Page 74 of Ask Me For Fire


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Reeds was nodding now. “It’s amping up. Damaging state property’s one thing, but private residences call in a whole other set of laws. Plus then the homeowners can sue. Why do you think Ken would do all this? I know the report said it’s your ex brother-in-law, but I’d like to hear it from you, Barrett.”

He was suddenly rather uncomfortable having Oz hear all this. It was a little too personal. “He’s my sister’s ex-husband and a prick.”

Reeds shrugged. “A lot of people are pricks.”

With a sigh, Barrett said, “He’s a rich prick who used his kid as an accessory to attract women, he was abusive to my sister, and I helped get her more of his money in the divorce.”

“Sounds like a winner,” Oz muttered. “But if it is him, and I’m not saying it is, what does he get out of it?”

Like Barrett hadn’t rolled this around in his head over and over again. Like he could explain Ken’s narcissism and greed, his desire to always bethe best. How he treated Val and Forrest, how he demanded everyone bend to his every whim. How obsessed he was with appearances and money and how nothing else outside of that mattered.

“I don’t know. It could all be coincidence.” He waved a hand in the air, voice growing louder. Barrett could feel his anger building like a flightless bird trapped on the ground. “I don’t care about my boat. For all I know it’s at the bottom of the lake by now. But someone took out bridges people use every day, bridges people depend on to be safe. Someone damaged a fire watch tower we use to spot wildfires and hopefully stop them before they wipe out homes. They burned our supplies, the things we use during emergencies. And they came onto my neighbor’s property, just a few yards from her house. She’s older and alone and I can guarantee you she can defend herself, but she shouldn’t have to be ready to do that.”

If either Oz or Reeds was shocked at his outburst, it couldn’t compare with his own surprise. “Understood,” Reeds finally said.

“I got shit to do, you need anything else?” Barrett needed to leavenow. He needed to get back home, call Val, make sure everyone was okay. He needed to see Ambrose and pull him close and bury his face in those auburn waves and wait for his breathing to slow down and for the earth to right itself again. He never lost his temper. Ever. But he’d come dangerously close just now.

Reeds waved him off, saying he’d do some follow-up but to not expect anything. And by the time Barrett had hit the front doors to the building, his head didn’t feel quite so full of ringing anger but the cold aftershocks left him numb.

“Barrett.”

Fuck. “I’ve gotta go, Oz.” Barrett didn’t turn around and he didn’t stop.

“Wait.” Oz put a hand on his arm. Barrett gritted his teeth, sucked in a breath, and turned. “Hey. Been a minute.”

“Yeah.”

Oz gave him the up-and-down examination but instead of flirty, it felt too clinical. “Sorry about all that. Not much I can do when the cops have the case.” He hooked a thumb toward the street. “Want to get a drink? Been thinking I should call you up.”

“Sorry, no time. I’m jammed all day.”

He moved toward his truck but Oz was there, hands out but not touching him. A little smirk on his face. “I’ve got a big backseat and a few minutes to spare if you do.”

Finally solid ground again. An easy no. “Not interested, Oz. I’m not single anymore. And I’ve got some planning to do for my boyfriend’s birthday.”

To his credit, Oz took the news with a nod and a smile. “Let me guess. The neighbor.”

For whatever reason that rankled him. “Good guess.”

Oz shrugged and jammed his hands into his pockets. “I might have looked him up after you said he watches the dog every now and then. Good looking guy. Lucky you.”

Lucky me is right.With a nod and a small smile, Barrett said, “See you around, Oz.”

He left Oz standing in the parking lot, watching his truck disappear down the road.

A quick call to Val while he was on the road told him everyone was all right, but she was not letting him get away with just a check-in. “What’s going on, Bear?”

He had to be careful here, but he also wasn’t going to lie to his sister. Shit. “Okay, what are you doing right now?”

“Just reading while Forrest naps.” Barrett could almost see her eyes narrow, her mouth turn down. Val wore every emotion on her face and right now she’d be a combination of worried and suspicious. “Why?”

“Because I need you to promise me you’ll keep this away from the kid, and you’ll not doanything. I mean anything.”

Silence, and then, “Okay.”

“No, Hopscotch, I’m so serious right now. I need you to focus on you and the kid. Nothing else. Got it?”

“Fuck. You’re worrying me here.”

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