Firestorm - Ellie Masters Page 0,29
buy new things. “I guess I need a little help.”
Everything I had burned in the wildfire. I’m a little worried about my revolver. California gun laws are strict and I may have been skirting the spirit of the law carrying it, loaded, on my person. It’s not in the bag of my stuff shoved in the cupboard, which means, it’s still up there.
Did that man take it? I’m a little worried about how to handle that. Of course, my phone is somewhere up there with the selfies I took. Unlike my gun, which can survive a forest fire, I’m pretty sure my phone is a melted mess.
Well, this is one way to cut all ties to my previous life, burn it all to ash. Except—there’s always an except—the whole heiress thing still needs to be dealt with.
“Can I borrow your phone?” I hate imposing on him, but he’s offering.
He stands and fishes it out of his pocket, then hands it to me after taking off the screen lock. When I hold it to my chest and stare at him, he clears his throat.
“Oh, um, I’ll just wait outside.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate it.”
After Asher leaves, I close my eyes and try to remember Prescott's number. Fortunately, it comes to me and I dial before the screen lock reactivates and I need to call Asher back in.
Prescott picks up on the first ring.
“Hey there.”
“Evie! What number is this? I don’t recognize it. We’ve been worried about you.”
“You have?” Prescott will never stop worrying about me.
“We heard there were fires in wine country.”
“Um, yeah.”
“Gracie was checking the news and saw reports about a major forest fire near Napa. Isn’t that where you’re hiking?”
More like ground zero.
“Um yeah, about that.” I don’t want to tell him all his fears turned out to be true, so I hedge.
“What about it?” His voice deepens. “How close were you?”
“It’s kind of a long story, and I need a little help.” It’s not like me to ask for help. Of course, he jumps all over it.
“Help? What kind of help?” He’s anxious, and overly eager.
All Prescott wants is to help his best friend’s only daughter get back on her feet. While I appreciate his enthusiasm, Prescott will never see me as anything but a little kid. He doesn’t understand I’m a grown-ass woman who can take care of herself.
Look what a great job I’m doing. A man attacked me, set fire to the forest, and left me for dead.
I deserve a good chewing out, but I’m still running from my past and I’m in deep denial about pretty much everything. Too bad for me, I’m not the kind of person to lie.
It’s time to come clean.
“I was kind of in that fire.” I pull my shoulders to my ears, expecting him to blow up, but there’s only silence on the other end of the line. “Did you hear me?”
“Hang on, Evie.”
Deep sighs come from his end of the call and muffled voices which I barely make out.
Gracie is in some kind of hysterics. I guess she’s listening in. Prescott's trying to calm her down. He’s got the phone covered with his hand rather than placing it on mute like a sane person, but he’s old school like that.
“Prescott? Did you hear what I said?”
“I did.” Strain fills his voice and I can tell he’s holding back a choice string of expletives and unsolicited fatherly advice.
He’s not my father.
We both know this, even if he keeps trying to fill those shoes.
“I’m safe. I’m in a hospital.” I try to reassure him.
A hospital! Gracie’s shriek rings through the speakers. She’s in a hospital. Give me the phone. If you’re not going to talk some sense into that girl, then I will.
Calm down, Gracie. I’ll handle this.
His sharp tone makes me cringe. I’ve never heard him speak to Gracie that way.
“Where are you?”
I rattle off the name of the hospital. “But you don’t need to come, I just need—”
“I’m booking a plane now.”
He wants to help, and I’d love to let him, but I need my space. Prescott reminds me of everything I lost.
“I appreciate it. I really do, and I know you care about me, but I’m good. I just need…” Everything. “If you could just get my credit cards reissued. I’ll figure out my IDs.”
“Evie, I wish you’d let us help. You don’t have to go through this alone.”
But I am alone.
“I know, and I’m incredibly grateful for all your help.”
His sigh is deafening, full of all the things