Page 18

Nova rounded the corner and gasped.
In the split second Booth took to steal a glance, Shades made his move.
He swung the bar like a baseball bat aimed at Booth’s head.
Nova’s brain took its sweet time comprehending what her eyes were seeing.
A fire had threatened her life not ten minutes ago, and now Booth was facing off with this…this tank swinging a tire iron. “Booth! Watch out!”
Booth sidestepped at the last second.
Iron clanged against the hangar. A shower of sparks burst from metal against metal.
A blow that could have cracked his skull. Was he crazy? Why was Booth fighting with this maniac? He should just stand down.
“Wait!” Booth held up a hand. “Wait. Tell me who paid you.”
“Ain’t nobody payin’ till you’re dead.” The tank of a man lunged forward, bar raised to strike again.
Booth dodged. “I can pay more.”
Tank swung the bar up again. Tossed it to his left hand, then back to his right. “So can they.”
“Booth? What’s he talking about?” She glanced at Tank. “Did someone pay you to start that fire?”
“Stay out of this, Nova.” Booth took a step toward Tank. “Go. Grab the sheriff. This guy’s the arsonist.”
Stay out of it? This was absurd. “C’mon, break it up! Booth, just walk away.”
“Nova, just get out?—”
Tank took another swing.
Booth did some sort of fancy maneuver where he leaned back and twisted his shoulders away. The blow breezed over his head. He came back up and drove his fist into the paunch of Tank’s stomach.
Those were some pretty good fighting moves for a smokejumper.
“I’m telling you for the last time, go!”
Nova flinched at his tone and stepped a few feet back. She needed a plan. One that didn’t include Booth getting killed or her leaving him.
She looked all around. They were two hundred yards away from the parking lot, where first responders worked to save the jump base. She wasn’t sure anyone would hear her shouting for help over the blast of fire hoses and equipment.
Nova felt her right pocket for her phone. Then her left. Found it and unlocked the screen. “Hey, you. Big guy. Smile.” She snapped a photo of Tank. “This is all the sheriff needs?—”
Tank charged forward and hooked a hard strike. The phone flew out of her hand and exploded with a crunch of glass and metal. Nova yelped. Pain bloomed in her empty hand.
Tank rounded the iron over his head for another go.
Booth dove in front of her. The bar connected with his upper arm with a soft thud.
Nova sucked air between her teeth, but Booth didn’t seem fazed by the blow. He whirled and threw a hard punch to Tank’s temple. The sunglasses covering his eyes flew off and landed in the grass.
Tank roared and came at Booth wild. Fists flailing. Feet kicking.
Booth deflected his strikes and jabbed the biker in the stomach. Nova silently cheered when Booth landed another blow, this time to the biker’s ribs, but the guy countered with an elbow to Booth’s face.
Both men circled each other, panting hard. A bit of blood trickled from the corner of Booth’s mouth before he wiped it with the back of his hand.