Bad Boy's Touch (Firemen in Love Book 3) (2 page)

One of the officers pointed her gun at us. “Don't even think about it,” she hissed.

I froze and stared.

God, she was
gorgeous.

“Brett, we gotta move,” Ian hissed.

But I couldn't. Even now, with a pistol aimed at my head, the woman's beauty transfixed me. There was something wild in her eyes, a ferocity that may even have matched my own.

Her partner broke away to chase down a couple of thugs. She stepped toward us slowly, never taking her eyes off us.

Then her gaze fell on me. She licked her lips.

Oh, what I wouldn't do to have that woman in my bed...

“Turn around and put your hands behind your backs. All of you.”

I offered her a smile, the same one that had charmed the panties off so many women before. She, unfortunately, did not seem to be impressed.

“Easy, now.” I raised my arms. “I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm one of the good guys, you know.”

She didn't buy it. “I'm sure you are, sir. Now turn around and shut up.”

Ooh, she was trying to boss me around. I
liked
it. Bet this girl was amazing in the sack.

Ian turned around and lamely obeyed her orders. Rico fell against the wall, rubbing his side where I'd kicked him.

I stood my ground. Chicks like her didn't want a submissive loser, now did they? Nope. She needed an alpha male to take charge.

Lucky for her, that's just what I was.

“Are you hard of hearing? I said you're under arrest.”

“There's really no need for this unpleasantness. I'm with the Waco Fire Department, see.”

She stilled. Her eyes narrowed. “Is that so?”

“Yep.” I grinned. “Been putting out fires for five years. Just the other day, I rescued a little girl and her puppy from a burning car. You might have heard about it on the local news.”

She studied me for a while, her head cocked, as if she was trying to think hard on where she'd seen me before.

“Wait a second. I know who you are.” She lowered her gun, but only a little. “You're Brett Silver.”

“That's right. I'm something of a celebrity in these parts.”

I took a step closer, trying to show her I meant no harm. She tensed and raised her weapon again.

“Stay where you are!” She reached for the handcuffs on her belt. “If you're such a big hero, care to explain what you're doing here?”

“How about
you
explain what I'm being arrested for.”

She strode toward me, all ready to slap the cuffs on. “Where to begin? Disorderly conduct, unlicensed gambling, assault. Need I continue?”

“What? Assault?” I checked on Rico. He glared at me. “That guy tried to stab me with a broken bottle. I was only defending myself.”

“I suppose we'll have to work out the details downtown,” she muttered. “We've had officers called to this location before. I know exactly what goes on here: prostitution, drug deals, violent, bloody fights...”

Her fingers brushed mine as she slid the cold metal rings around my wrists. There was a soft hitch in her breath.

I felt it, too. That little tingle, the one that sent shivers up my spine. Though I'd slept with many women, it was a feeling I'd not enjoyed in years.

“I'm not involved with any drugs,” I swore. “What's wrong with a couple of guys doing a bit of wrestling, hmm? We're both big boys. I think we can handle a few bruises and crooked noses.”

She clamped the cuffs around my wrists tighter. I winced. She either didn't notice my discomfort or didn't care.

“It's against the law to beat people up in the street.”

“Even if they both agreed to it?”

She turned me back around and talked into her radio. “Swanson, I got two more on the west side of the Twinkles building.”

“Look, we do this because we
enjoy
fighting,” I told her. “I got a tough job; you should understand what it's like. It's just nice to come out here and work off some of that energy, y'know?”

She pushed me toward her car. “I think most men find less violent ways to relax. They lift weights. Swim laps. Decent, normal things like that.”

“Too bad I ain't normal.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

She looked me over. I could tell easy enough when a girl was interested – and this one was practically undressing me with her eyes.

“Officer Madison.” I read off the tag on her uniform. “That's a real pretty name. Never heard it before.”

She gaped at me. Her hand was still on my bare back as she got ready to shove me into the car.

Was she one of those women who liked to be flirted with – or was she the sort who'd throw her drink in your face for saying she had a nice ass?

Might as well push my luck. I was about to get dumped into a cop car; what else did I have to lose?

“You wearing contact lenses? You've got the greenest eyes I've ever seen.”

“No, I'm – wait, what do you think you're doing?” Her grip on me tightened. “Flattery isn't going to save you from a trip to the station.”

“I'm not trying to flatter you.” I checked her finger for a wedding band. “Just answer me one last question, then I'll go peacefully.”

She sighed. “What?”

“You single?”

Her jaw fell. I loved the way her auburn hair, done up in a messy ponytail, framed her lovely face. What fun it'd be to yank on that wavy hair while screwing her hard from behind...

“Am I
single?
” There was nervousness in her laugh. “I can't believe this. You're actually
hitting
on me.”

“You said you'd answer.”

Her pale cheeks turned pink. “I... I don't have to answer anything! I'm an officer of the law, and if I say you get your ass in that backseat, you do it.”

“See, that's what I like about you. You're feisty. Tough. Don't take shit from anyone.”

She pushed me. “I'm just trying to do my
job.
Now get in that car before I charge you with obstruction of justice too.”

For a moment, I forgot about hitting on her. I couldn't seriously get arrested; my boss would kill me. He didn't tolerate criminal mischief these days.

Look how fast he canned Max – and all
he
did was drive a fire engine through a store window.

“Look, Madison. Maybe we can work something out.”

“Bribing an officer is highly illegal, I'll have you know,” she grumbled. “And don't call me that. Stop acting like we're friends.”

Another cruiser drove away with two of Rico's guys in the back. She'd called for backup to collect Ian and Rico, but they hadn't gotten here yet. That meant we were alone for now.

Maybe I could use that to my advantage.

“You're making a huge mistake. If you take me to jail, it will end very badly for me. I'm kind of in the public eye. I can't be seen getting thrown into a cell.”

“Perhaps you should have thought about that before making so many bad decisions.”

“You wanna be responsible for getting me fired? The only thing I'm guilty of is knocking out that asshole's tooth.”

Rico cussed at me and flipped me off. Madison wasn't amused.

“You've got the wrong guy in cuffs. Do you realize how much good I've done for this city? How many lives I've protected? All the buildings I've kept from burning to the ground?” I forced myself to smile. “You never know. The next person I save might be you.”

She hesitated. Rico shouted at her.

“Don't listen to his white-knight bullshit! This fool's even more dangerous than me. He's a snake, that's what he is. Strikes when you least expect it.”

“Shut up,” she hissed. “Both of you are coming with me. You can argue about your personal problems once we get to the station.”

That son of a bitch! If it weren't for him, she just might have let me go. Now what?

Her radio beeped. She dropped my arm to pick it up.

“Sorry for the holdup,” said a man on the other end. “There was a truck accident on the highway and we're stuck in traffic. You want me to call another unit over?”

“No, I can handle this one on my own.”

Here was my chance. She wasn't looking at me, wasn't paying attention. I could run. Would probably make it into the building before she reacted.

Ian waved his arms and gestured wildly at the employee exit. He was thinking the same thing.

“See you back at the station.” She put the radio back and reached for me. “Okay, enough wasting time. Get in.”

I dug my heels in. “Wait a minute. C'mon, just hear me out.”

“I've already heard you. Now do what I said or –”

A loud crack echoed from somewhere down the alley, then something whizzed past our heads. Holy shit; was that a
bullet?

“What the...”

Another one came from the opposite direction, narrowly missing us as it ricocheted off the pavement.

“Gunfire!” She drew her pistol. “Everyone get down!”

At the end of the alley stood several of Rico's gangsters. They'd parked to block the exit so Madison couldn't get out. Moments later, another couple of cars blocked the north entrance too.

“Bitch, you let Rico go or I'm gonna kill you!”

I wasn't dumb enough to stand around waiting to get shot in the head. Time to move – whether Madison liked it or not.

Rico bolted into the strip club. Ian grabbed the door before it slammed shut and waved to me.

“Hurry up!”

I ducked low to the ground and ran for the door. Bullets flew around me in all directions, bouncing off brick walls, hitting cars, and shattering windows. By some miracle, none of them hit me.

Madison glared at me over her shoulder. “Get back here or you are in
serious
trouble, Silver!”

“Sorry,” I yelled over the noise. “But I ain't in the mood for dying tonight.”

Her angry screams were the last thing I heard before the heavy door slammed shut behind me.

Chapter 2 - Madison

Which was worse: the hail of bullets raining down on me, or my prisoner escaping into a strip club full of terrified topless women?

“Where's Rico?”

“I dunno, man. You, go and find him. Martin, get the car ready. I'll keep this bitch busy.”

This was about the five hundredth time I'd been called that word since I joined the force. Even now, years later, it still stung.

I dove behind my cruiser, praying that the hunk of junk could stand up to gunfire. Where was the radio? I needed to call for backup,
now.

I grabbed for it, but it wasn't on my belt.

“Officer Finley, come in please. Finley, come in.”

The noise caught my attention. There was the stupid radio, right in the middle of the alley! Must have dropped it when I ran for cover.

No way could I risk my neck to go after it. Using the cruiser's radio, too, was equally dumb. The moment I poked my head up, I was rewarded with another bullet zipping my way.

“You're a terrible shot, fool. Just blast her already!”

“I ain't gonna kill a
cop.
You think I wanna get life in prison?”

They were arguing. Distracted. This might be my only opportunity.

The back door to Twinkles was so close. I clutched my gun to my chest and ran.

“Yo, she's getting away!”

“Who gives a shit? We're getting Rico out and that's it.”

The door, thank God, was unlocked. I slipped inside, trading the filthy alleyway for a dark, seedy bar. They had the music turned up so loud, the bass booming and shaking the floor, that it seemed nobody heard the standoff happening just outside.

The door I'd entered led me through the kitchen and bar. Cooks and other employees gawked as I made my way through the room.

“Excuse me, Kingston Police.” I showed my badge. “Have any of you seen a couple of strange men coming through here? One is Hispanic, dark skin, scar down the side of his face.”

They just stared. The dishwasher shrugged and continued scrubbing his pots and pans. One of the cooks muttered something in what sounded like Portuguese.

“Uh, okay. Guess not. The other guy was handcuffed, and...” My heart pounded. “And shirtless. Lots of tattoos.”

I left out how delicious that chest of his looked, or how much I secretly enjoyed putting my hand on his solid, muscular back.

Stop it. Don't be a moron, Mad. Yes, he's gorgeous, but you're supposed to be
arresting
the guy.

A minute ago, I was getting shot at by gangsters. Now here I was, drooling over Brett Silver like a preteen girl with a celebrity crush.

“So, uh, I take it you haven't seen him either.” My voice cracked. The staff exchanged glances. “Thanks anyway.”

“
Eeek!
” A woman's shriek pierced my eardrums. “What are you
doing
in here? Get out, creep!”