Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Derek
“I ’m fine, dammit,” I grumble to Mack, one of my farmhands.
“You’re not fine, boss.” He chuckles. “Stubborn ass.”
“I can’t believe he got away.”
“We’ll figure it out. I clipped him, so he’ll be going to the emergency room to get stitched up,” Vince adds.
I shake my head in disgust. We were so close to grabbing the guy, but he was able to slice me with a knife. Vince was able to turn the knife on him, and he sprinted off, clearly wounded, but that’s not good enough.
“Who could have started the fire? Who would do this?”
“Your father-in-law has been showing up a lot lately,” Willie interjects quietly.
“I saw him yesterday. Has he been here anymore? That wasn’t him. That guy was too fast for David, also a bit more muscular and taller than him.”
“Almost every night for the last week. I noticed him lurking around last week, and I had a bad feeling. I waited up to see if he came the next night, and he did.”
“Why didn’t you say anything to me?”
“He was going into the guesthouse. I assumed he was cheating on his wife. When the horses got out, I started to wonder.”
“The tractor’s wiring was cut,” Mack says.
“Why am I just now hearing about this?” I growl.
“Wasn’t sure if it was mice or something,” he replies as he rolls his shoulders.
The rage simmering in my chest is enough to choke me, and the exhaustion behind it is only making it worse. I keep my hands on my side, trying to keep from falling over.
I spot Teddy leaning against his truck, arms crossed, talking to his sister and Sheriff Clark.
Why is he here? Did she call him?
Amber looks over at me, her eyes soft, like she senses what’s building inside me. But I can’t give her anything back right now—not words, not a smile, nothing. I feel like I’m about to snap.
“What happened?” she gasps as she races forward.
“Nothing,” I grumble, immediately regretting sounding so hateful.
“Dude got him with a knife,” Mack explains.
Can’t this man keep his mouth shut?
“What?” Sheriff Clark asks in shock.
“I got him with a knife, too, so I’d check the local hospitals in case he shows up looking for medical care.” Vince says.
“Do you need paramedics?” Sheriff asks me.
“No. Mack can stitch me up.”
“Derek,” Amber starts as she takes a step closer to me.
Her hands are fidgeting as she reaches for me and then pulls back quickly.
“Mack can do it,” I repeat firmly.
“Did you get a good look at your attacker?” Jorge asks.
“No, he was masked up. I tried to pull it off and think maybe there was a red beard underneath, but…I’m not positive,” I answer. “I’d say he was about 6’2, well over two hundred pounds.”
“The vet is on her way out to check the animals,” Josiah interjects.
“Shit, where are the dogs?”
“I think they were drugged. They’re breathing, but out of it,” Josiah answers. “Looks like they were dragged over to the orchard.”
I close my eyes and try to bottle the fury trying to lash out right now. Whoever this was knew what they were doing. I heard the dogs bark and ignored it. Had I come when I heard them, I would have caught whoever it was in the middle of setting the fire.
Instead, I was making out with Amber. This is why I shouldn’t be in a relationship.
“Not that I’m not grateful for your presence,” I say to Teddy. “But what are you doing here?”
“I called him,” Amber answers quickly. “For a ride home.”
“I can take you back to your car.” I keep my tone steady and clipped.
“No, you need to be here. It’s fine,” she replies quickly.
Teddy’s face creases as he watches me, and then his eyes flit to his sister questioningly.
“I didn’t pass any cars or anything on the side of the road. Surely, whoever started this didn’t walk out here. Amber and I could drive out east, though, see if they parked down that way,” he offers.
“That would be appreciated. Did you find anything, Jorge?” I ask.
“Based on what I’ve seen so far, it’s clear this wasn’t a natural fire. Looks like arson. Probably started right near the vineyard row, given the damage pattern. Any idea who would have done this?”
I clench my jaw, nodding tightly. “No clue. I contemplated my in-laws, but that definitely wasn’t David we ran after.”
Amber sucks in a breath. My gaze goes to hers quickly, but she takes a step back and looks down at the ground rapidly.
Does she know something?
“I’ll be doing a thorough investigation.” Sheriff Clark says. His voice is calm, but there’s a bite to it. “But I’ll tell you this: if you don’t already have cameras out there, now’s the time to get some.”
“We advise you to keep quiet about installing them for now. The last thing we need is word spreading and whoever did this getting wind of it,” Jorge interjects.
“Yeah,” I say through gritted teeth. “Figured as much.”
Amber shifts on her feet beside me, silent but watching every word exchanged like she’s trying to understand the mess I’m in. I steal a glance at her, catching the worry etched on her face, and something inside me loosens. Just for a second, but it’s enough. Enough to wish we were somewhere else, anywhere else, just me and her, where I don’t have to think about arsonists or how much damage has been done to the property. Just bury myself in her, lose myself, and forget about all of this.
But we’re not there. Not yet.
Sheriff Clark clears his throat, and I shift my focus back to him, dragging myself out of the thoughts I can’t afford right now.
“We’ll need your cooperation, Derek. Any info you’ve got, anyone with a grudge, let us know. And keep a close eye on your property,” the sheriff says, looking me dead in the eyes. “We’ll be in touch, but for now, lock things down tight. Cameras, extra security if you can manage it.”
“Got it,” I say, my voice sounding rough even to my own ears.
I glance back at the remnants of the fire in the distance, the black smoke still hovering in the air, the charred land barely visible against the dark sky.
“You let me know if anything else happens,” Sheriff Clarke states.
I nod, and they turn to leave, the sheriff’s car crunching over the gravel as it rolls away, taillights disappearing down the road. When I turn back, Teddy’s still there, his eyes on me.
I feel defeated and on edge as I look out at how eerie everything looks in the moonlight. The way the smoke wraps around the charred remains of all my hard work.
“Thank God the kids weren’t here,” Amber says.
“Yeah, I’d hate to think how freaked out Casey would be about the dogs right now,” I reply.
“Who do you think it was?” Teddy asks.
“I don’t know. Could be anyone, I guess,” I lie.
Amber shifts beside me, her hand lightly grazing my arm. The touch sends a jolt through me, something steadying and maddening at the same time.
“Derek,” she says softly, her eyes searching mine, but I can’t give her what she’s looking for. Not now. She opens her mouth to say something else, and I start to pull away.
“I’ll check the stables and barns, see if everything is secure,” Mack tells me as he starts for the barn that had been filled with smoke.
“The barn isn’t stable,” I call after him. “Be careful.”
“Vince, Josiah, and I will start rounding up the animals,” Willie adds as the three men walk away.
I stare after them, scrubbing my face with my hands.
I don’t even know where to start with this mess.
“Call your insurance agent first thing in the morning,” Teddy says as though he’s reading my mind. “Kids can stay as long as they need to tomorrow.”
I nod and look over at Amber. “You should probably head home with Teddy,” I say the words harshly. “No need to stick around. It’s been a long night, and it’ll be an even longer day.”
And I don’t want you to see this dark part of me.
Her expression flickers with something like hurt, but she nods, glancing toward Teddy, who’s already opening the car door for her.
I watch her climb into the passenger seat; Teddy looks back at me.
“I’ll come back out in a bit and see what I can help with.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I know,” he chuckles dryly as he climbs into the driver’s seat. “You’re positively glowing demeanor isn’t going to scare me away.”
As they drive off, I feel the knot in my chest tighten, my fists clenching at my sides.
My mind starts running through everything: the fire, the vineyard, the animals we barely got out in time. But as much as I want to focus on that, my thoughts keep circling back to Amber.
I have so much rage and stress filling me right now, but all I can think about is burying myself in her and destroying her. My primal need for the release, the control, all of it, but I can’t do that with someone I’ve only kissed a few times.
I want more of her, but this isn’t the side of me that she needs to see.
I don’t know who started that fire, but whoever it was will pay for it. I have a feeling that this isn’t just a random act. Someone wants to hurt me and damage what I’ve built here.
And as I stare out into the dark, the face that comes to mind isn’t just anyone’s—it’s my father-in-law’s, staring back at me with that cold, calculating look he’s worn since the day I took over this land.
I know it wasn’t him that I tackled in the woods, but I’d be willing to bet he hired that man.