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Ash started in that direction but stopped short. “The device?”
“Disarmed.”
Ash raced toward his niece, cursing in a creative string that Donovan would’ve found hilarious if his own fear hadn’t suddenly beat out the adrenaline and overwhelmed him. He tightened his grip around Sasha and pressed his face into her hair, blinking hard to keep back the tears burning in his eyes.
“It’s okay,” he repeated over and over, as much to assure himself as her.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Ash and Bella. The sheriff held his niece tucked securely under one arm and held his free hand out for a handshake. His expression was a mixture of gratitude, terror, and rage. “Thank you, Van.”
Donovan nodded, not trusting himself to speak, and accepted the handshake.
“It’s not safe to stay here,” Ash said and hugged Bella to his side. “Can you follow me down to the station and give a statement?”
Again, he could only nod. He’d go anywhere if it meant getting Sasha as far away from the bomb as possible. He returned his attention to her and rubbed soothing circles on her back. “Hey, angel. Did you hear Ash? We need to get out of here,” he said gently. “Can you walk?”
Sasha nodded, still holding onto him tightly. He helped her to her feet and led her over to his Jeep. Spirit was still sitting in the back and licked Sasha’s cheek as she settled into the passenger seat.
Donovan climbed behind the wheel and waited for Ash to bundle Bella into his vehicle before pulling out of the parking lot. As they drove away, the chaos of the scene faded into the background, and Donovan focused on Sasha. He reached over and took her hand, lacing their fingers together. She was still trembling, and her eyes were wide and unseeing. He knew the fear and adrenaline would linger long after the danger was over.
“It’s okay,” he said softly. “You’re safe now. We’re going to the station, and you can give your statement. Then, I’ll take you home. You can take a hot shower, crawl into bed, and rest. I’ll stay with you all night.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice hoarse from crying. “If you and Spirit weren’t there...”
He didn’t even want to consider that. “I’ll always be there for you, angel. Always.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence, Sasha’s hand gripping his tightly. They arrived at the station, and he escorted her inside and stayed close as she recounted the events to a deputy in one of the interrogation rooms.
When it was over, Ash met them in the front lobby. It was a well-lit area with blown-up photos of local scenery on the walls and a large wooden desk at the center. The department’s receptionist was busily typing on her computer, not paying them any attention except to offer a distracted smile as the sheriff walked by. Ash had changed his shirt into a wrinkled gray button-up and finger-combed his hair and beard, but he still looked exhausted.
“How’s Bella?” Sasha asked.
“Shaken, but Zak and Anna are with her in my office now. They’re shaken, too. And pissed. So am I.” His fists curled at his sides. “This is the second attack on my family in less than a month.”
“Do you have any leads?”
Ash nodded and looked at Donovan. “It’s Tiago. You were right. I tried to track him down, but he never reported to the fireline like he was supposed to. I did talk to his captain, and Redwood Coast Rescue isn’t the first time he conveniently arrived on the scene of a fire before everyone else.”
“So he’s a classic firebug, setting fires to be a hero.” Donovan thought back to the figure standing in the flames. “Except RWCR broke that pattern. He didn’t save anyone there. He just watched it burn.”
Ash pressed his lips together in a grim line. “Seems like his only goal now is destruction. He’s gone AWOL, and he took a shit-ton of explosive material with him when he left.”
“That explains the sophistication of the set-up in Sasha’s car. There were all kinds of fail-safes in place. He didn’t have time to activate them all, but as a firefighter, he’d have the expertise to create something like that.”
“We don’t yet have any definitive proof he planted the bomb,” Ash said. “But the bomb squad has taken it into evidence, and the explosives in it are a match to some that he took. We’re dusting it for fingerprints.”
“But…” Sasha shook her head. “Why would he plant it in my car? I barely know him. Only met him that one time.”
Ash didn’t answer and simply stared at Donovan, passing him the conversational ball.
Yeah, okay, that was fair. This was his mess, after all.
He turned her toward him and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “It’s because of me, angel. To hurt me. For some reason, I think Tiago blames me for his sister’s death, and this is him getting revenge.”
“You were the last person to see her alive,” Ash said. “It’s an easy conclusion to jump to from the outside.”
Sasha broke out of his arms and paced a few steps down toward the front door, then swung back. “This is all… too much. I-I really need to go home and sleep.”
“Okay, I’ll take you.”
