Chapter 3
THREE
N aya’s arm throbbed as she walked through the automatic sliding doors of the hospital to the parking lot. Just a bandage, not broken.
The medics had whisked her away at the site of the bridge collapse to inspect her injuries. When she couldn’t straighten her arm, they thought it best she have it x-rayed. She insisted on driving herself to the hospital. No need for an ambulance. At least she’d been able to help Zack support the injured man with her good arm.
Zack.
A car buzzed past her. Naya jerked back from the curb.
She’d spent the last two and half hours sitting in the ER waiting for results and thinking about a boy who’d grown into a man.
His teenage baby face had disappeared since she’d seen him last. Now he sported dark turbulent eyes, facial hair, and sturdy biceps. The uniform of a firefighter—which suited him more than she’d have thought.
A man who’d once been part of her story. But he’d stayed in the past, there one moment and gone the next. All these years they’d lived in the same town, and they had to run into each other today?
No point resurrecting old memories. If he’d wanted to be part of her life, Zack would have made an effort to reconnect. Instead, he’d chosen to be a hero and have no contact with her.
She needed to focus on the story that Drew had assigned, or she would lose her shot at the job she wanted.
Naya hit the unlock button on her key fob, and the vehicle chirped from its spot a few feet away.
She slid into the seat and shut the door. Pain shot through her arm from pulling on the handle.
Naya blinked back tears and reached for her phone to call Ingram, the closest friend she had here in town.
“Hey, Nay.”
Naya leaned her head against the seat and smiled. “Hey, Grams.”
“That nickname makes me sound like I’m your eighty-year-old grandma who’s about to turn in for the night.” Ingram chuckled.
“It’s stuck this long, there’s no use changing it now.” Naya laughed.
“Good thing it hasn’t become public knowledge. Will keeps trying to come up with a nickname himself, says he wants something more original than babe, but at least he hasn’t thought of that one yet.”
“I can give your boyfriend some pointers,” Naya teased. “Are you still at the office?”
“Yeah. It’s been a long day, and the Green Warriors are still picketing outside the main lobby.”
“Want me to pick up a to-go order from Backdraft, and we can eat an early dinner? Or we can get Bebe’s Indian food like the good ole days.” Ingram had befriended Naya on the first day of school in fifth grade, twenty years ago, not knowing the quiet girl in class was in foster care and afraid of getting too close to anyone. Yet her friend’s persistence and kindness had pulled Naya out of her shell. She’d had dinner at the Chackos’ home weekly, before youth group, and learned all about Ingram’s Indian heritage over chicken curry. Eventually, Naya had grown comfortable enough to talk about her own home country, Haiti.
“Pass up the offer to get takeout? No way. Let’s do Backdraft. We need to drum up as much good business for them as we can. Count me in.” Ingram rattled off her order, and Naya jotted it down.
Backdraft Bar and Grill had gone through a rough patch when one of their employees had been caught sabotaging food to enact revenge on one of the counselors in town. That had been Terry’s last article before she’d retired. It had been a crazy story, but the truth had been exposed. It always surprised Naya what extreme measures people were willing to take to achieve their selfish goals.
“Great. I need to talk with the group at Ethos anyway, and I can run some questions by you too. Be there in thirty.”
Ingram said, “See you soon.”
After picking up their order, Naya parked in the visitor lot at Ethos, where Ingram worked. She made her way to the main entrance, food bag in hand.
The ten-story glass building was a prominent city-like structure in Last Chance County’s simple town of three-story brick-and-mortar establishments. Sure enough, a group of protesters huddled by the fountain. No workers were going to enter or exit the building without crossing paths with the group first—or an officer who made sure the group didn’t turn hostile. Their signs and chants even made Naya want to avert her eyes and duck into the building without a confrontation. Instead, she put on a smile and walked over to the crew.
It surprised her that people hadn’t disbanded for the day, given the events that had taken place at the park with some of their members. Surely they’d want to make sure none of their own were severely injured.
“Excuse me. Have you heard any updates on those who were at the river earlier today?” Naya approached one of the women.
She swung her sign around and kept walking. “Last I heard everyone had minimal injuries.”
Naya strode after her. “I’m glad. Has anyone gone to check on them?”
“We can’t lose momentum now. I’m sure someone tampered with the bridge to distract us. But we’re not going to be intimidated. There’s too much at stake.” The woman propped her sign between her legs and took a swig of water.
Ironic. Naya couldn’t imagine higher stakes than people’s lives. Considering people’s health was part of the initial problem that had prompted these protests. Naya pointed to the building. “Has the CEO or anyone commented on what’s going on?”
“What’s with all the questions? Are you a worker here?” The woman narrowed her gaze.
“No, ma’am. I’m an investigative reporter for the Tribune. I want to find the truth and make sure that story gets told.” Naya showed the woman her press badge. She pushed her shoulders back, then regretted the movement as pain coursed down her arm.
“Well, in that case, why don’t you join us?” The woman stretched out her hand. “I’m Tracy.” She glanced behind her, then said, “The higher-ups in there haven’t said a word. ‘No comment’ is all we’ve received. But”—Tracy waved her hand, and Naya leaned forward—“their products are still on the market, and one of our own saw them hauling their hazardous waste away in an unmarked vehicle. Something fishy is happening behind those closed doors.”
Naya leaned back and pulled out her phone to jot everything down. She braced the bag of food on her forearm while she typed. She should really get inside soon before the food got cold.
“We’re going to be back out here tomorrow if you want to join us.” Tracy smiled. “The more people out here taking a stand to save our land, the better.”
“I’ll be back for sure.” Naya tucked her phone in her pocket.
Right now, there were a lot of conspiracies surrounding the chemical manufacturer and distribution plant, and her gut told her there was more to this story than met the eye. Possibly even with the environmental group being on the up and up.
“Can’t let this food spoil though.” Naya held up the bag, then headed for the front door.
The high ceilings and granite pillars inside made the building appear prestigious. Even the orange-vanilla fragrance that emitted from the area spelled high-end .
The plastic bag in Naya’s hand crinkled and echoed through the empty entryway.
“Can I help you?” A young woman with clear glasses and blonde hair sat behind the reception desk.
“I’m here to meet with Ingram Chacko on floor five.”
The woman typed something into her computer. “I just need you to sign in here.” She slid a clipboard toward Naya.
Naya filled out her information, then walked down the hall to the elevator to ride to Ingram’s floor.
The door dinged and slid open, and Naya stepped out onto the plush carpet that lined the fifth-floor hallway. Voices filtered down the hall, and Naya headed to Ingram’s office. The cheesy sauce aroma of the meatball subs wafted from the bag, and Naya’s stomach grumbled.
“I think we should reconsider. There’s a lot of people upset, and it would give them peace of mind.” Ingram’s voice carried from somewhere near the copiers.
Naya stopped in her tracks, not wanting to interrupt an important conversation if her friend was still finishing up work. She waited where she was, leaning against the wall.
“We have nothing to prove to them, and it will disrupt our production line and delay distribution times. We’ve got firehouses and stores waiting to buy our products.” The voice sounded like Will, Ingram’s boyfriend, but Naya couldn’t be certain. Whoever it was, they kept their tone low and gruff. “You should really consider how to be a better asset for the company you work for. Not find ways to tear it down.”
“Wow.” Ingram inhaled. “This company should take into consideration the people it serves. After all, our products are meant to provide safety for the everyday citizen. Given the amount of complaints and news we’re receiving, I see no harm in getting extra tests done to ensure we are following best practices. And if I’m the one to bring it up in our meeting with Hudson, so be it. At least someone will have.”
“You’re going to show me up like that? Not a smart move,” he snapped. “I will not use my position in this company to advocate for something that’s not worth our time.”
Naya sucked in a breath and took a step back.
Now she was in the awkward predicament of eavesdropping. It didn’t matter how she made her entrance, they’d know she’d been listening in the shadows.
She couldn’t use any of this conversation in her story. Not when she hadn’t been forthright about her presence or getting consent from them. No way would she do that to Ingram. Not even for the job. If Will was part of this conversation, it would further solidify her dislike toward the man. She’d never been a big fan of Ingram’s boyfriend.
She uttered a silent prayer this didn’t get more confrontational. She would do what she could to relieve it.
“Food’s here.” Naya walked around the corner and held up the bag.
Ingram moved away from the counter by the copier and walked past Will. “We can finish this conversation later. I’m starving.” Ingram turned to Naya, and her tense features softened. Thank you.
“See you later.” Naya nodded to Will, who replied with a grunt.
“Let’s go out back.” Ingram led Naya downstairs and found a table outside at the back of the building. The brick patio-like area provided the best view of the rolling mountains and tree line a few miles away.
Don’t bring it up. Let her mention it.
“We should take a hike again soon. Catch up on life.” Naya unwrapped her sub, trying to act like everything was fine.
“How’re you doing?” Ingram pointed to Naya’s bandage.
“Grateful it wasn’t worse.” Naya pulled in a breath. “How’re you?” She clasped her hands on the table.
“You overheard, didn’t you?” Ingram propped her elbows on the table.
“Yeah.” Naya winced.
“Well, your girl needs to eat some calories first before thinking about burning them off. Although, getting away for a day sounds like a great idea.”
Naya smiled. “Fair enough.”
Ingram blessed the food, and they dug in.
In between bites, Naya said, “I take it tensions are high?”
“Mm-hmm.” Ingram chewed and said nothing else.
“The company thinks the problems will simply disappear?” Naya grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the sauce on her lips.
“Bingo. But when you’re a manufacturer and distributor of products that include fire extinguishers and firefighting foam for residential and commercial properties, you’d think safety and the customer would be—” Ingram paused.
“What?”
Her eyes followed something behind Naya. She leaned in and whispered, “Don’t look now, but your favorite person is headed this way.”
“Fancy seeing you here.” Tucker’s voice filled Naya’s eardrums with an unwelcome cacophony, and she tensed.
“I could say the same of you.” Naya leaned back in her chair and lifted her chin.
“I have a source who asked to meet me here in ten.” He smirked down at her from the lofty heights of his own self-assurance. “So don’t let me interrupt your girl time. Unless you’re hoping to acquire details for your story from her. We wouldn’t want to add bias into what we write, now, would we?”
“Actually, I logged a story today.” Naya stood up.
He flinched. “You’re done?”
Naya gave him a grin of her own. “Firsthand account of the bridge collapse and the valiant actions of the fire department that saved lives.”
He glared at her.
“If I were you, I’d get moving with your leads. Don’t want to fall too far behind now.”
Naya wouldn’t let his intimidation tactics scare her. She might have a rival for this story, but that wasn’t going to stop her from showing up and finding the truth.