up.”
“Oh, my God,” Lanie was horrified but not truly surprised that the family was in the middle of something that terrible. “So, a gas pipe blew up in a cabin over there?”
Lanie gestured to the fire and the flashing lights of the emergency service vehicles heading toward it.
“Yes,” Cin admitted. “Several of those substandard fittings suffered a catastrophic failure at the same time and sent too much gas to a cabin. Someone unknowingly lighting a cigarette, set off the gas, and started the explosion.”
It took several seconds for his words to finally sink in for Lanie, and when they did, she was caught between being horrified and elated. Pushing back the hope rising in her, Lanie turned to Cindrac.
“Was it a cabin occupied by the Senator and her family?” Lanie whispered as if trying not to jinx anything.
“As a matter of fact, it was,” Cin admitted with a smile. “Because it could be terrorism, the FBI will investigate what happened, which will eventually lead them to the faulty valves.”
“Oh, my God,” Lanie breathed out. “That’s genius! It brings attention to the other needless deaths. They put Marcus Schmidt on trial, and all the scumbags are in jail or dead!”
Cin snorted and shook his head. “Don’t get your hopes up that high. Marcus and his fellow conspirators will call in favors and shell out tons of money to try and make this go away. They’ll most likely pay someone to take the fall for them.”
“That figures.” Lanie’s shoulders sagged. “There are separate rules for them versus us lower people.”
“I said don’t get your hopes too high,” Cin laughed. “I didn’t say to lose hope completely. I have backup plans for when that kind of thing happens.”
“You blow them up with faulty valves?” Lanie gestured to the fire still raging on the mountain.
Cin chuckled. “Of course not. I don’t kill all of them. Most kill themselves or die of their schemes backfiring, just like the bad valves. The corrosion was already there. The explosion was going to happen no matter what unless the valves were found and replaced. I merely made sure it wasn’t an innocent family slaughtered in the blast this time.”
Cin had spent months looking for a way to bring attention to the problem with the substandard gas line products and couldn’t have been more thrilled that Lanie’s situation and the Senator’s arrival had been a blessing for him. It was also quite fortunate that the valves were used for that particular cabin.
Lanie’s emotions warred within her, but an overwhelming sense of relief overrode any fear or reluctance she had being in the same room as a man who’d killed half a dozen people since they’d met. Half a dozen people who had made the last decade of Lanie’s life abject hell.
It was nearly impossible to pity them, or the bastard killing people with his knowingly faulty products, who would take the blame. In a world where those with enough money were above the law, what Cin had done felt like pure justice to Lanie.
“I will do anything to help you do more of this,” Lanie whispered and watched the flames in the distance. “After ten years of being a victim, I want to help you stop the rest of the elite bastards from doing the same thing to others.”
Cin’s heart leaped at the thought of the companionship but worried at the danger it would put Lanie in. He was also concerned about what she would think if she knew the truth of who and what he was. If they lived together for any length of time, the intelligent woman would figure it out.
Thinking Cin’s pause had to do with her invading his home, Lanie added, “I can get a job, my own place in town, and help you in my spare time. Please, there has to be something I can do.”
“There are definitely a lot of things you can do to help, but let’s get through this mission first,” Cin suggested. “The elite will restructure their minions and replace the Senator to keep power over the areas she controlled. We’ll need to modify our strategy as well.”
“That makes sense,” Lanie readily agreed, thrilled that Cin said she could help. “How long do you think the feds will investigate this?”
Cin was already listening to the calls of the Senator’s intern and secretary, who survived in the cabin down the road. He knew that the FBI and CIA were interested in finding out if one of their treacherous brethren had been