Page 35 of Scorched Secrets

The careful way his strong fingers curled around hers made her wish for things she couldn’t have.

Colin knew he was in way over his head. His former admiration for Faye was messing with his mind. He released her hand, then sat back in the booth. A thought occurred to him. “Did your stepmother ever call you back?”

“Claire? No.” She shrugged. “I’m sure she knows my dad and I have been in touch. No reason for her to call too.”

“Faye, you were almost burned to death and hit by a Molotov cocktail.” He scowled. “That’s plenty reason for her to call you.”

“Claire and I get along fine, but she’s never been motherly toward me. Even though I was twelve when they married, she had Annie two years later and was focused on her. Getting into college early was helpful. Once I was out of the house, we didn’t see each other often. If anything, she’s been more of a distant older sister.”

“Distant and sister are not congruent,” he pointed out.

“Not all families are like the Finnegans,” she shot back. “Trust me, I see dysfunctional families in the ED all the time.”

He nodded. She was right, he knew most families weren’t as tightly knit as the Finnegans and Callahans. Still, he’d have thought Claire would have checked in with her stepdaughter in a time of crisis. “I’m sure you do. But illness often brings out the worst in people.”

“As do other emergencies.” Faye glanced up as their server arrived. “Wow, everything looks good.”

His mouth watered at the sizzling steak fajitas. Faye had ordered fish tacos, and her meal looked good too. When their server left, he once again reached for her hand. “I’ll say grace.”

“I’d like that.” She smiled and bowed her head. He was glad she didn’t mind participating in Finnegan traditions.

“Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for this wonderful food we are blessed to eat. Please continue to keep Faye safe in Your loving care and give us the strength and wisdom to seek justice. Amen.”

“Amen,” she repeated, then she met his gaze. “I get the sense you pray even when you’re not in danger.”

“All the time,” he admitted.

She nodded thoughtfully, then dug into her tacos. He did the same, enjoying the steak fajitas. They were halfway through their meal when Callahan texted him.

“What is it?” She craned her neck to see across the table.

“Mitch has the warrant, but there’s no sign of Jayson or Daniel at their respective homes.” He should have known it wouldn’t be so easy. “Don’t worry, they can’t hide for long.”

“Surprisingly, I’m not worried.” She smiled. “Hard to be concerned when I have you and God watching over me.”

“Truth.” He thumbed a quick response, then slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Faye frowned and looked around the bench seat. “Rats. I forgot to bring my purse and phone.”

“I’ll take care of the bill.” Maybe he was being too macho, but he’d rather pay for their meals. It wasn’t like they were on a date, but he still didn’t like taking her money. He figured she’d need everything she had to pay her house and car deductibles for the insurance company.

“I’ll pay for our next meal.” She huffed a bit, then continued eating. He decided not to argue, even though he had no intention of letting that happen.

After a few more minutes of eating, she frowned. “Where do you think Jayson and Daniel are hiding out?”

“Could be anywhere, but I suspect they’re driving around looking for clues as to where you might be.”

“But the person at the park was on a motor scooter. And the Molotov cocktail was tossed by someone riding a bike.”

“Yes, and the person at the hospital parking garage was seen sprinting away, either to a car or some other form of transportation outside camera view,” he agreed. “Looking back, it’s easy to see how these two may have split up to make several attempts against you. Thankfully, they failed, which is a blessing.” He firmly believed God was watching over them.

“Yes, it is,” she whispered.

“By now, though, I’m sure the half brothers are sticking together.” It wasn’t at all reassuring to think of the damage two arsonists could do by working as a team. He tried not to show his deep concern over what might happen if they did find Faye. “Don’t worry, I doubt they’ll be able to hide for long. Since Mitch attained a subpoena and warrant to look at their phones, I’m sure the cops have issued a BOLO on their vehicles.”

“Be on the lookout,” she murmured, using her fork to spear a stray piece of avocado. “I guess that means every squad is looking for them, right?”

“Right.” He knew it wasn’t quite that easy. Unfortunately, there was a significant amount of crime in the city, and those calls would always take priority over a BOLO. If the brothers were smart, that’s where they’d hang out. But he hoped they’d choose to stay closer to one of their residences where they’d be more likely to be found.

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