Chapter 13 Reed
Reed
Fire creeps along my spine as I stare at that damn map. There has to be something there.
But the longer I sit and stare at it, the worse the burning ache along my spine gets. I stand up and pace around the room, not sure what’s going on.
But something’s wrong. I can feel it.
Another fire? Maybe.
But Mercy’s home. She’s safe. Mom is…at the bingo hall.
My legs eat up the tiny space of my office and I duck out into the hall, lengthening my stride, shaking my head and clenching my hands.
“It’s fine,” I mutter to myself. “It’s all good. I just need to figure out what’s going on and we’ll catch Frank. He’ll go back to jail and I’ll tell Mercy that I love her. It will all be fine.”
But the itch won’t go away and that pin…is bothering me. There’s no way that Frank didn’t know I’d know what that was. So why would he be so careless as to bring it to where he planned to start another fire?
It didn’t make sense.
Unless he wanted me to find it. Wanted me to know that it was him.
“But why would he want to do that?” I don’t get it.
“Jesus, Reed. Would you quit stomping around like a wounded buffalo? Some of us are trying to sleep up here.”
Glaring at James, I groan. “There’s something wrong. I can’t help it. There’s something wrong! He had to know I would know that pin. Why would he leave it there?”
James shrugs and yawns. “Probably fell out of his pocket.”
I shake my head. “Nope. I don’t believe that. Frank would not fuck up like that. He was sending me a message. What the hell was it?”
“I don’t know. But you’re not going to figure it out pacing around here. Go to sleep. Maybe that will do it and you can quit keeping me awake. I need my beauty sleep.”
Snorting, I pull out my phone. “I’m just gonna call Mom and Mercy. Make sure that they’re alright.”
Rolling his eyes, James drops into a chair and sighs. “Fine. Do it. Just get it over with so I can sleep.”
I call Mercy first but there’s no answer. Just her voicemail. I don’t bother. Just hang up and call Mom.
“Hey, Reed! I cannot believe that you did that to Mercy! Have you lost your mind?”
Wincing, I hold my phone away from my ear. “Yeah. Mom’s good. Where’s Mercy?”
“She’s at home. Why?”
“She didn’t pick up her phone.”
“Maybe she’s asleep. Although she seemed pretty intent on studying that map of hers and her notes. But maybe she fell asleep.”
That itch on my spine grows and my heart pounds in my chest. “Thanks, Mom. Make sure you don’t go home by yourself.”
I hang up and James narrows his gaze on me. “What?”
“What if Frank was trying to send me a message with that pin?”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m coming for you.”
James nods his head slowly. “Yeah, could be.”
“What if he planned on…burning my house next?”
James sits up quickly, his eyes widening. “You think?”
Lights flash and the alarm goes off. “Shit!” I groan, running for my gear. I grab my phone and check it even as the computer reads out the address from the call.
My address. Where Mercy is home…alone.
“Oh, fuck! Get the hell down here and get ready! That’s my house and that means Frank is there…with Mercy!”
My heart races even faster than the fire truck, my jaw clenches so tight that I taste dust from one of my teeth.
All I can see is Mercy’s sweet smile and pretty blue eyes, dark with desire. The way her hair is tousled after we…
Closing my eyes, I pray like I’ve never prayed before.
I need to get to her…hopefully before Frank does.
Sirens blast through the silent night air and my mind keeps picturing Mercy Lee, tousled, happy and alive, smiling.
The way I pray to god I find her.
My breath whooshes out of me when I get to my house and see the flames shooting up out of it already. Red and orange flames lick up the walls and pour out of the roof, smoke billowing out like a dragon’s breath in the chill of the night.
“Mercy?” I pray, my heart thumping crazily when I don’t see her anywhere.
“I need hoses on that damn house now. Mercy has to be in there, dammit! I need a path cleared! Now!” I holler and my guys move as one, every one of us knowing exactly what we need to do.
Knowing what’s at stake. To them it’s a woman’s life. A woman they know and like.
To me…it’s everything. She’s my heart, my soul. If she dies…no! I will not think like that.
She will be fine.
I grab my tanks and the rest of my gear, slipping my mask on and heading for the front door where they’ve concentrated the water, beating back a small break for me.
“Stay out here and watch for Frank!” I yell. “I’ll get Mercy.”
James nods and so does Perry. As one we all move into position and I follow the water’s path inside the house, swearing at the flames and the heat.
It’s so dark that I can’t see a damn thing and I holler, “Mercy! Are you in here?”
A whimper in the middle of the living room sends me that way and I wilt when I reach down and feel her on the floor.
“Oh god! Mercy?” I whisper, tugging at her and growling when she doesn’t move.
“I’m taped to the damn couch,” she whispers, coughing. Just the sound of her voice.
Closing my eyes, I fight the need to wail and gnash my teeth. Bitter and angry. I was trying to protect her and once again, I fucked up.
Now we’re both going to die.
“Reed, come on, focus. Get me out of here. I know you can. I trust you, Reed. I love you.”
My whole body freezes. “You love me?”
“I do,” she laughs. “But it’s not going to mean much if we’re both barbecued!”
Pulling a knife out, I hack at where the tape is tied around the leg but the flames are hotter, the smoke thicker and it’s not budging.
“Dammit!” I growl in frustration.
“Get your ax!” She hollers.
Yanking it out, she stays still as I lift the couch straight up. “Can you hold it upright?” I ask her and I see her nod faintly, coughing.
The couch leg is long and she’s taped to the bottom of it so I lift the ax and bring it down on the leg, smashing it until I can finally pull it free and her with it.
“Go, go!” I holler, but she bends over coughing and I swear. With a quick move I throw her over my shoulder and run for the door.
We burst through the water falling over us and I charge for the fire truck, letting her down carefully and pulling my mask off. Her pretty blue eyes are red and watery with smoke. Her face is dirty, her hair a tangle mass of curls but she’s never looked more beautiful to me.
Reaching up, I tuck her curls behind her left ear and smile. “You’re alive.”
“Not for long.”
The voice behind me whips me around and I growl, pushing Mercy behind me.
“Frank.”
He’s even worse than I remember. His scars on the left side of his face, marring what used to be a handsome face that drew women in like bees to honey.
His lips curl and he spits at me, “You thought you’d actually beat me, Reed? Not again, old buddy. This time you’re gonna be the one that loses everything.” He glares behind me. “Especially her.”
He grins coldly. “And as soon as I take care of all of you, I’m gonna kill your mother too. I will not rest until there’s not one damn branch left on your family tree.”
“Why?” I snap.
He lifts a hand to his face. “Because you did this to me!” He screams, spittle at the corner of his mouth.
“You did that to you. Not me. You started all the fires and you ran into one because you got caught. Your choice.”
“There was no choice,” he growls, bitterness in his words.
“There was. Just like there is now. Turn around and go back to jail and nothing will happen to you. Keep on going on like this and you’re going to get hurt…again.”
“How?” He groans, lifting up a gun. Then he smirks. “Thank you for giving me this, sweetheart. Now I can make sure you die.”
He lifts his hand and I wince, pushing Mercy further behind me. I see his finger slowly squeezing and I close my eyes.
Jerking, I hear a thud but then nothing. No gunshot.
Opening my eyes one at a time, I don’t see Frank.
I see James. Holding a tank in his hands. And when I look down, Frank’s lying at my feet, blood pouring out of a gash on his head. He grins at me.
“I think I deserve a raise.”
Nodding, I grin back, tired yet suddenly so damn energized. I feel like I could run a mile. Or two.
“I’ll talk to the chief when he gets back.”
Turning, I press Mercy into my chest, breathing in her sweet scent under the foul odor of smoke and gasoline.
“I’m so sorry, baby. I never should have told you to go. I never should have let you leave the way you did. I love you so much. I lost my mind…I thought.”
“I know what you thought. Your mom told me when she saw the pin.” She coughs again and I frown, my brow scrunching up. “Can you get her some oxygen until the ambulance gets here, James?”
“Yeah.” He runs over and pulls out a mask and hose to start the oxygen.
Mercy shakes her head, “I don’t need it.” But she bends over, coughs so hard that I pull her into me and groan.
“Dammit, you’re killing me. Sit down and put the mask on, wildfire.”
“Fine,” she coughs. “But I’m not going in an ambulance.”
“Oh you are,” I growl. “Or I’m going to spank your ass right here. You’re going to get checked out before I take you home.”
“Bully,” she snarls, muffled under the mask.
“Oh you have no idea, Mercy Lee. I am going to be all over you until you’re better. And then we’re going to get married and we’re going to find a place to live.”
Her brows lift. “You didn’t ask me,” she says, moving the mask out of the way.
“No I didn’t. I’m not going to. I’m going to be an absolute bear until you promise to marry me or I’m going to kidnap you and marry you in Vegas. I haven’t decided yet.”
She laughs, her eyes still watering but somehow twinkling with happiness. “We’ll see.”
“Yeah, we will. I’m not letting you get away from me this time, woman. I love you, wildfire.”
She smiles under the mask. “I love you too, caveman.”
“So marry me. Tomorrow. At city hall.”
She shakes her head but doesn’t say no. Holding her hand, I smile down at her while the guys finish up putting out the fire.
I lost everything tonight. My house and everything in it is gone. But I didn’t lose the two women that mean more to me than life itself.
And if I have to start over with nothing but them, that’s fine. They’re all I need after all.
I hold tight to Mercy.
And maybe a bed to make love to my future wife in. After all, I’m not really a caveman.
Although I’ll never tell her that. A guy’s got to keep his street cred after all.
Mercy coughs and I hold her tight, smiling like a loon and ignoring everything else but her.
She’s my future after all. Everything else is just not that important.
“I love you, wildfire.”
She grins, cuddling into my side and I finally breathe out. Letting her scent fill me up.
Letting my whole body sink into her as I kiss her brow and close my eyes.
Yeah. She’s my everything. I can rebuild the house. There will never be another her.
She’s my home.