Rescued Duty (Last Chance Fire and Rescue #5)

Chapter 16

SIXTEEN

N aya pulled into the Tribune’s parking lot and keyed into the building. Each step on the metal staircase resounded with a clank, and it only made her want to make the noise more prominent. If it weren’t for her ankle, she’d stomp.

The conversation with Zack still reeled in her mind.

No one had followed her to the office, which was a good sign. But after the situation at Powells’s house, she wanted to get to the bottom of this story even more. Her nerves tingled, and she couldn’t get into her cubicle fast enough.

She called Ingram and put her phone between her shoulder and ear, then fired up her computer and opened a new browser.

“I have so much to fill you in on. You’re never going to believe this.” Naya didn’t even say hello. She wanted to cut straight to the point.

“Well, at least one of us doesn’t lead a boring life.” Ingram chuckled. “What’s up?”

“Are you at work right now?”

“Where else would I be on Thursday afternoon, Nay?” Her friend had a playfulness to her tone.

“Just checking. I found something out about Ethos that changes the whole playing field.” Naya lowered her voice to a whisper.

She’d called Ingram on her cell phone, so it wasn’t like anyone from the company would overhear what she was about to share. But she didn’t want to take the risk.

The former chief’s confession about the firefighting foam being the cause of the upheaval and the distrust Zack’s dad had of the company rubbed her the wrong way. Those chemicals could contaminate water.

Naya picked up the picture of Dominic and herself. I won’t let anyone else’s story go untold, Dom. Your life was valuable, and so are these other people’s lives. “It won’t be in vain.”

“What won’t?”

Naya hadn’t realized she’d spoken the thought aloud.

“Zack and I just got back from a meeting with the former fire chief on the west side of town. The information he shared brought back memories of Dom.”

Douglas Nelson, firefighting foam, ProEco Plant.

Naya typed in the keywords, and several results populated the screen.

“I’m sorry, Nay.”

“Don’t be. It’s fueled why I write.” Naya rubbed the back of her neck. “But Zack doesn’t see it that way. He wants me to stop searching and let it go.” How did he have the audacity to tell her to back down after he’d been the one to let her help with his parents’ case? Zack’s comment earlier stung. Telling her to focus on her job had been a slap on the face, like she didn’t have anything of value to offer him.

“What if he’s afraid? All your nosiness, no matter how well-intended, could get you hurt. He’s been able to witness that firsthand with this other story you’re working on.”

Naya opened different articles in separate tabs and perused the information. Pictures were included in one of the posts, and Naya picked out Douglas right away. A mirror image of Zack. Probably close to the age his son was now.

Naya paused for a moment and sighed.

“That’s just it. Douglas was too young when he died. Like my dad when he left.” Gone too soon.

“What if heeding Zack’s advice is a chance to not lose someone else you care about?” Ingram spoke softly.

“When did you get to be so wise?”

“I just care about my friend.”

Naya closed her eyes and could still picture her dad’s hand in hers. The way he’d cared for her with his gentle tone and hugs that always comforted her. Or when Dominic had gotten sick. She and her dad had stayed by Dom’s side. Ready to stay there until he got better so they could go outside and play again. Except he never had gotten better.

Why, God? Why?

“I have to fight for them, Grams. Because if I don’t, who will? Zack needs someone to stand by his side too. To show him his parents’ deaths haven’t been in vain. That he wasn’t to blame for their deaths either.” Like a treasure hunter, Naya intended to locate the key that would pop the top off.

“I want to help him get the answers he’s searching for. I want to do this for Zack.”

Ingram said, “You should want to help Zack. The truth always requires risk. But there are many ways you can show Zack you care.”

“It’s just a matter of knowing which choice to make.” Naya propped her elbows on her desk. Was staying silent the best option? She’d seen the ways silence left destruction that could never be reversed in its wake.

Like Zack hiding his wrist when she spotted the red bracelet again. The truth was disguised in his eyes—the full story of what had actually happened that day when he’d disappeared. Yet Zack still hadn’t shared all the details with her. To her knowledge, he’d made a promise to her, then broken it by disappearing without any trace or explanation. Leaving her to pick up the pieces of a heart that had just begun to hope again. Proof of the consequences that came with not speaking up.

The hurt, confusion, and mistrust that resulted from unspoken words.

Still, here she was, helping him behind the scenes because she wanted him to find the truth and move on in life. Wanted to be the helper he needed in his life, the one who understood him in a way no one else did.

Could she be that for him?

God, is this what You have for us?

The idea was like the first rays of sun in the morning, a glimpse of what could be. The promise of warmth and light.

Naya opened up the next article and stopped scrolling halfway through. She sucked in a sharp inhale.

Her gut instinct had paid off. “Guess what I just found? Zack’s dad did get a new boss and office. Ethos bought out another company almost three decades ago. That company was ProEco Plant. The employer Zack’s dad originally worked for before Ethos took over.” Naya squirmed in her seat. “And get this—we know now that Ethos was responsible for adding extra fluorine to the foam that can cause long-term harm to people if it gets in the ground water.”

Ingram let out a whistle. “That feels too close to home. How did you put that together?”

“Zack’s dad was a chemist, and Zack mentioned his dad getting a new boss and office. If the company dissolved and Ethos took over, of course there would be a transition. And when his dad tried to blow the whistle, he died.”

Footsteps and voices sounded outside her cubicle.

Naya swiveled in her desk chair. Her heart pounded in her ears. Soon, whoever had been nearby walked away. She sank back into the chair and loosened her shoulders.

“Nay, this is serious.”

“I know, right? This could be the story of the year.” Of course, there were still missing pieces that needed a place in the puzzle, but it was a start.

“No. I mean this is serious for you. For both of us. Douglas was killed for what he knew, and you’ve already been targeted. The car explosion and a fire at the former chief’s house? That’s serious, Nay.” Ingram sighed. “If someone finds out we both have intel, who knows what they’ll do?”

“Now you sound like Zack.” Naya leaned her head against her hand.

“I get why he told you to stop digging around. He might be on to something there.”

“How am I supposed to stay silent when I know details that could keep other people out of harm’s way?” Especially when it seemed like his parents’ deaths were connected to her story.

She could end up helping him and getting what she wanted.

“But do you?” Ingram whispered. “You know information that was true years ago, but facts don’t always equal a need for action. There’s nothing that can be done about it at this point. What does finding their killer give Zack? It won’t bring them back.”

Naya didn’t want to argue with her friend, but why wasn’t anyone seeing her side of the story? “That’s exactly why I need to keep digging. Until the answers provide a call to action on the part of whoever is responsible for their deaths. Responsible for hurting people and contaminating the water in Last Chance County.” This was her way of caring for the people in her life. Right?

A ding buzzed in Naya’s ear, and she put her phone on speaker so she could pull up the notification.

A social media update.

Naya went to exit out of the app, but that’s when the picture loaded, along with the notification that she was tagged in the post.

The Green Warriors had posted an update on their protests, and the first image was from the fire with the barrel of fish. Naya was front and center with her pen and paper.

“You still there?” Ingram’s voice filtered through the speaker.

“Yeah. Sorry. It looks like I’ve just made headlines with Green Warriors. Check this out.” Naya forwarded Ingram the picture.

“That you have.” Ingram paused. “Hey, I know that other girl.”

“Which one?”

“The gal sporting the brown shirt.”

Naya zoomed in on the picture. “Sylvia?”

“Yeah. She works in one of the departments here at Ethos.”

Naya frowned. Apparently, there was more to this photo than met the eye. “What is one of Ethos’s workers doing at the protests targeted at the CEO’s house?”

“Beats me. But she’ll be hounded by management here soon enough.”

“That email you all received from Callahan didn’t seem to deter her.”

“And none of this seems to be doing the same for you either, Naya. At what cost will you stop? You’ve already been targeted in your car, pushed over a cliff, and almost blown up.”

Naya swallowed. Ingram wasn’t wrong. “I just want the truth exposed. So those involved are prosecuted and the innocent are informed and able to move on, free from hurt because of other people’s choices.”

“Nay…” Ingram drew out her name. “I’m saying this because I love you. What is your goal in this? To bring healing to a community or prove a point about what you can accomplish? You’ll destroy the company I work for whether you have evidence or not, and you won’t bring Zack’s family back. You just want that promotion.”

Naya sucked in a breath. The words stung like ripping a band aid off, exposing the wound underneath. She didn’t like what her friend had said, but it didn’t make the question any less valid. Because deep down, her own desires waged a war over what to do. She wanted to do her job well and bring healing to the community.

“I want both,” Naya whispered. Silence lengthened on the other end. Had she just thought her answer or actually verbalized it?

Was she being prideful with her desires? Or were her intentions pure?

God, I want the posture of my heart to please You. Show me how to move forward.

“Tensions are high at the office, and people are growing more combative with each other. Is it really worth stirring up more conflict for the sake of the story?”

“Two people are dead because the company you work for might be hiding a secret. And you don’t want conflict between employees?” Naya’s cheeks burned. “That’s all the more reason to fight for this story.”

“You heard my conversation with Will the other day, Naya. People don’t like being told what to do. I’ve been trying to get my concerns on the agenda for a board meeting. But management has a reputation to uphold, and they aren’t afraid to make their position in the company known.”

Naya leaned back in her chair and took a swig of water.

Too many people were involved in this situation for her to make a selfish move.

Though that didn’t give her answers on how she should move forward.

She might solve this case and write the story. But at what cost?

She could lose a friendship with Ingram. If she pressed further, what would that mean for the two of them? Zack had already told her to back down too. Was she willing to give up the chance of exploring a possible future with him?

If neither of her relationships were severed, it could very well cost them their lives. She needed to make a decision, but her future hung in the balance.