Burning Truth (Lost and Found Columbus #3)

Chapter 13

13

A ddie wanted to respond to the private message so bad and tell the arsonist what an asshole he was. Severn didn’t think it would be a good idea, though.

The guy was a coward, lurking in the dark. Nelson Flynn didn’t mean anything to her, but apparently, that didn’t matter.

Severn mattered to her. If something happened to him...

And that’s what the note seemed to intimate, that he was in danger next. The thought of him being hurt, especially by fire, made her want to throw up. Though he hadn’t really explained to her the circumstances of his injury, she knew it had to have been bad to leave the kind of scarring it had.

The past three days had been a whirlwind, but she wouldn’t change a single thing that had happened between them. Severn was taciturn and reserved, but he’d warmed up with her, and she felt like she was standing at the edge of a cliff. It was crazy to even be thinking about a relationship right now, but she was.

Last night, she’d been desperate for a distraction. And she’d gotten it.

Now she didn’t want to let it go.

He made her feel at home. Yes, it was her house and her bed, but Severn’s strong arms made her melt. They gave her a feeling of contentment she’d never felt before.

He was an amazing guy. She didn’t think he thought of himself the same way she did, but she felt like he had a good heart. He was pretty closed-lipped about his life, but she would be patient. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be worth it.

How did they combat the arsonist?

Addie had been independent for a long time, making her own decisions since she’d moved out of the house at eighteen. She didn’t like being dictated to, or corrected.

Responses to what he’d told her crowded her mind. She wanted to cuss him out and belittle him like he did her. She wanted him to live in fear before he was caught.

So, maybe they should go public.

Thinking the process through, she jogged down the stairs to find Severn. He was sitting at the kitchen table, working on his laptop. He looked up when she came down the stairs, and something in his expression turned careful. “You look determined about something.”

One side of her mouth tipped up. “How did you know?”

He made a circling motion toward her face with one finger.

Addie waved a hand at him, not deterred. “So, listen. He likes calling out commands and telling me what to do, and making me live in fear. I want him to feel the same pressure. I want to release what we have on him. Do a news segment for people to be on the lookout. We didn’t recognize him, but maybe someone out there would.”

Severn rocked back in the chair, narrowing his eyes. “I don’t think we have enough to identify him yet. And we don’t want to give out too much information, because then he’ll spook and go underground.”

Addie huffed in frustration. “Then let me respond to his message. We responded to one of the other ones. I want to tell him what an asshole he is.”

Severn stared at her for a long moment, as if assessing her determination. His beautiful eyes flickered, and he nodded. “Fine.”

Addie immediately pulled out her phone and found the message. Her fingers flew over the screen. You’re a spoiled, petulant asshole , she typed. Nelson Flynn never did anything to you, but you killed him. And his mother. You are a monster.

She showed Severn the screen, and he shrugged, a little fatalistically. Addie wondered if she was doing the right thing. Or if she was poking the bear. She hit the send button. Within seconds, the message was read and she could tell he was responding.

Nelson Flynn was in my way. One less obstacle to our being together.

Her mouth dropped open, horrified at his words in black and white. If you think I would ever be with you, you’re delusional. You are sick in the head. Monsters kill innocent people.

They’re not innocent.

For the ten-millionth time that day, he opened the screen and looked at the message Addison had sent. One sentence beat at him.

You are sick in the head .

He’d been told that before, so it rang especially sharp. It would not deter him, though. Addison Kingston needed to know what an amazing, innovative, forward-thinking man he was.

The shrinks, the cops, the whole system—they couldn’t see the bigger picture, couldn’t grasp the truth staring them in the face. They said he failed the psych test, but that didn’t matter. The test wasn’t designed to find sanity; it was designed to weed out people like him—people who saw the cracks, who understood what needed to be done. They couldn’t label him because they didn’t understand him. He wasn’t a criminal. He wasn’t just some arsonist burning things down for fun. He was cleansing, purging the rot festering in the city. The fire was his weapon, his message, a way to burn through the corruption and lies.

They didn’t hear him. Not yet. But she did. And she was beginning to understand.

Addison was the one who mattered. Every time she stood in front of the ashes, reporting with that calm, professional, sexy voice, she had no idea that he was speaking directly to her through every single flame. She talked about the fires like they were just random destruction, just another tragedy. But she was beginning to see the pattern. She knew he was the one guiding the flames, sending a message to the city—to her.

The first fires were practice, stepping stones to something bigger. He never really planned to kill anyone. The people who died in the warehouse fire, well, that wasn’t his fault. They got caught up in something they had no control over. They weren’t his target, not really, but sometimes you had to break a few eggs to make an omelet. He didn’t set out to kill them, but it highlighted a different form of rot. They just shouldn’t have been there. It was their own fault they’d died. It was unfortunate, but necessary. The city needed to wake up.

Nelson Flynn had been in the way, too. The kid had been so earnest and ingratiating, trotting after her like a damn puppy. Thinking she would want his attention. That had been sickening. Nelson had bragged that she seemed interested, but he knew otherwise.

And he couldn’t lie. It had given him a thrill to hear Nelson screaming in his house as the fire ate him. If only he hadn’t seen him at the food truck festival. Maybe he would have let him live.

Addison was incredibly polite, and he’d watched her interactions with the public. She never cut them off or made them think she was uninterested. She leaned in toward the person and cocked her head, as if to listen more clearly. Nelson had thought that was interest.

He wanted that attention focused on him. He’d had it for a moment, and it hadn’t been enough. The need to see her and talk to her again was like a drug addiction, growing until it was all he thought about.

If he got rid of the new guy, her focus would be on him completely. He looked down at the phone. Sending her the messages this way was fun, but he wanted more direct contact.

And it was obvious to anyone with a brain in their head she and the new guy, Severn Moran, were just pretending to be in a relationship. Nobody would ever want to be with that scarred abomination, not by choice. It just showed how kind-hearted his Addison was, though.

For a moment, he wondered what Severn thought about the fire. It was obvious the man had an intimate connection with it. Did he remember feeling the flames kiss his fingers and lick across his hands? What secrets had the fire told him before she marked him?

Shaking his head, he looked down at the words on the screen.

No matter what his mother said, no matter what the Columbus Police Department said, no matter what Addison said, he knew he was more solid in his mind than he’d ever been.

And she would wake up soon. She would see how incredible he was. Every time she stood in front of the camera, he could sense it—her curiosity growing, the gears in her mind turning. Eventually, she’d report on the fires differently, telling the viewers that he was doing the city a service. And when she saw the truth, she’d realize that he wasn’t some lunatic, some madman setting fires just for the thrill of it. No, he was the one trying to fix the system. He was the one trying to get it right.

And when she understood that? That’s when the city would listen. That’s when they’d all finally listen.

But first, he needed to get rid of her shadow. The man had been through a lot, and it only seemed fitting that he would introduce him to fire again. This one would be perfect. It had to be. She would have no choice but to see it, to report on it. And when she did, she’d know he was speaking to her.

Severn’s senses were on high alert as he escorted Addie from the house. She’d been adamant that she couldn’t take off another day, not if it meant people were going to die.

It made his job incredibly hard, though. She was a public facing personality, and she had a responsibility to report the news. No matter the danger to herself.

Today, she wore one of her cute little dresses that hugged her ass. He’d cupped her ass before they left the house, and she’d grinned at him. The dress was deep maroon with bright silver buttons marching down the front, across her delicious breasts.

All he could think about doing was pushing that skirt up over her hips and letting her ride him. Or reaching up the front to finger her.

Their new, legitimate relationship was going to put a whole new dynamic into the situation. He was still torn on how he felt. It was totally unprofessional to sleep with a client, but she drew him like no other woman had. He was already trying to justify his heightened attention, but he knew it was self-serving.

Parker and Andromeda had made it work. Parker had been guarding Andy in a terrorism case when they’d fallen in love. And Brian and Sage had had a bit of overlap, too, personal and business.

It wasn’t impossible, just improbable.

Was he seriously thinking about being in a relationship? He’d been a bachelor for so long he didn’t even know what went into a relationship.

It didn’t feel like a task when he thought about being with Addie, though. It felt kind of exciting. It had been a long time since he’d been excited about anything. Being in her house should have made him feel uncomfortable, but it hadn’t. For the first time in a long time, the loneliness that ate at him was quiet.

They drove to the station, chatting about the steamy weather and the traffic on the way in. It was mid-day, and the lunch rush had hit. Traffic was bumper to bumper.

Addie was staring out the window, her lips pursed.

“What’s wrong,” he asked.

She flashed him a grin. “Oh, I have a list. It just seems so crazy to me that all these people are just going along like nothing affects them. But the danger is so close.”

“It’s always like that,” he said softly. “People don’t always broadcast what they’re going to do. Most of the population live oblivious lives, and they don’t do much to change it. In the military, we called them soft targets.”

She didn’t like that, he could see, but it was the way things were. Evil always took advantage of the weak.

They arrived at the station, and he parked in the front loading lane. Addie looked at him, curiously.

“I don’t want you walking out exposed any more than we have to. I also have a buddy coming in who’s going to back me up for a while. He’s probably inside.”

Her eyes went dark. “I don’t want you hurt, Severn. You’ve come to be very important to me.”

Severn was a little shocked, and he clamped his mouth shut. Varied responses jammed in his brain, but he couldn’t spit one out. She was staring at him like she needed a response. When he still hesitated, she turned to gather up her things. She flung open the door and started to get out, but he grabbed her arm.

“Wait, Addie,” he said, flustered. He never got flustered.

She sat back in the chair, her green eyes so deep in the sunshine.

“I’ve never been in a relationship like this,” he started. “You’re stirring up a lot of feelings in me, and it’s taking me a while to adjust. But I don’t want you hurt, either. Actually, I will die to keep you safe.”

Her eyes softened, like she understood that he was saying what he could, and she nodded. “Okay,” she said softly.

Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to her lips, even though it was the middle of the day and everyone could see them. There were a few people walking in, so he made the kiss short. He didn’t want her to be embarrassed being seen kissing him.

Addie cupped his face in her hands, her thumbs running over his cheeks as she pulled his attention back to her. She looked deeply into his eyes. “Don’t think about anyone else. I’m not embarrassed to be seen with you. You’re gorgeous, Severn, even with the scars. I don’t know why you don’t get that.”

Severn huffed out a laugh. The woman was insightful, which made her dangerous. “I don’t know about gorgeous. There’s not enough makeup in that studio to plaster over these scars.”

She shook her head, sighing as she sat back in the seat. “The scars don’t matter. Not to me, at least.”

Gathering her things, she slipped out of the truck. Severn had to scramble to catch up to her as she walked into the studio building.

Dan Stirling stood just inside the door, watching them through the glass, his hands clasped in front of himself. Severn suddenly worried that Dan, a former Army Ranger, had been the wrong choice. Yes, he was a damned good investigator, but he was the opposite to Severn in every way. Dan had surfer boy, blond-haired, blue-eyed good looks, though he was from the mountains of Montana. Parker had hired him several months ago on Duncan Wilde’s recommendation, and so far, Dan had exceeded expectations. He was active despite his prosthetic leg, and Severn wondered if Addie would even notice the disability.

The two of them would look perfect together. Dark and light.

“Addie, this is Dan Stirling. He’s a newer hire at Lost and Found Columbus, and he does excellent surveillance work.”

Addie beamed at Dan and held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dan. Sorry you got called in for this mess.”

Dan gave her a friendly smile, interest heavy in his expression. “Oh, I’m not. It gave me a chance to meet the famous Addie Kingston. And I have to say, you’re more beautiful in real life.”

Severn thought Addie would absorb the comment and go on, like she normally did, but instead, her cheeks turned pink. Was she attracted to Dan? He was a handsome guy, and he was unattached.

Before he could even second think his motivation, Severn took her elbow in his hand. He’d already briefed Dan over the phone, so he handed him the keys to his truck. “Can you park it around in the back lot? Be sure it’s under the cameras.”

Dan nodded once. Winking at Addie, he turned and left the building.

“Well,” she said softly. “Isn’t he a charmer,” she laughed.

Severn wasn’t sure what to say to that, but he felt a little off-balance. Addie headed into the studio and he fell into step beside her. There was a jittery feeling in his gut that was driving him mad. She’d just told him he was important to her, and he felt the same way. Was he feeling threatened by Dan? Yeah, a little, he supposed.

Addie went into the newsroom and sat down at her cubicle. There were more than a dozen people working in here today, pulling news articles together or looking for new threads. Answering phone lines. Columbus was a huge city, and there was a lot going on every day, so there was always plenty to do.

Severn wandered the big room, nodding to a few friendly people that he’d gotten used to seeing. Avoiding the stares of a few others. And he watched Addie. Once she seemed absorbed in something, he called Gabbie.

“Anything new?”

“No,” she sighed. “I’m going through the messages they exchanged this morning. He really is baked in the head, isn’t he?”

“Yeah,” Severn sighed. “Unfortunately, that makes him unpredictable. And I think he’s getting more desperate. Something is going to happen today.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth when Addie stood up from her chair. She had her phone to her ear and her face had gone pale. Severn crossed the room to her in seconds. “What?”

She handed the phone to him. “It’s Jake.”

“Hello?”

“Hey, uh, Severn. I think I’m in trouble.” There was a quiver in the older man’s voice that didn’t bode well.

“Jake? What’s going on?”

“Well,” he stopped to clear his throat. “The van has been acting up again, and I brought it in to be looked at. They said it was done, so I came to pick it up at the lot. Well, when I climbed into the seat, I heard a click that I don’t normally hear. And with that nerd being killed and stuff, I thought, maybe he’s going after me next...”

Fuck. He hadn’t even thought about Jake being in trouble. “Okay, dude, just take a breath and tell me where you are, exactly.”

He was already striding toward the door, Addie close on his heels. Dan met them in the hallway and turned to follow along. “What’s going on?”

Addie whispered to him, while Severn continued to talk to Jake. “You hang on, and don’t move. We’re heading to the truck now.”

“I was afraid to even call you, just in case it was triggered by cell signal, or something, you know. I mean, you see all the movies that talk about that, and the bombers in Afghanistan using phones for their IEDs. But I figure this is a ploy to get you here, and maybe it’s a trap for both of us, then Addie will be alone.”

Severn pursed his lips as he jogged around the building toward his truck. Dan handed off the key fob and he unlocked it from a distance. They all climbed in.

“I think you’re probably right, Jake. Unfortunately, I’m probably the best guy to take a look at whatever is under your seat. IEDs were my bread and butter in Afghanistan.”

Until they weren’t. Severn refused to acknowledge the quiver that went through his gut at the thought of getting near an explosive device again. He could talk about them, and diagram them. He’d done that for the Columbus Police Department several months ago, and he was on-call as a consultant. Parker had coerced him into talking to the bomb squad about his experience, and giving them some insight into their thinking. He’d even mocked up a dummy IED for training. Columbus had a good-sized bomb squad, but it took them a significant amount of time to deploy. Right now, Severn was Jake’s best bet.

The bluetooth picked up on the truck as they pulled out of the lot, but Severn hit a button, muting the console. He glanced back at Dan. “Call Gabbie. Get her on cameras near the garage. See what she can see.”

Then he glanced at Addie. “Text Detective Johnson. Tell her what’s going on.”

He unmuted the line to Jake. “Hey, buddy, we’re on our way. We’ll be there in five minutes, okay? Just try not to move.”

“Okay. I may be completely wrong about this. I can’t see under me. But I know this piece of shit, and I know what she sounds like. I just want to be sure.”

“Of course you do,” Severn said calmly. “I would want to be sure as well. It may be nothing, but let me determine that.”

“Yeah, I will. Hey, Addie,” Jake said.

“Yeah, Jake,” she said, leaning forward.

“Hey, just in case something happens, can you take care of Gus? He’s a shit, but he can be a good dog, too.”

“Stop that, Jake. You’re going to be fine. And Gus will be fine because you’ll be with him. Don’t go borrowing trouble.”

Addie turned her big green eyes to him, and Severn nodded.