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“We can slow down now.”
Testament to all his years as an elite firefighter, Joseph only took it down to a very fast hike. He was winded but determined.
Logan didn't want to blame his mentor for what had happened, not when he probably couldn't have done anything about it. But it was time to make some command decisions. Screw Joseph's independence. He was coming to live with him. It was the only way Logan could make sure something like this didn't happen again.
A sudden vision of his house on fire backhanded Logan. He'd been so worried about Joseph that he'd temporarily forgotten that his house was gone.
Fine. He'd move in with Joseph while he rebuilt. Although maybe this time around, he hoped he'd have to plan enough space for a wife. And children.
“What the hell happened?” Joseph asked again.
Logan weighed his words carefully. “I'm not completely sure. Maya and I went to the cabin and saw that you were gone.”
Joseph rubbed his chin as he tried to work out what had happened. “All I remember was waking up from a nap and seeing Dennis's girlfriend in my living room, holding up my gear. She said she wanted to see what I looked like in it. She helped me put everything on.”
Jenny? “Is that the first time she's done that?”
Joseph nodded. “I haven't put these on in years. Not until she mentioned it.”
Logan's mind reeled with the implications. Was it possible that Jenny was responsible for the Desolation Wilderness fire? For the motel fire? For Robbie's explosion and the car bomb too? Had she been laughing inside as he'd practically begged her to spend time with Joseph, to “take care of him”?
She'd taken care of him, all right. She'd tried to send him straight to his death.
But why?
“Did she send you out here with a chainsaw? Was this her idea for you to come out and fight the fire?”
Joseph's thick gray brows furrowed over his eyes. “I don't know. I can't remember much of anything else.” He shot Logan an apologetic glance. “You were right. I should have gotten on that plane to Hawaii. I almost killed us both out here.”
“Forget about it. We made it out alive,” Logan said gruffly.
But Maya was still in the cabin. And Logan had never been so scared in all his life. Because if Jenny had written the letter in the firebox in Maya's hotel room, her intent was clear: “I've often dreamed of seeing your long hair on fire and watching your soft skin melt down to the bone.”
“Maya's in your cabin, Joseph. She's waiting for us. I left her all alone. She could be in trouble.”
For all he knew, Jenny had been waiting in the wings to see if they'd made it out of his house alive.
Joseph picked up the pace. “Let's go get your girl.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
MAYA QUICKLY assessed her surroundings, looking for something she could use in self-defense, and decided the fireplace poker was her best bet.
“Actually,” she said in a perfectly calm voice as she slowly made her way toward the fireplace, “I'm glad you're here. I've been wanting to talk with you.”
Jenny frowned. “With me? About what?”
Maya forced herself to sit down on the arm of the couch beside the stone fireplace. “I'm worried about Dennis. About some of the things he's told me.” If she could convince Jenny that she thought Dennis was the guilty one, maybe she could escape.
“What kind of things?”
Maya waved one hand in the air. “You know, about his relationship with his dad and Logan. And the competition between them.”
Jenny smiled viciously. “Dennis hates Logan.”
“Really? Why?”
“He's jealous. After all, Logan's so much better-looking. So much better at everything. Everybody loves him.”
Maya's heart thudded as Jenny moved toward her. The poker was almost within reach. She'd never hurt anyone before, but she'd do whatever she needed to do to make sure this terrible woman sat behind bars for the rest of her worthless life.
Jenny got a dreamy look on her face. “I love him too, you know.”
“Of course you love Dennis,” Maya said, purposefully misunderstanding Jenny's intent. “He seems like a great guy. And very devoted to you.”
“Not Dennis, you idiot. I'm talking about Logan. I love Logan. We were meant to be together.”
Maya edged closer to the fireplace. “Does Logan know you feel this way about him?”
“We would have been together if it weren't for you. I was there. I saw you six months ago.”
“Where did you see us?”
“When you and Logan started your f**k-fest. I walked in and heard you talking.”
“The bar was empty,” Maya stated, but now that she thought about it, she'd been so upset about everything that she supposed she could have gone past a crowd of people and been blind to every last one of them.
“I forgot my wallet after the lunch shift and when I came back I walked in on you. Not that either of you noticed. You were too busy sucking face. And after that he didn't want anything to do with other girls anymore. He was under your goddamned spell. What did you do to him?”
“I didn't do anything,” Maya said honestly. He'd rocked her world and she'd left him stone cold.
“Like hell you didn't,” Jenny spat. “He hasn't touched another woman since you left.”
He hadn't touched another woman.
Had their stolen kisses meant as much to him as they had to her? Maya was deeply moved by Logan's behavior, even as she continued to face Jenny.
Jenny's rant continued, unrelenting in its fury. “He stopped coming into the bar. I hardly saw him anymore. He was supposed to be mine.”
Maya swallowed. “I'm sorry.” She forced the words out between her lips, hoping they sounded somewhat sincere.
“No you're not. You're f**king him again, aren't you?”
Maya jumped to her feet. “No.”
“Don't lie to me.”
Maya followed Jenny's eyes to the corner of the folded photo sticking out of her pocket. Just as Jenny grabbed it, Maya's cell phone fell to the ground, and Jenny stomped it hard with her boots.
Maya stared at the busted phone and tried not to focus on how much trouble she was in. Hopefully Chief Stevens had heard her whisper and was on his way.
o;We can slow down now.”
Testament to all his years as an elite firefighter, Joseph only took it down to a very fast hike. He was winded but determined.
Logan didn't want to blame his mentor for what had happened, not when he probably couldn't have done anything about it. But it was time to make some command decisions. Screw Joseph's independence. He was coming to live with him. It was the only way Logan could make sure something like this didn't happen again.
A sudden vision of his house on fire backhanded Logan. He'd been so worried about Joseph that he'd temporarily forgotten that his house was gone.
Fine. He'd move in with Joseph while he rebuilt. Although maybe this time around, he hoped he'd have to plan enough space for a wife. And children.
“What the hell happened?” Joseph asked again.
Logan weighed his words carefully. “I'm not completely sure. Maya and I went to the cabin and saw that you were gone.”
Joseph rubbed his chin as he tried to work out what had happened. “All I remember was waking up from a nap and seeing Dennis's girlfriend in my living room, holding up my gear. She said she wanted to see what I looked like in it. She helped me put everything on.”
Jenny? “Is that the first time she's done that?”
Joseph nodded. “I haven't put these on in years. Not until she mentioned it.”
Logan's mind reeled with the implications. Was it possible that Jenny was responsible for the Desolation Wilderness fire? For the motel fire? For Robbie's explosion and the car bomb too? Had she been laughing inside as he'd practically begged her to spend time with Joseph, to “take care of him”?
She'd taken care of him, all right. She'd tried to send him straight to his death.
But why?
“Did she send you out here with a chainsaw? Was this her idea for you to come out and fight the fire?”
Joseph's thick gray brows furrowed over his eyes. “I don't know. I can't remember much of anything else.” He shot Logan an apologetic glance. “You were right. I should have gotten on that plane to Hawaii. I almost killed us both out here.”
“Forget about it. We made it out alive,” Logan said gruffly.
But Maya was still in the cabin. And Logan had never been so scared in all his life. Because if Jenny had written the letter in the firebox in Maya's hotel room, her intent was clear: “I've often dreamed of seeing your long hair on fire and watching your soft skin melt down to the bone.”
“Maya's in your cabin, Joseph. She's waiting for us. I left her all alone. She could be in trouble.”
For all he knew, Jenny had been waiting in the wings to see if they'd made it out of his house alive.
Joseph picked up the pace. “Let's go get your girl.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
MAYA QUICKLY assessed her surroundings, looking for something she could use in self-defense, and decided the fireplace poker was her best bet.
“Actually,” she said in a perfectly calm voice as she slowly made her way toward the fireplace, “I'm glad you're here. I've been wanting to talk with you.”
Jenny frowned. “With me? About what?”
Maya forced herself to sit down on the arm of the couch beside the stone fireplace. “I'm worried about Dennis. About some of the things he's told me.” If she could convince Jenny that she thought Dennis was the guilty one, maybe she could escape.
“What kind of things?”
Maya waved one hand in the air. “You know, about his relationship with his dad and Logan. And the competition between them.”
Jenny smiled viciously. “Dennis hates Logan.”
“Really? Why?”
“He's jealous. After all, Logan's so much better-looking. So much better at everything. Everybody loves him.”
Maya's heart thudded as Jenny moved toward her. The poker was almost within reach. She'd never hurt anyone before, but she'd do whatever she needed to do to make sure this terrible woman sat behind bars for the rest of her worthless life.
Jenny got a dreamy look on her face. “I love him too, you know.”
“Of course you love Dennis,” Maya said, purposefully misunderstanding Jenny's intent. “He seems like a great guy. And very devoted to you.”
“Not Dennis, you idiot. I'm talking about Logan. I love Logan. We were meant to be together.”
Maya edged closer to the fireplace. “Does Logan know you feel this way about him?”
“We would have been together if it weren't for you. I was there. I saw you six months ago.”
“Where did you see us?”
“When you and Logan started your f**k-fest. I walked in and heard you talking.”
“The bar was empty,” Maya stated, but now that she thought about it, she'd been so upset about everything that she supposed she could have gone past a crowd of people and been blind to every last one of them.
“I forgot my wallet after the lunch shift and when I came back I walked in on you. Not that either of you noticed. You were too busy sucking face. And after that he didn't want anything to do with other girls anymore. He was under your goddamned spell. What did you do to him?”
“I didn't do anything,” Maya said honestly. He'd rocked her world and she'd left him stone cold.
“Like hell you didn't,” Jenny spat. “He hasn't touched another woman since you left.”
He hadn't touched another woman.
Had their stolen kisses meant as much to him as they had to her? Maya was deeply moved by Logan's behavior, even as she continued to face Jenny.
Jenny's rant continued, unrelenting in its fury. “He stopped coming into the bar. I hardly saw him anymore. He was supposed to be mine.”
Maya swallowed. “I'm sorry.” She forced the words out between her lips, hoping they sounded somewhat sincere.
“No you're not. You're f**king him again, aren't you?”
Maya jumped to her feet. “No.”
“Don't lie to me.”
Maya followed Jenny's eyes to the corner of the folded photo sticking out of her pocket. Just as Jenny grabbed it, Maya's cell phone fell to the ground, and Jenny stomped it hard with her boots.
Maya stared at the busted phone and tried not to focus on how much trouble she was in. Hopefully Chief Stevens had heard her whisper and was on his way.
