Page 7 of Smoldering Nights
His heart dropped when he saw a pathetic Izzy Payton standing alone in the debris strewn around her parking lot, staring at the front of her store.The front windows were broken, burnt flowers were wilted into the broken glass, and the sign on the front porch had the name of her shop burnt off, the engraving the only thing telling anyone what the sign once brightly boasted.
He hobbled to her side and took her hand in his.He stood there silently staring at the carnage as Izzy composed herself and took a deep breath."There, I got that out.Now I can move forward."
His fingers squeezed hers."That's great.Nice job getting yourself there."
She took a deep breath and turned her head to face him."Can I go in and see what I can salvage?"
"No.Not until the police remove the tape.They may need to come in and check things out as they uncover evidence.I just sent Trey a picture of a gas can cap that was lying in the back.They'll come back and look further into that."
She blew out a deep breath."Okay."
He nodded to his truck, which thankfully sat outside of the police tape."I'll follow you."
"Okay."
He reluctantly let go of her hand and stiffly moved toward his truck.His heart felt weird.Soft or something, and not at all what he was used to.But this pretty little woman, with her own business and a perky demeanor, suffered a huge blow today, and she was handling it like a trooper.And that just had him feeling all soft and mushy.That's all that was.Hopefully, it would be gone tomorrow.
The two-car caravan wound through the quiet backroads of Blossom Springs.Streetlights cast golden glows over the sleepy town.Mitch couldn’t shake the feeling that something bigger was brewing.
Izzy pulled into a narrow gravel driveway behind a blue two-story house with flower beds freshly planted.He parked behind her, climbed out slowly, and scanned the property.Dim porch light.One car in the driveway.Curtains drawn.Quiet.Clean.
Sadie greeted them at the door in pajama pants and a baggy college sweatshirt, her arms already open.“Oh my god, Iz, I’ve been watching the news all day.Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Izzy replied, though her voice wavered.
Sadie hugged her hard, then glanced at Mitch.“You must be the guy who saved her.”
Mitch gave a small nod.“Just doing what needed to be done.”
Sadie grinned.“Come in.I got the guest room ready.”
He stepped inside behind Sadie and Izzy, and while the women disappeared down the hall, Mitch checked the locks on both doors, peeked out the back window, and mentally mapped the exits.Once he'd checked everything in the front of the house, he moved to the back where the ladies were chatting.He made sure Izzy’s room had a window that opened, just in case.
He turned to the women watching him."This should be good."
She looked more relaxed.“Thanks.For everything.”
“I’ll be in touch tomorrow,” he said.“Don’t open the door unless it’s someone you know, and text me if anything feels off.Lock the doors after I leave and make sure you listen for anything out of place.”
“I will.”
Their eyes met again in the quiet of the porch light.Something unspoken passed between them.Worry.Tension.Something else.He shook his head and mentally told himself to get a grip.
Mitch cleared his throat.“We’re going to figure this out.”
Izzy nodded.“I believe you.”
He nodded toward the door and waited until she was safely inside before heading back to his condo.Once there, he downed two pain pills, sank into the couch with his laptop, and started combing through the footage the hotel had sent.
By midnight, he froze the screen on a still image:
A man’s silhouette leaning over something behind Petal Pushers.
He zoomed in.
No clear face.
But the bastard had left a clue.Maybe more than the gas can cap.He texted Trey again and asked to meet him there tomorrow.
