Page 68 of Scorched Secrets

Granted, Annie was only a teenager. She’d need both medical and psychiatric care. More of the latter, Faye knew, based on how unhinged she’d been during all of this. Regardless, their small family would be forever fractured.

Never to be the same again.

Colin felt terrible about how he’d botched things outside the safe house. But the moment he’d seen the teenager’s intent to spray Faye with the accelerant and light her on fire, he’d lost it. If he’d thought to pull his weapon, he’d have shot her without hesitation.

Instead, he’d gotten her burned.

“Dad? It’s Faye. I’m afraid I have some bad news.” He listened as Faye described the incident outside the safe house. She’d kept it brief but had ended the call with, “Annie needs you and Claire to be there. So please, hurry.”

He could only imagine how Chief Kimble felt about having an arsonist daughter. Worse, she’d set so many fires damaging so much property and ultimately killing Larry that he didn’t see how the teenager would escape prosecution. Maybe if the state didn’t try her as an adult, she wouldn’t spend the rest of her life in prison.

Taking Faye’s hand, he said, “Do you think her DNA comments are true?”

“I don’t know.” Faye sighed and glanced at him. “In a way, it makes sense. I never resembled my parents much. But even if it’s true, I don’t understand why she grew to hate me. We barely interacted over these past few years. I babysat her when she was younger, but that stopped when I entered college, then medical school.”

“It’s strange that she’d harbor so much animosity toward you.” Colin searched her gaze. There was so much he wanted to tell her, but this didn’t seem the time or the place.

“She needs help,” Faye whispered. “Professional help.”

Colin silently agreed. Aiden pulled up in front of the emergency department at Trinity Medical Center. He slid out of the car and walked inside with Faye beside him, resigning himself to a long wait.

Faye wasn’t having that, though, using her clout as a doc to get him into a room within ten minutes. He felt a little guilty skipping to the head of the line.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” He glanced around. “I’m not that bad.”

“I want your wounds cared for properly.” She surprised him by taking his hand in hers. “I care about you. Watching Annie grab another lighter to burn you was the worst thing I’d ever witnessed.”

“Hey, I’m okay.” He wanted to draw her close, but the skin on his chest was feeling a bit raw. Like a bad sunburn when he and his sibs had played sand volleyball on Bradford Beach. “I’m fine. And you were the one she wanted to hurt. I’m so sorry we never thought of her as a possible suspect. So much for most arsonists being young men.”

“That possibility never occurred to me either.” She stared down at their joined hands. “I wonder if she borrowed the motor scooter from her friend, the one she was supposedly spending the weekend with.” She paused, then added, “The sedan is hers, the one my father bought for her. She had everything, Colin, but it wasn’t enough.”

“Try not to dwell on that,” he murmured. Although he couldn’t imagine any of the Finnegans turning on their own.

She sighed. “At least the danger is over now. I don’t know how to thank you. The support you’ve provided over these past few days has been amazing.”

“I care about you.” He hesitated, wondering how much more he should tell her. A physician entered the room, interrupting them.

Over the next fifteen to twenty minutes, the medical team cleaned and dressed his burns. They removed the bandage to his arm that Faye had applied, replacing it with a fresh one.

“You’ll need to keep these clean and dry for the next two weeks,” the doc informed him. “No getting the bandages wet, and I want the dressings changed twice daily.”

“I think I can manage that.” He was relieved the burns weren’t as bad as he’d feared.

“I’ll help you,” Faye offered.

“Here’s a note stating you will need to be off work for the next two weeks.” The doc handed him a slip of paper, then smiled at Faye. “With Dr. Kimble keeping an eye on your wounds, I don’t think you need to follow up with your regular doctor. But if they change in any way, get worse or look infected, then please come back right away.”

“I will,” he promised. It was nice to know Faye wanted to watch over him. Although he wished he knew if she’d offered out of a sense of obligation or from something more personal.

There was only one way to find out.

“Faye.” He reached out to take both of her hands in his. “I want you to know—”

“Colin!” Alanna burst into the room interrupting him. “Why didn’t you tell me you were here?” His sister’s eyes widened when she saw Faye. “Dr. Kimble? You’re not on duty tonight. Why are you here?”

He sighed, knowing his sister would nag until she’d learned the truth. “Alanna, I’ve been helping to keep Faye safe. I suffered some minor burns as a result of a tussle with an arsonist.” He glanced down at the bandages on his chest. “I’m fine, though, nothing more than two small areas of second-degree burns.”

“Burns! Did you get that on the job?” Alanna frowned. “No, that’s impossible. Your gear would have protected you.”

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