Page 20 of Fireline

Tank staggered. He spat a wad of blood at Booth’s feet. “This ain’t over, kozel!” He turned and ran.

Booth started to go after him, but Nova grabbed his arm. “Come on, we need to tell the police about this guy so they can catch him.”

He pulled his arm away and shook his head. “That’s what I’ve been telling you to do this whole time!”

“Well, excuse me. I didn’t want to leave you fighting some crazy dude—who had a knife by the way.”

“Yes. He had a knife. A knife, Nova. You could’ve been hurt.”

“So could you!” Her voice was ratcheting up, but she didn’t do anything to stop it. “That’s why I said to walk away. You’re not a cop, Booth. Catching that guy is not your job. You should’ve told the police and let them do their jobs.”

Booth’s jaw tightened. “I told you to get the police.”

She took a step closer. “And I told you I wanted to stay. That’s my right. You’re not the boss of me.”

“Yeah, I’m well aware. But can’t you just listen to someone, even if they’re not the boss?” His eyes stabbed her with an angry glare. “I really don’t get you sometimes.”

Booth turned and sprinted in the direction of Tank.

And she just stood there with the sting of his words hot on her face.

After he’d disappeared around the corner, Nova searched for her phone in the grass.

She was having trouble wrapping her head around why Booth felt like it was his responsibility to go after that guy. From what little she’d heard, Tank wasn’t a random arsonist playing with fire. He’d come to jump base looking for Booth.

He’d set his sights on killing him.

Leaving her with one big question.

Who was Booth really?

FOUR

Booth stood there watching the arsonist disappear into the mountains on a dirt bike. He’d lost him. Lost his chance to find answers.

Every muscle itched to slam his fist into the side of the airplane hangar, but he didn’t. He shouldn’t have wasted so much time arguing with Nova when it hadn’t done any good anyway. All it’d done was give the arsonist more time to make his escape.

Booth sighed, running a hand through his hair. There was nothing to do now except go back and explain everything to the police.

Trudging back across the parking lot, Booth spotted Miles, Finn, and Nova talking in a circle near the charred museum. As he approached, Nova’s gaze flicked to him before she crossed her arms and stared at her feet.

How much had she told them?

“There you are,” Miles said, waving him into the circle. “We were just discussing the fire and how it was clearly arson. Any ideas about who was behind this?”

Booth met Nova’s fixed stare. “Not exactly.”

In a short, concise way, he explained his confrontation with the bald man who had admitted to starting the fire. “I tried to catch him, but he escaped on a dirt bike he had stashed behind the hangar. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him.”

Miles clapped a hand on Booth’s shoulder. “Nothing to apologize for. If it wasn’t for your quick thinking and bravery, that woman could have died in there. We all owe you, Nova, and Finn a huge debt for saving her life.”

Miles’s phone rang, and he checked the screen. “I’ll be in the command center,” he whispered, walking away with his phone to his ear.

Booth stared at what used to be the front of jump base. “This is worse than I thought.”

Insulation and burnt wood littered the parking lot. The main entrance, visitors’ center, museum, and their brand-new sleeping quarters, added as a second level, lay in one big pile of charred, wet rubble.

His eyes drifted to the exit hole Finn had cut. If they hadn’t escaped, their bodies would have been somewhere under the debris.

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