Page 25 of Built of Flames

Four fires didn’t make for much of a serial arsonist. Seven made it more likely, but Izzy was right. Two of those fires didn’t match the date. Was the bank connected?

“I’m sorry, Isabella. I don’t know if that’s enough to make a connection.”

He thought he might piss her off with those words, but her smile was wry. “I know. That’s part of why I was reluctant to even mention it. But over the past few years, I’ve forced myself to speak up, even when I’m not sure. Before the warehouse fire, I was too shy or nervous to do it. I’m still working on it, but I’d rather be wrong than leave the theory unvoiced.”

He tugged on her hair until she looked at him. “Good plan. I’m proud of you.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Me? Why?”

“Because of what you just said. Because you stood up for yourself to the Chief. You’ve made a hell of a good life for yourself with no support. You started from scratch and you’re happy and successful. Instead of shutting down, you reached ahead.”

He hadn’t meant to make her cry, but tears welled in her eyes and started to slip over. Mitch cupped her face in his hands and brushed the tears from her cheeks, then kissed her forehead.

Her smile was wobbly. “Thank you. That’s maybe the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

That was sad. She should be hearing good things about herself all the time. She was amazing.

He had to kiss her. Her arms wrapped around his waist as she kissed him back.

“Isabelle? They told me—” Christo’s voice broke into their kiss. Instead of jumping back like he was guilty of something, Mitch straightened but kept his hands on Izzy.

He turned to find Christo staring at them. He wasn’t a happy man.

Personal Development

Bella couldn’t believe her ears and then her eyes. “Christo.” She raced to her brother and threw her arms around him. He scooped her up and held her close. They’d video chatted and talked on the phone multiple times. Seeing him in person was so much more.

A five-year age difference meant they’d never been the closest of siblings, but she’d idolized Christo growing up. If he was into soccer, she played soccer. When he went through a robotics phase, she’d learned about coding. When he’d decided firefighting was going to be his career, she’d done the same.

Her dad’s approval had generally been an impossible goal, but Christo’s had always been within reach. His personality had taken more after their mom’s. Which was why it had hurt so badly when he’d assumed the worst. When he hadn’t followed her out of the station to find out her story. Hadn’t even called her in the hours it had taken her to pack up and leave.

But they’d talked all that through and now he’d surprised her by showing up at her new home. Tears filled her eyes, and she hugged him with all of her strength. “I’m so glad to see you. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

Christo’s arms were banded around her, holding her inches off the ground.

His voice was shaky when he spoke. “I came on my first free days. Did you really think I would wait any longer?”

They simply held on for a long minute and then Christo put her down and then hugged her again. She’d had more hugs in the past few days than in the rest of her life put together.

“How did you find Midnight Lake? It’s not like it’s on a main street somewhere.”

Christo laughed. “Trust you to find a place not on GPS and with a two-mile hike added to the drive. I gleaned enough information from you two to find the town. Then I asked at the local diner. Apparently we look enough alike that they trusted me and gave me Tansy’s number. She and Sam met me at the sawmill. If that hadn’t worked, I’d have called you, but I wanted it to be a surprise. A good surprise.”

Christo was almost a foot taller and had to outweigh her by sixty pounds of muscle. She reached up to brush the scruff covering his jaw. “Yeah, we look so much alike.”

But their eyes were the same courtesy of their mother. “I can’t believe you’re here. How long can you stay? There are lots of empty bedrooms in the lodge. Did you already talk to Tansy about that? Or do you have to go home?”

Christo laughed and shook his head. “Always with the questions. Not surprised you ended up an investigator. You always liked puzzles and mysteries. And you always solved them before anyone else.”

Mitch laughed. “We could never watch a movie without you guessing the ending before the rest of us.”

She laughed as well, but felt Christo stiffen beside her.

Her brother glared at Mitch. “And just where are you sleeping at night?”

What?

Mitch raised an eyebrow. “I’m staying with my buddy Marcus in town. But to answer the glare in your eyes, yes, I’d like to be staying with Izzy. We’re not quite there yet. Problem?”