Page 23 of The Firefighter's Angel
“Back home,” Lenny adds. “We had a long talk with him, Cindy. He told us everything.”
My jaw tightens. I don’t like where this is going.
“He said you misunderstood,” Lenny continues. “He swears he never meant to scare you.”
Cindy’s face goes pale.
Her mother jumps in quickly. “I know you were upset, honey, and I’m not saying you didn’t feel uncomfortable, but maybe it was just…miscommunication. You’ve been under so much stress lately—”
I see red.
I take one step forward, curling my arm protectively around Cindy’s waist. She leans into me without even realizing it.
“No,” I say, my voice low and firm. “There was no fucking misunderstanding.”
Their eyes snap to me.
“He cornered her,” I growl. “Got her alone and made her feel unsafe. That wasn’t miscommunication, that was intent. I don’t give a damn what lies he fed you, because I was the one who rescued her. I saw what he did to her.”
Her mom blinks like I slapped her.
“Now let me make this real clear,” I say, taking another step forward so they both feel the heat rolling off me. “If Lyle ever comes near her again—if he so much as tries to contact her, I will handle it myself. And trust me, you do not want that.”
Lenny stiffens slightly, like he’s not sure whether to argue or nod.
I don’t care which way he leans. I’m not here for them.
“She’s not a little girl who needs to be told she imagined things,” I continue, my voice dropping to a lethal level. “She’s a woman. She knows exactly what happened. And she doesn’t owe that bastard silence just to keep the peace.”
Cindy grips my hand tighter, and I feel the smallest shake in her shoulders. But she’s still standing tall. She hasn’t backed down.
“You said he left,” I say, turning my gaze back on Lenny. “Where exactly is he?”
“Back in Bozeman,” he answers, a little less sure this time. “Left this morning.”
“Good.” I step back, my grip on Cindy firm. “Because if he didn’t, we’d have a real problem.”
Right then, my phone buzzes in my back pocket.
I don’t want to take it. I don’t want to step away, not when Cindy’s standing beside me, her eyes wide, her hand gripping mine tightly. But I already know what this is. There’s only one reason dispatch would be calling me directly. I pull the phone out to check the screen and sure enough, it’s the field office emergency line.
I sigh and rub the back of my neck before answering. “Foster.”
“Daniel, we need you up on the north ridge. Spot fire’s breaking containment line near Flat Top. Crew’s light. We need air eyes and brush control, ASAP.”
“Copy that.” I glance at Cindy, hating everything about the timing. “I’m on my way.”
I hang up and turn back to her, pressing my free hand against the small of her back. Her gaze flicks up to mine, and I instantly hate myself at the sight of her little sad pout.
“You have to go,” she says softly.
I nod. “Fire’s flaring up near Flat Top. They need me.”
She swallows and looks back toward the cabin where her mom and Lenny still stand, both of them visibly taken aback, not just by the phone call, but by everything I just said. Their eyes flick between me and Cindy like they’re piecing things together. Trying to decide who I am, what I am.
I don’t care about their confusion or their judgment. All I care about is making sure they understand one thing.
“I meant what I said,” I growl, giving them both a pointed look. “Her safety is not negotiable. I’ll be checking in. And if I find out that bastard’s anywhere within a hundred feet of her again…” I don’t finish the sentence. I just let the silence sit there, heavy and electric.
