Page 53 of Saving Jared

"Jared," Jude yelled, while jumping out of his truck.

"We already know," he said as he rushed to his brother, with Kinsley right beside him. Then it hit him. Emma’s Delectables was two businesses down from Dave’s on that block.

Jared grabbed Jude by the shoulders, forcing his own panic down enough to reassure him. "I’m sure Emma is fine."

"It’s bad. They’ve said…" Jude closed his eyes for a second before his stormy gaze met Jared’s while Kinsley rubbed up and down Jude’s arm. "People are trapped in the upstairs apartments. Emma and her family live above their shop." Jude glanced past him to where he knew the others stood waiting. "Where’s Willa?"

"On her way to the fire," Jared barely got out as Jude groaned. "But she and Emma both are going to be fine."

Kinsley’s text alert sounded, and she stepped back while pulling out her phone. "It’s Darin." He tensed as she read Darin’s message, before her gaze met his then Jude’s. "They’re waiting at the intersection of Vine Street and Main where it’s blocked off."

"Let’s go." Jared didn’t hesitate.

"I’m driving," Jude said as he turned away and hurried back to his truck. Jared and Kinsley raced after him, going to the passenger side as Hart called out, "We’ll meet you there." Jared didn’t stop to respond as both he and Kinsley hopped into the truck—Jared in the front and Kinsley in the back.

"Why are the Fremonts coming? And Russ?" Jude asked as he backed up, then whipped his truck around and headed down the dirt road while Jared buckled his seatbelt. Out of habit, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure Kinsley had done the same. She might be an adult, but he still watched out for her.

"They’re her family," Kinsley answered, matter of fact as she buckled her own seatbelt.

"Her what?" Jared met Jude’s quick, questioning glance before his brother focused back on the road.

"Long story." Jared didn’t want to get into the revelations of the past thirty minutes. He still hadn’t come to terms with it all himself. Willa’s safety had taken a backseat to all of that.

So, he just stared straight ahead as Jude made record time getting to the house, then followed their private road to the two-lane highway that would take them into town. Thankfully no equipment had been in their way, although they might have startled a few hands as they'd passed.

"So," Kinsley said, her voice filling with heat as she continued with, "why was my friend crying? And don’t tell me it was because she’d just met her birth parents."

"She what?" Jude asked, his head jerking up toward the rearview mirror.

"Long story, remember," she answered.

"Must have been one helluva long story then." Jude grumbled, shaking his head as he rolled through the stop sign at a four-way.

"I accused her of cheating."

Silence filled the vehicle, while Jude threw him several looks that said—

"You’re an idiot," Kinsley blurted out. "Who could she have possibly cheated with? Who?"

Hearing what he knew deep down to be true, did, in fact, prove how idiotic he had been. He let out a deprecating sigh. "Some guy at the fire station named Cord."

A loud groan sounded from behind him before a hard thump hit him in the back of the head.

"What the hell!" He turned in his seat and glared over the back of it at his sister.

"Well, you deserved it," Kinsley groused, her arms crossing.

"You really did," Jude agreed. "And more." Jared glanced at his brother’s hard profile. "It was a dick move, brother. And if I wasn’t in such a hurry, I’d stop this truck right now and kick your ass." And he wouldn’t fight back if he did. "You know Willa. You know the kind of person she is."

"I lost sight of that." He turned back toward the front of the truck and stared out the windshield.

"How?" Kinsley asked, her tone accusing. "Tell me how you lost sight of that." She followed that up with a muttered, "Damned Macy,"

"I believed something I overheard." They said hindsight was 20/20. And they were right. He’d been blind.

"I saw Cord at the rodeo. You…" Kinsley huffed, then let out a low, clearly frustrated, growl. "If you’d taken the time to actually talk to Willa about whatever it was, you’d overheard from a total stranger, you’d have found out Willa is close to reporting Cord for sexual harassment. He’s been hitting on her and she had to tell him to keep his hands to himself."

Jared whipped around in his seat, his anger rising as he narrowed his eyes on his sister. "He touched her?"

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