“You should stay here,” he said. “A person’s been killed. It’s dangerous.”

  “Um, hello.” She rolled her eyes. “I was an FBI agent. I’m trained—”

  “Was an agent?” He eyed her. With her cute short haircut that he learned was called a pixie cut after he’d taken seven-year-old Avery into his life, Ryleigh reminded him of a young girl instead of an FBI agent. “You left the agency?”

  “Two months ago to work for the family.”

  Wow! Just wow. “You used to bleed blue. You and your whole family. I never thought you’d leave the bureau.”

  She fisted her hands on her curvy hips, a perfect place to rest his hand in the past when they’d walked side-by-side.

  She held his gaze. “And I never thought you’d leave the SEALs. At least that was the excuse you used when you ended things between us.” She paused, her gaze intensifying. “And yet, here you are.”

  So she was still mad at him. Not surprising, but he couldn’t get into a personal discussion now. “Long story.”

  “Yeah, for me too, and not one to get into now. We need to find out this victim’s identity and determine if they’re responsible for the bomb.” She lifted her chin as if she expected him to argue. “And you won’t stop me.”

  “We’ll see how it goes.” A noncommittal response, but he didn’t want her wrapped up in a bombing. Didn’t want her in danger. Actually, now that he thought about it, he was thankful she’d left the FBI. He didn’t like thinking she went into potential danger every day, much like he’d done for years.

  She took off, and he lengthened his strides to catch up.

  They neared the blaze that still roared in the first building like a flickering monster hungry for the wood, and the heat knocked him back. They skirted the flames dancing and licking as sparks jumped from place to place, desperately trying to catch onto fuel before burning out. The smoke thickened and darkened the area decimated by the bomb. It had not only flattened the building and felled several trees but also charred the ground.

  “Looks like a burnover,” Ryan said from behind the last standing wall. “The area burned hot and fast, leaving only embers.”

  Ryleigh surged ahead and rounded the wall. The roar of the nearby flames filled the air, but Ryleigh’s gasp sounded above the hum of destruction.

  He turned the corner. She stood over the victim charred beyond recognition, her eyes wide, her hand clamped over her mask. The victim was lying on his side, his limbs pulled tight against his torso.

  Horrific. Like many of the tragedies Finn had seen as a SEAL. He’d learned the victim’s position was called the pugilistic stance—pugilistic meaning boxing. When a body burned, the elbows and knees constricted and fists clenched in the heat due to the shrinkage of body tissues and muscle dehydration—resembling a boxer’s stance. Charred, black debris surrounded him, and glowing embers were the only hints of fire trying to stay alive.

  Question was, who had succumbed to the fire?

  The burly day supervisor, Virgil Eckles, stood over the victim. His eyes were tight, his body rigid.

  Finn stepped over to him. “Can you ID this guy?”

  “Smokey.” The name came out on a choking sound, and Eckles looked away.

  “Smokey, really?” Finn shot another look at the body to see if he could recognize the night supervisor. The man oversaw the last half of a fifteen-hour work day in the summer when there was an abundance of light outside to move logs and materials.

  But this guy? The body, if you could even call it that, was Smokey?

  No way Finn could ID the victim by sight. “You’re sure?”

  Eckles glanced back at the victim. “I mean, I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but what’s left of those boots are Smokey’s.”

  “I’m not familiar with Smokey,” Ryleigh said, her tone tight.

  “The night supervisor, Uri Gates. Got the nickname on his first logging job when he started a fire with a chainsaw. The name stuck with him. Anyway, that hunk of boot that’s left is his. His right leg is shorter than the other, and his right boot has a custom lift.”

  Finn gave a side glance at Ryan. “How on earth did that piece of boot survive the blaze?”

  Ryan pointed at a steel spade lying near the body. “It must’ve fallen onto the tip of his foot and blocked the fire. I moved it to see if there was a lead on his ID.”

  “Why didn’t the shovel melt?” Ryleigh asked.

  “Steel melts at two thousand degrees,” Ryan said. “Must not have gotten that hot in this area.”

  Ryleigh squatted, her focus pinned on the remaining piece. “If his boots are custom, not likely that someone else would be wearing them. Or perhaps that’s not a lift, and the sole is that thick. Could someone else have a similar pair without a lift?”

  “Not likely anyone on our crews.” Eckles shoved his hands into his pockets. “That brand’s price is out of reach for most of us. You could buy a couple pairs of sturdy work boots for one pair of those.”

  “So why can Gates afford them?” Finn asked.

  Eckles cocked his head. “He’s too new. Don’t know a lot about him, so I can’t say.”

  Maybe he was paid to plant a bomb. “What was he doing here at this time of day?”

  Eckles shrugged. “Could’ve come in a few hours early for his shift, but I doubt it. He didn’t seem like the go-getter type to me. Didn’t even know he was here.”

  “That’s odd, right?” Ryleigh asked.

  “Yeah,” Eckles said. “He had to know Tobias wouldn’t be here, and there would only be a skeleton crew doing maintenance. He’d pretty much have the place to himself.”

  “You think he had something to do with the bomb?” Ryan asked, sirens sounding from the road.

  Eckles narrowed his eyes. “Just don’t know him well enough to speculate, but him being here instead of at lunch with the others is suspicious.”

  Ryleigh stood. “We can speculate all we want, but it might not even be Smokey. Top priority is to get a positive ID.”

  Finn looked at Eckles. “You know what type of vehicle Smokey drives, and is it parked in the lot?”

  Eckles nodded. “He’s got one of them new Jeep Gladiators. Lime green. Can’t miss it, but I didn’t see it in the lot or on the road.”

  Ryleigh frowned. “Had to have hiked in then. If you were out front, he could’ve come in on the logging road back here. If so, he couldn’t have parked close to here or his Jeep would be toast.”

  Finn squinted through the smoke to peer down the road leading away from them. “Don’t see any vehicles.”

  “Say he’s our bomber,” Ryan said. “Wouldn’t he want his truck nearby for a fast getaway?”

  “I would,” Finn said. “We’ll look for the vehicle. I’ll call him too. See if he answers. If so, we’re not looking at Gates. I’ll also check with Tobias to see if Gates is with the guys. If I don’t get ahold of him, odds are better that we’re right.”

  “He’s single.” Eckles’s slumped shoulders rose for a flash of a second, then fell as if he was holding heavy logs. “No girlfriend and never married. Lives alone. So no one at home will report him missing.”

  “Then let me make that call,” Finn said. “If he doesn’t answer or isn’t with Tobias, I’ll send someone over to his place to check on him.”

  Ryleigh met Finn’s gaze. “Even if we don’t find Gates, we’ll still need a positive ID. A chunk of boot isn’t enough by a long shot. We’ll need dental records and/or DNA.”

  Finn nodded and held his hand out to Eckles. “For now, I’ll take your key to the explosives’ depot.”

  Eckles batted his eyelashes. “My key? But why?”

  “It’s for your own protection,” Finn said. “The sheriff will want to search the depot and check the inventory. I’d like to be able to tell them you didn’t have assess from this point and could alter things.”

  Eckles eyed Finn for a moment then jerked his key off a ring and slapped it on Finn’s palm.

  “Thanks, man.” Finn pocketed it.

  Vehicle tires crunched over gravel and air brakes sounded from the road.

  Ryan jerked his head in that direction. “That’ll be the rest of the crew. Maybe the sheriff or deputies too. They’ll cordon off this area, and you all need to move back to the road for safety.”

  Finn clamped his mouth closed to keep from saying anything. He was used to being in charge, not taking orders. He knew how to handle himself in more dangerous situations than most men. Likely more than Maddox here, except when it came to fires. Finn knew the basics though. They were unpredictable. Could turn on you in minutes. Took this guy out, after all. They all needed to take care, and he would listen to Maddox.

  Sort of.

  Finn eyed the firefighter. “You have the explosives training needed to clear the area for any additional bombs?”

  Ryan snapped his shoulders back. “Our crew is trained in the basics. Nothing advanced.”

  Okay, fine, Finn’s question had annoyed the guy. “Just asking because I’ve had advance explosive training while serving in the Navy, and I’m glad to clear the area.”

  “Explosives, really? As a sailor?” Ryan’s eyes crinkled with amusement.

  “He was a SEAL,” Ryleigh said, sounding unimpressed.

  Ryan scrubbed a hand over his short blond hair. “Oh, right. Then yeah. You’ve probably got the goods to do it. But this is a crime scene, and I still need approval from the officer in charge before you can search.”

  Finn opened his mouth to argue. Stopped. Wouldn’t hurt to wait a few minutes to follow protocol. This body was going nowhere, and if everyone moved back for safety, then another bomb wouldn’t threaten them.

  Besides, if he remained at the scene, so would Ryleigh. Sure, he’d broken up with her after a whirlwind relationship. Had thought of her and played the what if game on a regular basis. He was the one who ended things and shouldn’t have such intense feelings over seeing her again, but he did.

  And when he cared about someone? The protective instinct he’d developed to protect his sister, Hadley after losing his parents rose up.

  So no matter what Ryleigh wanted, he’d do anything—everything—to be sure she didn’t get hurt. Even if he died trying.

  2

  Finn slid between the barriers erected by the firefighters to keep people back at the road and jogged down the hill, turning to make sure Ryleigh hadn’t tried to follow. She stood with Ryan, chatting. Looking all too comfortable. Had she dated him or just been friends? The ease she had with him was enviable. An ease Finn had once had with her too, and he missed that.

  A log fell in front of him, snapping his head around.

  Focus man. Can’t help anyone if you’re dead.

  He began his search, swinging the light as he moved, the heavy smoke swirling around his feet. The brighter-than-usual beam of Ryan’s flashlight cut through the haze, clouding the daylight as Finn’s grid took him back and forth. Through still-standing trees. Under fallen ones. Over brush. Through scrub. Until he reached the detonation zone.

  He flashed the light over the body and the area surrounding him. Bits and pieces of the bomb lay scattered in the wreckage. Looked like slivers of plastic and metal. Tiny. Fragments really. One larger chunk held some kind of electronics. Surprising that anything survived the high heat, but hopefully the debris would lead to the bomber. Thankfully the firefighters wouldn’t have to hose this area down if it didn’t spark up again, and the evidence would be spared.

  He looked around the smoldering ruins for any sign of another device but found nothing of concern. He searched outside. High. Low. Nothing there either. On the way back, he avoided the flames still licking greedily over the first building. They’d jumped to nearby trees during his short trip and were ramping up into a wildland fire.

  Hurry now!

  Every second he took delayed the firefighters from moving in and preventing a full-fledged wildfire.

  Still, be careful.

  Trees could be replaced. People couldn’t. He knew that too well with the loss of his parents and recently, his best friend Felicia, who’d died, leaving her daughter Avery in Finn’s care.

  He slipped through flames spreading on the grass. Felt the heat licking at his feet. His legs. Fighting to ignite his clothing. Him.

  As a SEAL, this would’ve just been another day on a mission, but he was out of place here. Adrenaline-packed and thrilling for sure. Something he missed. How he missed it.

  Too bad.

  He picked up speed and raced toward the road.

  “We’re clear,” he called out and handed the high-intensity flashlight back to Ryan.

  The crew sprang into action. Barriers moved. Pump trucks rumbled ahead. Firefighters went silent and marched forward. A crew at war. The enemy, flames.

  He was jonesing to join them. To battle the foe. But he hung back. He was retired from danger. Any danger. Now more of a desk jockey than anything.

  Tough for him if he still craved excitement. He would sit this out. He was now Avery’s father, and she needed him. She was all that mattered.

  If only he could really internalize that and stop these cravings for the thrills.

  A uniformed guy jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Thanks for your help, but you need to keep moving back.”

  Finn complied, slipping between the wooden barriers, but he wasn’t eager to join Ryleigh again. Sure, he was attracted to her. What man wouldn’t be? But now their obstacle to being together was gone. He’d left the team. It no longer stood between them. He could finally consider a future with her.

  Didn’t matter, though. They were still living worlds apart, and he wasn’t about to move Avery when the hurt from losing her mother was still so fresh.

  More importantly, Ryleigh was angry with him. Big time.

  So what did he say to her? Was now the time to have that talk?

  Man, he just didn’t know. He’d never been so uncertain about a woman in his life.

  He looked ahead and found her watching him with that familiar spark of interest in her eyes. She didn’t look away at being caught admiring him. Of course not. She was completely confident and sure in herself.

  She stood by his truck, and when he reached her, the first thing that came to mind slipped out. “I’m still shocked that you left the bureau.”

  She shrugged as if it was no big deal, but he knew it was a huge life-changing decision. Just like his had been.

  “The family needed an IT person,” she said, her tone devoid of any emotion, but her eyes held a certain unease. “And I’m the only one with those skills.”

  Could she be regretting her decision? “They could’ve hired someone.”

  “As they would tell you, why do that when there’s a family member who can step in?”

  He couldn’t see her mouth, but he suspected she was smiling fondly over her family. Even if she regretted retiring from the bureau, she would make the best of it for her family. They were everything to her—everything—and she would never knowingly let them down. Nor would they let her down. Ever. They were a unit. Tightly knit, just like his SEAL team. Sure, the SEALs weren’t his blood relatives, but they were his family all the same.

  “One of the things I remember most about your family is how tight they are,” he said.

  She arched a brow and watched him for a long moment. He wished he could remove the mask and see her expression, but the particles clinging to the air were better breathed through filtration.

  “You should also remember that once we make up our minds we don’t back down,” she said. “As the security manager you need to know that I fully intend to investigate the bombing.”

  She eyed him, and pixie haircut or not, he had no problem seeing the retired FBI agent now. “Did you know I was the rep on this account for Shadow Lake Logging?”

  No matter how he answered her question, it wouldn’t bode well for him so he simply shook his head.

  She fingered her gold necklace but didn’t look away. “Still, you had to recognize the name Steele and remember our family was in the security guard business.”

  “I did, but I didn’t know you’d started working with the company. And if you managed the account, Tobias would deal with you, not me.” Even to him, his answer sounded lame.

  “Too bad or you could’ve contacted me.” The words flew out like fired bullets. “Warned me.”

  Wow, warned! Stronger reaction than he expected. “I didn’t realize you would need a warning.”

  She let out a long breath behind her mask. “I can’t get into this now. Not here with an uncontrolled fire and remains waiting to be recovered. I need to make an investigative plan and implement it.”

  He would do the same thing, but he didn’t need to share that now as it would likely just make her madder at him. Still, they both had the same obstacle to overcome if they were to begin an investigation. “The local sheriff will try to muscle you out when he gets here.”

  “Let him try.” Her shoulders went up. “This bomb occurred on my watch. Our guard was on duty. I’m involved, and I won’t go anywhere until I find the person who planted that bomb.”

  He opened his mouth to continue arguing, but a patrol car raced down the road and careened to a stop, taking her attention. A tall, built guy with blond hair jumped out. He wore black tactical pants and a khaki uniform shirt, had a gun at his hip, a badge on his belt, and a black face mask dangling from it. A patrol officer would be wearing a full uniform. Had to be the sheriff.

  “Russ,” Ryleigh said.

  The sheriff stared at her and blinked a few times, a blank look on his face.

  “Ryleigh Steele,” she said.

  “Ryleigh.” He cracked a hint of a smile. “I heard that Tobias took my recommendation and hired your company for security. Just didn’t know which Steele serviced the account.”

  “That would be me.” She clenched her hands. “Now we have a bomb, and I need to find out who’s behind it to save our company’s reputation.”