Owen (Undercover Billionaire Book 3)

by Melody Anne

  The security she’d once felt here had been ripped away from her. It hadn’t happened in a single instant. No, the wound had been opened slowly, and a little bit more and a little bit more of her had been sliced away as time marched forward.

  Six months ago, the biggest chunk of all had been ripped out of her.

  Some might say six months was plenty of time for a person to get their act together—they might say if a person was still dwelling on events from half a year before, they needed help. Some might say a lot of things. But those who’d say that had obviously never experienced a traumatic event.

  Six months was nothing. It was the blink of an eye. It was less than that. Six months barely scratched the surface of time.

  Eden had lost so much in her life—her mother, her lover . . . and her father.

  She could do nothing about the loss of her mom, whom she didn’t remember, or her father, whom she missed so much it made her heart bleed with the pain. But Owen she could do something about.

  She’d managed to avoid him for a long time—since the night her father had been taken from her. She’d been with Owen when her father had needed her the most, and she couldn’t forgive herself for it. Owen had taken so much from her. And though he’d come back to Edmonds, it wasn’t enough.

  She was no longer that naive teenage girl in love with the boy she was never meant to have. He’d left her ten years earlier, and she’d thought her heart would never be the same. He’d been gone a long time before his first visit back home. But as the years passed, him being gone had become easier for her.

  That is, until he’d decided to make his visits closer together—making sure she knew he was around. It was a game. She knew it was a game. She just wasn’t sure what he thought the winner got at the end of it. She wasn’t sure what he wanted.

  If she could figure out the purpose of her life, she’d be content again. But it seemed once a person’s world flipped upside down, there was nothing that could turn it upright again. There was one thing she knew for sure, and that was that the universe had little minions up above, clasping their hands together and laughing in glee at the misery of these petty humans below.

  It seemed there were only two things on her mind these days: the death of her father and her inability to get over Owen Forbes. Maybe she should just leave, start over somewhere else. She knew for sure that her father had loved her with all he had, knew he wouldn’t want her to be in despair like she was.

  Her father had also loved Owen.

  She pushed that thought straight from her mind. Her dad had called her the night she’d been with Owen. He’d called, needing her, and she hadn’t answered. The guilt of that would bear down on her for the rest of her life.

  Shaking her head, Eden jumped when a car horn beeped. The light had turned green, and it was time to move. She looked ahead at the smoke-filled skies. The wildfire was burning more out of control with each new day. And she needed to go straight for the fire, instead of being smart and running away from it like a sane person.

  But since Eden worked for the only law office in town, and since there was an arson investigation going on, she had to do her job. She couldn’t lose the one lifeline she was holding on to these days. She needed to work, needed to think of something other than the constant misery she was in.

  The people investigating the fire believed it was an inside job, believed it was a local firefighter who’d lit the blaze. Everything within Eden rebelled at such an accusation. She’d grown up in this town and didn’t believe anyone living here was capable of such a destructive act.

  One name on that list had taken her breath away—Owen Forbes.

  She might be furious with him, might be blaming him for all of her woes, but she would never have thought him capable of such an act. But even as she had this thought, she realized she didn’t know him anymore—not the adult version of him. The people investigating this fire were strangers. They didn’t have any biases against this town or its residents. And Owen had barely settled into his new home before the fires had begun.

  What did she really know about her first love?

  She knew the boy, knew his family, but did she know the man?

  She wanted to tell herself that of course she did, but she also had lost faith in herself this past year, faith that she could make a right choice. Someone had deliberately started this fire, just as they’d been starting fires for months.

  Could it have been Owen?

  She’d certainly find out.

  She pulled off to the side of the road and took some deep breaths. The higher into the mountains she traveled, the worse the air quality became. But she still needed what little oxygen there was in the air she took in.

  She picked up the stack of folders on her passenger seat and focused on only one—Owen’s. He’d been a hero time and time again, saving countless lives and properties. He definitely was a man who took risks, especially with his own life, but from everything she’d read at least ten times, she didn’t see what the fire investigators were seeing. She didn’t see any motivation for starting such a deadly fire.

  Of course, weren’t all firefighters risk-takers? Didn’t they get a thrill from rushing in while everyone else was fleeing? It took a special person to don that uniform. Would one of them intentionally light a fire just so they could be the hero who then put it out? Had they been doing that over the past six months only to lose control with this latest one?

  Eden shook her head. It seemed so impossible, even with the proof of numerous cases where firefighters had done just that and had been caught. How many of them got away with their deadly acts? She shuddered to even think about such a thing.

  And out of all the men listed, she had no doubt Owen was addicted to the thrill of it. Adrenaline was a drug he didn’t want to give up. He wasn’t even a wildland firefighter, but he’d been fighting this current blaze for two weeks straight, not a thought in his head for his own safety. He was one of only a few local firefighters in Edmonds who was wildland trained and able to fight the blaze alongside the hotshots.

  Eden didn’t want to be a part of this case. Yes, she needed to work, and yes, she needed to have her mind set on anything other than the death of her father and the guilt she placed on her own shoulders over that. But how was she supposed to do that when this case left her no choice other than to talk to Owen, to be around him?

  Her life was a hot mess, and it didn’t appear it was going to get easier for her anytime soon. She had two choices. She was either going to embrace her job and her task, or she was going to let despair pull her under.

  Eden had never been one to give up. It felt as if she was ready to surrender, but at the end of the day, that wasn’t who she was. She’d allow herself moments of grief and self-pity, but she wouldn’t wallow in them. It was time to lift her chin and do what she needed to do.

  Laying the folder back down, Eden looked up at the smoke-filled sky. She pulled back onto the road, found the turnoff onto the logging road, and began the climb, the visibility growing weaker the closer she came to the blaze.

  Her job was her life now, but at times like this, it really sucked.

  The temperature increased as she neared the hastily set-up rest station where the fire crews could refill their water packs and supplies, grab a quick bite to eat, and maybe even catch a few minutes of shut-eye. This station would most likely be relocated, as the wildfire was overtaking the land at a rapid rate. They weren’t getting it contained as they’d hoped.

  She found the station and pulled over, climbing from her car and wiping her brow, which was now beaded with sweat. Pulling her hand away, she saw the soot there, the air contaminated by the burn she was too close to.

  When a fire decided to let loose, it consumed everything in its path, including people. But a fire gave the average person a chance, gave them little warning signs, such as ash floating to them through the air, extreme heat waves, and a roaring sound that had a normal person’s heart accelerating.

 
Those foolish enough to play chicken with a deadly fire should be aware of their probable fate. Eden looked around, seeing nothing but destruction and death. It was beyond depressing to see these beautiful trees turned to ash, to see the lush ground blackened.

  Eden approached a group of men in a large tent. She heard their frantic voices, and it instantly put her on edge. There were men out fighting the blaze, and the white-haired fire chief speaking into a radio seemed visibly upset. Something was wrong.

  “Owen, you damn well better answer,” the man said. Eden felt her gut clench as a wave of nausea traveled through her.

  There was only static on the radio, and Eden couldn’t have moved if her life depended on it. As she looked out across the blazing hills, she realized her life very much could depend on it. Usually it wasn’t the flames that killed a person, she tried assuring herself. No, normally it was smoke filling your lungs that ended your life. That was at least the less painful way to go. Though that offered little comfort at this moment.

  She glanced into the hills and didn’t see anyone or anything running toward them. That only made her sicker. Where was Owen, or the other men the chief was trying to reach?

  There was silence as several men gathered around the man with the radio. They were waiting for a reply. When minutes passed with nothing, she saw sorrow in their eyes. It looked to her as if they’d lost three of their own up there. With the way the flames were leaping, it could very well be the case.

  Eden’s entire body felt numb. She’d been praying to get over Owen, to move on with her life, but this was something she’d never wanted. The thought of life continuing on as if nothing had happened in a world where Owen wasn’t present was so incomprehensible to Eden—she couldn’t even imagine it.

  Even not having him in her life, she still got glimpses of him, still watched as he lived his life. She didn’t want to watch, didn’t want to need to know what he was doing, but it gave her an odd sort of comfort. She couldn’t suffer another loss of this magnitude, not so soon after losing her father. Tears streaked down her dirty cheeks without her being aware.

  It took several moments for Eden to process the joyous shouts escaping the crew of firefighters as they began running forward. Eden shook her head as she lifted it, the weight of her skull feeling too heavy to move. But as she gazed forward, she saw two men carrying a third out of the dangerous trail that seemed to be getting eaten by flames at their heels.

  It appeared as if they had a bubble around them, protecting them from impending doom. The firefighters who’d been at the tent took over carrying the unconscious man, rushing him forward to where they had medical beds set up. It would take an ambulance at least twenty minutes to reach this point. It would probably be faster to drive the man to town even if it wouldn’t be the most comfortable ride.

  As they moved closer, Eden saw the singed flesh on the man and realized he wouldn’t be waking up for any ride. He was going to be lucky to survive his injuries. She had to fight back the urge to throw up. There was too much going on, and she needed to help where she could, not be a burden in this dangerous situation.

  As the group of firefighters drew closer, she saw that the other two men who’d come out of the flames were limping. It appeared as if all three of these men had been caught unaware, had been in serious danger, barely making it back.

  Though the temperature at this camp had to be more than one hundred degrees, Eden felt her skin grow cold as she laid eyes on one of the men, his face covered in black soot, making it impossible for her to know how injured he was.

  Shouts could be heard as the men barked orders, and one firefighter took off for his station wagon. The legs of a bed were hastily cut off as the men put the injured fireman, who was now groaning, on it. They rushed him to the car, carefully placing him inside.

  One of the men climbed in next to him, making sure he wouldn’t get too jostled as they rushed down the mountain. She prayed he’d be okay, prayed the men had gotten him out in time. She hated herself a little bit for being grateful it wasn’t Owen on that bed.

  As she had that thought, her gaze came back up, and she looked at one of the other men who’d emerged. He was wobbling on his feet, and another of the firefighters grabbed him before he could fall. Her stomach dropped again. It was Owen Forbes, and he wasn’t doing well.

  “Let’s go, Owen. You both need medical attention,” the chief said.

  “I’m fine, Eric. I just need water,” Owen replied, his voice unrecognizable, it was so raspy.

  “Shut up,” Eric replied.

  Owen sagged as he was led to a truck and practically stuffed inside.

  And just that quickly, he was gone. Eden’s knees gave out as she sank to the ground. Not one person noticed her, and she was grateful.

  She’d come to question these men, to try to figure out who had started this fire. Though it seemed impossible it could have been any of these men, especially Owen, she’d much rather see one of them behind bars than six feet below the ground.

  Her wounds, which were nowhere near close to being healed, felt as if they were being ripped wide open again. She should quit this job . . . but she knew she wouldn’t.

  Her town was about to go up in flames, and she was determined to stop it.

  Chapter Five

  Owen lay on the bed in the ER, his body twitchy now that he’d worn an oxygen mask for the past hour and was finally able to take in deep, healing breaths. But he was done lying around. The damn hospital staff wouldn’t release him until he was signed out by a doctor.

  There was a fire that was currently kicking all their asses, and he needed to get back to work. His toes twitched as he cursed beneath his breath . . . waiting . . . and waiting . . . and more waiting. He was about to explode.

  The door to his room opened, and Owen let out a groan as the doctor walked in, a big smile on his face. Dammit! He was never getting out of this room now. Payback was a bitch, and currently his big brother Kian was heading his way, looking as if he had nothing at all pressing on his agenda.

  There was no greeting as Owen looked at Kian. “Can you sign my damn form so I can get back to work?” Owen demanded. “I don’t need this IV drip or all of these stupid tests.”

  Kian grinned as he picked up Owen’s chart and carefully looked it over. Though the smile stayed in place, Owen was aware of the concern in his brother’s eyes as he looked back up at him.

  “You came pretty damn close this time, didn’t you?” Kian asked, the words clearly a chastisement.

  “You can’t fight a fire without getting close,” Owen pointed out.

  “That’s not what I meant,” Kian said. “You have some minor burns, but it took nearly an hour to get your oxygen levels stable, and you’re still dehydrated.”

  “I feel fine,” Owen insisted. “I’ve been through worse.”

  A shudder passed through Kian as he gave Owen that older-brother stare that had always driven him bonkers.

  “You can be the tough guy when you’re out in your element,” Kian told him. “But right now you’re in my world, and you don’t go anywhere until I feel it’s safe for that to happen.”

  There was zero room for argument in his brother’s voice. Owen knew when it was time to back down. This wasn’t just a brother thing, either; this was probably the first time Owen had really looked at his sibling like the top-notch doctor he was. Dang. That was a strange feeling. He was actually proud of him, even if he was currently being a huge pain in the ass.

  “It got pretty sketchy out there,” Owen admitted. He didn’t want to talk about this. If he talked about it, then it became more real. The more real it became, the easier it was to allow fear to set in. The worst enemy for a firefighter was fear. If you second-guessed yourself, it could easily be your life.

  “Your buddy isn’t doing as well as you,” Kian said with a wince. “That’s why it took me so long to get in here.”

  “Dammit!” Owen thundered. He’d known Trevor was in for a painful recovery, bu
t that look in his brother’s eyes told him Trevor wasn’t going to get better. “Don’t tell me you can’t fix him.”

  Kian shook his head. “It isn’t over yet, but if he does make it, he’s going to have moments where he wishes he was dead.”

  “How much of his body is burned?” Owen asked.

  “Seventy percent,” Kian said.

  “I thought we were getting a handle on this thing. But today the winds shifted, and the fire exploded. It happened so damn fast,” Owen said, his voice quiet.

  “I’ve been seeing too many firemen this week,” Kian told him. “I should put away the scrubs and head for the hills. We need more people out there.”

  Owen smiled for the first time in so long he didn’t know when his lips had last turned up. “As much as I trust you with my life and like having you by my side, I think you’re needed here a hell of a lot more than up there.”

  Kian sat down next to Owen, giving him a clear view of his face. His brother had circles beneath his eyes, and Owen had no doubt the man was working double and triple shifts to keep up with all the injuries. Kian didn’t need to do that, but none of the brothers could look the other way when they were needed. It was why Owen had so much respect for his family.

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t know what in the hell I’m doing out there, anyway,” Kian said. “Did any other firefighters get shipped to the ER in Seattle?”

  “I don’t think so,” Owen said. “I think it’s just John, Trevor, and me causing trouble today. I knew better than to let that bitch surround us like that.” Guilt was consuming him.

  “For one thing, you’re trained for wildland fighting; it’s not your primary job,” Kian scolded. “For another, you’re definitely not responsible for what happened today. Whoever set the fire is responsible. The weather’s responsible, and the damn flames of hell are responsible, but you are not.”