Page 41 of Ink and Ashes
I glare in Langley’s direction, and he stares back with a grin. The only thing that man ever thinks about is fucking and firefighting, so it doesn’t surprise me that he senses the tension between Holland and me. I’ve been ignoring the sexual attraction I feel toward her in favour of hating her, but it’s been there, slowly simmering beneath my threats and her attitude.
And that’s exactly where it will remain.
“Walk away, Langley,” is all I say as I take another sip of my beer.
He chuckles knowingly but does as I say.
Conversation continues around me, and I try to focus my attention on the crew, but my mind keeps wandering back to The Scarlet Inn. More specifically, to the woman renting a room there.
Since she arrived three weeks ago, I’ve been persistent in my stance, in thinking Holland’s wrong. Short of telling the entire town she’s not who she says—which, aside from her name, may not even be true—I’ve done everything in my power to make her go away. But she’s stubborn and determined, and despite my efforts, she’s still here. That has to mean something.
Whether or not she’s right about the arsonist, it’s time for me to accept that something is off about these fires. I can’t keep turning a blind eye, because despite my arguments that it could all be a coincidence, the things she’s found are worrisome.
The 2,000-hectare radius. The timeline between fires larger than 1 hectare. And the note left on her car…fuck, I was a dick about the note. I really didn’t mean it the way I said it, but like she said, she wouldn’t know that—because as I’ve been quick to remind her over the past few weeks, she doesn’t know me.
Honestly, I’ve been a dick about all of it. Have I been pissed off about her claims? I mean yeah, why wouldn’t I be? But that doesn’t give me the right to imply that she deserves to burn if she doesn’t leave. I may not appreciate her presence here, but thatdoesn’t mean I want herdead.
Obviously someone in this town does, though, if the note was any indication. Regardless of whether it’s an arsonist or not, the fact that someone felt bold enough to leave that for her should’ve made me question if I know this town as well as I thought I did. But instead, the first thing I did was agree with it, which makes me no better than the person who left it.
Fuck. I have some serious apologizing to do.
I don’t know what it is about her. Something comes over me every time she’s around and I become someone I don’t recognize, saying shit I don’t mean. I don’t like the way she makes me feel, but I haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly what those feelings are.
All I know is that she’s the reason my life has turned upside down over the past few weeks. But resenting her for pointing this out isn’t going to make the reality of the situation any less tangible. I still don’t know that I believe someone could be directly responsible for the fires, but I also never thought someone would leave Holland a note threatening her life.
She was right to lash out at me the way she did. I would’ve if I were her too. She’s proven to me time and time again that she’s not giving up, and nothing I do has deterred her. In fact, I think my resistance has only made her want to work harder.
Exactly as she said it would.
“You okay, Lieutenant?” Finn asks, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Huh?” I ask, focusing on him. The rest of the group continues their conversation, while Finn is dialled in on me. “Yeah, sorry. Just distracted. How’re Julie and the girls?” I ask, referring to his wife and daughters, Brianna, who’s eight, and Hailey, who’s six.
His face lights up, and my heart clenches. I used to dream of having a family like his, of loving someone as much as he loves Julie, of having mini versions of the love of my life running around. But I’ve come to accept that’s not in the cards for me anymore.
“They’re great. Girls are happy it’s almost summer vacation, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with them. With all the fires lately, I feel like I’ve barely seen them.”
I huff a laugh. “And yet you’re here at the bar when you could be home with them,” I joke.
Finn shakes his head with a smile. “I just wanted to pop in to talk to you for a sec. I’m heading straight home to my girls after this.”
“Good man,” I say with a nod. “What did you wanna talk about?”
He exhales. “She’s not going away, is she?”
My brows pull together. I should’ve known Finn would see through Beau’s attempt at a lie about Holland leaving. He’s the most observant guy on the team, often noticing things well before anyone else does. He’s always been five steps ahead of the rest of us, so it’s not surprising he saw right through us.
I shake my head, not even bothering to pretend like I don’t know what he’s talking about. Finn is too smart for that. “No, Finn. She isn’t.”
He blows out a breath. “What are you gonna do?”
“I have no fucking idea.”
Finn hums. “She really thinks it’s arson?”
I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. “Yeah. And I’m beginning to think she might be right.”
He inhales sharply. “Well, regardless of whether she is or not,” he starts as he taps me on the shoulder, “I’ve got your back, Lieutenant. We all do.”
