Page 55 of Fire Fight

“Fair,” she said. “All I’m asking is that you try.”

“I will, but…” Briefly, I went back and forth on whether or not to share Lane’s early morning visit with her, ultimately deciding I didn’t want to keep secrets and that she deserved to know. “You should know he stopped by here this morning because he found out you’re staying with me.”

“Damn, news travels fast.”

“You havenoidea,” I grimaced. “But he basically told me I was an idiot for getting involved and that you’d be better off leaving town. I suggested he workwithyou instead ofagainstyou, but…”

“But he’s a stubborn asshole,” Aspen finished for me.

“Precisely.”

“I’m prepared for him to say no. But we won’t know unless we ask. Please, Crew,” she begged. Inexplicably, a shot of adrenaline raced through my veins with the word, spoken so like that night in the fire when she was pleading with me to save her. I supposed for her, and for other residents of this town, whether or not Aspen got access to those files could be a life or death situation.

“I–I need this,” she pressed on. “I need to help these families. Helpmyself. Find my strength again. Regain what I’ve lost.”

My goddamn heart melted into a puddle. There was such pain in her eyes, such fear. Was it fear that whoever had done this to her was still out there, lurking in the shadows? Fear of failure? Fear of never being able to move past this, of forever feeling like a victim?

If I had to guess? Likely a combination of all three.

Reaching across the couch, I captured one of her hands in mine, squeezing it tightly for a few heartbeats before relaxing.

Our gazes collided and held.

“Youarestrong, Aspen. One of the strongest women I’ve ever met. You’re like a literal goddamn phoenix risen from the ashesof a fire. Made even stronger because you built yourself back up from the very thing that tried to take you down. Don’t ever forget that.”

Her eyes had gone glassy, and she offered me a watery smile, sniffing back tears before they could fall.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“Anytime. And I’ll talk to Lane. I’ll get you those files.”

I’d do it too. Even if I had to break into the fucking department and steal them.

For her, I’d do whatever it took.

seventeen

. . .

CREW

It tooka week for my brother and I to cross paths, and only because I pulled up to the station at the exact moment he walked outside one afternoon, making a point to wake up earlier than I normally would after spending the previous day on shift.

“Where are you going?” I asked as he came down the concrete path toward his cruiser.

“To interview a suspect.”

He had that shifty countenance of someone who didn’t want anyone—least of all me—asking too many questions, which is exactly why I continued to pry.

“In the arsonist case?”

“Yes,” he gritted out.

“Perfect,” I said happily, throwing myself into his passenger seat when he beeped the SUV open. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, so I’ll ride along.”

Lane’s sigh was exasperated, like I was the most infuriating person he’d ever come into contact with, but he got behind the wheel anyway.

“This isn’t a fire department case.”