He nodded. “Right.”
It felt like déjà vu, being at the exact same scene as yesterday. The same flames, the same smoke. We filed out of the truck in silence and raced to the hose. I let Nick take the lead this time. He deserved it. I couldn’t even be damned to check my entire page before rushing out the door this time.
I thought of Liam, passed out on the couch, home alone. I wondered if he was okay.
Nick’s voice tore me from my thoughts. “Vic! Move the hose, I need more pressure on this side!”
“Got it.”
Hauling the hose, I moved it aside for Nick. He pulled back the lock and water exploded from the nozzle, drenching the sweltering flames. This fire was less intense than the one yesterday because there was less to burn. The first fire had reduced the structure of the building to charred frail lumps of wood. Within five minutes, most of the biggest flames were put out.
Two of the other guys took Nick and I’s places to help finish up. I wiped the sweat and ash from my brow.
“Phew,” Nick said. He grabbed a bottle of water from the truck and downed half of it in one go. “What a weird coincidence, huh?”
Now that the fire was no longer my first priority, I scanned the premises. “Yeah.”
Nick tilted his head. He lowered his voice. “You still think something’s up, don’t you?”
There was no use hiding it anymore. I nodded.
“Well, I’ll cover for you,” he said with a grin. “Go look around. I can tell you want to.”
“Thanks, Nick.” I clapped him on the shoulder and quickly dumped my heaviest gear so I could move around without being seen. I skirted around the rest of the guys and darted off to an alley, hoping no one would notice my absence.
The air smelled stale and ashy. I wrinkled my nose as I made my way behind the leftover shambles of the building. So much of it had burned away that I could see the concrete foundation, which was old and cracked.
I scowled. Was this the dump Liam was living in before? A piece of soggy rotting wood splintered from the rest of the beam and fell with a wet thud. I grimaced. I was sure it looked slightly more palatable before it burned the first time, but I still couldn’t believe it.
A beam of charred lumber groaned and collapsed, sending up a dusty cloud of ash. I darted forward to avoid inhaling the smoke. This place was a mess. Retreating past the corner of the building, I backed up into was once – I assumed – the garden. The haphazard weeds were blackened by the soot.
Something glinted in the corner of my eye. Keeping my head low, I whipped towards it. A blade clattered to the ground, splaying across the concrete. Panicked footsteps followed, fading.
Innocent people don’t run.
My mind only registered the figure after it had disappeared beyond the alley, but by that time I was already storming after it. I wanted to shout out for it to stop, but I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. I growled and pushed my legs harder. When the figure was in reach, I snarled and launched at it, arms outstretched.
We collided. The figure flailed, grunting, but he didn’t know who he was dealing with. I had him pinned to the ground within seconds. In his struggle, something small and plastic fell from his pocket and clattered against the ground.
“Who are you?” I growled.
“Get off me.”
“I will once you tell me who you are and what you were doing there.”
He growled. “You a cop?”
“No, I’m not,” I grunted. Keeping the pressure on him with one arm, I reached over and grabbed the object that fell out of his pocket. “Just a pissed off fire fighter wondering why a guy with a lighter is running away from a burning building.”
The snarl on the man’s face faded into a frown, then he sighed. He knew he was caught. “I didn’t think anyone was inside.”
I narrowed my eyes. I let him up, carefully so he wouldn't run off. “So that makes it okay for you to make us haul ass over here to put outyourmistake?”
“Look, I know it was stupid,” he snapped.
“Then why did you do it?” I asked gruffly. “People don’t start fires for no reason. Especially not at the same building twice.”
His eyes widened. “How did you know the other fire was me?”
