The Fire Still Burns by Crystal-Rain Love Read Free Book Online

you doing?”  She tried to grab the can back from him.
    “Leave it!”  His eyes held a raging fire of their own, far hotter than the one burning next to them.
    “That's evidence, Adam, and we need to put out this fire.”
    He glared at her for a beat before his jaw unclenched and his eyes clouded over with an indefinable emotion.  “Please, just let it burn.  We can put out the fire, but make sure the jersey burns first.”
    Sirens wailed through the air, announcing the near arrival of the fire department.  Adam held her gaze, his eyes wide and desperate. 
    Brynn's jaw dropped as she realized he actually pleaded with her.  Although she fought hard to avoid it, she found herself pulled into the vulnerability swimming through his sapphire eyes.
    Her head warred with her heart, the approaching fire truck urged her to make a quick choice.  She nodded once.  “All right, but you've got some explaining to do, Good.  You've just destroyed evidence in an arson investigation, and I think you know your brother had something to do with this mess.”
    Adam nodded grimly and handed her back the extinguisher as the fire truck pulled to a stop on the street.  They concentrated on extinguishing the fire again, Brynn hoped she’d done the right thing as the jersey continued to burn.
     
    ~~~
     
    Chief Parker was not happy, his mouth set in a tight frown as he paced back and forth before them.  The fire had been put out quickly by the fire department with barely any property damage to the football field and there were no deaths or injuries to civilians or firefighters.  None of that mattered when Adam reported with Brynn that there were no witnesses to the incident.
    “You mean to tell me some nut-job just took the time to stick a six foot stake in the ground, surround it with hay and light it up right in the middle of the friggin' high school football field and not a single person noticed a thing?”  The chief’s arms were stretched wide, his face red with anger.
    “It's Sunday,” Adam said in disgust.
    He didn't need to elaborate.  Black Bear Gorge was a God-fearing town, and nearly every one of its inhabitants made it to church on Sunday morning where they stayed until well into the afternoon and sometimes evening.  Few businesses opened on Sunday and none of the businesses near the high school had been open when the arsonist struck.  There were only a handful of residences nearby, and nobody had answered when Brynn and Adam knocked on their doors.
    “Un-frigging-believable,” Chief Parker bit out as he paced with his fists clenched together.  “At least tell me you know what was on the stake.”
    “Sorry, sir, we didn't get here quick enough.”  Adam cast a covert glance toward Brynn, fearful she might contradict him.  So far, she hadn’t told the chief anything that could condemn him.  His gut twisted with guilt, both for lying to the chief and for dragging Brynn into the sticky situation.  “We saw the fabric on the stake but we couldn’t make out what it was.”
    He looked at where the burned remains of his brother's old jersey lay, the material completely unrecognizable, and had trouble swallowing past the ball of shame which had lodged itself in his throat.  He didn't dare look at Brynn, not until the chief left and he could talk to her alone, somehow explain what he had done, find a way to justify it and protect his brother.
    “Son of a bitch.”  The chief spit and glared at the remains of the fire, his face twisted with frustration.  “We'll get this mess cleaned up.  Ya'll get on out of here and catch this nut before the whole town gets scorched.”
    He refocused his gaze on them and Adam could feel himself shrink under the older man's heated glare.  “I want results and I want them yesterday.  And if you come across another fire you’d better call it in, don’t wait on us to see the smoke in the sky.”
    “Yes'sir,” Adam mumbled as he turned for his truck, knowing Brynn