Page 28 of Scorched Secrets

“Faye is higher profile than me as Fire Chief?” His tone relayed his doubt. “Not sure about that.”

“Let me talk to him.” Faye held out her hand for the phone, then took a moment to place the call on speaker. “Dad, try to come up with a list of suspects from work. Anyone intent on hurting you would know that striking out at your family would hurt you most of all.”

“Yeah, you’re right about that,” he agreed.

“And you need to make sure Annie is okay. I have Colin here, but Annie needs even more protection. She’s just a kid.”

“Annie is spending the weekend with a friend, so there’s no need to worry about her. You’re the one that’s been targeted, Faye.”

Colin caught Faye’s concerned gaze. “But, Dad, who is going to keep Annie safe if this guy does go after her next?”

“Her girlfriend’s father is a cop. I have no doubt he’ll keep an eye on the girls.” Dorian was clearly not worried about his youngest. “Besides, this guy hasn’t come near our house or approached Annie in any way. Only you, Faye. Is Finnegan still there?”

“Yes, sir,” Colin spoke up.

“I’m counting on you to keep my daughter safe, understand?”

“That’s been my mission since this morning, sir.”

“Good. Callahan is on the other line. Stay in touch.” With that, Faye’s father disconnected from the call.

“I don’t like knowing Annie is off with a friend.” Faye thrust her fingers through her hair. “If this guy doesn’t find me, he might go after her.”

Colin crossed over and drew her into his arms, offering a friendly hug. Emphasis on friendly. “I’m sure your dad knows what he’s doing. And she has a cop looking after her.” He smiled against her hair. “You only have a firefighter protecting you. I’m not even armed.”

She laughed into his chest, then tipped her head back to look up at him. A flash of awareness hit hard. He told himself to step back.

But his feet didn’t move. No, instead he found himself slowly lowering his head to capture her lush mouth with his.

Chapter Seven

Colin’s kiss was everything she’d always wanted. What she’d dreamed of when they were young and in high school. A wave of longing pushed all rational thought from her brain. Clinging to his broad shoulders, she reveled in his embrace. It was their first kiss, but Colin made her feel cherished in a way Rory never had.

Then he broke off their kiss, breathing heavily. Resting her forehead on his chest, she struggled to get control.

“I’m sorry, Faye.” His deep voice rumbled from his chest. “I shouldn’t have taken advantage of the situation.”

She shook her head, drew in a deep breath, and looked up at him. “You didn’t. Do I have to apologize to you for kissing you back?”

“No!” His eyes widened in horror. “Of course not.”

A smile tugged at her mouth. “Good. Same goes.” She forced herself to take a step back. To pull herself together. “Do you think Mitch will call us when he’s finished speaking with my dad?”

“I hope so.” Colin’s intense brown gaze clung to hers. She sensed he wanted to say something more, but she wasn’t interested in rehashing their potent but brief kiss.

Desperate for something constructive to do, she picked up the discarded list of patient complaints. “I guess it can’t hurt to check a few of these out. If only to eliminate them.”

“I need Mitch to bring us a computer.” He pulled out his phone and thumbed in a text. “We could do some rudimentary searches on these patients who are upset with you, see if any of them remotely fit the general height and weight of the arsonist.”

“That works.” She reached for the pen sitting on the end table and put check marks next to the top three names. These were the most serious complaints, and while she hadn’t done anything wrong, she could see where those involved may believe otherwise. Martin Steele and his wife, Lavone, then a woman by the name of Marsha Rainey who’d come in with shortness of breath who’d abruptly went into cardiac arrest and died, and the third one was a man named Kevin Kuester, who had come in with a broken leg, which had rapidly progressed to compartment syndrome. He’d ended up with long incisions along the sides of his legs to relieve the pressure and had made it clear he wasn’t happy with her care.

“Let me see.” Colin sat beside her, taking the list. He read the complaints she’d marked and let out a low whistle. “None of these are your fault, Faye. Serious complications, sure, but not the result of medical malpractice.”

“Thanks, Colin.” She was touched by his words. “The rest of the complaints don’t rise to a serious enough level to warrant setting my car, my house, and me on fire.”

“You’re assuming this guy is a rational human being.” Colin shrugged. “That’s not necessarily the case.”

“Okay, but throwing a Molotov cocktail because he waited too long to be seen? Or because he felt the care wasn’t what he’d wanted?” No matter how irrational someone might be, she couldn’t see it. “Keep in mind, these are the type of patient complaints everyone gets, not just me.”

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