Read The Fire Still Burns for Free Online Page B

details then and I still don't now.”  His lip curled, blue fire blazing through his eyes.  “But don't worry about me kissing you again, not now that I've been reminded how likely it would be for me to catch something.”
    Brynn gasped in outrage and swung her fist toward his face. 
    Adam caught her small hand in his much larger one before it hit its mark.  “You did that once already.  It was the only free shot you're going to get.  Understand?”
    Brynn looked at the purple and blue bump at Adam's left temple and grinned.  At least she had shown him she wasn't playing with him the day before.  “I don't take orders from you, Adam, and I'm not about to just stand by and let you degrade me every chance you get.”
    “Tough,” he released her hand.
    His gaze shifted over her head and she could tell by the widening of his eyes something was wrong.  Her heart leapt to her throat as she turned her head and prayed she wouldn't see Nate standing outside in clear view.  Fortunately, it wasn't Nate who had caught Adam's attention, but a plume of black smoke reaching to the heavens.
    “That looks like it's coming from the high school area.”  Adam said the words mostly to himself as he turned toward his truck.
    “I'm going with you.”  Already dressed and not concerned with hair and makeup considering the circumstances, Brynn rounded the front of the truck.
    “Stay here.  We don't know if this is related.”
    “We don't know if it's not.”  They stood on opposite sides of the truck, each with one hand on a door handle.  Deciding she'd better get in before he jumped in the truck and peeled out, leaving her in the dust, Brynn jumped in and slammed the door behind her, fastening her seatbelt.
    “Dammit.  At least quit slamming my door.”  Adam jumped in and started the engine.
    Two minutes later, they found the center of the high school football field fully aflame.  A piece of black fabric hung from a tall wooden stake, which had been pushed into the ground.  Brynn peered closer at it as they approached, recognizing the number 05 printed in white.
    “Isn't that your brother's retired football jersey?”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Four
     
    Adam brought the truck to a screeching halt, cut the engine and jumped out.  Brynn’s hands hit the dashboard hard to protect her head from going through the windshield and unfastened her seatbelt to scramble out after him.
    “Dammit, Adam, I'm sure the fire department is on their way…”
    “I'm not waiting.”  Adam withdrew a fire extinguisher from the back of the truck and ran toward the flames.  Brynn spotted another extinguisher in the back and grabbed it, figuring she may as well help until the fire trucks came.
    Several bales of hay had been piled two high in a circle around the six foot stake the jersey hung from.  The arsonist had apparently doused the bales with gasoline, the sweet smell apparent.
    Brynn was convinced the arsonist was retaliating against Zeke Good, whether Adam wanted to face it or not.  He could shrug off the fact Zeke had been murdered in the first fire and that the second property belonged to Zeke's best friend, but this time the arsonist left a clear calling card.  A calling card Brynn realized Adam was rushing toward.
    “What the hell are you doing, Adam?”  She watched as he used his extinguisher to clear a path to the stake where Zeke's jersey hung, announcing to the world he was the reason for the fires.  “That's evidence!”
    Adam spared her one cold glance over his shoulder, doused the fire on a bale of hay and jumped on top of it. 
    She watched in surprise as he moved close enough to use his extinguisher to knock the burning jersey off the stake despite the heat of the fire.  He quickly jumped away, hacking from the large dose of smoke he’d directly inhaled.
    Brynn raised her extinguisher in effort to save what was left of the jersey, but Adam roughly grabbed the canister away from her.
    “What are