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“I do, indeed.”
“Anyway, she tried to get things under control but couldn’t find the fire extinguisher and ended up fleeing the scene. By the time we got there, nothing could be done to save the building. In the course of the investigation, we started digging into the manager’s world and found out about the split with the wife. Went to talk to her, and she ended up breaking down in the interview and admitting to the whole thing. It was a damned mess, even though the investigation itself wrapped pretty quickly.”
“Sounds like. Don’t know that we’ll be eliciting a blanket confession like that on this one.”
“Hope springs eternal. Gotta figure out who we can put some pressure on. Thanks for your thoughts. I’ll pass them on to Chief Carson.”
Recognizing the conversation was done, I shoved to my feet. “If I can be of any more help, just let me know.”
“I will. And McNamara, about this thing you’ve got going on with Caroline Carrera.”
I tensed. “What about her?”
“Just watch yourself. Make no mistake—I think she’s a nice girl. But trouble sticks to that family like sandburs, and I don’t want to see you get caught up in that.”
“I can handle whatever trouble comes my way.”
“I hope that’s true, son.”
The blare of the alarm cut off any further reply I might have made. I bolted from Thompson’s office, heading straight for my locker. It was time to suit up and roll out.
10
Caroline
“Welcome home! Thank you for helping.” I wrapped Ford in a hug and found myself enveloped by big, burly arms that hit me even higher than they had when he’d been home at Christmas. “My God, did you grow again?”
Ford laughed and scooped a hand through his mop of brown hair that was well past needing a cut. “Thank you. You’re welcome. And yeah. I’m up to 6’ 3” now.”
“What are they feeding you down in Georgia?” He’d headed to UGA on a track and field scholarship, so I expected him to be in good shape, but this was getting ridiculous.
He patted his flat, muscled abs. “Anything I want.”
“You men and your ridiculous metabolisms,” I groused. “Jace, bring it in.”
The last of the Wayward Sons stepped in for a hug himself. “Good to see you, Caroline.”
“Likewise.” I pulled back to study him, noting the shadows in his eyes that hadn’t been there last time he’d been home.
Something big on his mind.
He’d sort it out with the boys. And if he didn’t, I could do a little sisterly poking. What was the point of having three extra unofficial brothers if I couldn’t treat them all like family?
“So, you and Hoyt McNamara, huh?” Ford prompted.
I glared at Rios. “Seriously? You already told them?”
“Hey, I didn’t tell them anything.”
“Actually, I heard it from Mimi,” Ford admitted. “She’s delighted, by the way.”
I’d always loved Delilah Washington. A free-spirited, hippie-type artist, she was an unexpected partner to Ford’s biological mom, Florence Donoghue. But the two women had a bond like no couple I’d ever seen, and they’d been unofficial moms to the rest of us. Given we were all missing solid maternal figures in our lives, that had always been appreciated. But damn if the woman didn’t adore her gossip.
Because they were all staring at me expectantly, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Things with Hoyt are complicated.” That had been my party line, and I was no closer to an actual decision on whether we were real or fake dating than I had been when the initial question was posed. After the whole sort of fight we’d had about him paying for any home improvement materials, I wasn’t even sure if real was still on the table. I hadn’t seen him during his two days off before he went back on duty.
“Well, yeah, dating your landlord could end up a sticky situation,” Jace pointed out.
I narrowed my eyes. “The thought had occurred to me.”
