Fan the Flames Read Online Free PDF Page A

unsettled.
    She blamed Ian Walsh.
    As she absently heated the soup on the stove, she thought back to how idiotically she’d acted with him at the shop. They’d been friends for years. Why was she still getting panicky and stupid in his presence? She was twenty-five, too old to keep hanging on to an adolescent crush.
    But Ian was just… He was so…
    Rory realized her hand not stirring the soup was rubbing her breastbone, as if to assuage the ache beneath it. She quickly lowered her arm to her side, hating how a visit from Ian left her raw, stripping away her usual contentment and leaving only loneliness in its place.
    A steady beeping made her drop her spoon, splashing the broth over the side of the pan. Rory frowned as she turned off the burner and hurried over to the desk in the corner of the living room. There, the monitor displayed footage recorded by the security cameras scattered around her property.
    When she’d taken over the gun shop three years ago, she’d had some trouble. For the first time in her life, she’d actually been grateful for her late parents’ rampant paranoia. She’d even added on to the security system after the local militia group tried to break into the shop. A few flashbang grenades and a carefully placed rifle shot that had knocked their ringleader’s weapon from his hand had sent the would-be burglars fleeing into the night. Although Rory sold guns to the militia members who’d sheepishly returned to her shop—this time as paying customers during regular business hours—she never forgot the lesson they’d taught her. She was young and small and female, and there were some who’d always see her as an easy mark sitting on a pile of guns.
    A pile of guns they’d be only too happy to shoot her to get.
    The alarm had been triggered at the front gate, so she pulled up the live feed from Camera Three. As she scanned the screen, a human-shaped shadow darted out of camera range. Inhaling sharply, she jerked back from the monitor. Despite her worries, she’d honestly thought she’d see a mule deer or a fox, not a person. Her heart pounded as she shifted to Camera Seven, which was aimed along the west boundary fence. She couldn’t see anything except for grainy snowdrifts.
    Reaching for the mouse, she rewound the video twenty seconds. Her knee bounced as adrenaline rushed through her. Although she was always prepared for the worst, she hadn’t really expected it. Rory watched the playback with her nose almost touching the screen, but she still couldn’t tell if the shadow was a person or just that—a shadow. Since the alarm had sounded, she decided to assume it was a person. Plus, her gut was screaming at her, telling her that someone was out there—someone looking for trouble.
    Opening the desk drawer, she pulled out her baby, a Colt Python .357 Magnum revolver with a six-inch barrel. It was as accurate as Rory could aim, had a soft kick, and was just plain pretty, with its mirror-shined, stainless-steel finish. As soon as she wrapped her fingers around the grip, her nerves settled slightly. Jack watched her, his ears pricked and eyes alert.
    â€œLet’s see who came to visit,” she said, surprised by her calm voice when her insides were all jittery. As she moved toward the stairs, Jack followed with an eager whine. She flicked off the lights in the living room but didn’t turn on the stair light. Instead, she moved through the darkness. Even as her feet found their way with the ease of long familiarity, the utter blackness made her imagination go wild. All sorts of bogeymen hid in the lightless spaces around her, making her jump at the sound of her foot scuffing against a stair.
    Despite the way her fingers itched to reach for a light switch, she kept her hands firmly at her sides. The front of the shop had glass blocks lining the tops of the walls to allow natural light to enter. Although she’d be