Page 47 of Burning Truth

“Hey, just in case something happens, can you take care of Gus? He’s a shit, but he can be a good dog, too.”

“Stop that, Jake. You’re going to be fine. And Gus will be fine because you’ll be with him. Don’t go borrowing trouble.”

Addie turned her big green eyes to him, and Severn nodded.

14

Addie’s heart was in her throat all the way to the garage the station used for their fleet vehicles. They’d never had any problems with the mechanics there, and she knew they used the service because they were a legitimate operation that serviced county vehicles as well.

Severn pulled into the pot-holed gravel driveway and headed around the side of the big metal building. It looked a little like a junkyard, with all the scrap vehicles in the back lot. Vehicles were lined up all around the outer edges of the lot, and they spotted Jake sitting in the white WNBC 4 van almost immediately. Severn stopped the truck a good distance away and parked, then turned to her. “You are to stay in this vehicle. Do you understand me? If it blows, I don’t want you anywhere near the blast radius.”

Tears started in her eyes, and she clutched at his hands. “Wait, Johnson said she’s sending in the bomb squad. Why don’t we wait for them? Why do you have to do it?”

He smiled at her slightly, and it broke her heart. There was a resignation in that look that she hated, like he always expected to die this way or something. “Because if it is an IED, I’m probablyone of the best people in the state, maybe even the country, to look at it.”

She shook her head, not wanting to let him go. “If you get hurt...”

“I won’t,” he said, but she didn’t think he believed the words.

Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her lips. Addie wanted to hold him to her, but he pulled away. She watched as he circled the truck to the bed and dropped the tailgate. This model of truck had toolboxes in the sides of the bed, and she watched him retrieve a bulging black nylon tool bag. Then, taking a deep breath, he headed toward the news van.

“Sev is incredibly smart about this stuff, Addie,” Dan said from the back seat. “He’ll figure it out.”

Her heart was in her throat as she watched him walk toward the van. Jake was looking at him fearfully from the corner of his eyes, his neck stiff, like he was afraid to turn it. He was probably afraid to breathe.

God, her heart was going to pound out of her chest. Jake was a very good friend, but Addie knew the fear she felt was more for Severn. She knew that the arsonist was probably targeting him, and what better way to take out the two men closest to her than with one explosion?

She turned to Dan. “I think he’s watching. This morning I sent him a message, telling him that he was an asshole, and he told me that there was one less obstacle between me and him. I think he’s watching to be sure it happens. Can you go look around? See if you see anything? I won’t move from this truck.”

Dan narrowed his blue eyes at her. “Severn is my boss. He told me to stay here.”

Addie flung her hand in the air. “But he’s probably out there! If you won’t, then I will,” she said, reaching for the door handle.

Dan grabbed her shoulder. “No, you won’t. Stay here,” he said, reluctantly, “and I’ll go look around.”

Addie nodded and watched him leave the truck. Then she turned back to watch Severn. She didn’t want to see him hurt, but she wanted to be ready to run to him if something happened. Biting her lips, she slipped out of the cab to stand near the hood of the truck.

Severn hadto force his legs forward. It felt like he was wading through molasses, and it was no wonder. This entire case had put him on edge, and now, the thought of walking toward that potential pain again almost made him feel like he was going to stroke out.

He was getting ahead of himself, though. Maybe there wasn’t anything, and Jake had just heard a spring snap or something else.

It had better be something else. He didn’t want Addie anywhere near the fire, and he definitely didn’t want her to see him burn.

Jake looked at him sideways, forcing a smile. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Severn responded.

The driver’s side door was partially open. Severn pulled it all the way open and leaned down to try to look under the seat. The van was only a few years old, but it didn’t have the automatic buttons to adjust the seat. It still had the bar you had to pull up on between your feet. Severn couldn’t see anything through the seat rails on the side, so he leaned down and put his head between Jake’s knees.

“We’re gonna get kind of personal for a minute, buddy,” he said.

“Okay.” Jake’s voice was higher than normal, revealing his stress.

Severn looked up into the man’s face. “Hey, you’re okay. Just hold still. No matter what.”

Jake nodded, his hands clutching the steering wheel.

Severn went down onto his knees in the gravel lot and leaned in to look under the seat. His stomach sank. Fuck... He repositioned a couple of times, looking at the device. It wasn’t triggered by a cell phone signal. There was a very basic pressure switch attached to a rather generic looking metal box. Surely, it couldn’t be that easy...

---