Page 32 of Rescued Duty

Naya gave him a thumbs-up. Hazards came with the territory of her job. Every reporter understood the risks. But it didn’t mean Naya had an excuse to shrink away.

She hobbled over to a clearing where a lone tree grew in front of the sidewalk. A quick glance over her shoulder showed Zack was talking to an officer.

Focus.

Tall oak trees dotted the property. If any of those caught fire, she didn’t want to imagine the aftermath.

She needed to figure out who to talk to.

A pungent smell swirled through the air and gripped Naya’s nostrils. She let out another cough and held her fingers to her nose. “Why does this fire smell like spoiled fish? Is that normal?”

In the midst of the chaos, a host of voices rose in volume. She needed to get closer. While Zack was occupied with his hero duties, she set off toward the sound of people chanting.

Naya walked around the trucks, back toward the front gate. “Sorry.” She ducked around a firefighter. “Excuse me.” She brushed past a few onlookers.

On the other corner of the house, a group of people stood with signs, hoisting them in the air, yelling, “You can’t hide. Give it up. Save our land.”

More police officers planted themselves around the perimeter, fingers hooked around their belt loops.

Sylvia stood on the outskirts of the group, and Naya waved to get her attention.

The woman stepped away from the crowd and crossed her arms. “It’s you again.”

So much for a hello. “Do you know anything about what happened?”

“There’ve been rumors floating around. That one of our own had something to do with it.”

Naya’s jaw dropped and she stared at Sylvia. “What?” The protestors believed there was someone in their group that had started a fire at this man’s home? That was a serious escalation from peacefully making a noise on the street out front.

The woman’s face remained stone cold. Okay, so she wasn’t joking.

Naya said, “What makes you say that?”

“Good ole barrel of fish and oil sent this place up in flames.”

Naya’s fingers shook. So that’s where the smell had come from. She couldn’t believe someone could have caused so much damage. Ideology was one thing, but this took it to a misdemeanor. Maybe even a felony.

This group might have crossed the threshold into ecoterrorism if they were really behind this attack. “Why retaliate in this way?” Naya focused on keeping her expression neutral. If their agenda was truly to save the planet, this message counteracted their goals. That’s what Naya wanted to tell Sylvia. But given the woman’s nonchalant attitude, that may not go over well.

“It might finally get the point across,” Sylvia huffed.

“Do you think this will change Ethos’s response? If they believe their employees are reachable at their own homes, they won’t feel so superior. This could incite real change.” Naya’s voice cracked, but she cleared her throat. Did Sylvia realize her speculation warranted Naya’s need to report the incident? Although, the woman could also open up and say more if she thought Naya was sympathetic. “So you think it will move the needle to real change?”

“It better, that’s what I say. We’re fed up with Roger’s playing dumb.” She rolled her eyes. “They are killing off our ecosystem and people are sick.”

“How much further is your organization prepared to go to get results? Are you fighting back with legal action? Or getting apetition signed?” Naya hadn’t heard anything new from Ingram on that front. As far as she was aware, the environmental group still had until Friday before Ethos proceeded with legal action. Naya said, “It won’t be long before they’re making trouble for you in response.”

“We’re not going to let them do that, hon.” Sylvia lifted her chin. “And if I were you, I’d watch your back and who you talk to.” Sylvia pointed at Naya’s arm. “You don’t need any more injuries.”

Sylvia sauntered off.

Naya’s eyes darted to her left and right. The hues of flashing lights played off the shadows of the darkening sky and made her head spin. A cold weight squeezed her chest as if the array of people on scene were pinning her down.

There was no way Sylvia could know the cause of her injury.

Right?

No way she could know her sprained elbow was related to all this.

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