Free Into the Whirlwind by Elizabeth Camden Page B

railings. Bits of the planking smolderedwhere cinders ignited the wood, but most of the bridge looked sound. A few people made a dash for it, and with the wall of fire behind them, Mollie intended to get across that bridge.
    Zack’s hand was like iron as he hauled her back. “That bridge isn’t going to hold! I won’t watch you kill yourself. We can make it to the bridge on Clark Street.”
    For the first time tonight, there was anger in his face. In all the years she had known the impeccable Zack Kazmarek, there had never been a hint of a pulse beneath his tailored suits and starched collar, but the way he was looking at her now, with desperation in his eyes, and grasping her arms as though he couldn’t bear to let her go made her think . . .
    She shoved the thought away. He looked mad enough to fling her into the river. “Why are you so angry at me?” she asked.
    The question ratcheted him even closer to the boiling point. “Because for some insane reason, I adore you. For three solid years I have thought you were the closest thing to perfection on this earth, and I can’t watch you risk your life crossing that bridge!”
    Had she understood correctly? After all these years of cold decorum, Zack’s eyes glittered in a face streaked with soot and sweat as he stepped closer, shouting over the roar of wind and fire. “I’ve been insane about you since the moment you waltzed into my office three years ago in that ridiculous suit and your hair as prim as a schoolmarm,” he shouted. “Don’t you dare get yourself killed on me now!”
    Mollie was struck speechless. Heat blistered her skin and every breath of hot air scorched the inside of her lungs, but Zack Kazmarek adored her?
    “I’m not going to get myself killed,” she said, “but I am getting across that bridge.” It was easier to run rather than continue this mortifying conversation. She turned and ran. Her bootsclattered on the wooden planking, and she darted to avoid the spots where cinders ignited the parched wood. Zack’s tread was heavy as he came bounding up behind her. The moment she reached the other side and her feet touched land, she sucked in a huge breath of air. She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath.
    She doubled over, feeling lightheaded. Zack was by her side in an instant. “Can you get enough air?” he asked. He knelt down beside her, grasping both her hands in his. “Mollie, can you get air?”
    She nodded, finally able to catch her breath again. She pushed herself upright, and Zack rose to his feet but didn’t release her hands. He kept looking down at her with a combination of relief, hope, and something else she couldn’t quite place.
    “Why did you say you were sorry?” he asked. “Right after the turpentine plant blew and you grabbed on to me. You said you were sorry. What did you mean?”
    She pulled her hands away. There was no point in denying the truth. Besides, it was easier to answer that question than to respond to his stunning declaration. “I said it because I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess! You would be safe at home with your parents if it weren’t for me. I’m sorry for practically getting you killed.”
    His shoulders drooped a little, and there was no mistaking the wounded look on his face. It was almost as if she had struck him, but he masked it quickly by nodding and taking a fortifying breath. “All right, then,” he muttered. “Let’s keep moving.”

5
    T he sun had risen by the time Mollie reached her apartment, only a tiny bit of daylight able to cut through the dense wall of smoke from the still-roaring fire. Mollie clambered up the staircase and ran down the hall.
    Frank opened the door before she could even knock. She flung herself into his arms. “Thank God! I was afraid you wouldn’t be here anymore.”
    He gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I was just about to head out on my own,” he said. “From the sounds I heard outside the window all night, I knew I