Leaning over, I steadied my breath as I brushed twigs and dirt from my knees. My bloody knees.
My body ached, the palms of my hands scratched all to hell.
As the ache seeped into every muscle and bone, I limped toward the river. Maybe my nerves were still getting the best of me and I’d seen nothing at all. If that was the case, why was a cold chill drifting all the way down my spine on such a warm day?
A physical shudder tore through me and in looking at the backside of the old barn, I noticed the scorched earth leading to what I’d been told was the starting point of the fire. The path led all the way to the water, and the river was shallowest in this location, eventually moving to being parallel with the fence.
Which meant the arsonist had used the road coming in, and the river to hide his footprints, the few he’d made covered up by the fire. While I’d heard the explosion had rocked the entire area, if he’d been smart, he’d been sitting in his vehicle before the explosion. He would have simply driven off without so much as a scratch.
That didn’t help whatsoever. Unless I found evidence with a fingerprint or direction connection, all the sleuthing in the world wouldn’t do me any good. With my right leg still sore as hell, I was ready to find something to sit on.
A gleam of afternoon sunlight created a spark of light, a tight shimmer filtering through the canopy. I looked up, shielding my eyes. The light was being reflected and amplified by whatever the light was hitting.
With my eyes narrowed, I searched the riverbank until I found the source. A lighter. A silver refillable butane lighter like the one everyone who used to smoke carried. Whether they had their initials engraved on the case or there was a picture of something they loved or a location like a bar they frequented, they used to be all the rage.
Not any longer.
Kneeling, I peeled it from the mud, surprised at the weight.
More footsteps and I shoved the lighter into the pocket of my jean shorts, standing just before Viper trudged toward me, his expression stern.
“Did you see anything?”
He kept walking, heading toward me, scooping me into his arms in yet another reminder he was all male.
His only comment?
“Woman, you have some explaining to do.”
CHAPTER 18
Viper
The woman was going to drive me absolutely nuts.
What was I saying? She’d already managed to do so in only a few days. You bet I’d enjoyed her company. And I’d been allowed to let my guard down around her. The passion was off the charts and I was thankful for having a roof over my head.
But my God, she was determined to solve the crime herself.
Not that I blamed her. After all, I was the kind of man to handle justice myself, knowing the system couldn’t give a shit.
However, she was a woman, a stunning hardnosed woman determined to push her way into any situation. Not that I didn’t admire her chutzpa either. I did. Yet with her demanding I let her go the entire time I carried her toward the house, I’d grown beyond frustrated.
“You can stop pounding on my chest because I am not letting you go. Not until I clean your wounds.”
Grace’s entire face wrinkled in disapproval, and she almost managed to slip from my arms. That did it. I allowed her onto her feet but before she could get away, I tossed her over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“You are kidding me! Let me down.” She pummeled those small fists against my back like a drum.
I wasn’t in the mood for her antics. Maybe she hadn’t realized what she’d admitted to me when sending me off on a wild goose chase. “In a minute, princess.”
She jerked her head up. “Why are you calling me a princess?”
“Would you prefer I call you a spoiled brat?”
“You are… Oh!”
That comment cost me a few more strikes on my back. I could take it. I was a tough guy. Who couldn’t help grinning. Once inside and in the kitchen, I tossed her on the counter, slamming my hands on either side of her and putting my face only inches from hers. “Now, you’re going to be a very good girl and tell me where your hydrogen peroxide is and hopefully you have a first aid kit. Then you’re going to stay right here until I come back.”
