Stars Over Alaska (Wild River #4) - Jennifer Snow Page 0,10

was in bed. Dawson waking her up before everyone else and dragging her out onto the lake in the canoe to watch the sunrise, her cuddled between his knees, a blanket draped over them as they watched the sun crest over the mountains in the distance. He’d told her he loved her for the first time out there on the lake...

She undressed quickly and got into the shower. Exhaustion hit her like the hot water cascading down her back. It took all of her energy to lather her body with a bar of soap that had been sitting there for who knew how long.

For two and a half days, she’d been on high alert and hadn’t slept more than a few hours at a time. This was what her body was trained for, but she was unavoidably crashing now that they were safe. Safer, at least.

But what the hell had she done? Coming here could have been a huge mistake.

No. She had to stay confident in her decision. She’d gone through the proper procedures for weeks. She’d provided the company with a detailed stalker behavioral report and surveillance monitoring that proved Selena was in danger. No one had listened.

The smaller incidents made everyone more cautious, but not enough.

That creep getting into Selena’s house...into her bedroom.

Leslie shivered, chilled despite the heat from the water.

Whoever was stalking Selena was clearly disturbed. They were motivated by obsession and wanting to “own” the star. Leslie knew their intent wasn’t to kill, but to capture and torment, forcing Selena to be a possession. Worse than death.

Moving to LA for the position, she’d assumed she’d get some hard-to-handle clients, having chosen to specialize in Celebrity Protection, but this assignment had pushed her to the limit of her abilities.

Adapt or Quit was the motto she’d repeated to herself ad nauseam over the past three months.

Now the choice might not be hers to make. She might get fired.

But she had to stay the course. She’d made her decision—for right or wrong. Right now, Selena was alive and safe and that was all that mattered...

The wailing of the smoke detector made her jump.

Except now the cabin was on fire?

Leslie blinked, suddenly wide awake again as she jumped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and rushed into the living room.

She had to have fallen asleep in the shower. This had to be a nightmare. The flames engulfing the living room couldn’t be real.

Selena’s scream destroyed any notion that she was dreaming.

Flames bordered the entire room, having caught the curtains at the window and the nearby armchair. The smell of thick black smoke circling the room had her instantly coughing and squinting to see through the haze.

Selena stood frozen in the center of it all. “The fire was going out. I tried to add more paper,” she said.

Leslie saw the torn pages from the magazine, several with perfume samples attached. “Those pages contain highly flammable substances,” she said, looking around for a way to extinguish the flames.

“How the hell was I supposed to know that?” Selena said, backing up toward the door.

Grabbing the fire extinguisher, Leslie attempted to spray the wild flames but the thing wouldn’t work. Damn it! Who knew the last time it had been checked?

They had to get out. She tossed it aside, grabbed her car keys and wallet from the table and hurried toward Selena. Flames caught the edge of her towel and she quickly patted them, the heat burning into her flesh. “Ow! Jesus!”

She shoved her feet into a pair of oversized rubber boots near the door and opened it, ushering Selena outside and through the deep snow to the car, away from the cabin, as quickly as possible. The windows could blow or the place could collapse any second.

She jumped into the driver’s side and threw the car in Reverse, as the windows shattered and the wooden support beams began to fall. She stared into the mirror as the entire cabin was engulfed in flames. Her heart raced and her chest tightened. Thank God they’d made it out in time.

“What now?” Selena asked, her voice quivering. In the passenger seat, she shook with cold or fright, Leslie wasn’t sure which.

Leslie wanted to reassure her or say something clearheaded, but the truth was, she had no idea.

Her one and only plan went up in flames along with her family’s cabin.

* * *

EVERYONE THOUGHT THAT jumping out of a plane into the middle of a burning forest was the toughest part of being a smoke jumper,