“And you better not ever again,” he ordered, squeezing my ass.
“Speaking of the arsonist, I should kick your ass for going over to Ellis’s without me.”
He grunted. “Carter was with me.”
I sucked my teeth. “I could’ve been back up.”
“You had a work meeting. Either way, we got Kyle.”
“But he’s not the arsonist.”
Don shook his head. “Another rookie that was there at the same time as him.”
“What was his motive?” I asked.
“He didn’t like our jokes.”
I sat up and looked Don in the eye. “What?”
He shrugged. “I know. It doesn’t make any sense. According to Ellis, this Benjamin James hated it when he got pranked or even heard laughter. He hid his dislike from us, but Ellis caught him once. They bonded over their shared hatred for the fire department.”
“Well, Ellis was pushed into the department by his family. Why would Benjamin James go to work for a department he despised?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, but we’re going to find out. I did some preliminary digging into his background before I came over here. James transferred out of Rescue Four a year into his career. He worked at another station for a year before quitting. He’s been off the radar since.”
“Except for communicating with Kyle Ellis.”
“Right,” Don said. “But he doesn’t know where he is, where he lives, or how to track him down.”
I frowned. “Do you think it’s Benjamin?”
“I know it’s him. I can feel it. I saw a picture of him, and he looked familiar.”
I wrinkled my brows. “That makes sense, right? You worked with him.”
“Yeah, but it’s more than that. I feel like I’ve seen him more recently, but I can’t put my finger on where.”
“Be careful, Don.” I laid my head back against his chest. The beat of his heart steadied my thoughts, but I couldn’t help the fear I felt of the danger this Benjamin James posed. “I can use my databases at work to look him up and try to find out where he’s been.”
“Thanks, babe.” He kissed my forehead again. “I’ll stop by your office after the end of my next shift.”
I snuggled in closer to him. As happy and in love as I was with Don, a sense of dread overshadowed the moment.
Benjamin James was still out there.
Chapter 34
Jocelyn
“Good morning,”I sing-songed, entering the office the following morning.
As usual, Hallease was already at her desk, working away. She smiled up at me as she pulled the headphones from her ears.
“Don’t even say it,” I warned, pointing at her while I balanced a coffee tray and bag of scones in my other hand. “I know. I look and am behaving like a lovesick puppy.”
She laughed. “I do enjoy this look on you, I have to say.”
With a sigh, I rolled my eyes. My cheeks hurt from how much I’d been smiling all night and morning.
