Page 18 of Scorched Secrets

It seemed like a lifetime. More so for Faye, though, as she’d been the one trapped by the blaze.

Thankfully, their bikes were exactly where he’d left them. Yet watching Faye place her bandaged hands on the handlebar, he changed his mind.

“Hold on.” He put a hand on her arm. “We’ll call Rhy. His SUV is large enough to stick the bikes in the back.”

“No!” Faye’s eyes widened in panic. “We’re not dragging your brother and his wife into this. I can’t bear the idea of this guy striking out at your family. We’ll ride these back, and then you’ll drop me off at the nearest hotel.” She held his gaze. “We’re not even going inside, understand?”

He wanted to argue, but she had a point about putting his family in danger. “We’ll ride back,” he reluctantly agreed. “And then I’ll take you someplace safe.”

“Good.” She let out a sigh and nodded. “That’s good.”

He wasn’t leaving her alone, but that was an argument for later. Right now, it was more important to get back to his Jeep.

Mitch came over before they could get on the bikes. “Need a lift?”

“Are you finished here?” Colin asked in surprise. He figured Mitch would have stuck around for a while.

“I have what I need for now.” He gestured to his SUV. “Let me give you a ride home.”

“Thanks.” Faye appeared relieved not to have to ride the bike.

It took longer to get the bikes stored in the back than it did for Mitch to drive them back to the homestead. Mitch helped pull the bikes out as Colin punched in the key code to open the garage door.

The alarm was only for the house, and when the garage door opened, he was relieved to see the empty space where Rhy’s SUV would normally be. That’s right, he’d mentioned taking Devon out for lunch. A good thing as he wouldn’t have to stop to fill his oldest brother in on the recent events at the park.

After storing the bikes in the corner where he’d found them, Colin closed the garage door and used his key to unlock the Jeep.

“Stay in touch,” Mitch said, giving Faye a stern look as she climbed into the passenger-side seat.

“I promise.” She smiled wearily before closing the door.

“Keep me in the loop on what you find out,” Colin said. He waited for Mitch to nod, then slid in behind the wheel.

Mitch backed out of the driveway first. Then Colin did the same, feeling a twinge of regret at the need to leave the homestead. He made a mental note to call Rhy later as he drove through their Brookland neighborhood.

“There’s a hotel near the hospital,” Faye said, breaking the silence. “It’s within walking distance, and there’s a shuttle service as many patients’ families stay there. That will work the best for me. I have to report back to work on Monday.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. The arsonist might figure out that’s where you’re staying.”

“It’s a big place, even if he thinks I’m there, there’s no way he can figure out which room I’m in.”

Colin shook his head. “You really want to put others at risk?”

“No! But so far this guy has only targeted me, Colin. There was no one else in the restroom with me, and he only hit my house and my car.” She sounded frustrated, and while he could relate, he wasn’t buying her theory.

“Larry was killed fighting the fire at your house, so he clearly doesn’t care how many other innocent lives he takes down with him.”

She sucked in a harsh breath, then coughed. “Just leave me downtown, then,” she said in a low voice. “I’ll stay somewhere else. No one but me will know where I am.”

“I can’t do that.” The thought of her being completely on her own was unacceptable. No way, not happening. He didn’t care what she said, he wasn’t leaving her to navigate the danger on her own. “I’m staying with you.”

“No, you’re not.” Her jaw jutted stubbornly. “Anyone staying near me is in danger. I’m not shouldering the burden for your safety too.” She sighed, and added, “Please don’t ask me to do that.”

He tried to find the words to reassure her. “Faye, we need to leave our worries in God’s hands. My decision to stay with you is my choice. I believe God will watch over us.”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment. He considered heading to the American Lodge but decided against it. If the arsonist was a former firefighter, he’d know to look for them there. Gary, the owner, was a former firefighter himself and offered a discount for police and fire responders.

“Please don’t ask me to leave you, because I can’t do that. If I hadn’t been at the park with you today...” He let his voice trail off.

---