Page 35 of Crash and Burn

“True,” Luke said, and Sebastian wondered if maybe there wasn't something more. There was. “This house—”

He didn't point. They'd all been trained not to do that. Not to draw attention.

“—belonged to a man my mother once dated.”

“But not anymore?”

“No. He moved out of town years ago.”

“Do you think an arsonist is targeting you?” The chief asked, finally becoming pointed to what Luke was maybe hinting at.

“No.” The answer was firm and clear. “I used to play with the kids in the family that lived in the other house. If someone were targeting me, there would be much better places to hit. I just think it's odd I’ve had a connection to both of the houses.”

Sebastian was soaking in the information. It probably had nothing to do with Luke personally, but the idea opened up a new line of thought … especially if this was another instance of arson.

“Anything more?” the chief asked.

Luke shook his head. “I just wanted to report it. I didn’t want it coming up later and you didn’t know. If there's anything you can ask me—anything I know that can help—I'll do what I can.”

But the chief dismissed Luke, and he headed back down the street to join the brigade.

“We should definitely take advantage of what he knows,” Sebastian said. “If this is a hit, then we should be askingWho else moved around this neighborhood, like the Hernandez family?”

It was an angle he and the chief hadn't entertained. Whether the chief had thought of it before, Sebastian didn't know, but it was certainly a new angle to him.

Their chat done until actual investigation could commence—which probably wouldn’t even begin until tomorrow—the two of them headed back down the street, not far behind Hernandez.

Luke joined back on the line, aiming the water at the base of the flames. A second team watched between houses, aiming to douse any flying sparks before they could take hold. They’d already wet the houses as much as they could, but nothing could be counted on with fires.

The homes were packed in relatively tightly here, and several neighbors were more than a little worried, standing on their own front lawns as the neighborhood glowed with loss.

As he stood back and surveyed the damage, Sebastian surreptitiously checked the crowd for watchers, anyone who didn’t belong. He didn’t even know yet if this was anything more than faulty wiring or a too-old appliance, but he had his eyes open for an arsonist coming to admire his work.

His thoughts turned and he wanted to message Maggie. He hoped she was asleep, it was the middle of the night after all. Though she said she'd be fine—and he believed she'd be safe—he didn't think she'd be comfortable.

But there was no time.

He left the uneasy feeling behind and hoped he'd get back to the station in time to catch a few hours of sleep before shift end, because it looked like he and the chief would have to come back here tomorrow.

Something told him they’d find ample evidence it was arson. He hoped he was wrong, because the more he learned the less he liked leaving Maggie alone.

Chapter Thirty

Maggie was grateful that Sebastian had made it home—well, back to her house—by ten. He’d gone to his apartment, showered, changed and came immediately to her place.

Would she have the presence of mind to say something to him today? To maybe ask him out? He wasn’t moving too fast, but maybe that mean he wasn’t interested.

He looked good, if tired, and instead of offering up herself she offered him breakfast. “I make a mean scrambled omelet.”

“What’s that?” he asked, giving her the side eye.

“It’s when I try to make an omelet and then I give up and scramble it halfway through, but it tastes just as good.” She'd even found hash browns she could make in the oven.

They'd eaten together quietly at the table—Maggie having a sensible breakfast, Sebastian acting as though he hadn't been fed at all in the last twenty-four hours. The guys ate meals at the fire station, but it was well known that the better the meal they sat down to, the more likely the bell would ring.

“You look exhausted,” she told him. “I’ll show you what I found in Abbie’s records later.”

“Why not now?”

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