Page 72 of Up In Smoke

“Did you know my younger brother Carlos also applied to the Redemption Fire Department and was rejected?”

She kept her face mostly still, but one small twitch gave her away.

“I have more like that. So tell me, how is Ivy.Please?” The last word rolled out on its own. Not much good at negotiating there, was he?

“Ivy is fine. She got checked up by the medics, treated, and released.”

“Released to where?” Luke asked, realizing he should be negotiating for his own release now, but he simply didn't have it in him. He needed to know about Ivy.

“Home.”

“Alone?Tell me you have Carlos in custody!”

“We have Mario and we have Tiago,” Agent Watson told him.

Not good enough. “Look, I suspected them, too. But it’s not them. You can’t send her home if Carlos is still out there.”

“She'll be okay,” Watson assured him far too easily. She sat back, crossed her arms, her long ponytail swaying with the movement. “RFD has someone stationed in her driveway. They're watching her all night.”

Cool,Luke thought sarcastically.What a great way to get Ivy killed.

Did they really think Carlos would be thwarted by an officer at her front door? “Is the officerinsidethe house with her?”

“I don't know. I'm going to trust the Redemption Police Department to get the job done.”

Luke didn't trust anyone but himself right now. “What do you need from me to let me go?”

Watson shrugged and almost laughed. “Proof that you're not the arsonist.”

“Perfect. Contact detective Orlando Tavares—well,exdetective Orlando Tavares.” He spelled it out as she pulled a small pad of paper and a pen from her pocket.

Interesting. She’d looked as though she'd walked in here with nothing. She wasn't even recording the interview. Her ease slowed the beat of his heart a little because it made him confident they didn't believe he was the arsonist. But the cold chill in his veins was creeping deeper the more he thought about Ivy with the police department sitting in front of her house.

Carlos was still out there. He asked Watson for his phone.

“You can't have your phone,” she told him, casually denying his request.

“No.Youwant my phone. I'm going to talk you through the documents that Taveras forwarded today. It will help make your case.”

Watson frowned at him, but at least she went to the door, stuck her head out and made the request. He answered a few more of her questions, the tension ratcheting up every second.

He’d hoped Ivy would be in the hospital. She'd be safe in the hospital, right? But in her own home … Carlos had already proved he could get to her there. Luke needed to get there and fast, but Watson was taking her damn sweet time as he talked her through the documents and directed her to the message Tavares had gotten from Ivy.

“Where's the message?” Watson held up his phone facing him.

Luke almost rolled his eyes. “I told you Ivy sent it to Orlando and he called me. So contact him.”

He was tapping his fingers on the table and for the first time he realized he wasn't handcuffed. He had silly, stupid thoughts about escaping and running for Ivy’s. But even if he could overpower the agent and leave the room he wouldn't make it out of the department. So he forced himself to sit still.

After he gave Decker everything he had, she left him in the room to stew alone. Wondering once more if Ivy was okay.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Ivy stood at her kitchen counter, guzzling cranberry juice. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing. She didn’t want to burn her throat further.

She looked back into the fridge. She had orange juice, but that would be too acidic, and apple juice. Pouring that into her partially drunk glass, she then added water from the filter.

That should do it, she thought, then downed more. The need for so much liquid had to be psychological, didn’t it? But she didn’t know.

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