Chapter 34
WALKER
“Can you drive any faster?” Levi complains from the passenger seat.
“I’m going as fast as I can without causing an accident,” I grumble. Even still, I push the gas pedal further toward the floor.
We saw the smoke about a mile back. The dread only grows the closer we get.
“Neither of them are answering,” Levi complains, pulling his phone away from his ear.
All I can think is that I need to get there. I need to see Blake.
We had sex this morning, and then I fucked it up.
I pushed her away.
If she’s hurt…
No.
I shove the thought aside.
We pull in through the front gate and circle the main house to the back, where all the commotion is going on.
I scan the crowd for Blake and Santiago, but come up empty. Instead, I find the fire department is in the midst of putting out the fire while the wranglers gather the horses in a nearby corral.
Where are Blake and Santiago?
Parking my truck, Levi and I hop out at the same time and dart forward.
Relief cools my alarm when I spot Blake standing outside the open doors at the back of the ambulance.
“There,” I shout to Levi, pointing to Blake.
Darting toward the EMT, I call for her. “Blake!”
She whirls, almost too quickly, like she’s on edge. But when her eyes land on Levi and me, her body visibly relaxes. Her movements turn sluggish as she runs toward us.
Reaching her first, I wrap her up in a comforting hug.
She doesn’t argue. She doesn’t tease. She doesn’t tell me to put her down.
And that’s what scares me.
She’s afraid.
Blake nestles her nose into my neck like she needs to reassure herself just as much as I need it.
Levi taps me on the shoulder and raises a brow when I look at him, his implication clear.
I pass Blake to him, and he holds her close. I search her back for anything amiss.
“I’m okay,” Blake claims.
Levi pulls back and refutes, “I think we’ll be the ones who decide that.”
We each give her a thorough scan as we ask a million questions, looking for signs of burns, smoke inhalation, blood, a concussion…
Blake holds up her hands and backs up a step. “You two need to chill.”
Levi turns to me. “We should have Hudson check her out again.”
I nod my agreement, Blake scoffs.
“I’m fine,” Blake asserts as she crosses her arms.
“Please,” I beg.
“Give us some peace of mind,” Levi adds.
Blake concedes, lets out a reluctant breath, and nods. Then points her thumb over her shoulder toward the ambulance as if she already knows the next person Levi needs to see.
Santiago.
I love the man like a brother, but Levi and Santiago are different. They make each other happy, and that’s all I want for them.
Levi is up and in the ambulance before I can blink.
Blake takes a shaky step forward, and I scoop her up in a bridal carry. When she doesn’t resist or complain, something inside my chest just clicks.
She’s in my arms.
She’s safe.
When we close the distance, we find Santiago sitting in the same spot I was in just two weeks ago.
Levi sits at his side, holding Santiago’s hand in his lap.
Hudson sits across from Santiago, wrapping his hand in a white bandage as Santiago holds a clear mask over his nose and mouth. His face is gray beneath the soot.
“Whoa,” Hudson holds up his hand. “One at a time.”
I nod in acknowledgment. “What’s the diagnosis?”
“I’m fine,” Santiago grumbles, removing the mask from his face.
Levi forces Santiago to put the mask back in place. “Hush.”
“Mild smoke inhalation and first and second-degree burns. He’ll need to change these bandages every twenty-four hours. I recommend continuing the oxygen through the night, and tomorrow he needs to go in and see a real doctor.”
Levi sits up straighter.
Hudson quirks a brow. “A doctor for humans. Not animals.”
Santiago pulls on the mask again. “Why are you telling them all of this instead of me?”
Levi pushes the mask back. “Because he knows you won’t listen to him, so we are going to be the ones who make sure you’re following his instructions.”
Santiago sighs, shaking his head.
“But he’s going to be okay?” Blake questions Hudson in a small voice, her fear coming through.
“Definitely,” Hudson answers.
Blake sags in my arms, resting her head on my shoulder.
“Now that that’s taken care of,” I start, “what the hell happened here?”
Blake’s voice only shakes once as she fills us in.
When she gets to the chain.
Throughout her story, I feel my face growing hotter and hotter. I do my best not to grip her tighter, but I need the reminder again.
She’s in my arms.
She’s safe.
When Blake finishes, Levi whips his head to Santiago, his body tight and his voice taking on the harshness of shattering glass. “What the hell were you thinking? You ran into a burning building?”
Hudson finishes dressing Santiago’s burn and sits back, awkwardly twiddling his thumbs and moving his eyes to look anywhere but what’s happening right in front of him.
Santiago rolls his eyes. “I didn’t do it alone.”
“One idiot following two more doesn’t make this better.”
Santiago’s expression turns serious as he drops the mask once more. “You didn’t hear them screaming. I needed to get the horses out.”
Levi deflates, his borderline-belligerent demeanor fading. If anyone understands the need to rescue an animal, it’s Levi.
“Didn’t you leave Javier with Blake?” I question Santiago.
He nods.
“Could he have—” I start
Santiago sits up straight. “Absolutely not. No way. Javier would never do something like this.”
“Then where is he?” I interrogate.
Santiago’s face tightens with strain. “I don’t know.”
I nod in understanding. “Jolene radioed Tess and Ridge when Levi and I left the station. They should be here any minute. I’ll have them start a search ASAP. We’ll be losing daylight soon.”
“I can help with that,” Hudson volunteers. “Unless someone else gets injured.”
“Thank you,” Blake expresses.
“Now,” my tone turns menacing, “where’s Manny?” I spin in a slow circle, scanning the entire area for any sign of him.
Levi’s eyes narrow. “Yeah, where is that asshole? I need to have a talk with him.”
“Get in line,” Santiago snarls.
“I don’t know,” Blake answers. “He dropped the lighter and walked away.”
My jaw locks as I growl at Santiago. “If that wrangler of yours—”
“That’s enough,” Blake scolds the three of us, “Santiago, this is not your fault. Levi, I know you’re worried, but tone it down a bit, please. Walk, no one could’ve seen something like this coming. We need to focus on finding Javier and Manny.”
Releasing a pacifying breath, I nod. “I agree.”
“Santiago needs to stay on oxygen, so the rest of us can start the search,” Blake directs. “You can put me down now, or do you plan on carrying me everywhere while you do your sheriff thing?”
Nice try.
“Not a chance, Baby Girl. Stay with Santiago. Hudson, don’t let him leave until he’s all patched up. Blake doesn’t leave either.” I maneuver Blake, setting her feet inside the ambulance and urging her inside. “Levi, let’s go.”
Levi places his hands on Blake’s hips and guides her into his spot as he stands.
“Hey!” Blake shouts in indignation.
“I should help,” Santiago argues.
Levi points a punitive finger toward Santiago. “Stay put.”
Blake and Santiago sulk as Levi and I get to work. Tessa and Ridge pull up just as we’re about to start. I fill them in, then it’s all hands on deck, aside from Blake and Santiago. I give Levi my spare radio and make sure we’re all tuned in to the same channel before we spread out.
Ridge starts out on the main trail. Tessa circles the wreckage of the barn, weaving in and out of the firefighters as they clean up their equipment. Levi takes the shed and secondary trail. That leaves me with the main house.
It’s not long before we find something.
Tessa’s voice crackles through the speaker of my radio. “I have an 11-24.”
Abandoned vehicle
“It looks to be a Chevy C/K 1500,” Tessa adds.
“Give me the license plate,” Jolene responds like she’s been waiting by her radio this whole time, which she probably has. There’s a reason she’s had this job for so long.
Tessa reads off the seven-digit license plate, and within seconds, Jolene has a result. “The truck is registered to Manuel López.”
“Thanks, Jo,” I chime in. “Ridge, join Tessa and you two search the area for any sign of him.”
“On it,” Ridge confirms.
I’m just finishing with the side of the house when Levi radios in. “10-54. Send Hudson to the shed.”
Person down.
“10-4,” I reply and take off in a jog back to the ambulance.
“I have a pulse, but there’s a lot of blood,” Levi remarks.
I rip open the ambulance door. “You’re needed in the shed. Bring your kit,” I order Hudson, and he jumps into motion immediately.
Jogging ahead of him, I glance over my shoulder and find that Blake and Santiago have joined us.
And they say I’m stubborn…
The door to the shed hangs open, and when I’m over the threshold, I’m struck by the scene. Levi kneels beside an unconscious Javier, who is lying in a small pool of what appears to be his own blood.
Hudsons pushes past me, but I hold Blake and Santiago back. Santiago has been close with Javier his whole life. He’s more of an uncle to Santiago than anything else.
Blake gasps, covering her mouth, and Santiago tries to move around me.
“No.” Santigo takes a sharp inhale as his face drains of color.
Hudson leans over Javier, assessing him, as Levi states, “His pulse is about sixty BPM and dropping, and he’s breathing on his own.”
“Head injury. Possible blunt force trauma,” Hudson observes. “The bleeding has slowed, which is a good sign, but I need to get him to the hospital in Jackson for an MRI.”
“Whatever he needs,” Santiago demands.
Hudson is efficient as he orders us around to help. Somewhere in the ruckus, Hudson radios dispatch to request a volunteer EMT. The volunteer arrives just in time to hop in the back of the ambulance as Hudson takes off.
“That explains why Javier didn’t come running when I yelled for him,” Blake mutters.
Santiago stands in the wake of the ambulance, biting the side of his lower lip as his brows pull together.
“He’ll be okay,” Blake comforts as she wraps an arm around him.
“We still need to find Manny,” I declare. “You two can stay here, and Levi and I can get back to the search.” I rest my hand on Santiago’s shoulder, offering my own version of solace. “We’ll take care of everything.”
Santiago shakes his head. “No, I want to help.”
“Me too,” Blake chimes in.
Giving up on arguing with them, I yield. “Alright. Blake, you’re with me. Santiago, you’re with Levi, but if you start to wheeze, I want you to put the oxygen mask, that Hudson left for you, back on.”
“Deal.” Santiago pats my arm as he and Levi head back to the shed.
Dipping my head, I signal to Blake that we’re going to the back porch, then stride in that direction. She follows closely behind.
The sun has almost dropped completely below the horizon, so I pull out my flashlight to illuminate my path.
The snow here has been shoveled, leaving the porch clear, which means no footprints. Just as I’m about to declare the porch cleared, my light catches on something small and reflective along the railing.
“What is it?” Blake whispers.
“Shh.” I hush her.
Drawing closer, I find that it’s a drop of blood. I find another one further down.
Then another.
And another.
My body goes into a state of extreme calm, bracing for a storm, and my pulse slows.
I know what I expect to find.
But that doesn’t make it easier.
The trail leads us to the edge, and when I shine my light over the side, I spot a dark lump a few feet below.
Shit.
“Don’t look,” I instruct Blake over my shoulder.
She ignores my instruction and moves around me. “Look at wha—” Blake cuts herself off when she finds the body with a loud, shocked inhale.
On instinct, my arm reaches out, sweeping her backward.
Blake’s breaths come fast and turn shallow.
Removing my radio from my belt, I inform everyone else. “I found him. Back porch.”
Ridge’s reply is immediate. “On our way, boss.”
“Us too,” Santiago notifies.
“Levi. Santi. Hurry up. I don’t want Blake near the body.”
Returning my attention to Blake, I place my hands on her shoulder, back her up, and bend so we’re eye to eye.
“Breathe, Baby Girl.”
“H—He’s.”
Pant.
“D—Dead.”
She’s right. Manny is dead, and I can’t change that. If he were alive, he’d be dead now.
I can’t offer her empty platitudes.
“I need you to breathe with me, Blake.”
She nods.
“In.” I take a dramatic inhale, and I feel her shoulders lift as she copies me. “Out.” We exhale together.
I repeat the method with her three more times before Blake calms.
Sometime during our breathing, everyone arrived. Tessa and Ridge have taped off the crime scene and begun collecting evidence.
I move Blake inside the house and into the living room, sit us down on the couch, and place her on my lap. Blake relaxes into me, and my heart warms.
Levi and Santiago follow Blake and me, offering her comfort. Levi runs his hands through her hair as Santiago rubs her back.
In minutes, Blake starts taking long, deep breaths, and her body unwinds the last fraction.
Levi keeps his voice hushed. “She’s asleep.”
“Good,” Santiago says in the same tone.
“She’s had a long day,” I add.
“If you want to take her up to bed, I’ll stay down here until Tessa and Ridge are done,” Santiago volunteers.
I shake my head, refusing his offer. “I need to figure something out.” Shifting, I indicate that I want Santiago to sit down next to me. After he does, I move Blake to him and stand.
Manny didn’t survive long enough to watch the barn burn.
Which means someone else was here.
“If Manny started the fire, then who killed Manny?”