“Can I get your men something to drink or eat?”Chelsea asked.
Zach smiled.“We’re all good.Always bring plenty of water with us.Why don’t you go inside and rest, and I’ll let Josh know where you are when he arrives?”
Chelsea looked dead on her feet.“Good idea,” Ethan said.
He led her back to the house, stopping to speak to Barry.“Thanks for your help.Why don’t you clean up and then come get some coffee at the house?”
“Coffee sounds amazing.Then we can see if there’s anything left for me to work with.”
They turned back to the blackened mess of the garden.There were undamaged patches but it still wasn’t bright enough to see everything.
“Come on.”Ethan nudged Chelsea and they returned to the house.They both smelled of smoke.“Shower first.”
Chelsea moved where he led her, her gaze dim.“You OK, Chels?”
She shook her head.“Do you think Johann or Darren did this?”
“Unless you’ve got any other enemies we don’t know about, I think there’s a good chance it was one or both of them.”
“Why would anyone be so greedy?”
It wasn’t a question he could answer, so he directed her into the bathroom and helped her out of the T-shirt and pants she’d thrown on with no underwear.His body responded, but he ignored it as he turned on the water to the right temperature.
He undressed and then pulled her in with him, lathering her with soap and massaging her shoulders.“We’ll find who did this, Chelsea.”
“What are they going to try next?”
“I don’t know.”But he appreciated the fact she realised they wouldn’t stop.“I’ll invite my team down to help me keep an eye on things.”
“I can’t ask them to give up their weekend.”
“You’re not asking, I am.They’ll be more than happy to help.”He poured shampoo into her hair and lathered it, taking the time to massage her scalp before letting her rinse while he washed his own.Then he added the conditioner to her hair to soak in and turned her to face him.“I’ve got this, Chelsea.I won’t let them destroy Lilydale.”He kissed her.
“I’m scared,” she said.“If you hadn’t woken, the house might have caught fire.”
He was well aware of that, but he kept his words light.“Special forces, remember?We sleep light.”
A ghost of a smile flickered across her lips and he kissed them.“Soak for as long as you need, Chelsea.I’ll make coffee and wait for Josh.”
She grabbed his hand before he could leave the shower.“Thank you, Ethan.”
He kissed her hand, keeping his anger from his face.“You’re welcome.I’ll see you downstairs.”
He dressed in his room, letting the fury at what could have happened flow through him, and picked up his phone.Dobby answered on the first ring.“What’s wrong?”
“I need your help.”
“Where and when?”
Ethan smiled.Whoever was terrorising Lilydale was in for a big surprise.
Chapter 15
Chelsea trudged down the stairs, her body heavy, head foggy.The shower had helped, but the stench of smoke was embedded in her nostrils and she only needed to glance outside to see the blackened remains of the garden.
Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.Perhaps the fire had killed the weeds and left her with garden beds ready for planting.
A fresh start.
