Page 87 of Burning For You

“I found you,” he said quietly.

“You did. I didn’t expect it and I’m not mad about that.”

“That’s something,” he grumbled.

“Oh, stop,” she said, the smile touching the corners of her mouth. “But the thing is, I come back here and I’m getting in a routine, I’m finding a few things that are exciting like the freelance stuff, but I don’t want it to bind me. I want the freedom of it because I know I’ve got other responsibilities. And now, now I’m dragged into something I didn’t ask for and I can’t walk away. Not yet.”

“Don’t give me that, Skye,” he said. “You can walk away. You know it. You don’t have to do what they are asking. The police can monitor your email and pretend to be you. You can forward it all to them first and they can keep you out of it.”

“No. I’d never do that. I’m not. Right now, I’ll do what they say. I’m not going to respond to every fire. I haven’t been. You know that. I wouldn’t have gone to this one...”

“But I was working. That’s why. Do you think this person knew you were there?” he asked. “You’ve got a good eye. You look around. Did you notice anyone at all the scenes? I look, but it’s after most have left.”

“I do look.” She went back to dinner, putting the potatoes in the air fryer, then opening the steak to season it. “The only person I’ve seen at all of the ones I’ve been to, is the one guy I’ve seen you talking to. Alan? He said he’s a fireman because I’ve talked to him twice.”

He waited a second. “He’s been to them all?”

“All that I’ve been to. I didn’t go to the first car fire. Let me ask you something, was he working for that first one? Were you? I’ve been putting down as many details as I could from each fire and what I remember. Like research. Just analyzing it, and my mind keeps going back to him. Can this stay between us?”

“Sure. But you don’t think it’s Alan, do you? He’s a fireman. He relieves me the next day. His shift starts after mine.”

“Then what is he doing out late watching fires?” she asked.

“He’s nosy. He’s always been that way. He’s got a wife and two kids at home and he told me one of them was cranky last night. He heard the fire and used it as an excuse to check it out.”

“And his wife doesn’t care that he does that?”

He shrugged. “It’s their marriage, not mine. I don’t know.” He shook his head. “No way. Sorry.”

“Were you working the day of the first car fire?”

“No,” he said.

“Do you know if Alan was? Can you find out?”

He let out a breath. “Skye.”

“I just asked a question.”

“Fine. I’ll look up the date and check the schedule. I can do it on my own time and no one will know. I don’t need anyone to think I’m throwing suspicion on a brother.”

“I’m sorry. I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I’m being honest. You asked a question, I answered it. Is this always going to happen with us when we have a conversation?”

He moved toward her. “I don’t want to fight.”

“Neither do I.”

He pulled her close. “Then we won’t. We’ll put it behind us and you’ll tell me if you get another email, right? The same with Tate?”

“I was told to contact the police department, not you and Tate.”

That her lips were twitching said she wasn’t serious. “I mean it, Skye. It’d make me feel better about things. Just like you wanted to show up and watch me last night. Which, by the way, I don’t know that I like either.”

She snuggled in some. “I know. I won’t do it all the time. I can’t. I know you know what you’re doing. I’ll be fine. But you don’t have my past.”