Page 34 of Scorched

The doorbell brought Maggie out of a deep sleep. That and Declan shifting under her in response to the bell.

“What time is it?” she asked. Good God, I sound like a frog! She sat up, trying to work up some saliva to moisten her sore, parched throat. Smoke inhalation was no joke. She felt like she had a bad case of strep.

“Seven.” He pushed off the covers and got out of bed, wincing at the movement after being in one position for so long.

“Who’s ringing the damn doorbell at seven in the morning, especially after the night we had?” She lowered her voice to a whisper. Ack, she needed a drink!

“Someone with a death wish.” He headed for the bedroom door.

She scrambled out of bed and followed him downstairs. Declan unlocked the front door and threw it open. Seb stood on the other side.

“I know it’s early,” he started before either of them could say anything, “but I need you.” He pointed at Declan.

“What? Why? What happened now?” Declan stepped back to let him in.

“We’ve been digging into Jed Stafford’s life. Katie found the remnants of an Apple watch on him, and he had his password written down at his apartment. Jace spent the night going through his cloud account and discovered he had the fitness app enabled, which gave us a record of his movements up to his death. One place he visited was out in the middle of nowhere. On a hunch, Jace drove out there and found another torched building. A hunting shack. I need you to come look at it and tell me if you think it’s from our guy. I also need you to confirm the fire at Thomas’s clinic was lit by the same person. Walters is pretty sure it was, but I want you to look at it.”

“Wait, so Stafford’s the firebug?” Maggie asked. “How can that be if he’s dead? Is he dead?”

“He is dead. DNA confirmed it, but that could be why he died. He knew who the arsonist was.”

She wanted to smack herself. “That makes sense. Sorry, my brain isn’t working yet. Who owns the property where Jace found the hunting shack?”

“He’s working on that now.” He frowned down at her. “How are you doing? You sound awful.”

“Gee, thanks. I hadn’t noticed.”

“Well, you do. Other than sounding like a frog climbed in your throat and died, are you doing all right? You gave us all quite a scare last night.”

“I’m fine. My throat is sore, and I’m still exhausted, but otherwise, I’m okay. How’s the kitten?”

“Doing well. Thomas and Rayna took it home with them. I imagine Mason and Emma are spoiling it rotten already.”

“Good.” That made Maggie happy and made the smoke inhalation worth it.

Seb looked at Declan, raising a brow. “So, is she really fine?”

Maggie huffed and spun away, her happiness fading, and headed for the kitchen. She hated that Seb treated her like a kid still. She was twenty-eight!

“She’s fine,” Declan said. He and Seb followed her.

“So, how come you’re still here?” Seb asked her. “Declan was cleared to go back to work. Surely he doesn’t need a nursemaid anymore.”

“No, but he needs a housekeeper and a chauffeur. He’s still not allowed to lift anything or drive.” She shrugged, reaching for a box of tea and a mug. She wanted coffee, but the tea would be better on her throat. “It just makes more sense for me to stay here than to have to drive past my office and come get him in the mornings. And I only have to clean one house this way.”

Declan filled a glass with water and handed it to her. She took it and smiled her thanks. The cool liquid slid over her raw throat, offering some relief.

Seb’s gaze flicked between them. “That’s all it is?”

Maggie’s cheeks heated as she thought about falling asleep in his arms last night. It was completely innocent, but it felt more intimate than any make-out session she’d ever had.

“What it is, is none of your business,” Declan said.

She could kiss him. Seb needed to butt out. She loved her brother, but she was an adult, and Declan would never intentionally hurt her.

Seb sighed and shook his head. “My sister? Really?”

“Don’t start. You married your best friend’s sister.”

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