Charlie thought for a moment. “You have an alarm system. Aren’t those supposed to notify you if your smoke detectors are going off?”
“Supposed to.” Derek’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I just got off the phone with the company. According to their records, it was never triggered.”
“How is that possible?”
The other man intervened again. “It happens more than you’d think. Depending on where the fire started, it could’ve shorted the system out before it had the chance to detect it.”
“One of the neighbor’s down the street saw it when they drove by. They’re the ones who called it in.”
“God, Derek.” She hugged him again. “This is awful.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed her back. “Definitely not the best way to spend my evening.”
“First, your car and now this? That can’t be a coincidence.”
“That’s exactly what we were just saying.”
They turned their heads to see Jake and Trevor walking toward them.
“Hey, guys,” Derek greeted them somberly.
“Damn, D.” Trevor grabbed Derek’s shoulder. “What happened?”
Derek looked at the man deadpan. “My house caught on fire.”
Jake and Trevor both snickered, but Charlie couldn’t bring herself to smile. Her mind was racing with possible explanations, one sticking out more than any other.
“Christ.” Jake shook his head. “Only you would be joking at a time like this.”
Derek shrugged. “Nothin’ I can do about it now.”
Jake introduced himself to the firefighter and explained who he was and that Derek worked for him. Then, with a peering gaze, he looked at the young man expectantly and said, “I’m assuming there will be an investigation.”
The man nodded. “As soon as the flames are out and it’s cooled down enough for the fire marshal to go in, he’ll do a search for the initial source and go from there.” He studied the three men closely before adding, “I’ve heard of R.I.S.C. Know a little about what you guys do. I’m guessing you have reason to suspect this fire was started intentionally.”
They nodded in unison.
“Someone tore the shit out of my car the other night. Used a baseball bat or crowbar or somethin’,” Derek told him.
“Any suspects?”
Charlie’s eyes slid to Derek’s, but he shook his head. “Nothin’ solid.”
“I’ll be sure to let Chief Henry know. Make sure they do a real thorough job.”
“Thanks, man,” Derek held out his hand. “Appreciate it.”
“No problem.”
The firefighter shook his hand and walked over to one of his men. At the same time, Mac and another man she hadn’t met yet approached them.
The guy with Mac, who looked to be in his late twenties, came right up to Derek. His brown hair was cut short and his pretty, hazel eyes were filled with concern.
“Holy shit, D. You okay?”
“I’m fine. I wasn’t home when it started.” Derek turned to her. “Charlie, this is Sean Cooper. We call him ‘Coop’. He’s Alpha Team’s other sniper.”
“Ah, so this is the infamous Charlie.” Coop smiled as he held out his hand. “I’ve been dying to meet you.”
