Page 63 of Diamond in the Rough

“Run along now, Gavin, me and Maddox need to chat.”

“We’ve got nothing to talk about.”

Gavin pulled the door to when he left, and Ernie staggered to the bed. He gripped the bed to stay on his feet and stared at the side of Maddox’s face.

“What?” Maddox asked.

“They said who was involved in the blaze—”

“Don’t. I can’t talk about it.”

Ernie bit his lip, then leaned closer. “You let slip your guy on the outside is called Jake.”

“I said I can’t do this.”

Maddox pressed his hands over his ears, but Ernie used all his strength to pry one away. “The guy in the fire was called Carl.”

Maddox tracked the ceiling, letting the name sink in. “What?”

Ernie looked accusingly at the door. “Your guy, it wasn’t him.”

“I don’t believe you. You’re another one fucking with me.”

“No, really. Carl Mitchell. Brown hair, brown eyes, young guy.”

“Carl…are you certain?”

“Absolutely.”

“You’re not fucking with me.”

“No.”

The relief in Maddox’s body quickly soured to guilt. It was always a no-brainer between Jake and Carl, but he wasn’t supposed to feel relief. Carl was a good guy, trustworthy, loyal to the end.

He thought he’d lost the impossible, and finding out he hadn’t was almost a gain. The flutter of his heart and the surge of happiness in his chest made him a monster. Carl deserved better than that.

Maddox scrubbed his face harshly. “I’m sick.”

“Like medically sick, or—”

“The other.”

“Your guy, he’s all right.”

Maddox stopped scrubbing at his face. “No, no he’s not.” He reached for the phone and switched it on. “He’s not gonna be all right. He’ll be an absolute mess.”

“Well, at least he’s not a dead mess.”

“Can you stand guard?”

Ernie nodded.

Maddox typed in Jake’s number and held the phone to his ear. There was no reply, and he tried again and again. The phone beeped in his hand, and he stared at it with hope only to be crushed when it told him how many missed calls he’d gotten from Jake.

“Shit…”

Maddox changed tactics and pressed in Amber’s number. She answered after the first ring.

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