by Melody Anne
Again, this took her plans and burned them to ashes, but it also made her feel as if she wasn’t continually messing up. It made her feel as if she was simply living her story. Someone else was in charge—someone else was responsible.
“It might be that Owen’s not on my suspect list anymore, but there’s something that’s been nagging at me. I know it’s stupid, but maybe if we talk about it, I can push it from my mind completely,” Eden said when she’d worked up the courage.
Roxie smiled as if she had no worries in the world. “Don’t tell me you think it’s Kian,” she said. “I’m not raising these kids on my own. He’s not getting off that easy.”
Eden sighed. “I know this is stupid. Really, I do,” she said. But she might as well move forward. “What about Declan?” she asked.
Roxie’s eyes widened in shock.
“Why in the world would you think it’s Declan?” she asked. There wasn’t judgment, just disbelief.
“Do any of us really know him?” Eden asked.
“Yes,” Roxie said with assurance. “He’s honorable. He’d never take a life without one hell of a good reason, and he certainly wouldn’t risk the life of one of his siblings.”
“I know . . .” Eden threw up her hands in frustration. She needed a bad guy, and Declan was scary. But it was so stupid that it wasn’t even worth talking about, so she wasn’t sure why she’d even brought it up.
“There’s no buts in this,” Roxie said. “I know you desperately need to find a bad guy, but I’d bet my life on this, Eden. It’s not Declan. Don’t waste your time investigating him. There’s a real bad guy out there, and the sooner he’s found, the easier it will be for all of us to sleep at night.”
“I’ve known that all along. I just need to solve this, and he is pretty damn scary. You have to at least admit that,” Eden said.
“I can fully agree on that,” Roxie told her with a laugh before grabbing her hand. “And you definitely do what you need to do, but just know that in the end, you’ll find that Declan is always the hero—never the villain.”
Eden walked away knowing she already believed what Roxie was saying. She’d just had to get the thoughts out there for her friend to say what she needed to hear. She was also more frustrated than ever before.
One thing was for dang sure. Maybe it was time she started believing in fate again, because it seemed it was playing with her a hell of a lot.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
There wasn’t a lot of fanfare when Owen was called into his chief’s office and shown the paper releasing him back to work. He was officially off the suspect list. He should be glad about that. He was happy . . . but . . .
Eden was out there alone, and someone was after her. It seemed all he wanted to do was keep her safe. He had no idea who was coming after her, but it was killing him to be at the firehouse, suiting up with men he loved and respected, instead of ensuring her safety.
He had to remind himself there were plenty of people keeping an eye out for her, but there weren’t nearly enough firefighters to get this damn blaze under control. If they didn’t stop it, the fire would consume them all. He was keeping her safe by doing his job. It was just so odd for him for the first time in his life to want to run from the fire. And it wasn’t fear for himself; it was a need to take care of her.
There hadn’t once been a time in his career when any person had come above his job. Not even his best friend, the one he’d moved away for. Yes, he’d stayed away to help him, but the minute he’d been on the job, that had been his focus. Only Eden had ever been able to consume him—she was so much hotter than any flame he fought against.
If something happened to her . . .
Owen shook his head. He wasn’t going to do her any good if he got himself killed, and if he didn’t get his head in the game, that’s exactly what he’d do. Having your head anywhere else but the current situation when dealing with an unpredictable fire was suicide.
Too many people had already been injured, and he didn’t want to add to the burden he knew his chief was already carrying. Owen could prioritize, and right now he needed to be here with his crew, needed to be an asset to the team.
But no matter how much he tried to talk himself into being in the present, he couldn’t seem to jump out of the past. He had left Eden behind when he’d gone to New York, and though they hadn’t been together, she’d been with him the entire time he’d been there.
The first time he’d walked into that New York fire station, he’d been just a green nineteen-year-old kid. The chief had sized him up and smirked. Owen had looked him dead in the eyes and told him he was going to be the best damn firefighter he’d ever seen.
The chief had taken that as a challenge.
Owen had never worked so hard in his life. They’d put him through the paces, but he’d come out the other end stronger than he’d ever been and feeling proud of his accomplishments.
Time had passed in a blur while he’d been in New York, and he’d tried telling himself he was doing the right thing—the only thing he could do. He had to be away from his family to protect a friend and to become a man.
It hadn’t taken Declan long to find him, and the fury in his brother’s eyes when he’d faced him had made Owen realize why so many people feared Declan. Owen hadn’t been afraid, of course, but he’d realized he’d hurt his family in his quest to help his friend and find himself.
He’d promised never to do that again.
And for the first year he’d been in New York, he’d thought he’d be able to put Eden from his mind. He knew he’d been a fool to leave without saying goodbye, but he’d also known if he had attempted to tell her he was leaving, one look from her would’ve stopped him dead in his tracks.
Love was a funny thing. It bound you so tightly to another that it was impossible to know where you ended and they began. He’d thought he’d get over her in time, but his feelings never disappeared.
He’d had moments where his heart hadn’t ached so badly, but those had been few and far between. The only thing that had truly brought him happiness was when there was a hose in his hands and a scorching fire before him. But as soon as the adrenaline rush was over, he’d go back to his small apartment to find his friend there, and the ache would nearly consume him.
He couldn’t seem to do anything without thoughts of Eden. He’d walk to his favorite coffeehouse and see a couple leaning across a table whispering intimately to each other and remember all the times he’d done the same with Eden. A walk in the park felt cold and empty. A woman’s laughter would make him spin around, hoping to find Eden coming toward him.
Yes, the nostalgia had ebbed through the years, and that’s why he’d waited so long to make his first visit back to Washington. But his feelings had never disappeared. And now he was home, and all he wanted was to have her in his life. He knew he’d messed up, knew he had to make it up to her.
She would trust him again. She would give him more than just her body. He’d prove he was worthy of standing beside her—not in front, not behind, but right at her side. They’d carry each other. He liked being a hero, but for her, he could admit he just might need rescuing.
When Owen realized how long he’d been sitting in his current fire station lamenting over the past, he shook his head with a rueful smile. Eden was always with him. She was his past, his present, and if he had anything to say about it, his future.
She might not believe in fate anymore, but he did, more than ever. They were meant to be. It was only a matter of time.
Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the men who looked exhausted but still wore determined expressions. He had so much respect for each one of them. He smiled, feeling slightly guilty that he’d had a few days off, that he’d been able to recharge his batteries.
“Damn, man, you in uniform is a beautiful sight,” one of the guys called out.
“Someone has to carry the dead weight around here,” Owen replied with a smile.
“Yeah, easy for you to say. Have you be
en sitting with your feet in the pool while drinking mimosas with your pinkie finger out?”
“Something like that,” Owen said with a grin. “But I guess the powers that be actually believe I’m not guilty of lighting my town on fire.”
“That was bullshit,” another of the guys said.
“Yeah. Assholes,” another added.
“They’re just doing their job,” Owen said, feeling generous. “Besides, if it was someone on our crew, we’d want to know they were doing their job right.”
There were grumbles all around, as these men knew each other better than they knew their own families. The thought of any of them being responsible for something this destructive was too outrageous to even contemplate.
“The fire’s nearing that ritzy new community. We’ve already had calls from the governor and mayor,” Chief Eric said as he approached the group. “Let’s see if we can save our city.”
“Damn right we will,” Owen told him.
The chief clapped his back as he turned and walked away. All joking was cast aside as the men decided on a plan of action. Hopefully no one was making any more cocktails to blow more of them up.
The next ten hours were hell. The fire pushed at them, and they pushed back. But at the end of the day, they won. Not a single house went up in flames, and they managed to shift the direction of the fire. It still wasn’t contained, but it was taking a turn through the mountains instead of coming closer to their town.
Owen was oddly energized as he walked into the station, his face covered in black, his uniform the same. He guzzled down some water and chatted with some of the crew when the chief walked in. The expression on his face told them it wasn’t good news. They all went silent.
“The hospital called,” he said.
“Please, no,” one of the men said.
“Trevor’s family is going to terminate life support. It’s time.” The words were short and to the point. Owen felt numb. Trevor was just a kid, and his life was ending because someone had a vendetta. It was sick and unacceptable. And the person who had done this would pay. If it was the last thing Owen did, he knew he’d make the person pay.
Chapter Thirty
Owen walked into the hospital and found Eden standing there talking with one of the nurses. Several of the firefighters were coming and going. Trevor’s family was letting them say goodbye before they did what needed to be done.
Though Owen wasn’t a man to break down, he felt on the verge of doing just that. His eyes were burning as he neared Eden. He hadn’t been expecting her there, but he was damn glad she was.
“I heard,” she said, fear and sadness in her eyes.
“Will you come in with me?” he asked.
She nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek.
The two of them walked to the end of the hallway. Owen stopped and gave Katrina a hug. She and Trevor had been married less than six months, but they’d known each other since they were kids. She was losing her husband and best friend.
“I’m sorry, Katrina. I’m sorry I didn’t get him out in time,” he told her. He knew this rested on his shoulders. He should have kept Trevor from danger.
“He loved you so much, Owen,” she said before she had to stop. He held her close as she shook in his arms. Eden stood next to him, her own tears streaming down her face. “And I know you loved him, too. Please don’t blame yourself. He was doing what he loved, living the only life he could live. He would’ve died for you. I don’t want to lose him, but I can’t be selfish anymore. He needs us to let go.”
Owen felt his control slipping as a solitary tear escaped before he could stop it. He hated feeling this weak.
“I should’ve saved him,” he told her.
“You gave him all you had, and you were there to train him to be the best. This fire just doesn’t give a crap about any of that, and it keeps on taking lives. It has no mercy. Don’t you dare put this on your shoulders,” Katrina told him.
She leaned back and placed her hands on his cheeks and gazed at his face. He was fighting desperately not to lose it.
“I know you don’t need me to say it, but if there’s anything you ever need, I’m here for you,” he told her.
“I know that, and it matters more than you could ever imagine,” she told him.
She stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Then she turned and looked at Eden. “Please take care of him,” she said.
She let Owen go and walked over to her family. Her father pulled her into his arms and held her while she sobbed. Owen grabbed ahold of Eden’s hand, and the two of them walked into Trevor’s room.
The monitors were beeping, the only indication of any life in the room. Trevor’s body was covered in gauze and blankets. He was utterly still. They approached his bedside, and Owen looked down, feeling pain unlike anything he’d ever felt before. This kid had been special to him.
“I should’ve done more,” he whispered.
Eden squeezed his fingers but said nothing. She knew words wouldn’t help him right now. Nothing but capturing these men would help.
When he finally did look at Eden, she was shaking as tears dripped from her chin. She couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from Trevor. Owen was barely holding on, and seeing her so broken was making it that much worse.
“Let’s go,” he told her. “He can’t hear us, but I believe he can feel us.”
“This could be you,” Eden said, her words barely audible. “This has been my worst nightmare from the time I learned you chose to be a firefighter. This could be you. I couldn’t handle it, Owen. I couldn’t handle the pain—I couldn’t bear to have you ripped away from me like this.”
He didn’t know what to say as he gazed into her anguished face.
“It’s not me, Eden,” he finally told her. He tried to pull her into his arms, but she backed away.
“You don’t understand, Owen. Everyone leaves me. Everyone,” she told him. “I can’t take it. And if this was you, if you left me like this, it’s forever. The job you do is necessary. It’s heroic and beautiful. You save people, and I never want to take that from you,” she insisted. She was stepping farther away from him. He wanted to go after her, but he knew she couldn’t handle it.
“I love you, Eden,” he said, not knowing what else to say.
“I know. I love you, too,” she admitted. There was so much pain behind the words, though, that he knew she wasn’t saying it to tell him they were going to be okay. She was saying it almost as an accusation. “But I can’t . . . I just can’t.”
She turned and walked from the room, leaving him alone. He turned back and looked at his friend, at the broken body lying on the bed. Trevor’s family was going through so much pain right now. Would Owen one day put all those he loved through the same? Was his need to save the world causing those he loved the most unbearable agony?
Was it time for him to accept help? Was it time to admit to himself there was only so much he could do? Maybe.
“Goodbye, my friend,” he whispered as he looked at Trevor one final time. Then he turned and walked from the room. He needed to alter his life. He was going to start making those changes right now.
He punched the wall, a satisfying crunch echoing through his house as a giant hole appeared in the drywall. His body was shaking in rage.
Three men stood before him, fear visible in their eyes and their shaking bodies. With a poise he was known for, he moved across his office and sat down at his desk before looking up with steely eyes.
“Why are they still alive?” he asked.
One of the men stepped forward, clearly the leader of the three of them. He was trying to be brave, but he was weak, just as most people were.
“We’ve been trying to kill them, sir. They are just a hell of a lot smarter than most people,” the minion said.
He didn’t blink as he pulled open a drawer, never taking his eyes off the man. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at the guy, watching for only a moment as the man’s eyes widened.
He put a bullet in the center of the minion’s forehead and watched him drop to the floor. He looked on as a satisfying red stain spread out across his wood floor. Only then did he look up at the other two men, who hadn’t moved.
They were clearly terrified, but he had to give them props because they didn’t try to run. Good. He hated wasting bullets on a man’s back. It was much more satisfying to shoot them while they looked at you.
“That’s how you kill someone,” he said. “See how easy that was?”
Neither of the men said a word as he gripped his gun tightly, not even the smallest of tremors shifting his focus. He thought about what he wanted to do next. His temper had evaporated as quickly as it had arisen.
Exercising the swift arm of justice, he fired twice more, killing the other two men who were useless to him. Then he turned and looked at the man in the corner of the room. His eyes were cold, no fear showing in them.
“Clean up this mess, and get the job done. I’m sick of excuses,” he said.
The man nodded.
He put away his gun, then stood and walked from the office.
All traces of his operation were being eliminated from this stupid town. Soon, it would be over, and he’d be gone. But not before he took care of a few of his worst pests. They weren’t going to get to go on living their lives when they’d messed with the wrong person.
No. They’d pay for the trouble they’d caused him. They’d pay with their lives.
Chapter Thirty-One
It was getting late, and Eden found herself heading to the lake. She could see the glow of the wildfire lighting up the evening sky, and something drew her near it. With Owen back to work, Eden’s world was beginning to crumble. She’d let him in again. She was a fool.
His job was deadly, and she didn’t want to be that loved one on the other end of a phone call telling her he wasn’t coming home. She didn’t want to be the person who had to choose whether to pull the plug or not.
Something inside of her asked if it was worse to not get the phone call, though, to not know if he was okay. She wasn’t sure which was worse. She knew whether she was with him or not, she’d hurt beyond repair if something happened to him. The pain would be unbearable if he was no longer in the world. It was all so damn confusing. She didn’t know how to process it.
