Page 54 of Rescued Duty

Naya hadn’t realized she’d spoken the thought aloud.

“Zack and I just got back from a meeting with the former fire chief on the west side of town. The information he shared brought back memories of Dom.”

Douglas Nelson, firefighting foam, ProEco Plant.

Naya typed in the keywords, and several results populated the screen.

“I’m sorry, Nay.”

“Don’t be. It’s fueled why I write.” Naya rubbed the back of her neck. “But Zack doesn’t see it that way. He wants me to stop searching and let it go.” How did he have the audacity to tell her to back down after he’d been the one to let her help with his parents’ case? Zack’s comment earlier stung. Telling her to focus on her job had been a slap on the face, like she didn’t have anything of value to offer him.

“What if he’s afraid? All your nosiness, no matter how well-intended, could get you hurt. He’s been able to witness that firsthand with this other story you’re working on.”

Naya opened different articles in separate tabs and perused the information. Pictures were included in one of the posts, and Naya picked out Douglas right away. A mirror image of Zack. Probably close to the age his son was now.

Naya paused for a moment and sighed.

“That’s just it. Douglas was too young when he died. Like my dad when he left.” Gone too soon.

“What if heeding Zack’s advice is a chance to not lose someone else you care about?” Ingram spoke softly.

“When did you get to be so wise?”

“I just care about my friend.”

Naya closed her eyes and could still picture her dad’s hand in hers. The way he’d cared for her with his gentle tone and hugs that always comforted her. Or when Dominic had gotten sick. She and her dad had stayed by Dom’s side. Ready to stay there until he got better so they could go outside and play again. Except he never had gotten better.

Why, God? Why?

“I have to fight for them, Grams. Because if I don’t, who will? Zack needs someone to stand by his side too. To show him his parents’ deaths haven’t been in vain. That he wasn’t to blame for their deaths either.” Like a treasure hunter, Naya intended to locate the key that would pop the top off.

“I want to help him get the answers he’s searching for. I want to do this for Zack.”

Ingram said, “You should want to help Zack. The truth always requires risk. But there are many ways you can show Zack you care.”

“It’s just a matter of knowing which choice to make.” Naya propped her elbows on her desk. Was staying silent the best option? She’d seen the ways silence left destruction that could never be reversed in its wake.

Like Zack hiding his wrist when she spotted the red bracelet again. The truth was disguised in his eyes—the full story of what had actually happened that day when he’d disappeared. Yet Zack still hadn’t shared all the details with her. To her knowledge, he’d made a promise to her, then broken it by disappearing without any trace or explanation. Leaving her to pick up the pieces of a heart that had just begun to hope again. Proof of the consequences that came with not speaking up.

The hurt, confusion, and mistrust that resulted from unspoken words.

Still, here she was, helping him behind the scenes because she wanted him to find the truth and move on in life. Wanted to be the helper he needed in his life, the one who understood him in a way no one else did.

Could she be that for him?

God, is this what You have for us?

The idea was like the first rays of sun in the morning, a glimpse of what could be. The promise of warmth and light.

Naya opened up the next article and stopped scrolling halfway through. She sucked in a sharp inhale.

Her gut instinct had paid off. “Guess what I just found? Zack’s dad did get a new boss and office. Ethos bought out another company almost three decades ago. That company was ProEco Plant. The employer Zack’s dad originally worked for before Ethos took over.” Naya squirmed in her seat. “And get this—we know now that Ethos was responsible for adding extra fluorine to the foam that can cause long-term harm to people if it gets in the ground water.”

Ingram let out a whistle. “That feels too close to home. How did you put that together?”

“Zack’s dad was a chemist, and Zack mentioned his dad getting a new boss and office. If the company dissolved andEthos took over, of course there would be a transition. And when his dad tried to blow the whistle, he died.”

Footsteps and voices sounded outside her cubicle.

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