Page 72 of When We Burn

Jones nods grimly as we watch the team use long poles to push the outside walls toward the inside of the house. There’s a big plume of smoke, and flames dance high into the sky and then calm down again as the fire continues to smolder. Ash and smoke hang heavy in the air.

“He uses the same accelerant every time,” Jones reminds me. “Always gas, always around the front door. He leaves the cans, for Christ’s sake. He’s not being exactly stealthy about it.”

“No, but the fire is burning away any prints he might have left. I know we have to leave the investigation to the experts, but it’s fucking annoying to be on the outside, cleaning up this asshole’s messes.”

“That’s all we can do,” Jones reminds me, patting me on the shoulder. “We need to make a statement to the media, Chief. Residents need to be vigilant because he’s hit homes with people inside.”

“I know.” I pull my hand down my face. “We’ll make a statement in the morning and make sure it’s in all the media and on our socials. I want this asshole caught.”

I can tell that the fire is losing its edge. It’s calming down, and I don’t have any more concerns about the surrounding trees and woods, but we’ll keep dousing it to make sure no remaining embers creep away and start another fiasco.

This many fires in less than two weeks is unheard of in this town. We may have calls for small fires, butnot usually a complete loss like this, not this many in such a short period of time. We take way more ambulance and accident calls than we do house fires.

Not that we can’t handle them, but our community doesn’t usually have to deal with it. I like keeping it that way.Who the fuck is this guy? Why is he doing this? How do I catch him?

When I turn, I see that Chase Wild’s finishing up with his guys, bagging the gas cans that were left at the front door, taking down information.

There isn’t much more they can do until the fire is cold.

“That fucker,” Chase grumbles when I join him.

“My thoughts exactly. Any leads?”

He shakes his head, his mouth set in grim lines, as he watches the destroyed building. “He thought he was sly with this one.”

“Keep an eye out at the ranch,” I tell him, and his cold eyes turn to me. “I’ll be telling Holden and my brother the same things. Obviously, this guy isn’t sticking just to town, and this is the fourth fire in two weeks.”

“All of the ranches have excellent security and cameras,” he says.

“Yeah, well, maybe we up that security. I wish I could do that for every building in town. But I can’t, so you have to get this guy under wraps.”

“We’re working on it.” He nods once. “There’s going to be a meeting this week with the concert people in charge of security for that show at our ranch. I’d like you there.”

“I’ll be there. Just text me the information. I’ll be bringing Jones and a few others with me so we think of everything.”

“Sounds good to me. There’s nothing more I can do here tonight. I’ll come back out tomorrow.”

I nod, clap him on the back, and then return to my guys.

“We have this, Chief,” Jones says. “Go home and get some sleep.”

“I’ll be in the office by nine,” I reply. “I appreciate it.”

I’ve been on the scene for four hours, and rather than wake the whole house up when I get home, I swing by the station to take a quick shower. It’s after midnight when I get home.

Ready to climb into my bed and curl up around Dani, I let myself in quietly and toe off my shoes, set my keys and wallet on the table by the door, and then make my way down the hallway. But when I peek into Birdie’s room, she’s not in her bed.

With a frown, I cross to my room and find both of my girls fast asleep under the covers, and the scene sends a jolt through me so swift that it knocks me back a step. Birdie’s on the edge of the mattress closest to the door, turned toward me, her little hands up by her chin as she sleeps.

Dani’s in the middle of the bed, curled up around my daughter, hugging her close to her front. Her nose is in Birdie’s hair, and seeing the two of them together like this makes me perfectly aware of two things.

One, I’m completely in love with Dani Lexington.

And two, I’m never letting her go.

As quietly as possible, I shed my uniform and pull on a T-shirt before I climb in on the other side of the bed and slip in behind my girls, wrapping an arm around them.

“She threw up,” Dani whispers and then kisses Birdie’s head, and I hug them both against me a little tighter. I hate that I wasn’t here to take care of them. “But she’s okay now. How are you?”

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