Firestorm: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

by Ellie Masters

  “Here you go.” The paramedic eases me back.

  The stretcher is raised, so I’m not lying flat, but rather reclining. It allows me to watch the firemen as they struggle to put out the blaze.

  “Yes, a house fire.” Officer Malone rattles off the address. I would thank him, but my mind is disassociating.

  21

  Asher

  Grant’s voice is calm, too steady. “Hey, Ace, something’s happened…”

  I can’t focus on his words and ask him to repeat himself. He speaks in slow, measured tones, the kind that tell a person no matter what he’s going to say, they will freak out. I brace and focus on what he says.

  “There’s been a house fire.”

  “Okay?” Why would he mention a house fire? It’s not my wheelhouse. I’m a woodland firefighter.

  “Evelyn is okay,” he says.

  A sick feeling overcomes me and a knot forms in the pit of my stomach. Grant is a pro at giving bad news. His smooth tones allow me to focus and listen.

  “I’m on scene now,” he says. “You should come.”

  “Evelyn?”

  “She’s fine. Not injured, but she could use someone by her side.” He rattles off the address. “You got that?”

  “I’m on my way.” The line goes dead as I hang up on him. I race around, grabbing my wallet, my phone. What am I missing? “Where the fuck are my keys?” I call out to my brothers.

  Brody answers. “Where’s the fire?”

  “At Evelyn’s.”

  “I was kidding.” Brody stands, shock fills his face. “Is she…” He wants to ask, but holds back from saying the words.

  “She’s fine.” My reply is clipped as I try to figure out where my keys are.

  Cage looks up from his game. “Seriously? Is she okay?”

  “Grant says so.”

  “He’s there?” Cage drops his controller and grabs his phone.

  “What are you doing?” I ask.

  “Coming with you.” Cage locates my keys and heads toward the door.

  “I’m coming too.” Brody doesn’t hesitate.

  Yet again, I’m thankful to have the most amazing brothers. They always have my back.

  We pile into my truck. Cage refuses to let me drive, saying I’m ‘too distraught’ and he wants to ‘get there in one piece.’

  The thought of Evelyn in danger twists my guts and my heart lodges itself in my throat. Cage lets the tires spin out and we race down the long drive.

  The drive passes in a blur. I barely register the traffic lights or the turns. Brody tells Cage where to go while my fingers drum against my knee. It seems to take forever, but then we see a thick column of smoke colored cherry red. Two firetrucks are on scene, along with an ambulance, and several cop cars. Cage pulls up behind them.

  Chemical infused smoke infuses the air and mixes with burning wood. My focus shifts to the scene, trying to find Evelyn.

  There she is, in the back of the ambulance, huddled on a stretcher. Grant said she wasn’t injured. So, what the fuck?

  Three men surround my girl.

  Among the many thoughts storming around in my head, anger and irritation predominate. I’m irritated for letting Prescott take Evelyn away.

  She was perfectly safe with me.

  I’m angry because I let her go.

  She didn’t make it one night before something catastrophic happened. I blame Prescott and I blame myself.

  Where is the bastard? I don’t see him anywhere in the crowd, but there’s Grant-fucking-Malone. He’s right beside Evelyn, paper in hand, pen scribbling notes. If he thinks to pin this on her, we’re going to have issues. Anger stirs in my belly and I have a hard time tamping it down.

  Two engines from Grady’s fire station are engaged in fighting the fire. Several firefighters hold hoses, spraying the base of the fire. Other men douse the roof of an adjacent house, making it less likely for the fire to spread. They look like they have things under control, but the house is a total loss.

  Blue lights from the cop cars mix with the red and white flashers of the fire engines. It looks like a damn circus is in town. A growl escapes my throat because Grant’s questioning Evelyn.

  Her attention shifts and her eyes connect with mine across the distance. Immediately, the lines on her forehead ease and her tight expression softens.

  I can’t get to her fast enough and try to storm off. Only, Brody grips my arm tight and he tugs me to a stop.

  “What the fuck?” I glare at my brother. He’s between me and my girl.

  “I might ask the same.” His grip is solid and he’s not letting go.

  I know that look in his eyes.

  He drops his voice low, for my ears only. “You need to take a few deep breaths, then tell me why you’re looking at Grant Malone like you want to kill him.”

  I yank out of his grip, but his words keep me rooted in place. Damn if he isn’t right.

  “He’s the one who arrested Evelyn.” I explain how he resorted to cuffing her in the hospital and how I felt it completely unnecessary. “She would’ve gone quietly, but he had to bring out the damn cuffs. And she had bandages on her arms.”

  I’m still pissed at Grant for that.

  “I would strongly suggest you shove that shit far down before storming over there. Evelyn doesn’t need you making a scene, and while I wasn’t there, you know Grant. He’s not like that. Whatever happened during her arrest, he had a reason, and you saw what they posted in the Gazette. People are pissed and out for blood.”

  What Brody says isn’t something I can argue against. I take a moment to take three deep breaths. He’s right, even if I don’t like it. Evelyn needs my support, which means standing by her side, not stirring up shit and creating problems.

  “You good?” Brody bodily turns me until I’m facing him.

  The bright blue strobe lights from the police vehicles put me on edge, but I give Brody a nod.

  “I’m good.”

  “You sure?” The bastard can be persistent.

  “I’m sure.”

  “Good. Now, go get your girl while Cage and I figure out what the hell happened. Try not to bite Grant’s head off. He’s not the enemy for Christ’s sake.”

  There’s no arguing with that. The Malone and La Rouge families have always been close. Betsy Malone and my mother bonded when we were little, commiserating over the challenges of raising three boys and not having the blessing of daughters to spoil.

  We spent many weekends at their house, and they rambled around our vineyards growing up. It’s where Grady and Grayson learned to ride dirt bikes and sat behind the wheel of a car for the very first time. Grant was older. As children those few years felt like decades, so I’m not as close to him. Not like Grady. We all looked up to Grant and he always had our backs. Brody’s right. Grant isn’t the bad guy.

  As I rush up, Evelyn’s soft voice reaches out to me.

  “Asher.” Wrapped in a blanket, she looks smaller than I remember, frail and scared. Her wide eyes hold mine and in them I feel her fear.

  Grant spins around. When he sees me, he takes a step back. “It’s good to see you, Ace.”

  “Grant.” I give him a clipped nod.

  Evelyn’s eyes shimmer with tears. Her cheeks are streaked with soot and dirt, and she’s wrapped in a soiled white robe. I wrap her in my arms, not giving one fuck about her soot-covered mess. She buries her face against my chest and sobs.

  “Shh…I’m here.” Fuck if I’m ever leaving her alone again. “What happened?”

  Evelyn says something, but between her sobs and her sniffling it’s a blubbering mess. I hold her tight. All she needs to know is that I’m here and that I’ll never let anything bad happen to her again. She may not realize what that means, but I have no intention of letting her go.

  “What the fuck happened?” My question isn’t for Evelyn, but rather Grant.

  Unlike Pete Sims, Grant is a persistent bastard. I’m glad he’s here. His investigations are thorough a
nd he likes to listen to a witness’s account several times, paying attention to things they didn’t include the first time, tiny details that will help him crack the case.

  He tells me what happened, giving me a chance to absorb the details. I grip Evelyn tighter when I realize how incredibly close she came to not making it out. The flames had been in her room.

  People don’t realize how incredibly effective a simple door can be to stop a fire, or slow it down. It can mean the difference between life and death, but she didn’t have the protection of even that thin barrier.

  Asleep in the tub? She’s lucky the carbon monoxide and other noxious gases didn’t knock her out. Yet again, I’m impressed by her ability to keep her wits in an emergency. Dunking her robe in the bathwater probably saved her life.

  “Do you need anything else from Evelyn?” I want to get her out of here.

  “If I do, I’ll let you know. I assume she’ll be with you?”

  “You bet.” My response is immediate.

  “Can I speak with you for a moment?” He eyes the way I hold Evelyn, perhaps sensing I’m not about to let her go, but the urgency in his expression is enough to get me to release Evelyn. I kiss the crown of her head. “Give me a second, okay? I’ll be right back.”

  She gives a shaky nod. As I release her, Brody comes to stand beside her, taking my place. He reaches out and takes her hand. We don’t say a word, but I know he’ll be by her side until I return. Brody can be a royal pain in the ass, but he’s got my back.

  Grant pulls me away from the ambulance. Cage comes with us. We stand behind the line of firefighters and stare at the destruction.

  “What’s up?” That uneasy feeling in the bottom of my stomach is now a gaping bottomless pit. He’s got something he needs to tell me.

  “This isn’t an accident.” He says the words I’ve been fearing.

  “And you think Evelyn set it?” I can’t help my fingers from curling into fists.

  Cage puts his hand on my shoulder and his fingers dig in. It’s a not so gentle reminder to keep my shit in gear.

  “I didn’t say that.” Grant scratches the back of his neck.

  “But it’s what you’re thinking.” I can’t help it. I’m ready to pounce on Grant and his fucking assumptions about my girl.

  “It’s absolutely not what I’m thinking.” Grant fixes me with a stare. “Don’t be a dick, Ace. I didn’t pull you aside to tell you I think she set this fire.”

  “Then why?”

  “Because someone else did.”

  “Someone else?” He says it with such confidence that I reel with the sudden shift from what I was expecting.

  “Something isn’t adding up, and I’m rethinking the other fire too. I took a look at Pete’s report, and you’re right. It’s sloppy in execution. I need to speak to Evelyn about her account.” He glances over to the ambulance. “But this may not be the best time.”

  I agree. She’s distraught, more fragile looking than the strong, resourceful woman I carried out of a forest fire. That woman had been incredible. Now? Evelyn looks broken.

  “What changed your mind?”

  “Nosey neighbors.” He points to the crowd. “Someone left the house a little before the fire started. I need to question the neighbors further, but the only people Evelyn says were at the house were her in-laws.”

  Grant’s right about one thing. Something isn’t adding up.

  “They’re not her in-laws, just friends of the family.”

  “Well, someone saw a younger man. At first, I thought it must’ve been you, but…”

  “Yeah, I wasn’t here.”

  “Exactly. I thought about the fire on the ridge and the man she claims assaulted her.”

  “Do you think someone is targeting her?”

  “I’m considering a lot of options. Establishing motive escapes me at the moment. I can understand kidnapping her, but murder doesn’t make sense. I don’t see what the end-game would be?”

  I must be doing a stellar job hiding my shock, because Grant doesn’t pick up on my confusion. Several questions come to mind. I begin with the easiest.

  “Why did you mention kidnapping?” My gut squeezes thinking about anyone wanting to harm Evelyn.

  “Ransom is far more lucrative, especially considering her estate. It’s a strong motive. Although, maybe there’s something to murder considering what happened to her family.”

  My head spins. I’m not following Grant.

  “What do you mean, considering her family?”

  “The crash?” He looks at me like I should know this, but shit if I don’t.

  “I’m not following.”

  “The plane crash?” He looks at me like I know what he’s talking about. “It killed everyone on board except for her. She’s the sole survivor. Her entire family was on that plane.”

  And I bet her fiancé was too. Shit, the grief she must be dealing with has to be intense.

  “This may be a third attempt on her life. I need more information, but I’m concerned.”

  He’s concerned. My entire world feels as if it’s been turned upside down. Someone is hell bent on killing Evelyn? I can accept one fire. But two? And a plane crash on top of that?

  “Grant…” Not sure exactly what it is I want to say, I let my words trail off as I try and absorb what this means.

  “I know.” He gives a shake of his head. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”

  “What about Pete’s report? The fingerprints and the receipt?”

  “It muddies the picture, for sure, but…”

  “I want to help.” Then it hits me. “That receipt. It has the name of the store where the accelerant was purchased, right?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “If it does, it’ll have credit card information. That should help.”

  “Unless cash was used.”

  “Then we go to the store and see if there’s any record of Evelyn even being there. If she wasn’t, it should clear her of the arson charge…right?”

  Grant gives a slow nod. “Definitely. It’s a place to start.”

  “We shouldn’t have to do anything. That was Pete’s job. He’s a fucking slacker.”

  “I hear you. Let’s get through tonight. I’ll come by La Rouge tomorrow and we’ll figure out our next step. In the meantime, I’m going to look at the report.” He places his hand on my arm and gives my bicep a squeeze. “We’ll figure this out. I know you were pissed with the arrest—I’m sorry for that, but my hands were tied. Now that we know more, we’ll get to the truth. I need to question her further, establish a timeline, but I don’t think bringing her to the station is the best thing for her right now.”

  “She’s coming home with me.” Evelyn’s not leaving my side until I sort shit out and get answers.

  “I’ll give you a call and arrange for a time to come over. I’m also going to call a few people and see what we’re missing. Everything about this feels wrong.”

  I cock my head, interested in what he’s saying. For the first time since arriving, I don’t want to punch Grant in the face. He’s not out to arrest Evelyn, or pin this fire on her. He’s doing what he does best, looking to solve a crime; perhaps multiple crimes.

  “Is that it then? We’re free to go?”

  “As long as the paramedics clear her, but I’m done with her for now.”

  Cage is quiet during our entire exchange. His supportive presence is the only thing keeping me from losing my shit. So many questions tumble in my head, things I need answers to, but they’ll have to wait until I get Evelyn alone.

  “Let’s go.” My comment is for Cage. I spin my heels and march back to the ambulance.

  With soot and grime covering her face, and that god-awful robe wrapped around her body, she looks like she’s been through the ringer. Brody sees us and helps Evelyn down to the ground.

  She folds into my arms and ducks her head beneath my chin. I look to the paramedics. “Is she cleared, or does she need to go with you?” Ple
ase say No.

  “Her vitals are stable. There’s no sign of residual smoke inhalation. Of course, we recommend she be seen at the hospital—”

  “No hospital.” Evelyn clutches my shirt. “I don’t want to go back there. Can you please just take me home?”

  I like the way she says home.

  We pile into my truck. Cage takes the wheel again, and this time Brody sits up front in the passenger seat. I’m in the back with Evelyn clutched tight against me. She huddles in my embrace, keeping her head down, and alternating between soft sobs and unintelligible muttering.

  It takes twice as long to get home as it did to get to her house. I didn’t realize how fast Cage had been driving. When we pull up outside the house, mother is there. Her little red corvette is parked off to the side and she waits on the porch.

  Brody helps Evelyn out of the truck, then hands her back to me after I get out. When we climb the few steps up to the porch, I’m blown away when Evelyn practically launches herself into Mom’s arms. Her weeping turns inconsolable and I’m left not knowing what to do.

  My mother gives a little jerk of her chin. “Why don’t you boys go inside while I get Evelyn situated?”

  I’m not sure what it is, whether it’s a woman thing, or a motherly thing, but I understand the power of a mother’s embrace. I follow my brothers inside and slump down on the couch.

  Cage sits across from me and kicks his ankle across his opposite knee. “So—that was an interesting way to spend a Saturday night.”

  “You don’t say.” I lean back and pinch the bridge of my nose, overwhelmed by everything I’ve learned.

  Brody disappears into the kitchen while my mother ushers Evelyn inside. She gives a slight shake of her head, telling me she has everything under control, and gently guides Evelyn down the hall.

  Brody returns with three beers and sits down beside me. He tosses one to Cage, who catches it, then hands me the other. “To one fucked up night.”

  “No shit.” Cage takes a sip while I sit and cradle the beer in my hands.

  I keep looking down the hall, feeling like I need to go to Evelyn, but I trust my mother. Evelyn needs time and space to collect herself before I start badgering her with the thousand questions running through my head.