Now she remembered the reason she avoided the clubbing scene.
Shed been alone all her life. And she didnt mind it. No one to worry about. No one to pry into her secrets.
No one to find out about her past.
And no one pawing at her.
A balding guy wearing a skeleton T-shirt and holey jeans sauntered toward her with a beer in hand. Wanna dance, baby?
She gritted her teeth, wondering why she attracted the weirdos. Maybe because she was eccentric herself?
No, thanks.
He frowned and cut his eyes over her as if shed angered him. Uncomfortable with his reaction, she slid off the stool and headed to the ladies room. She sensed him following, but refused to turn around.
Near the ladies room, another man at the bar made eye contact with her. He was tall, wore a black silk shirt and black dress pants. But instead of approaching her, he removed a lighter, flicked it open and pressed the starter until a small golden flame shot up. Then a slow smile crept over his face.
A smile that did not quite reach his eyes, one that sent a ripple of tension through her.
Anxious to escape his scrutiny, she ducked into the ladies room. The line snaked through the cramped bathroom, and it took several minutes to reach a stall. Just as she closed the door, a loud explosion rocked through the room.
Screams filled the air, the sound of panicked scuffling following. She tried to jerk open the door but it was stuck, so she dropped to her knees to look under the stall. Smoke curled through the room and another explosion rocked the floor. Splintered wood crashed from the ceiling, pelting her, and the smoke thickened. She scrambled beneath the opening, pushed to her feet and ran for the door, but when she opened it, a wooden beam crashed down and flames exploded, blocking her exit.
In the bar, chaos had broken out. Flames shot upward, eating the wood and hissing as it danced through the room. People screamed and stampeded to the exit, debris rained down, and bar glasses shattered and spewed glass in all directions. She spotted a couple of people on the floor, blood flowing from one mans head. Then she saw Natalie trapped beneath a gigantic light fixture.
Oh God, noshe wasnt moving. She had to get to her friend, save her.
But heat seared her and crackling wood popped near her feet. There was no other way to get out of the bathroom. No window. No back exit.
She was trapped with the flames growing higher all around her.
THE SCENT OF SMOKE and singed fabric permeated Bradfords clothes as he and Parker left the Savannah square and maneuvered through the crowded streets.
The fireworks were in full swing, but he wanted to go back to the little house hed rented on Tybee Island, wolf down a pizza and crash.
Parker leaned back in the seat, whistling a blues tune beneath his breath, looking relaxed now that the café excitement had ended. But Bradfords body felt wired, jittery, as if he was waiting on the other ball to drop. Hed had these same antsy feelings in the military on missions, on missing persons cases in Atlanta. The night his father had died.
The night hed discovered the extent of his brothers problems.
The traffic came to a congested halt, and he veered down a side street where two restaurants and a new bar had opened up, then cursed.
Ahead he spotted trouble. More smoke curling toward the sky. Flames shooting from the roof of the Pink Martini.
Hell, do you see that? Parker pointed to the nightclub.
Yeah, call it in. While Parker called dispatch, Bradford flipped on the siren, gunned the engine and screeched around an illegally parked car. In seconds, both he and Parker jumped out and ran toward the building.
Fire trucks are on their way! Parker shouted.
Bradford scanned the street where a panicked mob poured onto the sidewalks. People raced toward cars, the downtown area, some running as if the flames might chase them down, others huddling in shock and hysteria.
Lets see if everyone got out! Bradford shouted over the confusion.
As soon as they entered the bar, Bradford assessed the situation. This fire was ten times worse than the one at the café, and already engulfed half the room. Although the emergency sprinklers had kicked in, the thin jets of water werent enough to douse the overpowering blaze, which was feeding greedily on the alcohol. Wood, glass, tables, drinks, lighting equipmenteverything lay in shambles.
What the hell had happened here? How had the fire spread so rapidly?
He cut his eyes through the haze, searching for victims, someone trapped, hurt, needing assistance. The fire was a monster, the gray smoke so thick he could barely see, so he removed a handkerchief and covered his mouth. Somewhere amidst the crackling timber and the haze of shattering glass he heard a scream.
My God, Parker muttered. Theres a woman trapped over there. Im going after her!
I heard someone else in the
back, Bradford yelled. Im going to check.
Without waiting for a response, he darted through the patches of flames, coughing into the handkerchief, searching through the thick plumes of smoke.