Page 91 of Stripping Bare

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Even though she’dadvised Jonah to keep his breathing under control, the air was backing up in Tessa’s lungs. She reached over to touch his thigh. “She’s going to befine.”

And she was saying a silent prayer each second that Badger had decided Micki was good company and stayed in Jonah’s cave with her. But as they raced over the last rise toward his house, Tessa could see she might’ve spoken too soon. Although the countdown timer indicated they still had five minutes, smoke was curling up from the massive wood-and-glassstructure.

“Oh, Lord have mercy,” Miss Joan breathed from the backseat. “Jonah, what’s going on? Is Micki still in your house? If she had on headphones, she might not have heard the smoke alarm gooff.”

“I’ve got this,Mom.”

But Tessa could tell from the way he swallowed, as if he had a grapefruit stuck in his throat, that he wasn’t as confident as he claimed. She put on a little more speed, cringed at the rocks pinging against the car, and navigated the heart-jolting curves up the steep ascent faster than was probablysmart.

But smart didn’t matter rightnow.

Again, Jonah barreled out before the car stopped rolling and ran toward the wing of the house that held the garage and his tech cave. Smoke seeped out from under the garage doors, and never missing a step, Jonah changed his trajectory toward another part of thehouse.

“For goodness’ sake,” Miss Joan exclaimed. “We need to call911!”

“We can’t,” Tessa told her. “Notyet.”

“Whynot?”

“Because he might burn downeverything.”

“Who? Who are you talkingabout?”

“We don’t know who he is.” While Jonah was inside and out of sight, the seconds ticked off as if they werecenturies.

“Give me your phone,” his momdemanded.

“Miss Joan, I mean it. You can’t call the fire department. Not until he has Micki out ofthere.”

“But if she’s not still in the house, then he’s risking himself fornothing.”

Tessa pulled her phone from her purse and handed itover.

From the way Miss Joan kept it smashed against her ear with a strained expression on her face, Micki wasn’t answering. Finally, she dialed again. “Gage, have you seen Micki in the past hour or so? Oh. Oh, no. I’ll call youback.”

Her eyes were terrified as she held out Tessa’s phone in a limp palm. “Maybe we should gohelp—”

“No.” The last thing Jonah would want was for more people to be in jeopardy. Tessa was mentally reciting every prayer she could remember from Sunday school as a child, especially the ones that requested deliverance from evil. “He’ll gether.”

Four interminable minutes later, Jonah came running around the side of the house, carrying his sister in a fireman’s hold over his back. His hair was dripping with sweat and his face was smeared withsoot.

Miss Joan pushed the seat forward, and Jonah stuffed Micki inside the car. She was holding a very disgruntled-lookingBadger.

Tessa’s terror that Micki might not be breathing was alleviated by the creative four-letter words Jonah’s sister was aiming his way. “I was getting out, you idiot. You didn’t have to carry me like I’m some helplessgirl.”

Badger bounded from Micki’s arms into Tessa’s lap. He burrowed down, pressing his little body as close to her as he couldget.

Jonah flopped back into the front seat, his chest expanding and deflating with his labored breaths. “Drive…drive back down theridge.”

“What about calling911?”

“Once we’re far enough away. That bastard obviously doesn’t play by his own rules. Who the hell knows what other surprises he might have stashed inside myhouse.”

Tessa shivered, remembering Jonah and Cash’s earlier conversation aboutbombs.

As they wound their way back toward the farmhouse, Jonah yanked at the sensors on historso.