Page 16 of Illinois Innkeeper
I blink a couple of times, almost unable to believe my eyes. Sure enough, a red fire truck is racing after me.
It hits me then that the arsonists may not have stopped at burning down my place. They might have struck again.
Fear ices my veins as I realize that Miranda’s apartment is on this side of town. I’ll never forgive myself if her property has been damaged. And if she’s been hurt…Well, I can’t even think about that.
I pull the Jeep over to the side of the road, planning to follow the fire engine to make sure they aren’t headed to Miranda’s place. To my surprise, the truck slows and pulls to a stop right behind me.
Confusion and worry swirl together in my head as I try to figure out what’s going on.
Do they still think I started the fire and are trying to keep me from leaving town? Has there been another fire? Did something happen to Miranda?
The potential reasons for them to chase me down like this invade my brain, and none of them are good.
16
GRAHAM
By the time I scurry out of my Jeep to see what’s wrong, Miranda is running toward me. She hurls herself into my arms before saying, “You don’t have to leave.”
Trying not to think about how amazing it feels to have her in my arms one last time, I say, “Staying here is not an option for me.”
Before I can continue, she says, “Yes, it is. Your name has been cleared in the arson case. Mrs. Swindell and several other witnesses placed you at the grocery store at the time the fire started. Plus, a neighbor’s security camera caught images of two men in dark clothing skulking around the inn with a gas can right before the fire started.”
A small amount of relief surges at this news. Giving her a half-smile, I say, “At least criminal charges won’t follow me to wherever I end up.”
“It’s only a matter of time until we catch the people who did this and lock them away for good,” she says confidently.
I have my doubts about that, but I love how innocent her faith in the system is. Not wanting to crush her beliefs, I say, “I hope so.”
Her eyebrows furrow together at my unenthusiastic response. “Don’t you see? You can stay here now.”
“I wish I could,” I say, unable to stop myself from brushing the back of my index finger along her soft cheek.
At her confused expression, I explain, “We don’t know how deep this hatred of me goes. The capo I ratted out had a lot of followers and support. Even if the two men who did the actual dirty work are locked away, it doesn’t mean the attacks will end. I can’t put your life at risk by staying here.”
“But––” she starts, but I shake my head to stop her.
“There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind. I will not stay here and put you in danger. When I get settled in a new place, I’ll arrange a meeting with Jerry Columbus to ask him to put a stop to this. He won’t like hearing that some of his crew is still working against him, so hopefully he’ll take care of it.”
Miranda shakes her head before saying, “I already called Jerry.”
“You what?!?” I half-shout at the woman, unable to believe my ears. I stare at her with wide eyes as my breath comes in short, quick pants.
“I called Jerry and explained what happened. Then I told him that he needs to get a better hold on his underlings,” she says as calmly as if she were telling me about having tea with her grandmother.
My head is shaking slowly back and forth as I struggle to absorb what she is saying. “No, you can’t just call Jerry. There are protocols that have to be followed.”
She shrugs her shoulders as if it were the simplest thing in the world to get the most powerful man in New York City on the phone. “I just kept demanding to speak to him, and I wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
It’s starting to sink into my thick skull that this brave, beautiful, and apparently crazy woman may have actually done this. I do my best to keep my voice from shaking when I ask, “Was he angry?”
“Oh, yeah,” she nods, obviously having no idea of Jerry’s true nature. “He sounded really pissed, especially when I told him that he obviously doesn’t have control over his organization.”
“Oh, Miranda, you didn’t.” My gaze lifts skyward as I run a hand along the back of my neck. The vivid blue sky doesn’t align with the frantic emotions that are taking over my system.
“You bet I did,” she answers firmly. “I reminded him that he’s alive because of you, and that he owes you.”
I can’t believe Jerry let anyone talk to him like this––especially a woman. He’s not known for his patience, and he tends to view females as being nothing more than playthings.
