Page 35

“Harloe!” The fire truck is slowly rolling to a stop, but Liam has already hopped off.

He heads my way, while the rest of his crew begins attacking the fire. All around, people have begun to gather on the street. Whispering. Speculating. Watching like it’s front-page news and not my mother’s dream going up in flames.

Liam latches onto me the moment I’m within reach, pulling the air from my lungs. “Thank God you’re not in there.”

He hugs me so hard I can barely breathe.

Liam isn’t usually affectionate. Most of the time, he’s too busy looking at his phone to bother looking anyone in the eyes. But in the middle of this mess, he hugs me so tightly I start coughing again.

He pulls back, waving the paramedics over. “We need to get you checked out. Go with them while I get this fire under control.” He grabs the sides of my face one last time before leaving. “I’m so glad you got out.”

Pain lances his expression. A look I’ve seen from him once before, and it was in this very spot. The pain of a memory that almost knocks me out at the knees.

I nod, watching him go. Tears sting my eyes, and the pressure in my chest is nearly unbearable.

When I step back, Shane places his hand on the small of my back and leads me to the ambulance. He stays at my side, only making room when the paramedics ask me to take a seat so they can check my lungs. The entire time, his dark eyes watch me. His hands remain in his pockets, but his shoulders are stiff.

It isn’t until the paramedic confirms my airway looks good that Shane finally glances away.

The fire is nearly out now. Water washes over the building. Ransack is standing—barely. Smoke plumes fade into the night.

How am I going to fix this?

Another tear rolls down my cheek, and when I look back at Shane, he’s watching me again.

The paramedics finish at the same time the cops show up, and once they’re on the scene, Shane doesn’t take his eyes off them. At first, they linger by their car like they’re waiting for something. I don’t know what that is until Zander arrives at the scene, parking beside them.

“Wonderful,” I grumble, wrapping my arms around my stomach.

Shane offers me a hand, helping me out of the ambulance. My feet find the ground, but he doesn’t step back. His hand lingers on my lower back, shifting me closer. It’s comforting, but it shouldn’t be.

Instead of walking toward the fire first, the cops follow Zander to Shane’s bike, like they’re making note of where it is. He was the first one here—the one who carried me out of the building—so I have no doubt they’ll have questions.

“How did you get here so fast?” I glance up at him, curious myself.

His jaw works, but he doesn’t take his eyes off the cops. “The guys and I were taking care of some business. It ran late, and I was riding by.”

Business.

He doesn’t elaborate what that is, and I probably don’t want to know. It doesn’t even really matter. If he hadn’t been riding through town in the middle of the night, I would have died tonight.

My gaze drifts to the burned building, where one of the firefighters has made his way over to the cops to update them on the situation. They talk briefly before all eyes land on me.

Zander’s gaze darkens when he notices how close Shane is standing. He says something to the cops as the three of them storm over. But it doesn’t make Shane pull back. If anything, I swear he shrinks the space between us.

“That’s the guy.” Zander angles his chin at Shane.

The cops move toward him, so I shift slightly into their path. “What do you mean, that’s the guy?”

“All this shit around town. Tractors missing. Break-ins. And now this.” Zander waves toward the bar. “Look who’s around the second this shit happens.”

“Are you implying I had something to do with this?” Shane’s voice is deathly cold.

“I’m not implying. This is proof.”

I hold my hands up as the cops take another step. “This isn’t proof of anything. Shane is the one who got me out of the fire. He saved me. If anything, you should be thanking him for saving my life.”

“Maybe that’s what he wants.” Zander’s glare cuts in Shane’s direction. “What better way to win over the town than to play the hero?”