From the doorway, he watched the Jeep burn like a bonfire in the parking lot. Claire gasped, then squeezed around him. They ran out the door, her brothers right behind them, and only made it a few steps before the crackling blaze’s heat forced them to stop. Orange flames stretched from the Jeep’s now-crispy upholstery toward the sun straight above them. Benzene, smoke and burning vinyl seats poisoned the air around the gathering crowd of busboys, servers and curious customers. What kind of life was Claire living? Could this be the work of a jealous ex-boyfriend, an angry customer, or had Kendall’s killer picked out another victim? Jake glanced over. She stood an arm’s reach away, her bottom lip trembling. Then, she clenched her jaw tight. From the looks of her, she was either about to punch someone’s lights out or bawl. The real fire had turned her feisty spark to ash. The urge to tuck her into his arms and protect her from this latest disaster had him taking a step toward her before he stopped himself.
