21. Zoe

Waiting was moretorturous than we expected. It was only two days later, and my skin was crawling as I waited for an update from Detective Jennifer. How long did it take for evidence to be processed?

I strode into the kitchen, while Gabe, Garrett, Angus, and Jae hung out in my living room. This was only a temporary house for me to stay in while I worked here, but it certainly felt a little like home with the guys here. The entire crew had been in and out, switching spots as shifts came and went.

Their company really helped me get through those torturous hours. Just being in their presence relaxed me, even if my heart constantly raced around them. The thought of just leaving them behind after this case finished made my stomach twist. And not in a good way.

It just didn’t feel right, but what else could I do? Give up everything in North Carolina and move back here? Start all the way over?

“You guys are eating me out of the house,” I called out to them as I checked my empty refrigerator.

Jae appeared in the doorway.

“I can go get some groceries and whip us up something,” he offered, being as kind as always.

I walked over to him and placed my hand on his upper arm, giving him a grateful smile.

“We can just order something. I don’t want you going anywhere,” I replied. I missed every single one of them whenever they left to go to work.

Did they miss me too? Did they yearn for me like I did for them? And why was I such a damn coward to the point that I couldn’t ask them?

Jae took my hand and pressed a quick but sweet kiss against my inner wrist.

“You’re stuck with us,” he promised me.

He had no idea how much his words relieved me. My heart fluttered as we shared a smile with each other before heading out of the kitchen. The others were piled up on the couch as an action movie played on the television.

A wave of happiness washed over me, and I found myself swept up in the casual pleasure of this moment. It was so simple. So normal. But it made me so happy just having them here with me.

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to get something out of my car,” I called out before striding out of the house.

Sunshine beat down on me the moment I stepped out on the porch, but I didn’t get any farther than that. A white envelope was at my feet.

My heart stopped as I stared at it, noticing that the front was plain. No address. No sender. Dread churned in my stomach as I looked up and down the street, not seeing a soul.

This was something bad. I just had a feeling.

I reached down and picked it up, tearing through the adhesive to flip open the flap. I pulled out a white piece of paper with black pen writing on it, my heart sinking as I read the words.

Zoe Elizabeth Collins,

We know what you’ve been up to. We see everything that you do. Stop your investigation and leave town.

If you don’t comply, your firefighting friends will meet the same fate as your mother.

I lowered the letter with wide eyes, the paper starting to shake in my hand. My mother’s fate. The car crash that almost seemed intentional. No suspect found.

And like every other crime that the cartel committed, there were no suspects.

Bile rose up my throat as I stumbled back, my back hitting the door with a thud. No… it couldn’t be! After finding out that my mom was gathering evidence on them, did they send her a threat?

Did they act on the threat when she didn’t stop and kill her?

The urge to vomit hit me like a truck, my stomach aching as I grasped it with my hand. Tears welled up in my eyes as the letter crumpled in my fist, the entire world seeming to shift beneath my feet.

They killed her. And they wanted to kill the guys.

The front door opened, nearly sending me tumbling into the house. I spun around and faced the guys, who looked distraught as Gabe spoke on the phone.

“Are you sure it’s his house?” Gabe asked into the phone as the guys gathered around him.

“What is it?” Angus and I asked at the same time, his hand still lingering on the doorknob.

“The cartel… they’re the ones killed my mom,” I gasped through my tears, my throat locking up before I could get another word out. My eyes dart to Gabe. “Who is he talking to? What’s going?”

“I don’t know. Something about a fire,” Angus told me, his voice borderline shaking.

“Oh, shit. That’s his place,” Garrett breathed out as he shared horrified looks with the others.

“What?” I questioned him, sensing that something else was terribly wrong.

“Tobin’s house is on fire,” Gabe blurted out as he lowered the phone.

My stomach dropped, and the increase in bile almost made me gag. I couldn’t handle all of this. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing any of them.

“We have to get there,” I said with a shaky voice.

“Let’s go,” Jae replied before running out of the house.

We all split up. Half went with Jae, including me, and the other half went with Gabe. Our vehicles tore out of my driveway, racing down the street to get to Tobin’s house as quickly as we could. It wasn’t long before I saw smoke rising in the sky in the near distance.

“Oh, no…” I breathed out as Tobin’s house came into view, flames tearing through the windows and consuming most of the front door.

The fire truck was parked outside, and Paolo, Cohen, Kit, and Kieran worked the hose, spraying water through one of the upper windows. Tobin and Matty were nowhere to be found.

“Zoe, wait!” Angus tried to shout as I hopped out of the car before it came to a complete stop.

I ran toward the house, only to be scooped up by Cohen and dragged backward.

“They’re in there, aren’t they? Let me go!” I shouted as tears gleamed in my eyes, the smell of smoke filling my nose.

“They’ll fight their way out! You’re not getting any closer!” Cohen bit out as he locked me in his arms.

Tears streaked down my cheeks as I watched the other firefighters subdue the fire, the flames starting to die out with a sharp crackle. But where were Tobin and Matty?

After what felt like an eternity, Tobin and Matty burst through the front door. Tobin had his arm slung around Matty’s shoulders, his free hand holding a picture frame against his chest. He grimaced as he limped, soot covering his face, clothes, and hair.

“A dresser fell on his leg!” Matty shouted as Angus rushed forward to look over Tobin as he was lowered to the ground on the sidewalk.

Smoke still swirled into the air, but the fire was gone, leaving behind a burnt, broken house. The flames gutted the interior.

“Is he okay?” I asked as I broke from Cohen’s grip to run over to Angus, Matty, and Tobin.

Tobin groaned as Angus carefully shifted Tobin’s ankle.

“I was sleeping… I woke up to smoke,” he gasped out, his voice hoarse from smoke inhalation.

“Try not to talk,” Angus said. “Can we get some oxygen over here?”

I knelt down and took Tobin’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Now that I was close enough, I could see that he was holding a picture of him and his dad. That knocked the breath right out of me.

He almost died. This was my fault. The cartel was warning me to back off, and if I didn’t listen, they would go after the others. They just proved that they could hurt the people I cared about.

“I’m so sorry, Tobin,” I cried. “They did this because of me.”

Tobin parted his lips to speak, but a pained grunt left him instead.

“Not even our homes are safe,” Gabe said from somewhere behind me.

“These guys are ruthless. We’re really in the middle of this now,” Jae sighed.

They were stuck in this mess because of me. I’d dragged them into my investigation, and the cartel was pissed. They wouldn’t stop until I left.

So, that was what I needed to do… I had to leave to save the men I cared about. The men I was steadily falling for.

While the crew checked on Tobin and searched the remains of his house for any clues, I quietly snuck away, knowing that they would try to stop me if they found out my decision.

Once again, I was on the run from this place to escape my problems. What could I say? I was a runner. A coward.

And I wasn’t sure I would ever change, but at least they would be safe. At least I wouldn’t have to go to their funerals. I didn’t think I could survive that.