Leopard 05 - Savage Nature

source and most likely to be in trouble. Drake remembered that he’d been particularly tired.
    Elijah nodded and waved him away, even as he tried desperately to drag fresh air into his lungs.
    Drake glanced to his right, looking for Saria. Evan and Saria were helping Jerico from his room. Jerico was on his feet, staggering between the two, but he was alive and well. Drake once more took to the roof. He was exhausted, but feeling better now that he could breathe and the drug was mostly gone from his system. He could feel the aftereffects—a pounding headache and his stomach still churning, but his strength was coming back and with it—rage. Pure rage.
    Someone had gone into the house, someone who knew the security system and code. So a family member? Pauline? Amos? One of the Merciers? As he ran across the roof, he caught sight of two men in the trees, running toward the inn. He recognized Joshua Tregre’s uncles. The two men were streaked with black just as he and all of his men were from the smoke. He called out to Elijah, alerting him, as he dropped down to Joshua’s balcony. Through the French doors he could see black smoke had filled the room. His heart dropped. How could Joshua be alive when he couldn’t even see into the room?
    He yanked away the bar of wood and, gulping air, rushed in. Joshua wasn’t on the bed or the floor. The door leading to the hall was open and he could see that the hall itself was black with thick smoke, yet there were no flames licking along the floor, ceiling or walls. Drake rushed back outside, took another lungful of fresh air and ran through Joshua’s bedroom out into the hall. Joshua’s room was nearest the large, circular library at the top of the stairs. Drake could see the stone fireplace had low flames burning around smoldering logs. Wet wood had been set on fire.
    Coughing, he hurried to the fireplace. He could see that Joshua had been there before him, probably opening the vent someone had closed when they set th fire with wet wood. Drake looked over the railing. The fire in the sitting room had the same wet wood smoldering in it. Joshua had crawled down the stairs in order to try to open that vent as well. He had the front door open and was lying half in, half out of the house.
    Drake leapt over the railing and ran to Joshua, his lungs burning for air. Dragging him the rest of the way out, he turned the man onto his back to make certain he was breathing. Joshua’s lashes fluttered and he looked up at Drake and gave him a weak thumbs-up.
    “You’re insane,” Drake said. “You should have gotten out immediately.”
    Joshua’s teeth looked very white against his blacksmeared face. “Figured it was best to get the smoke out.” He coughed and tried to sit. “I think I puked my way through the house. Miss Pauline isn’t going to be happy with me.”
    “You’re a damn fool,” Drake said, sitting next to him. “You ever scare me like that again and I’ll kick your punk ass.”
    “Got it, boss,” Joshua said, staring up at the overcast sky. “I wouldn’t mind if it rained right now. Did everyone get out?”
    “Yeah. They’re all fine. They look like hell, same as you.”
    Joshua tried to laugh and ended up coughing. “I think someone is really mad at you, boss. You kicked the wrong person’s ass.”
    “I’d like the opportunity to kick it again and maybe do it right this time,” Drake said. He shoved his hand through his hair. His fingers were streaked with smoke. “I have to go back in there and open that vent. Smoke can damage a house pretty bad. I’ll get the doors and windows open and hopefully get it moving out of there.”
    “Someone turned off the security system.”
    “Figured that out, did you? Probably one of your exgirlfriends,” Drake said.
    Joshua shoved at him with his foot. “Go away. You’ve given me a headache.”
    “I think the drug you ingested and the smoke did that.”
    Joshua rubbed the bridge of his nose, smearing the black streaks. “It had to be the coffee. Damn it, Drake. I feel like shit.”
    “Think about that the next time you play hero.”
    “Fuck you.”
    Drake laughed and pushed himself up. “You aren’t going to have a voice for a week or so. Makes me deliriously happy. I’m going to open all the doors and windows and get that vent open. Don’t you move. I’d better find you in the same exact spot when I come back.” The relief he felt that Joshua was alive was tremendous. They’d been lucky. Really