Page 44 of Slow Burn
“No need for sorry, Honey.” Ellen gave her one of those soft, mothering smiles, though the worry never left her eyes. “You holler if you need something.”
Jocelyn tried to return the smile, but it died out quick. “Thank you, Ellen. John.” She gave them both a nod.
“Night, Jossie,” John said, bushy brows pulled low.
In the truck, Jocelyn waved off Cole’s offer of pain meds. When she clicked her buckle into place, her movements held the barely contained aggression of anger, her hands shaking.
“What’s going on here, Jocelyn?” It wasn’t quite a demand, but there was no softness in his tone.
A sigh cut through her lips, but she refused to look at him. “Please, just take me to the hotel.”
His grip tightened on the wheel as he backed out, frustration and confusion twisting in his gut.
It only took a few minutes for the silence to crack.
“Tell me, Cole. Did your dad confess something to you last week? After our… disagreement?”
Rage lit him up from the inside like a shot of tequila. “The hell does that matter?”
He expected her to yell, but her chin trembled. “Why was he there the night of the fire? He wasn’t on shift. Why was he at my house so fast—before the fire station had even been alerted?”
The question hung there between them, sharp enough to cut him open.
seventeen
“Only in the fire do we forge the unbreakable.” - Unkown
Cole’s head jerked toward her, the anger he’d carried a moment ago gone as quick as it came. Jocelyn had heard it in his voice, felt it crackle in the air, but now something else danced in his pale blue gaze—something sharper, questioning.
“When I talked to Chief Ward, he mentioned how your dad just happened to be nearby that night. And then I got this note telling me to back off my digging. Same kind of paper I found on the floor of your parents’ living room just now. Makes me wonder if all that kindness of theirs is just a mask. Like maybe your dad’s got something to hide.” Her words poured out too fast, tumbling over each other until her lungs ached for air. “But God, I’m terrified of that being true, Cole. I love your parents. I don’t want to lose them.”
It took him a beat to process, then his brows sank low and his voice came out rough. “You got a note threatenin’ you?”
Jocelyn twisted her fingers together. “Not exactly threatening.”
“What the hell did it say?” The growl in his throat made her heart knock against her ribs. It was protective, primal, the kind of sound a man made when danger circled close to something or someone important.
That realization held her captive for a moment. She kept her silence one second more—not because she couldn’t remember. No, those words were burned into her mind, just one more piece of paper she’d committed to memory.
But because she wanted to cherish the thought that someone cared that much, even if it wasn’t truly a threat.
Finally, she forced the words out, flat and cold: “‘Some questions are better left unanswered.’”
Cole sucked in a breath, his jaw ticking as he stared out the windshield. The truck rumbled on down the road, but his thoughts were somewhere else entirely.
He turned into the alley, parked, then smacked his palms against the steering wheel with a muttered curse. “Forgot to take you back to the hotel.”
“It’s fine. I think I need a minute, anyway,” she admitted, though she wasn’t sure what good a minute would do.
His head tipped toward the back door of the building. “You wanna come up? My place is on the second floor.” He killed the engine, already shoving his door open before she could answer.
Jocelyn slid out, too, more to clear her head than follow him. Her feet kept her near the truck while he strode toward the entrance, only stopping when he noticed she wasn’t behind him. He turned and something in her stuttered.
She remembered John all those years ago—a bit thicker than Cole, not quite as tall—turning to look at her when she’d called for him. He’d handed her off to paramedics, and she’d fallen into full hysterics. He'd turned back, gone to comfort her so they could do a thorough check.
She pushed the memory back and stared hard at Cole. “What do you know about why your dad was there that night?”
Cole’s nostrils flared as he shoved a hand through his hair. “You asking me if my old man started that fire, Jocelyn?”
