“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 lucky.

Every one of the doors on the ground floor were locked from the inside, but hadn’t been tampered with as the balcony doors had been. Someone had waited for the drug to take effect, barred the balcony doors and closed the vents in the fireplaces before lighting the wet wood, creating the smoke. All they had to do was sit back and wait for it to fill the inn and hopefully kill off the team—and Saria.

It took quite a few trips into the house to open it fully to allow the fresh air in. Drake opened the fireplace vents and put out both fires. Homeone had make several trips outside to breathe, and Elijah and Evan both joined in to help. The upstairs windows were next. They turned on the overhead fans and located several standing fans in closets to rid the house of the smoke.

Saria brought a jug of clean fresh water to the front of the house where Elijah, Evan and Drake sat on the grass beside Joshua.

“Jerico and Jeremiah have a couple of prisoners. The Tregre brothers claim they dropped by hopin’ to talk to Joshua and found the downstairs filled with smoke. They couldn’t get in because all the doors were locked so they went down to the edge of the lake away from the trees hopin’ to get a cell phone connection to call the fire department. Trouble with that is, go down the road a piece and you can call easily and both would know that.” She handed Joshua a glass of water and poured another for Drake. “They’re lyin’.”