Page 25 of Rescued Dreams (Last Chance Fire and Rescue #8)

TWENTY-FIVE

“Y ou know what I’m thinking?”

Amelia looked over at Maddie, on the other side of the huge picnic blanket the twins had brought over from the town house.

All because they hadn’t wanted Amelia to be alone and hadn’t wanted the group split between two houses, with both needing Kane’s and Maria’s protection.

“I’m going to regret saying yes, aren’t I? ”

Maddie looked at Ella, and they both smiled as if they knew what each other was thinking.

Which, of course, they didn’t because they weren’t telepathic.

But given they seemed to be on the same wavelength and shared moods as if their emotions mirrored each other, they probably got the gist. It made Amelia wonder what that would be like.

The girls had insisted they order pizza but have it delivered to the monstrosity, coming over here like it was a field trip.

Now the five of them sat on the blanket with two pizza boxes in the center, only one slice remaining.

Kane had finished at least four while Maria ate three small slices.

Amelia had done the math on the rest and concluded three each for her and the twins, which meant one of them hadn’t finished their third.

Which wasn’t surprising, since Backdraft cut their slices huge. But they did make great pizza.

Sitting here thinking about something so…normal meant this was one of the best dinners Amelia had enjoyed in months. Hanging out with Ridge’s family, even if he wasn’t here, chatting about anything and nothing in the light of all the candles Maria had brought in.

The girls had been curious about the house as soon as they’d found out where she lived and that Kane and Maria were staying here.

Hence the field trip.

A thick pad and sleeping bag, and a pillow and backpack had been slid over to the corner, out of sight of the window. Either Kane’s or Maria’s.

The kind of people who roughed it because someone was in danger. Who put their plans on hold to help out. Amelia had enjoyed getting to know them a little.

Maddie leaned back on one hand, her legs crossed in front of her. “Laser tag. Or those dart gun battles.”

Amelia laughed. “That’s what you’re thinking?”

“We set the place up for rent—like parties and stuff like that. Put in some obstacles, blind corners and obstructions. People could pay to run around the house for a couple of hours. Play capture the flag.”

Maria said, “We could set up some black lights and put some paint on the walls. Make people who wear certain colors show up bright in the dark.”

“Smoke machine.” Kane nodded. “Definitely a smoke machine.”

Amelia shook her head. “It’s October. Do you know how many people have stopped by to find out if I would rent the place for a Halloween party or haunted house?

It happens at least twice a week. I usually just clear the place out, leave the doors unlocked, and go hunker down in my cabin for Halloween if I’m not working.

People do whatever they want, and I clean up in the morning. ”

“You could make some serious money renting it out,” Maddie said.

Amelia shrugged. “That’s not really my goal.”

“It’s Maddie’s goal.” Ella grinned. “She never has enough cash.” The quiet twin swept some napkins together and dropped them in the empty box, closing the lid. She grabbed her fizzy water can and finished the last few drops.

Maria lifted the pizza box, but Kane intercepted it and stood.

“I’ll go throw this out.” He headed for the door.

Amelia eyed the twins. “College is expensive these days, and saving for something you really want is a good thing.” Sure, it was generic advice that not many people would argue with. But that was why she was comfortable saying it.

Amelia assumed that was what Ridge had been steering them toward, and she didn’t want to contradict his wishes for the twins. He was every bit their father as well as their much older brother, and she loved seeing the side of him that showed paternal care.

She had learned more about what a father should be in those moments than she’d ever learned from her own father.

And it made her fall for him a little bit more. As if she needed another reason to know he was an amazing guy. She wondered if he had any flaws she would discover the more they got to know each other.

Amelia had spent so long pushing to get people to believe her, respect her, or value her. It wasn’t so surprising she felt as if she didn’t measure up to a great guy like Ridge. He’d told her to take herself to God and ask for forgiveness—as if the past could be washed away. Gone.

Sure, it was tempting to believe it. But was it true?

Maddie turned the screen of her cell phone to show Amelia.

“A pair of jeans?”

Ella giggled.

“I tried them on at the store.” Maddie sighed. “They’re two hundred dollars, but when you put them on…they feel like butter. They’re so soft.”

“Two-hundred-dollar jeans?” Amelia hadn’t been aware such things existed.

Ella laughed aloud. “That’s what Ridge said.”

Amelia smiled, the teen’s laughter infectious.

Maddie pouted, lifting her phone to take a picture of herself and her sister. Did she want to capture the light in her twin’s eyes when she laughed? Amelia figured the picture turned out amazingly.

She was about to ask to see it when the doorbell rang through the house.

Kane came back in, his phone out. “It’s the cops. I got the motion alert while I was in the kitchen.”

“The cops?” Amelia stood, brushing her hands on the legs of her non-buttery jeans.

Kane lifted his chin. “Let’s go see what they want.”

Because he was the kind of guy who had nothing to fear from local cops. Even when they could have called to ask any question they might have rather than driving all the way out here.

He opened the front door, and Amelia introduced PD Lieutenant Alex Basuto and Detective Jessica Cartwright to Ridge’s cousin, who shook both of their hands.

See? He had no fear of the police.

She knew better than to assume she would be considered innocent. Amelia didn’t invite them in. “What can we help you with?”

Jessica deferred to her superior even though she was likely the investigating detective. Basuto was only a little taller than Amelia, with dark, handsome features and a stocky build. His wife was scary—but less so these days when she had a brood of kids running around her.

Kind of like Jessica, whose husband had been a troubled teen hacker but, after working for the police department for years, now worked for a private agency.

People who had come through difficult circumstances and suffered hard times and now got to live out their happily ever after. But things like that didn’t happen to people like Amelia. They happened to folks like Ridge and his family. Bryce and Penny. Kane and Maria.

Lieutenant Basuto said, “Amelia Patterson? Or is it Amelia Hilden?”

Her stomach clenched. “It’s always been Patterson. I don’t know why you’d think I go by Hilden.”

“Seems like a wise choice. If you’re looking to create distance between you and a man who terrorized this town.”

“Yeah? Just the town?” Amelia wasn’t going to roll over and get stepped on just because her biological father had been an evil tyrant. These people didn’t know her, and they might think they knew her father, but they only knew what he’d done. Not who he’d been when no one else was around.

They didn’t know about the mind games.

Basuto frowned. “We need you to come to the police station for questioning. Understand, you aren’t under arrest, but your cooperation in answering the questions we have will go a long way to establishing some goodwill with the department.”

Kane shifted a fraction closer to her. “Questions about what?”

“Voluntarily accompanying us to the police station isn’t an admission of guilt. On the contrary, it’s a way for you to state your case and your innocence in this matter.”

He wasn’t going to answer the question.

Amelia folded her arms. “What matter?”

Jessica’s expression shifted, her lips thinned, but she kept the rest of her features steady. Even if she didn’t like this and how it was going down, there wasn’t much she could do. Defying her superior wouldn’t go well.

Amelia figured Basuto thought Jessica might actually consider Amelia the victim, and that would make her unable to be impartial. Which meant they had reason to wonder if she was guilty.

But guilty of what?

Basuto said, “It’s regarding the incidents at fire scenes.”

That was all the two of them were willing to tell Amelia. She had to ride in the back of the police car, and they didn’t answer even one of her questions. Even Jessica said nothing but, “We’ll be there soon, and then we’ll get all this figured out.”

It took forever to actually get to the interview room, a tiny box probably designed to look like a prison cell. One table, four chairs. A huge one-way glass window so whoever was next door could listen in without her knowing they were there.

When Basuto finally said, “Please have a seat,” Amelia slumped into it, completely exhausted. Not good. She needed her wits about her if she was going to survive this guy and his questions.

Jessica sat beside Basuto, across the table from Amelia. “Coffee? Water? Anything else?”

“No, thank you.” Even in a police station, she wasn’t going to accept a drink she hadn’t witnessed being made. Too many times she’d allowed even a tiny risk, and it had backfired in her face.

Jessica set a manila file on the table in front of her. “I understand you’re aware that information was provided to us regarding the identity of whoever ran from the fire scenes recently.”

“Thankfully, no one was hurt.” Amelia sat back in the chair.

“Then I was nearly killed in the training house, which is why I’m not at work right now.

” She looked at her watch, but the time wasn’t really a factor.

She didn’t want to think about how long this would take, but considering it was after nine already, it would be a late night.