Page 32 of Ink and Ashes
“What happened to him?”
Cassidy swallows, her eyes beginning to water. “Let’s just say there was a fire here years ago, and someone...” Cassidy’s voice cracks, causing my brows to pull together. “Someone died, and the media blamed Colson for it. He’s had difficulty trusting any reporters or journalists since.”
I hum. There are plenty of people in the media who go out of their way to make people’s lives miserable just for the hell of it. But I am not one of them, and knowing this only makes me more determined to show Colson that.
“Give him time. He’s stubborn as hell, but he’s not stupid. With Dom and me on your side, he’s bound to come aroundeventually.”
“Thanks, Cass.” I smile. “Though I’m not sure how Dom will feel about me if—whenColson finally shares I’ve been lying.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Until then, your secret is safe with me.” She holds her pinky finger up between us. I glance from her finger to her face, then smile. I wrap my pinky around hers, and she adds, “I promise.”
My heart warms, and for the first time since I arrived in Ember Grove, hope washes over me.
CHAPTER 12
Colson
“Hey, Col. Can we talk for a minute?” Dom asks as he approaches me where I’m doing some cleaning in the bay.
I swing a dirty rag over my shoulder. “Sure, what’s up?”
He glances around at the other firefighters filling the room. “Not here,” he says, then jerks his head in the direction of the lobby.
Brows furrowed, I nod, leading him toward my office. I close the door behind us, and the moment it clicks shut, Dom’s mouth is moving.
“I just got off the phone with Holland.”
My molars grind together at the mention of her name. “She’s still here?”
Dom nods, and I frown.
“Be careful with her. She’s not who she says she is,” I say without thinking.
His brows pull together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I open my mouth to respond, but the words get stuck in my throat. It’s been five days since I found out Holland’s been lying, and the only person I’ve shared that information with so far is Cassidy—whose response was “I’m sure she has a good reason for it.”
I’m not so sure that’s the case, but her words made me reconsider my threat to out Holland to the town. Because on the off-chance Cass is right, I’d feel like an ass for making people even more wary of her than they already are.
That’s what I keep telling myself is the reason I haven’t shared that information with anyone else. I was hoping she’d take what I said to heart and leave town. Clearly, that isn’t the case, but despite my anger toward her lie and the threats I threw her way, I continue to hesitate to tell Dom she’s lying.
I think part of me wonders if she has a valid reason for lying to us all. She mentioned that the things I would find would make things worse, which only makes me more suspicious of her. But for all I know, she could be a victim of something horrific and is trying to keep whatever it is hidden. I know firsthand how easy it is for the media to make things up, paint you like a villain, and if something like that happened to her, I wouldn’t blame her for using an alias.
If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t give a second thought to spilling her secrets. But despite how badly I want her gone, I haven’t been able to bring myself to share hers with anyone else.
I don’t want to think about what that could mean.
“Nothing. Just be careful,” I mutter, deciding to keep her secret a little while longer. Dom’s a good judge of character, and I trust that he knows what he’s doing. I just have to hope that her name is the only thing Holland Rhodes is lying about. “What did she say?”
Confusion crosses his features, but he shakes it off quickly.
“She uncovered a new pattern with some of the fires. Didn’t give too many details over the phone, but I’m going to go over there after shift. She did let me know that we can expect to get a call to another wildfire tomorrow. She’s predicting it’ll be at least a hectare.”
My brows pull together. “How the hell would she know that?”
“Not sure. Like I said, she didn’t give a ton of details. I just wanted to let you know so we can prepare.”
“Thanks,” I say through clenched teeth. “How are things going with her otherwise?”
