“That was Soucy, wasn’t it?”
“Surprise,” I try to say as animatedly as possible.
Raeann shakes her head. “Listen, we need you home. There’s something we need to discuss.”
“It’s important,” Micah adds, bringing his own phone to his ear. Raeann watches him, confusion knitting her eyebrows together. A person must pick up because he says, “You need to make sure Tab gets back here safely. You think you can handle that?”
Levi opens the bedroom door, scowling. He’s dressed now, and he brings me a towel to cover up with. “Oh, knock it off. She’s a big girl. She can go out of town if she wants to.”
“It’s not that,” Raeann says, but she’s cut off.
“Levi, go into the other room.” Micah stalks off, and so does Levi, nearly slamming the door.
From the other side, I hear him say, “Get off my case, old man. I love her. Nothing’s going to happen to her when she’s with me. I’ll stake my life on it.”
“Tab… Tab,” Raeann says.
“Did you hear what he said?” I whisper-yell.
“Tab,” Raeann says, and I peer toward the screen. Raeann frowns. “Micah found out the fire was set on purpose.”
It’slike I’m consumed by the fire again. My body is hot, sweat dots my temples. Levi places his arm around me on the couch in the penthouse.
Across from us, Micah and Raeann sit in nearly a mirror image. Athena is pressed into Raeann’s legs.
“Very long story short,” Micah starts, “I bribed the fire inspector to give me a heads up on his findings when he got them. That news came in this morning.”
“But I thought they said it was old wiring.”
“That was their best guess at the time, but now that he’s been able to analyze samples from the scene and study the pictures he took, he’s positive that not only was it started, an accelerant was used. The person responsible tried to make it look like it was faulty wiring.”
Levi holds me close.
“This makes no sense,” I state. “Why would anyone want to do that?”
“A crazed fan?” Levi asks, staring right at Micah.
“I thought of that, but I was actually thinking something else.”
“Like what?” I look to Raeann for help, but she just sits there, visibly shaken.
“My first thought was McNally.”
“The general manager?” Raeann finally pipes up, her voice climbing more than a few octaves.
“Wait. Is that the guy you got in trouble because he set up the gossip about you being traded? So, what? He tries to roast us because he’s pissed at you? That is ridiculous.”
“It’s okay if you’re mad,” Levi says, running his hands through my hair and tucking it around my ear.
I don’t know where all this is coming from, but for some reason, I’m consumed with it. It’s like an energy has taken over, starting in my toes and already hardening my heart.
“This is stupid!” I stand up and stomp to my room. People just don’t do things like that. He couldn’t have had a conversation with Micah like a man? He had to go for…the one thing that means more to Micah than his own life.
Tears spring to my eyes. I slam the door behind me, rage boiling over. I’m all up in my feels now, selfishness consuming me. If this is true, I wasn’t even the target. If it was Raeann, barely anything happened to her. She doesn’t have to hear the whispers when people look at her for the rest of her life.
“No, let me do it,” Levi says before my door opens. He shuts out a trembling Raeann.
“Enter at your own risk, superstar,” I warn.
