Lost in Flames (Lost Series Book 2) (2 page)

She backed away and stared down the hall again. "No. I just don't like hospitals."

That's when he noticed Seth and Marcus coming toward them. Seth was the inspector and his little sister's ex. A douche bag. Marcus, on the other hand, happened to be the closest they had to a detective and an all-around good man.

"Mike, what are you doing here?" Seth asked with disgust. Not a surprise considering they'd barely spoken since he'd cheated on Sophia and started a fight at the bar when she and Cooper began seeing each other.

"I brought Mrs. Wilson to check on…" With a tilt of his head, he motioned a hand toward her and found himself a little too interested in hearing her name.

"Tessa," she squeaked out.

"Well, Miss Tessa, we've got some questions for you. I'm Marcus Jones, and this is Seth. He's our arson investigator when needed." Marcus eyed her clothes then cocked his head. "The doctor already released you?"

She shook her head, frowning.

A snort came from Seth and Mike balled his fist to fight the raging need to punch the asshole. It took a lot of effort and he was just poking a hungry bear. Mike didn't like confrontations, but Seth had landed on the list of people he'd love to knock out one good time. Or two.

"Please, I've really got to go." She darted her eyes down the halls again with her arms circling her stomach.

Something wasn't right and the others picked up on her behavior, too. If it wasn't fear, then he needed to practice more on cues, because surely, that sense of alarm and panic he felt around her had to be her problem.

"We've got some concerns about the fire. Instead of it having one starting point, there seem to be multiple. This fire was set on purpose." Marcus watched her closely.

Mike hadn't noticed while he was in the home, but this made sense from how fast the fire had spread. And, she didn't seem shocked to hear the news.

"I don't know how this happened." She avoided looking them in the eyes, except for those few seconds she captured his in a trance.

"Is there anyone trying to hurt you or would want to hurt you?" Marcus had his notebook in his hand.

Small white teeth latched onto her bottom lip as she shook her head.

"If you're scared of someone, we'll protect you." When the man reached out to touch her shoulder in reassurance, she jumped back.

"No! I'm fine. I wasn't going to be in town long, so I'll just leave sooner than planned. Maybe someone is angry with Mrs. Wilson or something. They could have just overlooked that a person was staying there." She kept looking around.

"Ma'am, you don't understand. This is now an investigation. There'll be no leaving until we find out what happened. Right now, you're our only suspect. "

"I'm under arrest?" She uncrossed her arms and then instantly hugged herself again.

Mike really wanted to do that for her. It took a lot to keep himself from doing so.

Chapter Two

"No, Ma'am. However, you can't leave town until this is settled, for the sake of the investigation and your safety. Even if you think this fire had nothing to do with you, we can't risk it. You'll have a police officer with you until we know what's going on." The officer looked a little older than the other two men standing there.

Tessa didn't like standing in the hall with the large men. They were intimidating. Except maybe the first one. Something seemed familiar about him. The air grew thick as if they were using all of it and leaving her without any.

It didn't matter either way. She couldn't trust anyone. That had become her motto.

She needed to leave, but it wouldn't happen if she was under investigation. After too many days of no sleep, at least not nearly as much as a person needed, she finally nodded off in her bed. To wake up coughing from the smoke surrounding her had proved a nightmare. Maybe not her worst, which said a lot about the direction her life had turned.

When she attempted to get out of the room, the door was jammed and wouldn't budge, and the window was useless. Either way, she didn't really know how she'd have made it out the window without breaking bones. That would've been preferable to burning alive. She remembered thinking he'd finally won right before she passed out.

Luckily, he didn't, but the day would come when he would. She couldn't make it forever without him catching her. She hated the thought that he'd be the reason for her death—that he'd relish the act of killing her. That being the cause of even a small glitter of happiness for him sufficed for her to consider taking her own life. The thought had crossed her mind until she realized it would mean he still won. She made a pact with herself to never stoop to that level and she planned on keeping it.

"Ma'am?"

Their accent in the small country town was different, and so were their manners. Living here seemed like being on a whole other planet, compared to New York. She could go the rest of her life without ever stepping foot in a big city. She prayed that she never had to return to the only home she'd known. Even if she could go there without worrying about him finding her, she wouldn't. Too many awful memories; the good ones were also tainted with bad.

"Where will I stay? I checked and Mrs. Wilson was the only person in town with a place to rent. The hotel isn't even open." She hated that this happened. If they pulled her record, she'd be screwed. He had cops on his payroll, and it was obvious he'd already found her, which was why she needed to run fast.

"I could look into something for you; until then, we have a backroom with a place to sleep at the precinct," the older officer offered.

At least, he didn't seem to believe she'd set the fire. The look he gave her appeared more sympathetic than suspicious. He felt sorry for her. The other one caused her stomach to twist. His eyes looked too much like— No, she couldn't keep thinking about him.

The familiar one hadn't said much. He was handsome with short blonde hair and a slight golden tan covering his skin. He held a camo hat by his side. He'd been respectful enough to remove it inside a building. She'd even noticed the golden specks in his blue eyes. No man had interested her in the slightest manner in the last two years. Strange then, how she found him attractive. She'd never really been one of those girls into country boys, going more for well-groomed business types in tailor-made clothes.

Look where that got you.

"I'd rather not." She'd just stay in her car. "Shit. I'm guessing I'm out of luck with my car keys?"

The curse slipped from her mouth and she blushed. How unladylike.

"If they were in the house, then yes," the one she tried not to look at answered.

His deep voice did something to her. Even when he spoke she was drawn to him. None of it made sense. She neither wanted nor needed any man. So why did this one capture her attention? Whatever this total stranger was doing to her added to the list of reasons why she had to get out.

"Tessa!" Mrs. Wilson came toward them faster than the older woman should be moving. She stopped and took a deep breath. "Thank goodness you're okay! What in the world are you doing out of bed and talking with these men? Y'all should be ashamed for bothering her when she should be resting."

How comical was the way the men looked like scolded children and muttered in unison, "Yes ma'am."

"It's fine, Mrs. Wilson. I was already up when they stopped me." She hated that the nice woman lost her home because of her. "I'm so sorry about your house."

She blew a raspberry out her mouth. "Oh, don't you worry about that. I was more concerned about you. Thanks to our wonderful firemen, especially Mike here."

When she chanced a look at him, he blushed. His name was Mike and now she knew he'd been the one who'd carried her out of the burning house. She remembered waking up for a split second and seeing his face. That's why he looked familiar. Now she got it. He'd saved her life and she was just feeling gratitude. Most women would love being rescued by a handsome fireman. It was never on her bucket list, but with him— She shoved the thought far away in the back of her mind and prayed it stayed there.

"It was you." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I had a vague recollection of waking up to an angel."

Seth burst into laughter and Mrs. Wilson slapped him. "You hush up. He
was
her angel."

"Now that we've established Mike is an angel, let's figure out where you'll be staying," Seth said dryly.

"With me! There's no reason for anymore worry." Mrs. Wilson put an arm around her waist.

All of the men shook their heads even as Marcus spoke up. "We can't do that. Someone deliberately set the fire with Tessa in there."

"What? I don't understand." She turned to Tessa and grabbed both of her arms, then, her eyes widened. "Oh, you poor girl. It's an ex-husband or boyfriend, isn't it? No wonder you didn't plan on staying long. Don't you worry yourself any longer. These men will take real good care of you."

Tessa shook her head. "I don't know who's after me. Maybe no one really is." She couldn't let them know the truth. It would only put them all in danger, which was why she needed to get away fast. If anyone ended up hurt because of her, she'd never be able to forgive herself.

"We know the fire was set on purpose. So either someone is after you, or you did it yourself," Seth accused.

He was traditionally handsome, but smug. She hated smug.

"I understand you wouldn't want to stay at the precinct, but it really is the safest place," Marcus said.

Mike stepped closer to her. "I have a room at our place. We can get her out without anyone seeing, just in case, and you can send an unmarked officer to guard outside of the house."

Our.
Maybe he was married. Though it didn't make sense that he'd want her at his house and put his wife in danger.

"That's actually a really good idea. Mike trained to become a police officer, but chose to stick with firefighting. I'm not sure what happened. Either way, he can be extra protection," Marcus agreed.

She wasn't so sure. "You said
our
. I wouldn't want to put your family in danger. I mean
if
someone is really after me."

"It's me and my brothers. We all know how to use guns. Doesn't matter though; right now Nick is away at football camp and Jacob is out of town." He stared into her eyes, causing her heart to beat faster. "My sister moved out a while back, so there's an extra room."

He seemed a little old to be living with brothers or even roommates, but that thought still didn't take away from the attraction.

"That's perfect! You should really stay with the Johnsons. If the brothers were back, it just means you'd be safer. Mike is a good boy and so are his brothers. I'm still concerned about Nick, but he would take care of you. Just don't fall for his charms." She grabbed Tessa's hands. "I know this is frightening, but you'll feel protected with all those big men around."

All those big men alright.

A cleared throat had them all looking. "Why is my patient out of bed?"

Maybe she should jump back into bed and stay at the hospital. That way she could keep her distance from the handsome firefighter. She must've ended up with a head injury during the fire. That would explain the weird feelings having a party inside her.

"We have reason to believe she may be in danger. Once we know she's healthy enough to leave, then we have to move her to a safe location," Marcus said.

"I've gone over everything and you can be released now. I need to see you back in a couple days." He shook the men's hands and then hers. "I'll see you soon."

"Alright. Let's get you out of here."

Next thing she knew, she was changing into scrubs, wearing Mike's hat, which smelled really good, and then being escorted out of a back door and into the muddy truck.
What happened?

It had been really nice of him to offer help, but she couldn't allow herself to go on like this. No one, not even the sweet and way too sexy firefighter, could help her escape her ex. He'd get to her sooner or later and she couldn't watch someone else die while protecting her. Sean's face popped in her head and she dropped her chin, begging the tears to stay away. There was no time to cry or grieve over her friend. Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

"I know you didn't really want to do this, but I can assure you it will be much better than staying at the precinct. There's only one woman, and the men there would be a little overwhelming for a city girl like you." He turned off on a gravel road. "I'm not sure when Jacob will be home, and Nick will be back in a couple of days. I think camp ends Friday. Hopefully Jacob will be gone until then, too. That way you can get settled and they'll know more about who started the fire."

She already knew the answer. If only she could tell them and it could really be over. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen. A powerful family like Richards, her ex, was unstoppable.

"Look. I'm not an idiot. You know who's doing this and you're not telling us. I get it. You're scared of whoever it is. This is all for your safety and you should really take this seriously." He parked in front of a two story home.

She focused on the house, trying not to cry from what he'd said, and muster up the courage to respond to his statement. The place looked just like the one she would see in a magazine. A real country home. The only things missing were cows, horses, chickens, and other farm animals. The white house had blue window shutters and front door, and a porch wrapped all the way around it from what she could see. Flowers grew around the porch. She didn't have a clue what kind they were, except for the pink roses on each side of the steps.

This should be how every home looked. Not the city apartments she'd grown up around. There should be happiness, not pain and sadness. Not murder.

"I am taking this seriously." How dare anyone believe she wasn't? He didn't know her and he sure as hell didn't know what she'd gone through or what she'd lost. What others had lost. "Thank you for offering to help, but don't assume you can judge me. I've had enough of that."

She got out of the truck and jumped when she saw the cop car pulling in. She'd forgotten about the patrol vehicle following them. Something landed on her arm and she jumped again. Even knowing it was just Mike's hand didn't help. Not when his touch had her tingling low in her stomach.

"It's okay. Come in and get settled. You can wash up while I make dinner. Are you hungry?" He went up the steps. The roses were beautiful. She stopped and leaned in to smell them. "What are you doing?"

"I've never really been near roses in a garden. Just the ones you put in a vase. They smell the same, but these just seem like they belong. Like they'll live forever. The cut ones always die."

He stared at her. Probably because she was talking like some insane lady. "I know these don't live forever either… Yes, I'm hungry," she added, then shut herself up.

"Okay. I'm sure I have something I can throw together. Maybe not as good as your city girl food, but you shouldn't be too disappointed." He opened the door and stepped out of her way.

She walked in and then turned back to look at him. "Why do you keep calling me city girl? I could be from—"

"Don't even say it. I know country girls and you are not one. I don't mean anything bad by it, but it's true." He motioned for her to follow.

From everything she could see, the house didn't look like three men lived in it, despite the muddy pair of boots at the door, and the house did smell like men. She'd expected more dirty clothes and old food left out though. None of that. Maybe they had someone cleaning up after them. A girlfriend who occasionally stayed over.

The jealousy began to creep in and she shook her thoughts away. If Mike had a girlfriend, then it should've been better. She could stop worrying about the attraction she felt for him.

"Here's the shower. I can get you some shampoo and stuff later. For now you can use mine." He pointed at a dark grey bottle of body wash and shampoo in one.

She watched him leave the bathroom and heard the creak of a door open and then close. He came back with a towel and washcloth. "Thank you."