Page 94 of Fragile Sanctuary

As gravel spat, Carlos shook his head. “Tiny dick disease.”

Shep barked out a laugh, and the rest of the crew joined him. “Let’s get some grub and then get back to work.”

The crew headed for the boxes and coolers of food in the back of Shep’s truck, but I waited for him. “Sorry about the drama.”

He shook his head. “It’s not on you.”

“The guy never liked me.” And I wasn’t sure why. I’d been pretty inobtrusive in terms of additions to the team. And crew members were always coming and going. That was the nature of the work.

But as I watched Owen’s truck fishtail onto the two-lane highway, I knew this was more than simple dislike. Owen was pissed as hell that I’d come out of Rho’s house this morning. And that set me on edge.

Shep sighed. “Should’ve fired him a long time ago. He’s always been a loose cannon. I just hoped he’d get his shit together.”

Shep wanted to help everyone, give them chance after chance—even if they didn’t deserve it. Especially if he had a tie to them. But that sixth sense of mine was starting to prickle. “He grew up here, right?”

Shep nodded. “Went to school with Fallon and Rho.”

Hell.My brain flashed back to the fire at the middle school. Then the ones downtown and the river trailhead. “He spend a lot of time with them?”

Shep’s eyes narrowed on me. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m taking a look at everyone who’s been in Rho’s orbit.” It was the truth. I hadn’t been able to stop myself, even if I knew it was a dangerous road for me to go down. Rho’s douche of an ex was first on my list, but I was adding Owen.

I should’ve taken a second look sooner. Owen had a number of narcissistic traits, including believing that everything was someone else’s fault, never his. But he wasn’t the only one. That was the problem with looking at everyone as a profile. You realized more people than not were capable of doing very bad things.

“You think I should float his name to Trace? Have him take a look?” Shep asked, concern bleeding into his tone.

My jaw worked back and forth as I tried to get the muscles to loosen. “Wouldn’t be a bad idea. Just tell him he’s been combative lately. He knows the layout of the Victorian well. He’d be able to move through the space quickly if he set the fire.”

Shep cracked his knuckles. “Half the town knows the layout of this place, being here for cookouts and holiday parties back in the day.”

My back teeth ground together. You’d think Sparrow Falls being a small town would mean a smaller pool of suspects. But it was the opposite. Everyone seemed to open their homes to the entirety of the town’s population, and everyone was connected. It made pulling a single thread nearly impossible.

“Just have Trace run his alibi. It’s a start.”

Shep jerked his head in a nod. “I’ll text him.” His gaze bored into mine. “Thank you. I know this isn’t easy for you?—”

“It’s nothing,” I cut him off. I didn’t want to dwell on the realities of the road I was going down, and I couldn’t handle Shep’s gratitude.

He shook his head, reading the no-go zone. Instead of pressing, he slapped me on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get some food before those mongrels eat it all.”

I chuckled, moving to follow him, but my phone buzzed in my back pocket. Frowning, I tugged it out and stared at the screen.

The number flashing there had my blood turning to ice. It was one I hadn’t seen in way over a year.

I swallowed the bile trying to make its way up my throat. “Be right there.”

Shep kept moving, and I turned to face the mountains as I hitaccepton the call. “Hunt.”

“Anson, it’s Helena.”

The familiarity of her voice washed over me—that smoker’s rasp she could never kick, just like she’d never been able to kick the cancer sticks themselves. Our job had held too much stress to give her a prayer of breaking free.

“What happened?” My voice didn’t sound like my own. Too detached. Too empty. But I knew she wouldn’t be calling for anything good.

In true Helena fashion, she didn’t beat around the bush. “He’s back.”

The ice spread, moving from my veins to my muscles and then to my organs. Everything froze to the point of agonizing pain.

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