Page 105 of Burning For You

His body stilled when he recognized the voice, turned, and saw Alan behind him.

Not close in location to the others so not close to Alan’s house.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I was going to say the same to you. Normally you’re only here fighting these babies, not coming to check it out.”

Ash debated for a minute on what to say, but might as well put it out there.

Alan and just about everyone else knew Skye was Tate’s sister. In this small area and with the same last names, it was easy to put together.

They knew who her family was. The reputation and weight the Lancasters carried in this community.

Though he didn’t want to doubt the man next to him, he had to start to wonder if his judgment might be wrong.

“I’m dating Skye Lancaster,” he said. “You know she’s been covering some of the fires lit by an arson, and we didn’t know if this was one of them or not. I wasn’t letting her come alone.”

“Dude,” Alan said. “You’re dating someone who has two brothers in law enforcement. More power to you.”

He wasn’t sure where the humor was coming from.

Nothing about this night or this situation was funny.

“It’s not like I’m leaving her home alone to come out and watch others work,” he threw out. Didn’t even add a smile to it.

Alan got the hint fast. “My wife and kids are visiting her parents this week. My mother-in-law had surgery yesterday. I heard the scanner go off and thought I’d come down and look around and see if I noticed anything. You know, like we all have been doing.”

He didn’t want to accuse the guy of anything else. It made sense.

He supposed.

“Hey, Ash. Tate.”

“Keegan,” Tate said. “Sirens get you up?”

“I’m around the corner,” Keegan said, playing it off. Ash didn’t know exactly where Keegan lived so couldn’t argue it.

But the family was doing exactly what they’d said they would.

Might as well honor the rest.

“Ash and Alan were just chatting about this fire. It’s not like the rest,” Tate said, throwing it out there easier than he would have been able to.

The shift in Keegan’s eyes said everything he needed to know.

Skye’s brother had a face and he’d be watching closer now.

“Hey,” Skye said, coming back. “That’s kind of sad.”

“Did they say the same as Tate said?” he asked.

“They did. The son looked at the tapes again, said he thinks he knows who it is, but his parents wouldn’t let him give the name.”

“As they shouldn’t,” Tate said. “You don’t need to run with a story like that without proof. Let the police do their job.”

Tate called out on the radio to bring another officer down to get the statement. The one who’d taken it earlier had to leave on a call.

“Do you think they will make an arrest tonight?” she asked.