Page 18 of Burning Truth

Maybe they needed to hire him later.

Addie jogged back down the stairs, and he forced himself to look away. Did she even have a fucking bra on? Her breasts weren’t huge, but under the thin fabric of the tee he could see their pointed tips.

Addie read off a text code from her phone.

“Got it,” Gabbie said. “Let me dig around a little and see what I can figure out.”

“Thanks, Gabbie.”

Addie went back to her coffee, cradling it between her hands. “Who was that?”

“Her name is Gabriella Stone. She’s an IT expert at Lost and Found.”

“Where did you come up with the name Lost and Found?”

Severn mirrored her, leaning back against the countertop and crossing his arms. “It’s the name the primary owner came up with when he started the firm years ago with his two partners. They’re based out of Denver, and the whole premise of their company is that they only hire disabled veterans.”

Her dark brows popped up as her eyes widened. “Seriously? That’s really cool. And the Columbus branch is the same way?”

He nodded. “Yes. We’re all former military.”

“And all disabled?”

“Yes,” he confirmed, though he hated the word. Technically, he wasn’t sure he fell into that category because he could still do everything he used to, but the military considered him disabled. They’d literally measured his scars, and the loss of his flexibility, and deemed him a liability. Even the bit of peripheral vision he’d lost on the left side totaled into his disability.

Not that he was bitter about it or anything.

Addie took a sip of her coffee, looking thoughtful. “I don’t like the fact that we’re always waiting for him. Did you go through my socials today? Any new messages?”

“Not from him, no. And no arsons, bombings or suspicious happenings overnight.”

She pursed her lips, turning to look out over the backyard. There wasn’t much back there, but Severn had gone around to check the security of the plank fence. It was surprisingly secure, and the only gate was padlocked from the inside.

“Okay,” she said softly. “Well, I’m going to go clean up. I usually head into the station about one or two.”

“Heard. I’ll be ready to go when you are.”

Severn watched her turn and leave. She had thoughts running through her mind that she wasn’t sharing, but he was okay with that for now. She was in a difficult situation, and he would try to let her work it out however she needed to.

Severn shadowedAddie everywhere she went, but it was a pretty quiet evening. She reported on a rise in robberies on the east side, and a baby left at a safe haven baby box at a fire department in Grove City. Then Ron sent them to talk to people about over-parking on city streets. It seemed like they were running around doing busy work.

Severn had to admire Addie’s work ethic, though. Everything she did, she did with her whole heart. He was bored out of his mind listening to the residents of an apartment building complain about the parking situation, but if Addie was bored, she certainly didn’t show it. She talked to every person like their opinion deserved to be heard, but she never promised anyone that they would be on TV. She always clarified that it was up to her editor.

Several of the residents asked her about her near-crash the night before, but she smiled their concerns away. He got a lot of looks himself, but he didn’t respond to them, or the few good-natured taunts that flew his way.

They took a few minutes to cruise through a local taco stand, then were sent on another mundane call. Addie wrote up her notes on her laptop as they traveled. Severn had never thought about the mechanics that went into producing a broadcast every night for the people of Columbus and the surrounding counties, so it was really interesting to watch.

All night, though, he monitored her social media, looking for some hint that her stalker was going to make a move.

By the time they headed back to the station for the last time, Severn was ready to call it a night. He normally worked dayshift, so these late evenings were beginning to catch up to him a little.

They had a quick meeting with Ron, then they climbed into his truck to head home.

Her house. Not home.

She motioned to the left. “Let’s stop at one of those big box stores and get some groceries. Not sure I want pizza again tonight,” she said.

Without argument, Severn turned into the parking lot. This late, there were very few cars. Actually, he was kind of surprisedit was even open. Didn’t seem like there would be enough traffic to require being open this late.

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