Page 14 of Burning Hearts

Meanwhile, Jamie had fallen into the role of showing up for her family the same way the Crawfords did for each other. They’d all pitched in to help his dad, who’d suffered a TBI after a car accident years ago.

She wanted to be that for her brother and her mom. And what was so wrong with that if she had the resources to do it?

Logan thought she should ditch them and let them fend for themselves. The only reasoning she’d ever figured out for why he believed it was that he thought her family didn’t live up to the Crawford standard. Their mom was a high-profile lawyer with big-name clients. Bryce was a lieutenant in the fire department. Andi had married an ATF agent and was working toward being a nurse. They worked hard, held each other to high standards, and always pushed to achieve bigger and better things.

They seemed to forget that other people weren’t the same. Some chose to be content where they were rather than push for more or better all the time.

“Someone is outside.” Logan turned to put himself between her and the door.

But it was only Tristan.

Jamie moved around her ex and went to her brother, still not willing to let go of the need to bring Tristan out of this with her. Otherwise, what did she have to show for coming up here? “What will it take for you to come with us? What would you need?”

It probably sounded like a business transaction, but she was good at business.

And when all else failed, Jamie fell back on what she knew.

“I told them all I saw you run into the woods,” Tristan said. “Everyone tore out after you. ATVs and on foot. They probably took the dogs too.”

Jamie shivered. “Then we have time while they’re gone. We just need to leave before they return, right?” It was that or draw them away somewhere else.

Logan brushed past them and headed to the door. “Figure it out fast. The guy in the hall is gone.”

Tristan said, “They hauled him out.”

Jamie needed this conversation back on track. “Tristan, what do you need?”

He scratched a finger on his jaw. “Can you copy all the files on their system?”

“Of course.” She could do more than that if she had thirty seconds and internet access.

Logan glanced over at her. Unlike her brother, he probably had no idea what she could do. But then, sharing her work life with him wouldn’t have made a difference. Their jobs hadn’t been the problem.

Logan said, “What are you, some kind of secret agent now?” He huffed a laugh. “You know they don’t hire people with criminal records.”

A muscle in Tristan’s jaw flexed.

“We need to keep focused, not argue.” Jamie could knock their heads together right now. But she’d have to knock hers and Logan’s together at the same time. After all, they’d spent some of the last half hour in each other’s faces rehashing the past. If they stayed together any longer, the spiral would only continue.

Then they’dbothhit rock bottom.

“We need to visit the office on the way out.” Tristan winced. “But they’ll be back soon, and we’ll still need some kind of distraction to get away. I can’t do that if I’m with you. It’s why I’d rather stay here. Play it off like you guys subdued me and ran for it.”

She didn’t like the sound of that, but at least he was open to coming with them. “We can fake some kind of distraction, right? Get what we need. Meet up and run for it.” Sounded easy when she put it like that, but it would likely be far more complicated.

If they worked together, it would be a whole lot easier.

She turned to him. “Logan?”

“I can make a distraction.” He looked at Tristan. “I just need some gasoline and a lighter.”

FOUR

Logan stompedhis feet on the concrete floor, waiting for the right moment.

Checking the time on his watch.

He’d found the equipment shed that he’d told Tristan was the best spot for an impromptu blaze. He would hole up in a closet at the back of what was more like a building than a shed, if anyone was going to ask his opinion. But that’s what Tristan had called it.

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