Page 11 of Burning Truth

By the time they left the scene, all of the injured had been transported. Luckily, no one had died, not even the guy in the BMW.

Once they got back to the Channel 4 building, Addie signed Severn in as a visitor at the front desk. Then she led him into the depths of the studio. Severn had never been in one before, so it was interesting to see all the working parts that went into the newscasts.

As soon as they entered, a voice came over an intercom. “Team 3, my office.”

Addie sighed, her head hanging for just a moment, before she turned to her left. “Come on,” she said, glancing at Severn. “You might as well meet him now.”

“He’s going to kill me,” Jake said, carrying a black bag that had the parts of the broken camera in it.

They tromped up a set of stairs to a glass box office that looked out over the studio. A heavy set older man sat at a broad desk, his chair turned to look out over the space.

“You must be the bodyguard the police were telling me about,” the big man said, voice booming.

Severn didn’t appreciate being outed for anyone in the studio to hear. Pointedly, he motioned Jake, then Addie into the office, and closed the door behind them. “Yes, I am. My name is Severn Moran. You have to be Ron Hutchison. This is supposed to be covert, so I would appreciate it if you would keep that information to yourself.”

Addie’s boss grimaced and shook his head. “I think it’s a little ridiculous myself.”

“The safety of your investigative reporter is ridiculous?”

Ron frowned, obviously not enjoying being challenged. “I don’t think it’s anything to be worried about. The on-air girls always get followers that get a little friendly, but they’re harmless.”

Severn crossed his arms and glared at Ron. “The fact that he dropped a human bone outside her car is a little more than a harmless follower.”

Ron’s expression soured. “You’re right,” he said, and he glanced at Addie. “Addie, I don’t mean to dismiss your concerns, but you have to admit, it seems like a stretch that someone is setting these fires for you. And it’s even more of a stretch to engage in this... romantic farce.”

Addie’s jaw clamped, and Severn thought he saw the glimmer of glassiness in her eyes. That really pissed him off. The man had no business hurting her feelings.

“Whether you think it’s a waste of time or not,” Severn said, stepping behind Addie, “I’m going to be here until we find the guy. And you’re going to cooperate with my investigation.”

“I get it, big man,” Ron said, arms crossing over his chest. He turned his focus to Jake. “What happened to my camera? Did you think I wouldn’t notice the film quality changed?”

Severn watched as Jake set the bag on his boss’s desk and admitted that he hadn’t been able to protect it. Ron’s face mottled with anger, and he opened his mouth to probably yell,but Addie interrupted. “It’s not our fault, Ron. A rubbernecker almost took us all out. If Severn hadn’t gotten us out of the way, we would have been dead or seriously injured and on our way to the hospital with the rest of the people in the crash.”

Ron didn’t look appeased, but he looked a little less angry. “Fine. Take that down to Phil and see if he can do anything with it. And file an incident report.” His glanced roved over them all for the first time, his glance lingering on Severn’s bloody shoulder and her dirty dress and tennis-shoed feet. “You people look like shit. Go home and get cleaned up. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

They trooped out of the office. At the bottom of the steps, Jake gave her a one-armed hug. “It’s all good, Addie. Thanks for stepping in, but I could have handled him.”

“I know, but you shouldn’t have to defend what we did,” she said, and Severn could hear the aggravation in her voice. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Jake.”

With a final wave at Severn, Jake headed deeper into the studio, bag in hand. “Will Phil be able to fix the camera?”

Addie gave him a lop-sided smile. “I don’t know. The guy’s been working on equipment since the stone-age, so maybe. Let’s get out of here before Ron remembers he wants me to do something else.”

Severn followed her out of the studio, through a back door. He took the lead through the parking lot, taking the time to go around her vehicle. “Give me your keys.”

Addie handed him the key fob, and Severn unlocked the door and climbed into the car. Nothing seemed to be amiss, so he slipped out and encouraged her to get in. “I’ll follow you to your place.”

Addie looked startled. “What?”

Severn gave her a dark smile. “I’m your boyfriend now. You didn’t think that ended here at the station, did you?”

She looked flummoxed for a minute. “No, I suppose I didn’t give it a lot of thought.”

“I’ll follow you,” he repeated, then headed to his truck. It was just a few spaces away, and he watched the area as she settled into her vehicle and pulled out of her spot. It was well after midnight and though there were a good many cars in the lot, no one was moving around other than them.

Severn had looked up Addie’s basic info when he was getting ready, and he hadn’t seen a significant other on her social media. He hoped that was the case. Surely, she would have said something if she was involved with someone.

Actually, she seemed a little shellshocked by the whole situation. It had blown up quicker than she’d expected, and she was still trying to catch up.

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