Page 155 of Here With Me

“It was worth the wait. I missed you, though. And don’t think we’re skatin’ past the comment Damien made.”

Damien laughs, and I glare at him. He’s been my only family for a long time since I stopped talking to my parents years ago, but we still give each other shit.

“If I’d known that was all it’d take to wake ya up, I woulda come sooner.”

“How long has it been since the fire?” I ask.

“Three days,” Noah says. “They’re still goin’ through a lot of the rubble and doin’ a full investigation. Craig’s in the burn unit on life support. It’s not lookin’ good for him though.”

“Holy shit.” My heart races as I think back to who hit me. It was a tall guy who was scrawnier than Craig. “Pretty sure he had an accomplice because I saw someone on the other side of the barn before I got hit.”

Before we can continue the conversation, the nurse comes in. She asks about my pain level, checks my oxygen line, then brings me water. She warns me that I’ll have a scratchy throat and some coughing for a while, which is normal for having smoke inhalation. Then she tells me the doctor will be in later to discuss my treatment and when I can expect to be discharged.

“Where’s Jase?” I ask once she leaves.

“Um...” Noah lowers her eyes, and Damien’s lips turn into a frown as if he can sense something’s wrong. “He’s not comin’.”

“W-what do ya mean?” I ask gruffly, then sip more water.

“I’m gonna go so y’all can talk. I’ll be back tomorrow,” Damien says, patting my arm. “Glad you’re awake.”

“Thanks for comin’, man.”

“Ya know I always will.”

Noah’s glossy eyes stare at me as she waits until we’re alone. I’m not sure what’s going on, but the tension makes me uneasy.

“What is it?” I ask, my heart pounding as anxious nerves settle into my veins.

“Jase was missin’ for the first twenty-four hours, and no one could find him. I called, texted, contacted his work, and even had Waylon go to his place. Eventually, we gave the sheriff notice so he could keep an eye out for him, too. As far as I knew, he hadn’t been located, and since he hadn’t returned my calls, I hadn’t expected him to barge in here when I was clingin’ to you.”

Shit. I exhale a deep sigh.

“I take it...he knows, then?”

“The nurses told him his dad’s girlfriend hadn’t left his bedside in two days, and he put it together when he saw me. He didn’t even give me a chance to explain or tell him the full story. Took one look at me cryin’ next to you and walked right back out.”

Closing my eyes, I wish I’d been the one to tell him. Instead, he’s stewing in anger and feeling betrayed.

I place her hand on my chest, longing to hold her. She looks devastated. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I shoulda told him so he didn’t find out that way.”

“We couldn’t have known Craig and Ian were gonna torch the barn, and you’d get in the middle of it,” she says.

“Ian?”

She nods. “Caught him on camera.” Then she lowers her eyes again. “He didn’t survive.”

I blink a few times as if that’ll change the words she just said. “W-what? Why would Ian work with Craig? I hadn’t realized they knew each other.”

“Me neither, and I dunno. My guess is they met at the fundraiser or Ian reached out to him after I’d kicked him out. I was shocked.”

Even if Craig makes it out of the hospital, he’ll go to jail for arson and possibly manslaughter.

“Did ya ever find out where Jase was when no one could find him?” I ask.

“Yeah, the sheriff told me they found him at his friend’s mountain cabin a few hours north. They went fishin’ on the boat, and he had no cell service. He woulda had to have left town shortly after leavin’ my house or early the next mornin’ before I called him. Not sure it was planned because he never mentioned it to me.”

“Probably a guy from work. He’s talked about someone invitin’ him up for a weekend, but it coulda been last minute, who knows. That’s interestin’ though because he never used to like fishin’.”