AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Though it was cold, Kayleigh stayed at the site, feeling like she needed to be there until the bitter end. According to her watch, it was coming up on four-thirty. Half an hour before she’d usually get up. However, that day was going to unfold very differently from how hers usually did.
Kayleigh pulled the hood of her jacket up, then shoved her hands into her pockets as she watched everything, trying to ward off the cold that was invading her body, right to her bones. But she had a feeling it wasn’t just the cold of the winter night. Her worry and anxiety brought with it a chill that she couldn’t shake.
“It looks like the fire has been contained.”
Kayleigh turned to see the fire chief had approached her. He gave a quick recap of everything, then let her know what the plan was for the rest of the night and the following day. They were definitely treating the fire as arson, which was why the chief was going to send out an investigator.
She nodded like she understood everything he’d told her, when in reality, her brain was suffering from overload, compounded by exhaustion. Having relayed the information, the chief left the scene, along with one of the fire engines, while the other remained in front of the cabin.
The people who had come out of the surrounding cabins earlier had disappeared back inside them. Lights stayed on in most of the buildings, however, and Kayleigh wouldn’t be surprised if those guests were nervous about going back to sleep.
Soon, it was just her and the remaining firefighters.
She wasn’t sure what to do. Should she go home and prepare for the day? Or should she stick around?
Kayleigh heard footsteps and turned to see Hudson walking toward her. Behind him, the police chief was climbing into his vehicle.
She was actually a bit surprised that both the fire and police chiefs had shown up, even before she’d arrived, but that was probably because of the prestige of the resort. They’d probably both been alerted as soon as 911 had received the call.
“Any luck with the security cameras?” she asked as Hudson reached her.
“Yep. There was footage of a car and a person who were clearly not supposed to be here. We got copies of all the outer cameras around this area for the hour before the fire started. The chief is going to have it analyzed to see what information they can glean.”
“Like a license number?”
Hudson nodded, shifting to stare at the burned cabin. “That would be the ideal result.”
Kayleigh prayed that would be the case. “Did the person not realize that there are cameras around? If not, that doesn’t make it seem likely that this was the same person who did the thefts, since that person made sure the cameras were not working.”
“I suppose we’ll have to wait to see what the police find out,” Hudson said. “And I’ll have my computer guy look over the footage as well. It’s possible that he set something up that averted any attempt to block the cameras. That would mean the person wouldthinkthe cameras weren’t recording, but they actually were.”
That would be the ideal situation, because if the person thought that, they wouldn’t be as careful as they would have been otherwise.
“How are you holding up?” Hudson asked, turning to face her. “You must be freezing.”
“I’m fine.” The lie came easily, but she didn’t want to chance giving voice to how she truly felt and breaking down completely in front of Hudson.
“I highly doubt that.” He reached out and gently grasped her by her upper arms. “You don’t have to pretend with me, Kayleigh.”
Even in the dimly lit area where they stood off to the side of the road, she could see the concern on his face. “Okay. I’m notfine,but I’m better than I would have been if someone had been hurt… or worse.”
“We are fortunate,” Hudson agreed. “But this has been a stressful experience all around.”
Kayleigh sagged in his grip, and when he pulled her close, she didn’t protest. She desperately needed the support he offered. His nearness brought warmth and a sense of security in the midst of the turmoil of the night.
Now that the worst of the night was over, Kayleigh felt the adrenalin draining away, and her legs didn’t seem to want to hold her up. But Hudson offered his strength as he held her close. His arms wrapped tightly around her, keeping her from completely falling apart.
After all that had happened over the past couple of weeks, his closeness was everything she needed. If she’d still needed to be strong, she could have been.
However, she didn’t feel like she had to keep up a strong front right then. And she didn’t hate the fact that Hudson was seeing her like that.
“Everything’s going to be okay,” Hudson said, his voice low in the quiet of the early morning hours.
His words were a balm on the panic that had built inside her over the past few hours. She knew he was right.
Everything would be okay.
Eventually.
