Chapter 6
Mercy
Ifell asleep and didn’t hear a damn thing after my head hit the pillow. Maybe because I didn’t want to think about what Reed was saying. What I felt.
What I still feel. Stretching my arms over my head, I groan and work the kinks out of my back that are killing me. Thirty isn’t too old but damn, sometimes I feel it closing in on me!
When I step out of the gorgeous little green and white guest room, I smell coffee and bacon and follow it to the red, green and white kitchen.
I can’t help smiling at the strawberries on the wall and decor and the smell of coffee.
It smells like home in here. I’m so used to staying in hotels while I’m traveling for work and rarely seeing my own place. It’s comfortable. Comforting even.
I rent since I’m gone so much. It would be nice to have a home base. Someplace that would really make my off days feel better. I’ve never really thought about it but I’d love to feel like I can breathe somewhere.
I didn’t realize until now how lonely it is getting up every day and not knowing where I’m at or how long I’ll be there.
It’s a rough job. But I do love it.
Petal chuckles. “Well, I can tell you slept well.” Her smile fades. “At least somebody did.”
I tense. “Why?” But I can feel it coming.
“The firebug hit last night again.”
“Dammit,” I growl and head back for my room.
“Hey! You still need breakfast! Or at least a coffee.”
“Nope. Gotta go. This one’s fresh. I might be able to find what I need to break this one.”
“I’ll get you some coffee in a travel cup.”
“Fine. I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes. Have you heard from your son?”
“Just to tell me that he was fine and the fire was out this morning.”
“So he’s probably still on site babysitting to make sure there’s no hot spots?”
“Yeah. Probably. I know the other guys got called out too to meet them there so it must have been a big one.”
“Do you know what burned?” I slip the door mostly closed and hop on one foot as I pull on socks and my work pants. Then pull my loose work shirt over my head, running a pick through my short curls and pulling the front back with a headband.
“It was a barn this time. Abandoned luckily.”
“Well, that’s good to know. Hopefully they stay that way.” Slipping my notebook into my pocket, I grab my phone and tote and pull the door wide, jerking to a standstill when I almost barrel right into Petal.
She holds out a fancy travel mug with pretty Spring flowers on it. “Here you go. Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat?”
I shake my head. “No. I’m good with this.” Holding up the cup I take a sip and groan. “Delicious, thank you.”
“No problem. Make sure that you stay safe out there. And call me if you need anything at all. I’m heading to my office this morning. Watch out for the tv crews too. I already saw them out there this morning on the news. Saw that Reed was still there then.”
“Ugh,” I groan. “I hate the tv crews.”
“Sometimes it can get you the break that you’re looking for. Don’t knock it til you try it.”
“Fine.” Huffing, I grab my keys out of my tote and head for the door. Ten minutes. That has to be a new land speed record for me.
The drive takes less time than I need. I can still feel the sleep crust in my eyes and I’ve only drank half the cup of coffee.
But the sun is up, the scene is fresh and this could be my only chance to get some really good intel from a site that’s just been contained.
I can see the smoke crowding out the beautiful morning’s sunrise before I even come around the corner. Thick and dark and threatening.
Just what I don’t need first thing in the morning but then again, neither does Reed and his crew.
Pulling up, I spot his tall, dark figure still in his gear wandering through the scene, his dark eyes sharp and narrowed.
His head barely comes up when I stop beside the burned out hulk with barely a wall standing. Just half of one that’s still smoking.
“I see you made it here.”
“You should have called me last night.”
“You can’t be tromping around on a scene when we haven’t gotten it contained.”
“It’s my job.”
“No. Your job is the aftermath.” His dark head comes up, those lines around his eyes more pronounced thanks to smoke building up in them.
His soft lips are compressed and tension radiates from his body like he’s half a second from losing it completely.
He waves an arm out, huffing. “And here it is. The aftermath. The mess that some asshole has left me to clean up.”
I finally notice a van off to the side with its hazard lights on. “What’s that?”
Reed sighs and his big hand comes up to pull off his helmet. “That is what I’ve been dreading.”
My own heart skips a beat and my eyes lock onto the vehicle, an ache building in my belly that has nothing to do with the gorgeous man in front of me. “What?” I whisper.
“There was a homeless person sleeping in that damn barn.”
My belly free falls and my head drops until my chin sits on my pounding, aching chest.
“Oh shit,” I mutter under my breath.
“Yep. The firebug just claimed his first victim.”
“Do you know who it is?”
“No. He’s homeless that’s all we know. Because it’s not somebody we know and he was sleeping in a barn. It’s a clue. Pretty pointed one actually.”
“Yeah. Okay. Well, I’ll look around and see what I can find.” My chest hurts, pressure building up like a valve about to blow apart.
This is what everyone who’s been cleaning up these disasters has been worried, dreading.
Someone died here last night. And some asshole who barely deserves the term ‘person’ killed them.
With a shuffle and a sigh, I drag out my notebook and begin combing through the mess, not surprised when I find little to no evidence.
There has to be something, dammit! I need to find this guy and slap his ass in jail.
Most arsonists are men. I’m guessing this one is too.
Loud shouts bring my head up and I groan when I see Reed facing off with a camera crew.
I have a feeling he’d like to beat them with their own camera. A thought I’m rapidly deciding sounds pretty damn good to me.
But with another groan, I step out from the still-smoking wreckage and towards the reporter, smiling and waving. She immediately ditches Reed for me.
A fact that seems to tickle him no end. But I ignore him and run through my whole spiel.
There’s nothing to worry about. These properties are isolated and empty. We’re just asking the public to keep their eyes and ears open and call right away if they see something suspicious.
It takes less time than I was planning but pretty soon I’m back, picking through the mess and trying desperately to ignore the dark-haired guy with muscles for days and a look in his chocolate eyes that makes me think he’s not thinking about the fire either.
Something that needs to be pushed way down rears its ugly head in my belly, curling like a living thing and reaching towards the huffy guy in charge.
I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a guy as much as I want this one but it’s not meant to be.
He’s from here, I’m not. He’s grumpy, I’m not. He looks like a male model when he runs here and there, taking everything in and not missing a thing.
I’m too tired to deal with the churning hunger in my belly that I’m just gonna tell myself is because I missed the bacon and eggs this morning.
That’s all this is. I need a sandwich. Not the hot, sexy guy with the chocolate eyes and abs for days.
Sure, sister. Tell yourself that, I groan.
And watch as he stomps around the crime scene, his body a thing of beauty and his dark eyes stormy and tumultuous.
I hope I can wrap this up soon because I’m not sure how long I can hold out against this guy. He’s the last thing I need.
But god, do I want him.