Page 85 of Her Rugged Guardian

I remained with the engine idling for a few seconds after the light turned green. I wasn’t entirely certain what to say to her. The fact Malcolm had used the excuse of the fire to try to intimidate her was about the worst thing the man had done over the years and he’d done plenty to alienate folks in town. His father had far too much control, Malcolm doing everything to follow in the man’s footsteps.

It was obvious Malcolm would stop at nothing to get his hands on the B & B. I’d heard through the grapevine the man was attempting to have a casino approved, but he also had other irons in the fire. Now I believed he was capable of bodily harm to get what he wanted.

“What does that mean, Jake?” Cassandra asked a few seconds later. Her quiet calm was almost as unnerving as the events a few moments before.

“It’s complicated.”

“Everything is at this point. You shouldn’t have punched him. You just gave him fuel and he’ll use it. I know men like him. Hell, I lived with a man who took advantage of people for two years. I know what I’m talking about.”

“Maybe I made a mistake, but no one threatens you.”

“Jesus. I can take care of myself. I know that’s foreign to you but a man like Malcolm Robinson isn’t going to get the better of me. That’s my mother’s property and he can’t have it.”

“While I admire your conviction, as I told you before, the man has far too much influence and power in this town.”

“Then we fight it the only way we can, with laws.”

I couldn’t help laughing, glancing in the rearview mirror to ensure we weren’t being followed. At this point, I wouldn’t put anything past Malcolm or the men he had working for him. “The entire Robinson family flies under the radar and always have. They break laws at will, bending them to their needs.”

“And your sheriff buddy won’t help?”

“He can’t, Cass. His hands are tied. He’s tried and almost lost his job attempting to bring the Robinsons down. The people on the city council really run the town, but they’re paid well for their assistance and their silence.”

“Like Jeremy.”

“Exactly. They are closely knit, a tight little bond.”

“They’re taking kickbacks,” she said, half laughing.

“It happens everywhere but in a small town, there’s no chance of beating it. They feed off each other. Snakes in the water.”

“So you’re telling me I should give up? Just sell the Tangerine Sunset?”

“No. I’m telling you that we’re in for a fight. I’ll do what I can to help you but it’s an uphill battle.”

“One that’s worth it to me. If we find evidence of what you’ve told me, we will win.”

I wanted to tell her there was no chance, but I knew the girl well enough to realize that would only spur her on.

“What about this fire? I need to know,” she said, the tremor in her voice keeping my anger fresh. The memories evoked were ones that I could no longer ignore.

“It means I couldn’t save the little girl. The fire burned hot at the school. There were propane tanks located near where the fire originated. I knew the risks and ignored all the safety precautions, determined to save her. I tried to get to her but there were several small explosions, parts of the roof collapsing all around me. If I’d have allowed my captain to handle the situation the way he was trained to do, maybe she would have remained alive.” I finally pressed his foot on the accelerator after hearing a horn blast.

As I rolled through the intersection, the touch of her hand on my arm had a calming effect. She was the one who deserved comfort at this point. She also deserved to have a hero taking care of her. If only I could be that man.

“My God, Jake. It was an accident.”

“That’s not the way the fire inspector saw it or my captain for that matter. I risked the lives of every firefighter who was there that day in their effort to save me.”

“That’s how you received your scars.”

I pounded my fist on the steering wheel. “I deserved to die. That little girl perished because I hesitated. I couldn’t go through a wall of flames.” The hatred I’d felt for myself came rushing to the surface all over again. I knew that’s what Malcolm had wanted, to shut me down so I wouldn’t be there to protect Cass. The bastard thought he knew me so well. He knew nothing about me or my strengths. If he wanted a fight, that’s exactly what he’d get.

She took several deep breaths, squeezing me with her fingers. “You need to forgive yourself.”

“Yeah, well, the entire town doesn’t think so.”

“That’s not true and you know it.”

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