Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
Z ack grabbed Naya’s shoulders and pulled her and Powells away from the flames. “Stay back. Naya, call 9-1-1.”
She nodded, already reaching for her phone.
The once dark room was now illuminated by an unwanted orange glow. One that was too close to the kitchen cabinets. Soon, the whole house would be on fire.
“Where’s your fire extinguisher?” Zack yelled.
Powells cupped his hands. “Under the sink.”
Zack kept his back flush to the wall and skirted past the flames in front of him. The heat stung his face, but he wouldn’t let it deter him. Not when someone wanted the place to crumble into a heap of ashes—with them inside it. He wrapped his hand inside his shirt before he pulled on the handle, just in case it was hot.
He grabbed the fire extinguisher from its holder and pulled the pin. Zack couldn’t think about the irony of the situation now. Using a product his dad had died for in order to save Naya and Powells from the same fate.
Foam spewed from the canister, and smoke rose from the curtains.
Zack let out a cough and buried his mouth close to his chest.
Powells raced to his side with a bucket and splashed the water along the curtains. The flames hissed before going dark, and more gray smoke billowed up to the ceiling and out of the window.
They needed to get out of here. If the fire didn’t get to them, the smoke inhalation would.
“I knew they’d come back. I never should have agreed to this meeting.” Powells dropped the pail on the floor with a clank.
“Who? Tell me who did this.”
Maybe the former fire chief was right. If it meant more people were at risk of getting hurt, Zack should stop his investigation. Let whoever was behind his parents’ deaths live with the guilty conscience.
But what would that solve?
He was more determined than ever to get to the truth now. Before someone else got killed.
Zack set the extinguisher down, and glass crunched under his feet. Giant shards from a bottle littered the ground. He could still make out the partial logo on one piece. Someone had concocted a Molotov cocktail.
His chest burned. Zack wanted answers. He would do what he could to honor his parents’ memory and not let the truth die with them. He wouldn’t let it be in vain.
He turned from the debris where Powells stood by the doorway. “Where’s Naya?”
Zack spun around, but she wasn’t in the dining room.
“I thought she followed me to get a bucket of water from the bathroom.” Powells turned to the hall.
Zack raced by him, opening each door. “Naya?” Had she passed out somewhere?
Each room was void of anyone. Smoke laced the air, and he couldn’t yet hear sirens outside. Where was help?
“We need to get outside now.” Zack found Powells staring at his living room, everything covered in black soot.
“Let’s go.” Zack yanked the man’s arm.
Powells laced his fingers through his hair and coughed.
Once he got the chief outside, he’d go back in for Naya. Zack clenched his jaw, the muscles in his neck and shoulders already taut. He wanted to shake the man. Tell him to think harder. Where was she?
He opened the back door and ran onto the deck, Powells next to him. The fresh air burned his throat yet helped him breathe easier. “I’m going back in. You scan the front and back.” Zack pointed to the edge of the property.
Through the clearing, a figure moved off in the distance near the dilapidated gas station. It was too far away to make out who, though. Naya?
Zack tore through the grass to close the distance. It was her. “Naya!”
Tires squealed and dust kicked up from the parking lot.
She limped toward the car, but the vehicle sped out of sight.
When Zack caught up to her, Naya was standing on the pavement with her hand on her hip. “I almost had the license plate.” She groaned. “If it wasn’t for my sore ankle…” Naya bent forward, breathing hard.
“What were you doing?” His question came out in short gasps. Zack kept his focus on the road in case the car decided to circle back around. He couldn’t afford to be caught off guard if they came for another try.
Where were the police?
Naya straightened. “Trying to catch the guy who did this. But I wasn’t fast enough.”
“It’s a good thing you weren’t. You could have gotten yourself killed.” Zack swallowed.
The weight of those words lodged in his throat. Not only would he have lost the girl who’d once been his best friend, but he would have lost his chance to pursue her. The thought of not having Naya in his life sucked the oxygen out from around him.
He wanted Naya to be more than his friend.
“How could I let them get away when we’re so close to exposing the truth?” Naya folded her good arm overtop of her injured one.
“Is it worth it if people get hurt?” Zack rubbed the nape of his neck, then let his hands drop to his side.
Naya lowered her voice. “The truth always costs something.”
And that’s what Zack was afraid of. Her tenacity might be admirable in one regard, but if he let her help, her life would be at risk.
For Naya’s safety, he needed her to step aside.
“I don’t want you investigating my parents’ case anymore. It was a mistake for me to even let you help.”
Naya sucked in a breath. “I thought we both wanted the same thing here.”
“Not if it means I put your life on the line.” He still wanted justice for his parents, but not if she got even more hurt.
Naya closed the gap between them and tapped a finger on his chest. “You want to do what’s right.”
Zack couldn’t believe Powells was saving himself at the expense of the truth. The guy had been doing it for a while, too. Blaming Zack for his parents’ deaths.
“And look where that got my dad.” Zack’s nostrils flared. “You heard Powells. My dad couldn’t rest until the truth was told, and it cost him his life.”
“Your dad did the right thing.” Naya pouted. “And you’re not a coward, unlike Powells. He kept the secrets and hid, but what has that done for him?”
Zack groaned. She was right. This was why Naya pushed so hard for answers. For truth. He now understood the need for a story to be told no matter the cost. But how could they reconcile the two things? “I don’t know how to find the truth and keep you safe.”
“I can hold my own.” Naya lifted her chin.
“I have no doubt you have the strength for the task.” Zack shook his head. “But even my dad’s determination didn’t stop the production of the equipment he tried to keep off the market.” His dad hadn’t known when to stop, and now Naya was headed down the same path. “Sometimes the consequences are far too great.”
“So you just want to sit on the sidelines and believe the lie that you were to blame for your parents’ deaths when Powells kept silent to save his own skin?” Naya’s eyes widened. “That man was your father’s friend. And for what? To watch your dad do what was right and get killed for it? Justice for your parents won’t happen if the truth remains hidden.” She jabbed her finger in the air. “I know the risks of my job.”
There. That was the problem. She’d just admitted to it. “This isn’t part of your job.” Bryce had given Zack a task to complete, and he couldn’t do his work if he was worried Naya would be caught in the crossfire. The last thing he needed was Naya injured—or worse, dead—because of him. “You’re right. I’ve lived long enough believing I was the reason for my parents’ deaths. But I’m not about to add any more to my conscience.” He ground his teeth.
Saving people who couldn’t save themselves was Zack’s job.
He kept trouble from wreaking havoc on someone else’s life.
Naya might not be able to see it now, but he was protecting her in the long run. He just hoped she listened to reason and focused on the story she needed to write, without letting him muddy the waters.
“I’ll decide what leads I need to follow as part of my job.” Naya waved her hand in the air. “I should have known we’d get to this point.” Her gaze traveled down to his wrist.
Zack shoved his hand in his pocket. He should give her the bracelet back. It was a way he’d promised to protect her and look after her. And that’s exactly what he was doing now. Except she didn’t view his efforts in the same light.
“I’m doing this for your own good.” Why couldn’t she see that he could be trusted?
Sirens pierced the air.
Zack sighed. “We’ll finish this conversation later. We need to go check on Powells. And talk to the police.”
“Fine.” Naya crossed her arms.
They walked back to the house and around to the front yard. Powells sat on the front step, his hands clasped.
Officer Ramble stood on the sidewalk.
Amelia and the engine crew had a supply line hooked up to the fire hydrant, and they scoured the area.
“Did you fill the police in yet?” Zack turned back to the former chief.
Powells’s eyes widened. “And get entangled in this mess even more? No way.” He shot up and crossed the yard.
“Part of his house is ruined, and he’s just going to let whoever did this get away with it?” Naya shook her head.
“We’ll worry about him later.” Ramble pulled a pen from his shirt pocket.
“The fire’s out. I don’t need you here.” Powells swung his hand in the air. Izan stood his ground next to the hydrant. “The next thing you know, the news crew will be here. I don’t need more attention drawn to the scene.”
“I suggest you back up and let us do our job, sir.” Amelia stared Powells down.
Zack and Naya gave their statements to Ramble. “Do you need anything else from us?” Zack glanced at his watch.
“Everything’s covered.” Ramble hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “We’ll take care of Powells.”
“Good. I need to get to the firehouse. My shift starts soon.”
“I’ll drop you off,” Naya said.
They headed back to her car, and Naya unlocked the door.
“Wait.” Zack held out his hand to stop her from touching the handle. “Let me check first. Make sure there aren’t any surprises.”
Sure enough, a tiny black dot sat right underneath the license plate. An attempt to mimic a backup camera. “I think we’re all good now.” He held up the tracking device, then set it on the ground and crushed it with his foot.
One more reason to add to the growing list for why Naya needed to heed his warning and step back from helping him with his parents’ case.
Forty-five minutes later, Naya pulled into the firehouse. Zack kept a change of clothes in the locker room, which would come in handy so he didn’t smell like smoke the entire shift.
His hand hovered over the door handle. “Do you need anything?” he asked. Part of him was afraid to leave Naya alone. There was no telling if or when someone might attack again.
“I’ll be fine. I’m going to head into the office to get some work done.”
He opened the door and stepped out, then leaned back inside. “Please, be careful. And focus on your real job.”
Naya kept her hands tucked around the steering wheel. “I’ll do my job while you do yours.” Her forehead creased.
Once Naya drove away, Zack walked into the firehouse and headed for the locker room. He was prepared to handle his parents’ case alone. This was his battle to fight, and he wouldn’t put Naya’s life on the line while he investigated.
But a sinking feeling rested in his stomach.
Zack might have learned from his mistakes, but the past still had a way of repeating itself.
He could only pray he and Naya lived long enough to rewrite the ending.