AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No.” Flynn shook his head, looking genuinely upset that the man didn’t have a better answer. He flicked a hand in the air, sending the cop beside him toward Yehven with handcuffs.
“No, no.” Yehven shook his head. “Miss Lyndsey ...please.”
The cop hauled Yehven to his feet and led him around the side of the house, away from the partygoers. Lyndsey grabbed Flynn by the arm, drawing him tightly to her. I ignored the stabbing sensation it caused in the pit of my stomach. Especially when I already felt sick from the entire ordeal.
None of this felt right.
“Flynn, you can’t,” Lyndsey said. “There’s no way he’s guilty.”
“You know this?” Flynn asked.
“It’s just a feeling I have.”
“Don’t listen to her nonsense.” Kyle waved a dismissive hand. “You can’t make a case on feelings. We fired the man right before Lyndsey took over the house due to stealing. He was siphoning money out of the budget. He would have probably bled my grandmother dry if we hadn’t noticed it when going through the records after her death.”
Yeah. It really looks like he’d done a lot of damage.
I examined the multi-million dollar property. How could Kyle say he was draining the funds when they all received more than their fair share of an inheritance?
Flynn peered down at Lyndsey, his eyes a meld of tough love and regret. “I’ve got to go with the evidence on this one, Lynds. I’m sorry.”
He pulled away from her, flashing a brief glance in my direction before following the path along the side of the house. I tried to ignore how close they still seemed, how he even had a nickname for her. How he seemed to know there was something going on between Lyndsey and me, even when it was meant to be a secret.
To my surprise, Kyle didn’t ask any questions. Not why we were out here alone, how we came across the man in the shed, nothing.
It bothered me. Though, I kept my thoughts to myself.
The party continued without much more excitement. Once it ended, everyone made their way to their respective rooms for the night.
Except me.
I couldn’t sleep. Not with all the questions still rolling around in my head. It didn’t make sense for Yehven to be the arsonist, or even the person threatening Lyndsey. He seemed to look up to her, to want to help her and get back in the good graces of the family. Plus, the method for how they suspected he would start a new fire was completely off. From my experience, all arsonists used a singular method close to a fingerprint on their work. They wouldn’t change strategies halfway through the game.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Lyndsey’s voice floated into the kitchen where I’d made my tiny refuge.
And there was another reason I couldn’t sleep.
How could I when Lyndsey was so close by? She wore thin cotton shorts and a matching pink camisole that exposed a thin sliver of her waistline. Her long blonde hair tumbled about her shoulders in soft golden waves.
Damn.My breath stopped. This woman left me absolutely speechless.
I struggled for a response, especially since I could barely remember what she’d even said. “Yes. I mean, no. I don’t know what’s going on. It was just a lot to take in for the night I think.”
“What?” She raised a thin brow upward. “You don’t wrestle intruders to the ground and stop a potential arsonist on a regular basis?”
I laughed lightly. “No. I suppose not.”
She only smiled, then moved past me to the fridge. She held out a jug of sweet tea, offering, though I only shook my head. Having any kind of caffeine this late at night definitely wouldn’t help me sleep.
“You don’t actually think he did it, do you?” I asked finally.
Lyndsey stopped, the cup halfway to her lips. Her eyes shifted around the room and she shrugged. “I don’t know what to think anymore. But it is all very odd. Flynn will sort it out either way.”
I grit my teeth—again with Flynn. My God, this man would be a thorn in my side all my life if I didn’t get a handle on my feelings now. Though, it did bring up another persistent question.
“So, what did you need to tell me?” I asked.
Again, Lyndsey stopped, wide-eyed and fearful. As if I’d announced her execution rather than asked her a simple question. Slowly, she set the glass in her hands down, swiping a fallen curl back behind her ear. Her eyes flew to the steps leading to the upstairs part of the house. “The moment has passed. It’s hard to talk about it now.”
