only seven stories. We'll get out."
She smiled and nodded. "I'm sure we will." She started down the concrete steps. "You go on. I'll be fine."
"No, I'll stay with you."
"Joseph." A middle-aged woman was motioning him to come. "We don't want to get separated."
The teenager frowned. "She's alone, Mom. She might need help."
Sweet kid. "Go on," Alex said. "I'm coming. I promise I won't panic."
"Joseph." The boy's mother's voice was shrill. She was being pushed against the wall as more people flooded the steps from the exits on the other floors.
"Okay. Okay." Joseph suddenly grabbed Alex's arm and pulled her down the stairs. "Come on. You gotta come with us."
"Really, I'll be fine. You don't--" She stopped arguing. The important thing was for all of them to get out of there.
Fifth floor.
The smoke was getting worse.
Fourth floor.
She could barely move in the shuffling crowd.
Third floor.
"Stand to one side, please. We have to get up the stairs." It was a fireman pushing his way up the stairwell. "There's been another fire reported on the fourth floor."
She moved to huddle against the wall with the rest of the people on the stairs.
The fireman was below her, then beside her. He started to go past her and then stopped abruptly. The firefighter had cool blue eyes and a hard face, but his gaze was concerned as it searched her face. "You okay, ma'am? Are your lungs burning? You look like the smoke has gotten to you."
"I scarcely--"
He reached out and took her wrist.
Warmth. Strength. Safety.
His fingers moved to the inside of her wrist. "Your pulse is going crazy. Do you have asthma or any respiratory problems?"
"No, nothing like--"
Christ, she was dizzy. Her knees were buckling. . . .
But he was catching her. "Don't you worry, ma'am. I'll take good care of you."
Cool blue eyes.
No, cold blue eyes, icy blue eyes . . .
Music.
Ravel, she recognized dimly. She liked Ravel. Dad had liked it too. He hadn't cared for many classical selections, but he'd said Ravel was full of thunder. . . .
Like her head. Damn, it was pounding.
"Open your eyes. I've got something that will make you feel better."
She slowly opened her eyes.
Blue eyes. The fireman with blue eyes.
"It's only aspirin." He was holding a glass of water and two pills. "It will take care of the headache."
"I'll vote for that." She swallowed the aspirins and water and handed the glass back to him. He wasn't dressed in the fireman's uniform anymore. He wore a red flannel shirt and jeans, but he still had that air of complete confidence that had impressed her on the stairs.
Stairs. She came abruptly wide awake. She wasn't in the stairwell any longer. She was lying on a couch. She looked beyond him to see a fire leaping briskly in a huge stone fireplace that climbed to a rough-hewn beamed ceiling.
Definitely not a hotel room.
"Where am I?"
He set the glass down on the end table. "At a lodge in the mountains."
"What?"
"The situation was heating up. It was necessary that I get you out of sight for a while."
She sat up on the couch. "Who the hell are you?"
"Judd Morgan. Don't worry, I'm no threat to you."
And she was supposed to believe him? Even when she'd been only half conscious she was aware of--what? Coldness, confidence, an overpowering presence.
He nodded as he saw her expression. "Considering the company you've been keeping lately, I don't wonder you're suspicious. But if I'd meant you any harm, I'd have had every opportunity to put you down while you were sleeping."
"And why was I sleeping? I felt perfectly normal. I shouldn't have fallen--"
"Just a harmless sedative, but it kept you out for the length of time I needed it to. I had to get you out of there and in a safe environment, and that was the most efficient way to do it."
"A sedative? You knocked me out?"
He shrugged. "Like I said, the most innocuous way of accomplishing an end. Even the headache will be gone soon."
"Why would you do that?" A phrase suddenly sank home. "Safe
She smiled and nodded. "I'm sure we will." She started down the concrete steps. "You go on. I'll be fine."
"No, I'll stay with you."
"Joseph." A middle-aged woman was motioning him to come. "We don't want to get separated."
The teenager frowned. "She's alone, Mom. She might need help."
Sweet kid. "Go on," Alex said. "I'm coming. I promise I won't panic."
"Joseph." The boy's mother's voice was shrill. She was being pushed against the wall as more people flooded the steps from the exits on the other floors.
"Okay. Okay." Joseph suddenly grabbed Alex's arm and pulled her down the stairs. "Come on. You gotta come with us."
"Really, I'll be fine. You don't--" She stopped arguing. The important thing was for all of them to get out of there.
Fifth floor.
The smoke was getting worse.
Fourth floor.
She could barely move in the shuffling crowd.
Third floor.
"Stand to one side, please. We have to get up the stairs." It was a fireman pushing his way up the stairwell. "There's been another fire reported on the fourth floor."
She moved to huddle against the wall with the rest of the people on the stairs.
The fireman was below her, then beside her. He started to go past her and then stopped abruptly. The firefighter had cool blue eyes and a hard face, but his gaze was concerned as it searched her face. "You okay, ma'am? Are your lungs burning? You look like the smoke has gotten to you."
"I scarcely--"
He reached out and took her wrist.
Warmth. Strength. Safety.
His fingers moved to the inside of her wrist. "Your pulse is going crazy. Do you have asthma or any respiratory problems?"
"No, nothing like--"
Christ, she was dizzy. Her knees were buckling. . . .
But he was catching her. "Don't you worry, ma'am. I'll take good care of you."
Cool blue eyes.
No, cold blue eyes, icy blue eyes . . .
Music.
Ravel, she recognized dimly. She liked Ravel. Dad had liked it too. He hadn't cared for many classical selections, but he'd said Ravel was full of thunder. . . .
Like her head. Damn, it was pounding.
"Open your eyes. I've got something that will make you feel better."
She slowly opened her eyes.
Blue eyes. The fireman with blue eyes.
"It's only aspirin." He was holding a glass of water and two pills. "It will take care of the headache."
"I'll vote for that." She swallowed the aspirins and water and handed the glass back to him. He wasn't dressed in the fireman's uniform anymore. He wore a red flannel shirt and jeans, but he still had that air of complete confidence that had impressed her on the stairs.
Stairs. She came abruptly wide awake. She wasn't in the stairwell any longer. She was lying on a couch. She looked beyond him to see a fire leaping briskly in a huge stone fireplace that climbed to a rough-hewn beamed ceiling.
Definitely not a hotel room.
"Where am I?"
He set the glass down on the end table. "At a lodge in the mountains."
"What?"
"The situation was heating up. It was necessary that I get you out of sight for a while."
She sat up on the couch. "Who the hell are you?"
"Judd Morgan. Don't worry, I'm no threat to you."
And she was supposed to believe him? Even when she'd been only half conscious she was aware of--what? Coldness, confidence, an overpowering presence.
He nodded as he saw her expression. "Considering the company you've been keeping lately, I don't wonder you're suspicious. But if I'd meant you any harm, I'd have had every opportunity to put you down while you were sleeping."
"And why was I sleeping? I felt perfectly normal. I shouldn't have fallen--"
"Just a harmless sedative, but it kept you out for the length of time I needed it to. I had to get you out of there and in a safe environment, and that was the most efficient way to do it."
"A sedative? You knocked me out?"
He shrugged. "Like I said, the most innocuous way of accomplishing an end. Even the headache will be gone soon."
"Why would you do that?" A phrase suddenly sank home. "Safe
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