A gasp escaped her throat. Her anxious eyes searched Rick’s. “You think our shop is next?”
“Since he saw you in my hospital room and found out it’s your shop, I’m positive.”
Benton nodded. “I’ve been on the phone with your mother. At this point she’s very concerned, especially for you.”
“That shop has been in the family for years. I had no idea you’d been talking to her.”
Benton cocked his head. “It pleased Hayward to find out Rick had been injured in the fire. That’s why he came to the E.R. He needed to inspect the damage. That’s what arsonists do. But he failed to snuff him out, so he’s unlikely to quit.”
Andrea lost color. “That’s so sick.”
“You’re right. When he set the art-gallery fire, he would have cased the outside of the buildings, front and back, on the street. This afternoon he cased the downstairs of your shop. By now he’s done his research and has probably found out that you live upstairs. He’s probably come by Rick’s house and seen your car in the driveway.”
Rick felt her shudder, even though they weren’t touching.
“Since he visited your shop this afternoon, we’re fairly certain he would enjoy it if you got hurt—or worse—in the fire he plans to set. It would be his ultimate revenge against Rick.”
Her head jerked in Rick’s direction. “That’s horrifying. How have you stood working around someone that mental?”
Rick reached out to give her arm a reassuring squeeze. “As I told you earlier, we don’t bump into each other that often. But the point is, nothing’s going to happen to you or your mother. I swear it.”
“I know that.”
Benton said, “We’ve set up a sting operation using help from the parcel service that delivers freight to you. If Hayward doesn’t start a fire tonight, then we’ll have a trap set for tomorrow night or any night in the near future. With your cooperation, we’ll catch him.”
“We want to help!” she assured him. “I can’t bear for that man to destroy more businesses and lives.”
“Amen,” Rick muttered.
“Naturally we hope he’ll show up tonight. Of course you won’t be there. But if he decides to wait until another night, here’s the plan. In the morning we want you and your mother to drive to work together. While she’s out on the floor, we’d like you to answer the buzzer. One of my men will come to your back door disguised as a parcel service employee. He’ll bring in the freight.
“Once inside, he’ll take off his uniform and you’ll put it on. He’ll be wearing a wool hat. It’s the key. Make sure none of your hair is showing. While your mom shows him upstairs, you’ll hurry out to the truck and the driver will take you to an undisclosed location, where one of our men will drive you to your mother’s house. We already have police surveillance on your mother’s home 24/7 to keep both of you safe.”
Rick could feel her trembling. Just when he felt he’d been making real progress with her and Tessa, Hayward had chosen this moment to get his revenge. Rick hated it that because of his association with Andrea, she and her shop were being targeted by that maniac.
“Tomorrow your mother will work until she decides to close,” Benton explained, “then drive home to be with you. One of my men will hide in your apartment for as long as it takes to capture Hayward. In the meantime you’ll stay at your mother’s and the two of you will continue doing business as usual. Do you think you can handle this?”
Andrea nodded.
“Good.” He got up from the table. “Sorry this is such an ugly business, but it should be over soon.”
“Stay in here, Andrea,” Rick whispered before he walked Benton to the front door. The second he left, Rick returned to the den and found her with her head buried in her hands.
He knelt and covered her hands with his own. “Andrea...I know this terrifies you.”
Slowly she lifted a tearstained face. “I have to admit I don’t like the idea of Mom being involved. If anything happened to her, I don’t know what I’d do.”
Rick kissed her wet cheeks. “I promise that neither you nor your mother will get hurt. I swear it.”
“I believe in you.” Her voice trembled. “That’s part of what’s wrong. Chase is after you. It’s horrible and so strange because it’s one nightmare I hadn’t thought of.”
“What do you mean?”
Andrea wiped her eyes and sat all the way up. In the soft light of the room her hair fell in waves around her shoulders like spun gold. The contrast with her brilliant blue eyes set in an oval face was stunning. His gaze traveled to the passionate curve of her mouth. He could never get enough of it, not in a lifetime.
“I don’t know where to start.”
He shook his head. “You puzzle me, Andrea. I never know where I am with you. How about a little honesty over what is really going on with you? I take it you were very much in love with your husband.”
“Yes.”
“So was I with my wife. Meeting you has come as a shock. I’m feeling and thinking things I never expected to experience again. I can see it’s the same for you.”
“You know it is.” She half moaned the words. “It seems way too soon to experience emotions this strong.”
“Is guilt the reason you keep pulling away?”
“No,” she answered truthfully. “Like you, I’m overwhelmed with feelings I thought had died with Gunter. But you have a child and I don’t want to hurt her. She’s too important.”
“Why would you hurt her?”
“If I see you any more, then she’ll grow more attached. I mustn’t let that happen.”
“In other words, you intend to carry out your plan to stop seeing me.”
“I can’t go on like this.”
He breathed in sharply, because she sounded as if she meant it. “In the name of heaven, why not?”
“Because...you’re a firefighter.”
Rick shot to his feet. “That’s the real reason?”
She reared her head, causing her golden hair to swish against her cheeks. “It’s the most important one.”
“So there are other reasons, too?”
“Let’s just say that your line of work trumps everything else. I couldn’t stand to get into a relationship with a man who puts himself in harm’s way every time the truck leaves the station. I’m not made of the same stuff as your late wife. I’m a coward.”
“That’s an excuse for what you’re not telling me.”
Her eyes searched his. “Why don’t you humor me and tell me why you became a firefighter. What is it about the job that sends you into a raging fire time after time? Are you going to tell me you come from a long line of firefighters?”
Interesting it had taken this long before she asked. “Nothing of the sort. One grandfather was a college professor, the other worked for a newspaper. My father is a chemical engineer who heads projects for a gold refining company in Cranston, where I grew up. My elder brother is a dentist.
“Though I started out in engineering in college, I’m afraid my heart wasn’t in it. During my last year I dropped out and became a firefighter. I knew it would be a disappointment to my family, so I never talked about it. But from the time I was ten, I always wanted to be one.”
He’d