“First, you should know the vehicle you loaned me is in the garage of the lake house.” He winced, anticipating Mitch’s anger. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea if it will burn with the rest of the property or not.”
“That’s okay. Things can be replaced. People cannot.” Mitch didn’t sound nearly as upset as he’d expected. “We’ll take care of that later. I’m just glad you three escaped without being hurt.”
“Me too.” He didn’t mention his arm. “Thanks for being so understanding.”
“Do you have the address?” Mitch asked. “I’ll have to head up there and talk to the locals.”
The sound of sirens filled the air, making it difficult to hear Mitch on the other end of the call. The fire response had been quicker than he’d anticipated considering the lake property was in a small town. “I’ll text you,” he shouted into the line.
Unable to hear Mitch’s response, he lowered the phone. With one hand, he ended the call, then scrolled to find the address. He didn’t like being hampered this way and hoped the burn on his forearm wasn’t too serious.
Protecting Faye would be difficult if he couldn’t use both hands.
As if reading his mind, she plucked the phone from his hands and typed in the address for the lake property. Then handed it back. She moved closer to speak into his ear. “Let’s go meet up with the ambulance. I need to take a closer look at your arm.”
He nodded, reluctantly understanding it was the smart thing to do. Once she could treat his arm properly, he may be able to use it.
The three of them continued walking down the road toward the lake house. The yellow fire was like a beacon in the night. Aiden went first, carrying his weapon and holding it ready. He kept Faye between them so that he could cover her back. He held Mitch’s backup weapon in his hand too.
Taking precautions was smart, but he didn’t think the arsonist had lingered. Not after verifying they’d escaped via boat.
No, he felt certain the guy was long gone and already planning his next move.
Fifteen minutes later, they reached the fire response posted outside the burning lake house. He stared at the fire for a long moment, dejected at the way the entire lower level of the building was engulfed in flames.
“There’s the ambulance.” Faye tugged him toward it.
Aiden came with them, still alert for any possible threats. When they reached the ambulance, Faye approached the two EMTs standing outside, watching the crew work to bring the fire under control.
“I’m Dr. Faye Kimble. I work in the ED at Trinity Medical Center.” She gestured toward their kit. “I have an injured firefighter here. May I please use your supplies?”
“He’s not dressed like a firefighter,” the shorter man said.
“We were inside the building when the fire started.” There was a hint of impatience in Faye’s tone. “I really need to dress his wound.”
“Here, take what you need.” The taller of the two men reached over to open the medical kit. “I have a brother who works in Milwaukee. He told me how impressed he was with the care provided at Trinity.”
Faye’s features softened. “Thank you. We can pay you for the supplies.”
“No need.” The taller guy waved that off. “It’s fine.”
Colin touched the wet towel Faye had wrapped around his arm. It was warm to the touch, which surprised him.
“I’m going to use cold packs first,” Faye explained. “See if we can pull more heat out from your skin.”
The cold packs eased some of the pain, although his skin felt raw and tender. Yet he’d expected his arm to look much worse than it did, so he swallowed the discomfort.
“We’re going to use the cold packs until your brother picks us up.” Faye wrapped gauze around his arm, holding the cold packs in place. “Then I’ll apply the burn cream.”
“Sounds good.” He’d taken care of minor burn injuries as a paramedic, but it was strange to be on the receiving end of care. He was grateful for Faye’s expertise.
“I wish I could check out the truck.” Aiden frowned at the firefighters swarming the property, using hoses to put out the fire. “From here it looks fine.”
“They’re not going to let you get close.” Colin empathized with his younger brother. Aiden and Elly still lived at the homestead, as Aiden had been saving up for a house. Now it looked like he’d need to sink some money into a replacement vehicle. “I’m sorry.”
“Nah, it’s fine.” Aiden sighed. “I guess I don’t like the idea of sitting around here waiting for our brothers to arrive.”
“We could take you to the closest hospital,” the taller EMT offered. “From there you could grab a rideshare.”