Chapter 23
23
CONNOR
“Come with me,” I command the journalist. She’s still smiling up at me. I can see the cogs ticking in her gorgeous head... she thinks she’s won this little game between us.
But she hasn’t yet.
I’m in control here.
I’m going to be smart about this. Sure, I’m going to talk to the viper, but I’m going to be careful with what I say. I’m going to dictate my narrative, not some hot-shot journalist from the city. I’ll give her the words I want to give her.
She thinks she’s won, but I’m going to use her.
That talk with Spencer made me reconsider everything.
With the sudden change in the air and the tension between us, I beckon Ember into a side office of the fire station. This concealed space is meant for me and my admin duties, but I rarely use it. I don’t want to. I like being among my men instead of being locked away doing paperwork. I didn’t sign up to be a firefighter merely to sit behind a desk.
“Sit,” I instruct the journalist.
Ember sits.
She pulls out an almond croissant from a paper bag and hands it over like it is payment.
“You came prepared today?” I ask her, nodding at the pastry.
Ember continues to smile that pretty smile at me.
“Yep. I knew I’d only get you to talk if I had one at hand. I was prepared.”
“Good. I’ll have it, then.”
I take the croissant and take a violent bite out of it. I want to assert my dominance. I want her to know I’m still in control but...
Damn, that’s tasty.
Very fucking tasty.
No wonder my crew fell for her charms when she brought them these kinds of treats.
“Do you mind if I record this conversation?” Ember requests, already reaching for her phone.
I shrug and take another bite.
“No problem.”
She presses a button on the phone screen and looks up at me with that cheeky smile of hers.
Yeah, she really thinks she’s won this little game...
“Ready to start?” she asks.
“Go ahead, Ember. Hit me with your best shot. Ask me whatever .”
“Let’s begin with your name...”
“That’s a hard one. Connor Penmayne .”
“And where did you grow up?”
“Here. Crystal River. At my family's mansion on the outskirts of town.”
“What do you do for a living?”
“Fight fires.”
“Do you love it?”
“Yes.”
“Anything to add to that answer?”
“No, not really,” I reply, finishing the croissant and folding my arms. “I love what I do, both the good and the bad.”
“Interesting. So, tell me about your father. What does he think about your line of work? Does he approve?”
There’s a glint of a killer behind her eyes. She might be all smiles and sunshine, but I can witness she’s a real pro at all of this.
She thinks she’s onto a real zinger here...
I lean forward in my seat so that our faces nearly touch.
I smell her in. Ember smells like how a fucking rainbow would smell - all lightness and fun.
I’m doing all of this to prove a point to Father. I want to spite him. He’s set up Ember, knowing full well I won’t participate in any interview.
So, what happens if I do?
That’ll enrage him.
And there is a part of me that’s on Ember’s side. She may be smart and perceptive, but she doesn’t realize my duplicitous father has set her up for failure. He’s put her career on the line here. He’s using her like throwaway bait. I want to prove him wrong and keep Ember in her job. That’ll really spite him.
“I hate this sterile environment,” I whisper to the journalist. “Sitting here in this office makes me feel like I’m in a police interrogation room.”
“We could do it somewhere else,” Ember suggests. “We could do it somewhere more comfortable for you. How does that sound?”
She’s thrown off by my refusal to answer her question. Now it’s my time to smile. I’m really asserting my dominance.
“That sounds like a good idea,” I say.
But before she can offer me a solution, the fire station alarms blare out. The sharp sharpness of the sound makes Ember practically jump in surprise in her chair. I calmly consider it and lean back in my seat, away from her.
This is actually fun...
“I’ve got to get used to that,” Ember remarks, her cheeks flushed red.
“We’ve got a job to sort out,” I tell her coolly. “I have to go.”
“Sure. Totally understandable. Just as we were getting started...”
I nod at the door.
“How about you come along?” I ask her.
“What?”
“Tag along with the team, Ember.”
She blinks three times in quick succession.
“To the emergency?” she splutters. “Me?”
“Yeah,” I reply. “Come with us. Unless you have something better to go to?”
She scoffs and shakes her head.
“No, I don’t.”
“Then come,” I say with the biggest smirk on my face. “You want to figure out who I am? Well, this is who I am. Come and see it with your own pretty eyes, sunshine.”