Page 74 of Betrayed

Chapter Twenty-Four

Logan led AJ out of the house. He couldn’t quite comprehend how most of Bree’s things had been saved from the raging fire. If he hadn’t kept that door closed … For once his difficulty facing his grief had been of some benefit.

Once out front, they found the arson investigator with police detectives Doug Ramirez and Wyatt Remington. They exchanged greetings.

Leroy said, “I’ve been over it several times. This was not at all like those trash-can fires. Those were made with paper and lighter fluid. This was entirely different. I’ve found evidence of a canister of camping fuel at the point of origin.”

Logan crossed his arms. “I don’t own any of that. These teenagers are stepping up their game. That’s not good.”

Doug shook his head. “I’m not so sure about that. We’ve been monitoring the hashtag and have yet to see your house lit up. Doesn’t mean it won’t show or the kids were scared enough to not post, but this feels different.”

“The point of origin is the kitchen sink.” Leroy lifted his finger in the air. “But I can say one thing for certain, this fire was no accident. It wasn’t because you neglected to clean your dryer vent or because a dog lit the pizza box with the gas stove. This was deliberate—whether a teenage prank or something more sinister. Someone intentionally burned your house. This was arson.”

Logan’s heart ramped up. Whoever did this needed to pay.

AJ’s hand wrapped around Logan’s elbow, bringing him down a notch. He wanted to explore the thought of why in twenty-four hours he’d gone from so angry at her to settled by her presence, but that would have to wait.

“I don’t understand why anyone would target me. I haven’t arrested any arsonists.”

With a soft voice barely loud enough for Logan to hear, AJ said, “As if dealing with me having a stalker wasn’t enough.”

He rested his hand on hers, which still held his arm.

The three investigators promised to do all they could to find the culprit or culprits and left.

Logan went to the window and picked up the fireproof box.

AJ followed him. “I don’t understand who would have done this.”

“How much do you think Daryl is your stalker?”

“Fifty-fifty. I mean, plenty of things point to him, but too many give me pause. Do you think he would do this?”

“I don’t know. I guess I was going to ask you that.”

She shrugged. “Maybe it was a teenager who took it too far.”

“It shouldn’t be ruled out yet. But let’s let the detectives do their job. For now. We should take this somewhere and make sure we have the most important items.”

She nodded. “We can go back to the apartment.”

Will and Zara already had plans with his family for dinner. They had suggested canceling, but Logan told Will it would be good to have some alone time with AJ. Like she said, spending time together was the most important step for them to take after five years of being estranged.

Logan put the box in the trunk of AJ’s car. He sat in the front seat and stared at the house. Disbelief still ruled his emotions when looking at the remnants. What would they do now? He could live with Will for a while, but he and Zara were getting married, and then Logan would need to move out.

Would he and AJ eventually live with one another again? He’d been the barrier from them being together this entire time. He didn’t need to guess as to what she desired. She’d made it clear. But how did he feel about it?

They were married. But how long would it take to rebuild their relationship? As long as it took to rebuild their house?

“Logan? You okay?”

He nodded. “Should we rebuild it?”

“I don’t know. I assume you’re talking about the house itself?” A slight smirk quirked her lips.

“Yes. I know the answer about our marriage. Even if I don’t know how to rebuild it, we will.”

A breath audibly caught in her throat.