Page 36 of Rescued Dreams

“Who says I’m looking for it?” Ridge wanted to know how, suddenly, someone knew Amelia was the one living at the house. All Gary had said was “firefighter girl,” so they knew that the woman who lived at the mansion—or behind it, in her case—was a female firefighter. Was it common knowledge around town that it was Amelia?

Surely people didn’t know she was the daughter of the former chief.

No one at the firehouse knew except him. There was no way it was public knowledge. It wasn’t like she even spoke about it, let alone flaunted her personal connection to a dead criminal.

And yet Gary, or one of his friends in Last Chance County, had discovered her secret.

It couldn’t be because Ridge had been there or because Kane and Maria had told the wrong person. No way.

More like Gary was connected to whoever had been breaking into the house to look for the money.

Gary chuckled again.

“I’ll be asking again later who told you about all this. Because you shouldn’t know, and you just tipped your hand that you do. Which putsyouin the middle of it.”

Gary blustered. “I’m in New Mexico. I ain’t in the middle of nothin’ but your mama’s attempt to photograph every sunrise and sunset and every horse in the whole ever-loving state.”

“If you aren’t nice to her, we’re gonna have a problem.”

“Like we already didn’t.” Gary hung up.

Ridge leaned his head back against the headrest and groaned.

Della glanced over. “That sounded like fun.”

“My stepdad is a piece of work.” Ridge sighed. “It’s a good thing he doesn’t live nearby, or we’d probably get into fights.”

The radio on the strap that ran from one hip to the opposite shoulder crackled to life. “Truck 14, vehicle fire. Multiple-vehicle collision. Multiple victims.”

The dispatcher reeled off the address, an intersection in the middle of town over by the hospital.

Ridge grabbed the radio. “Truck 14 responding.”

“I guess it’s gonna be a busy day.” Della flipped on the lights and sirens and changed lanes.

Ridge felt a hand pat his shoulder. He twisted around to Amelia, who frowned and lifted her chin. She said, “Your stepdad?”

“I’ll fill you in later.” Ridge wanted to tell her but wasn’t going to air what he’d thought was private information in front of the others.

Unless Amelia hadn’t kept it from anyone outside the firehouse. Perhaps there were plenty of people in town who knew she was the daughter of the former chief. But he was pretty sure no one in Eastside Firehouse had known. So did that make them the losers who hadn’t figured it out? He didn’t like the idea of coming across as dense. Not when they needed the cooperation of the general public to do their jobs.

Della turned the last corner, and he spotted the vehicle wreck. One compact wedged under the hood of a full-size RAM truck, which was now two feet off the ground and sitting on the front end of the car. Flames curled around the sides of the truck hood, wafting dark smoke into the air.

“We need water on that now.”

Izan said, “I’ll get the hose.”

“I’ll help,” Amelia offered.

Della pulled up. “Is that a person in there?”

Ridge shoved his door open. “Let’s find out.” He jumped from the front seat, leaving his phone behind. He put his helmet on, then gloves, went to the front window of the car and peered in. “I’ve got a victim in the front seat.” He moved to the rear and did the same, spotting a crying face in a car seat. “Tender-age child in the back!”

Della grabbed the rear door handle on the other side. “Locked.” She went to the front. “Same here.”

Ridge tried his side. A man came over, ash and sweat on his red face. No hair on his head, and a distended belly under a polo shirt with an emblem on the chest. Jeans and work boots. The RAM driver?

“I didn’t see the car. Not until it was too late.”