Page 12 of Ink and Ashes

Holland

T he seventh—and largest—fire this year is still burning eight days later.

The crew at the station has been stretched thin between working on that one and fighting the eighth fire, which popped up a few days ago.

Thankfully, fire eight was caught early and easily controlled since it was near the road and in an area without much fuel.

It’s been put out now and was cleared by FI, so I figured I’d come check out the scene to see what I can find.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve visited the sites of several other fires, but some are so deep in the forest that I’m hesitant to venture into them alone.

I’m good with maps and I have the coordinates, but I don’t want to risk getting lost in unfamiliar forests during wildfire season.

Besides, I’ve unfortunately come up empty at all of the ones I have visited, so I don’t have high hopes for the others.

Maybe this one will be different.

With each day that passes that I find no actual evidence of my theory, I wonder if coming here was a mistake.

If I’m making a fool of myself by searching for something I’m not even sure is there.

Even if I am right, the fire department seems to have things under control.

They don’t need my help, and I’m beginning to think my time may be better spent somewhere else.

But I’m not ready to give up quite yet. This last fire only spanned a total of 0.09 hectares by the end, but the one that’s still burning now covers over 10. I just have to cross my fingers that something at one of the scenes points to arson.

“Rhodes, what the hell are you doing here?” a rough voice calls from behind me, pulling me from my thoughts.

I spin around to find Colson marching over to me, then roll my eyes. I assumed they’d all still be out at the scene of fire seven trying to finish getting it out, but clearly that was wishful thinking.

“I’m doing my job,” I snap back, unwilling to let this grouch of a man tell me what I can and can’t do.

Colson shakes his head. “Where did you even come from?” he mutters under his breath. “You’re everywhere these days.”

I know he’s not actually asking, but that doesn’t stop me from telling him anyway. “Toronto,” I say with a smile. “And yes, I am.”

He rolls his eyes. “You’re an awfully long way from home.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he adds, “You can’t be alone out here—this area isn’t secure. The fire was only put out yesterday, and we need to do another walkthrough to make sure there are no more hotspots.”

“Shucks, Lieutenant,” I tsk. “You saying you care about my safety?”

His jaw flexes, but he doesn’t grant me a response.

“Respectfully, this is public property. The fire is out, and should another appear, I’ll call it in. I’m not going anywhere, and you ”—I poke my finger against his firm chest—“can’t make me.” I cross my arms. “Besides, isn’t there another fire that needs your attention right now?”

“It’s almost out, so the other half of our team is helping BCWS finish up there while we do the same here.” His eyes move over my body, assessing me.

As I watch him watch me with a curious but frustrated glint in his eye, I find myself wishing I could read his mind. What I wouldn’t give to know exactly what he’s thinking .

“Great,” I mutter sarcastically. “Well, I’m not leaving.”

He rolls his eyes, groaning. “One of my guys is coming with you then.”

I smirk. “You volunteering?”

He doesn’t flinch. “No.”

Shaking my head, I blow out a breath. “I don’t need protecting.”

“And I don’t need a civilian getting caught in a fire on my watch.”

Realizing this is a fight I’m not going to win, I sigh. “Fine.” I glance past him at the other firefighters. “Can I pick?” I tease, and I swear I see smoke come out of his ears.

Colson narrows his eyes, ignoring my request. “Dom!” he calls, and one of the firefighters comes running over. “Rhodes here is doing some investigating ,” Colson says, putting air quotes around the word, and I roll my eyes. “Do you mind going with her in case she stumbles upon any hotspots?”

The firefighter, Dom I now know, glances between Colson and me, agreeing easily.

“Sure thing, boss.”

After raking his eyes over me once more, Colson turns and storms back to the group.

I watch him leave, admiring the view of him from behind. He may be infuriating as hell, but he’s also the finest man I’ve ever seen.

His khaki cargo pants somehow show off his perfectly sculpted ass and muscular thighs, and his uniform tee is pulled taut around his biceps and broad chest. His left arm is covered in nature-scape tattoos, and there’s a tree with birds flying around it peeking out from beneath his shirt sleeve on his right.

I know from when I saw him shirtless that those birds spread up his shoulder and over his right pectoral—doves, I think.

Resilient. Loyal. Two words that I imagine describe the fire lieutenant well.

I’ve never found tattoos that attractive, but Colson makes them look damn good. So good that I almost forget Dom is standing next to me until he clears his throat.

“Sorry,” I say, feeling my cheeks flush .

He huffs a laugh, but thankfully doesn’t say anything.

“Allow me to introduce myself.” I hold my hand out to him. “I’m Holland Rhodes. It’s nice to meet you, Dom.”

He grinds his teeth together, wrapping his hand around mine. “I wish I could say it’s nice to meet you too, but according to Lieutenant Caldwell, you’ve been nothing but trouble so far.”

I smile. “Lieutenant Killjoy has a stick up his ass. Seems to me like he could use some trouble to shake things up a bit.”

“Good luck with that.” Dom laughs, shaking his head.

“Colson’s been burned, literally and metaphorically.

It’s not my story to share, but the press has targeted him in the past. He hasn’t been the same since, and he struggles to let people in because of it.

Especially people from the media. There’s a reason for the stick up his ass. ”

Dom grimaces, realizing he’s talking about his lieutenant’s ass. I chuckle, but the ominous tone surrounding Colson’s issues with the press makes me all the more curious about him.

“Just cut him some slack,” Dom adds. “If there’s something to find, he’ll come around eventually.”

I’m not so sure about that, but I nod anyway.

“So, what can I help you with?” he asks as we begin to walk deeper into the forest.

“Do you know where the fire started?”

When Dom nods, my shoulders slump in relief. While I have a rough idea of where it started thanks to the BC wildfire map, finding the exact location is tricky as someone who isn’t well-versed in all things wildfire. Colson making Dom come with me might actually turn out to be a big help.

“Perfect. I want to see if there are any clues as to how it started, and your lieutenant insisted that I don’t venture into the woods alone,” I tell him, ignoring the thought that Colson might actually care .

“Well, he was right about that. For reasons beyond it being wildfire season, it’s best not to be out here alone.”

“Thanks for coming with me then.”

He stops walking, so I do the same. He shifts his weight from one foot to another, then says, “Caldwell told me you suspect the fires are a product of arson.”

I nod.

“You really think someone could be setting these intentionally?”

I shrug. “Think about it. You guys just finished fighting your eighth fire in two months. That’s double the usual number of fires you see by this time of year, and three of them have been significantly larger than the size you’re used to seeing in this area.

And I know what you’re going to say—that it’s been a dry year with lots of lightning storms, that you’ve had years like this in the past. But in all the research I’ve done so far, there are signs that point to arson. ”

“I actually wasn’t going to say that,” Dom admits, and my eyes widen.

“I do think Fire Investigation has gotten lazy with our jurisdiction over the past few years and started labelling things as natural or unknown without looking deeper into it. I’m not saying I think arson is involved, but I don’t think every fire has been caused by lightning. ”

My brows raise in surprise. “You must be the only one on your team who thinks so.”

“I have some expertise on the subject the others don’t possess.” My brows pull together, but before I have a chance to ask what he means, Dom adds, “Tell me more.”

I get to work explaining everything I’ve gathered so far—from the fire maps I’ve studied, to the weather reports on the days the fires start, to the ways they’ve been reported. Nothing is concrete, but it’s enough to cause Dom’s brows to pull together, a look of suspicion crossing his features.

Finally .

“You believe me?” I ask, excitement rushing through me.

“I wouldn’t go that far, but I’ll admit that these things are cause for concern. Especially the radius.” He continues leading me further into the forest. “What does someone like you even know about fire investigation anyway?”

I roll my lips together, my shoulders tensing.

“Sorry,” he says. “That was rude. ”

“No, it was true. I don’t know much about wildfires, but I’ve done a lot of research over the past few weeks.

I haven’t found much to support my theory, but I still have a gut feeling about this.

My gut has rarely steered me wrong, so I’m really just counting on luck being on my side at this point. ”

“Well, looks like it is,” he says with a chuckle.

My brows tighten as I glance up at him, waiting for him to explain.

“I’m currently taking a course on fire investigation.”

Relief floods me. That must be what he meant by expertise. I wonder if that’s why Colson picked him.

Maybe my theory isn’t as far-fetched as Colson’s made it out to be.

Or maybe he just wants someone who knows what they’re talking about to take a look , my subconscious reminds me.