"So, you need to replace just the one box?" The woman on the other end of the line talked as slow as Taylor's neighbor.

"Yes, ma'am. I do. Just the one."

"All righty, then. I can have that back ..." The phone buzzed again with Riley's number. "... well, yeah, actually, we do have them in stock."

"Great." Taylor interrupted. "I'll pick them up tomorrow morning."

"Okay-"

"Thanks." She hung up as her phone buzzed again with the *unknown' number. Rather than ignore it, she answered, "Taylor Marsh."

"Ms. Marsh?"

She tensed at the clipped tone. "Yes."

"This is Kenya with Smart Alarm-"

Taylor's body shivered.

"-We've received notification that your alarm has been triggered. Do we need to send fire and emergency services-"

"I'm not there, so ..." Taylor ran toward one of her company trucks parked at the edge of the lot. "... yes, please send them." She hung up and climbed into the cab, grabbed the keys in the ignition and started it up as her crew ran from the house. "Back later, guys!"

Wheels kicked up gravel as she spun out onto the road.

"Two miles away," she said to herself as she fiddled with her cell to dig up Ian's number.

The sounds of sirens rang through the open window under a clear blue sky. "s.h.i.t!" Pressing the accelerator, she pushed the truck through the back roads toward her home.

30.

Ian dawdled on his return, enjoying the air-conditioning in Tripp's Jaguar, when his phone rang. "Ian Sands."

"Ian, it's Riley."

"Hi-"

"Are you with Taylor?" Worry coated the question.

Ian's heart thumped hard in his chest. "No, why?"

"They just put out a call for police and fire to her house, and I can't get through to her."

"I'm two seconds from the driveway to her job site."

"Have her get over there ... and Ian?"

"Yeah?"

"Stay with her."

Ian c.o.c.ked his head at n.o.body, the question playing through his mind. "Any reason I should ask why?"

"Yes, actually. I'll meet you at her house." Riley hung up as Ian pulled into the driveway.

He noted a few missing cars but no one outside. A skip through an open door didn't reveal anyone, either. "h.e.l.lo?" Ian's chest heaved with the rush of adrenaline at Taylor's absence.

Someone popped their head out from one of the rooms. "You lookin' for the foreman?"

"Yeah. She here?"

"Went into town to get some tiles for the bathroom, I think."

"Thanks." Ian slapped a hand against a door frame as he took off toward his car. With his cell in hand, he dialed Taylor's number but received no answer. The door to his car slammed as he got back into his seat, revved the engine and took off down the drive, turning toward town and hoping she'd stay there long enough for him to find her. As he drove, he tried her cell, once, twice and five more times.

She didn't answer any of the calls.

a a a Riley stepped from his car as Taylor drove up. "They got in touch with you?"

She ran toward her house, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Let go." Taylor yanked herself free. "This is my house." Her bungalow gave no hint of a problem except for the somewhat audible screech of the alarm coming from inside.

Riley caught up to Taylor as a fire truck pulled into the driveway. "I've called Ian. He's on his way."

She walked the length of her front porch, noting the curtains were open with no sign of being disturbed. Taylor moved around to the side and peered in. "It's a false alarm, Riley."

He stood to her side. "You don't know that."

"Why would I have any reason to believe otherwise?" Taylor narrowed her eyes.

"Just let me-"

"No." Key into lock, the door opened. Taylor marched over to the alarm panel, entered her numbers and silenced the inner squealing.

"I can look with you."

"Riley Dale, I am a big girl. How many times have I got to tell you that?" She dropped her keys on the counter and began her inspection. The table stood as it had that morning, with chairs tucked tight up underneath. Taylor went back to the living room.

Nothing.

She searched the length of the hallway, popping her head into the bathroom, the second bedroom and her office.

Nothing.

Turning back, she slipped into her room. "Everything's fine, Rile-" She froze.

On her bed lay a red rose, its stem wrapped in a velvet ribbon.

Taylor dropped to her knees, gasping for air, a burn racing through her as a memory took hold.

The blaze accepts her body as its fuel. Kindling snaps. Sparks fly upward, adding to the smoke-filled air.

A touch to her shoulder made her scream. She jumped and scrambled away until her back hit the edge of something.

Her location six feet beneath the surface of the earth, with her hands bound behind, prevents escape. He'd planned well, taking away her ability to save herself.

"John! No!"

Something touched her arms.

He twists her hair around his wrist and pushes lower, forcing himself to move backward toward the outer edge of what should be paradise. "Not this time," he says. "You will not betray my love again."

The intensity of her fear grew until Taylor couldn't hold up her own head. She curled in on herself.

He twirls a single red rose between his fingertips.

On a final breath, the world went black.

a a a Ian stood over Taylor, his face set in a scowl. "Taylor." His voice cracked.

"I don't know what happened." Riley knelt with him.

Ian hadn't smelled anything odd, hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary. Nothing. "Let's get her out of here." He lifted her into his arms and followed Riley out of the room.

"Ian?" Taylor's soft voice stopped him.

He tightened his hold and moved again toward the living room couch.

"I need to breathe."

He relaxed but only a little, dropping to the sofa with her still in his arms. "Are you okay?" An eerie worry came through his tone.

She nodded against him. "What happened?"

"You tell me." His own breath hitched. "You were screaming as if someone was torturing you."

"And you kept yelling *John'," Riley said.

Ian drew in deep. John again? "Calling for me or-"

"In absolute terror," Riley said.

Taylor rested her head against Ian's chest. "The-the ... flower."

"The rose?" Riley faced Ian. "You didn't give that to her?"

Ian shook his head. Uncertainty reigned as to whether he wanted to press or not.

Taylor snuggled up against him, her head fitting just above his heart. "And the ribbon. Why did he leave those for me again?"

Ian's heart lurched. Again? A knock on the door had Ian tilting up and cut his question of *He, who?' short.

He glanced at Riley and gestured with his head for him to check it, and Riley stood and headed toward the door.

"Oh, h.e.l.lo, dear." Agnes's voice reached Ian. "Is everything okay? I saw the fire trucks. I hope there are no problems, no gas leaks or anything."

"No problems, Miss Agnes," Riley said from around the corner. "Just a little alarm system on the fritz."

"Oh, well. Those alarm systems ... that newfangled technology. A good dead bolt is so much simpler."

"She's a little batty," Taylor whispered.

"I'll be sure to pa.s.s on that advice to Taylor, Miss Agnes," Riley said.

"Speaking of which ... is Miss Taylor available?"

"Uh ..." Riley started.

Taylor extricated herself from Ian and went toward the door. She wiped her hands across her face and through her hair before straightening her shoulders. "Miss Agnes, so good to see you."

To anyone else, Taylor probably sounded sincere, but the slight warble suggested to Ian whatever had happened still bothered her.

"Oh, Miss Taylor! Did I catch you while working?"

"Not you, but that alarm."

Agnes giggled an old lady sound. "Silly technology. Anyway, we're about to leave for our trip. I was hoping you could water my plants? I was going to ask Andy, but he won't be staying after all."

"Andy?" Taylor asked.

Gooseb.u.mps formed on Ian's arm. He rose and walked, without making any noise, toward where Taylor and Riley stood.

"Oh, yes. Stayed with us last fall? You remember, dear? He stopped by today," Agnes said. "Asked about you, too."

Ian rounded the frame of the wall and waved at Agnes.

A small pat to Taylor's forearm accompanied Agnes's slight lean forward. "That Andy was such a kind boy, but I like this one you've got here much better." Her giddy, granny laugh normally would have made Ian smile.

"I'm glad to know I've won you over," Ian said. "Who was I competing against again?"

"Why Andy George, of course. Didn't I introduce you?" She patted her blue-rinse hair as if to tap her memory into overdrive.