled off Eva’s address. “Get him,” he said to Abernathy, using a hand signal to send his K-9 partner after the perp.
Abernathy took off, following the guy down the street.
Finn hated the idea of sending his partner off alone, but he couldn’t leave Eva inside the burning house.
He rushed up to the front door and yanked it open, grateful to find that the perp hadn’t bothered to lock it on his way out. The kitchen curtains were in flames, and he feared the worst. That he was too late. He took two steps, then tripped over something soft.
“Umph.” The muffled sound was followed by several hacking coughs.
“Eva?” Somehow, he’d managed to avoid falling directly on top of her. Relieved she was still alive, yet concerned she wasn’t able to talk, Finn scrambled to his feet. He reached down for her, trying to peer through the smoky air. “Are you okay?”
Still coughing from the smoke, she didn’t answer, Finn put his arm beneath her shoulders and helped her upright. He was about to swing her into his arms, when he heard a high-pitched bark. Cocoa? It had to be.
The perp had left her and Cocoa in the burning house to die.
“Keep holding on to the pup. I’ll get you out of here.” He lifted her up, cradling her in his arms as he took her outside into the fresh air. Carrying her to his SUV, he gently set her on her feet, then opened the passenger-side door, so she could sit down. With help from the streetlamp, he could see she still cradled Cocoa close to her chest.
“Are you hurt? Did you get burned by the fire?” He didn’t like the sound of her cough and wondered how long she’d been trapped inside while he was lying unconscious on the pavement.
“No.” Her voice was little more than a croak followed by several deep, hacking coughs. “Cocoa—helped show me—the way outside. I didn’t—want to follow at first, but he showed me the way!”