Hard to Love

12. Seth

My skin is ice cold but everything inside of me is on fire. A raging fire hotter and more violent than the one at my back. I can feel the heat, smell the burned wood, and it means nothing. The chaos has everyone's full attention, but it means nothing to me.

Someone did this.

They tried to hurt her. They tried to send a message.

Mathews is the only one I can think of. But why go after Laura?

The heavy doors to the ambulance close one at a time and the sound of them shutting, removing her from my vision snaps my gaze to the EMT.

"You can't ride with her, but she'll be the top priority in the emergency room. We already called it in."

You must be family. That's what the guy said to me when they ripped her away.

There are only two things keeping me from chasing down the ambulance and staying on its tail as they take her to the hospital.

The first is that Charlie said she's okay and that she'll be all right. It's just smoke inhalation they're concerned about. More importantly, he said he'll stay by her side until I'm there. I've known Charlie for years; he works with us on and off the clock. No one's getting near her room and Roman is already on his way to the hospital.

The second is that Jackson is in plain view when the ambulance leaves.

Dressed in his finest blues, his badge is on clear display and it reflects the light from behind us. It's waning as the water subdues the fire. I'll deal with Jackson first, and then I'm not leaving her side.

"Mr. King," he calls out and I huff in irritation. His footsteps are even and grow louder as he makes his way to me.

"Since when am I Mr. King to you?" I ask him when he stops in front of me, although my voice is lifeless, not hiding a damn thing I'm feeling.

The agony is something I didn't expect. It fucking hurts. The anger is better. Seeing her on a gurney in the back of an ambulance tears me up inside.

"I did this to her," I tell him, knowing exactly what I'm doing. I don't have many friends outside of my crew, but I need Jackson. I need all the help I can get.

Surprise colors his expression before he responds. He clears his throat and glances to his left and then right. "It was arson," he tells me as if I didn't know. A fire this large, this fast, there had to be an accelerant. Even if Laura hadn't told me, it doesn't take a genius to know.

"I figured as much," I tell him, looking coldly into his eyes at the thought of someone breaking into Laura's house.

"There were explosives too, Seth."

His lowered voice and this knowledge make my blood go cold. "They didn't go off. Duds I guess, but if they had, it would have blown up most of the block."

Leaning forward he asks, "You know who did it?"

I shake my head, trying to swallow the overwhelming feelings that make it hard to stand up right now as I say, "But I have suspects."

He tried to kill her. He tried to kill Laura. I can barely breathe.

Jackson's eyes read, I told you so, but he's a friend not to say it out loud and grind the heel of his shoe deeper into the pain and regret.

"I can't believe he'd go after a woman." My woman. "Fucking coward," I spit.

Breathing out, Jackson watches the fire behind me for a moment before telling me, "It's a good thing you got in there and dragged her out."