Ride the Fire (20 page)

“I’d think so,” Kayne said. “But even if this George Sparks is the same as the man in the e-mails, that just tells us he decided to purchase a new place and move in.”

“There’s also the fact that he had one framed photograph in sight, of him and some buddies in the military. And with the other shit that’s been going on, I think Mr. Sparks warrants a look. What if he’s someone who works for Jesse?”

“Won’t hurt to check out Sparks,” the chief said. He addressed Eve. “Do you think your mother would be willing to come in, give a description of George Sparks, and take a look at the photo?”

“I’m sure she won’t mind. I’ll call her now.” Eve rose and stepped into the hallway, not the least bit happy to involve her mother in this. Still, she might have important answers. She fished her cell phone from her purse and made the call.

“Hey, my sweet girl! What’s up?”

“Mama, remember what you told me and Sean about George Sparks, your new neighbor?”

“How could I forget?” she said, her distaste evident. “Why do you ask?”

“The police are interested in Mr. Sparks and they have some questions. Since you’ve met him, they’d like for you to come down and give a description.”

“Oh, boy. They think he’s done something criminal? I wouldn’t be surprised. Listen, I’m leaving the gym and I’ll come straight over there, if they want.”

“That would be great, Mama. Thanks.”

“Why are
you
there?”

“I’ll explain later.”

“You’d better.”

“Promise. See you soon.” Returning to Shane’s office, she said, “She’ll be here shortly.”

Sean and the detectives spent the next few minutes filling in the chief and captain on Sean’s harassment. The officers had to admit that the entire story made for some very damning and frightening conclusions. The mood in the room was tense, on edge.

Her mother was shown in about twenty minutes later. Eve jumped up and gave her a hug, clinging briefly before relinquishing her to the officers.

“I understand you gentlemen want a description of George Sparks for some reason? I’d like to get this over with so I can get home and watch
Ellen
.”

“Yes, ma’am. If you don’t mind,” Kayne said. “This shouldn’t take long.”

“Okay, well, he’s sort of tall, a little over six feet. Lean. Long blond hair that he wore pulled into a ponytail. The deadest eyes I’ve ever seen, too.”

Sean’s fingers tightened on the arm of his chair.

“Any distinguishing marks on Mr. Sparks that you can remember?”

“Oh, yes. I thought it very odd that a man would want to sport a tattoo of a rose, but to each his own.”

“Oh, God.” Sean looked like he was about to throw up.

“Where is the tattoo located, Ms. Marshall?” Kayne asked calmly.

“On his neck, here.” She pointed to the spot.

Shane handed her the photo. “Can you name this man?”

She studied the photo for a moment and then looked back at Shane. “Of course. That’s George Sparks.”

Silence followed this announcement. The detectives and their bosses shared some looks that went beyond concern to fear.

Eve felt that same fear wash over her and become terror. That monster had been alone with her mother.

Amelia glanced between them all, confused. “Why? What does that mean?”

The chief recovered first. “It means,” he said, “that you’re going to miss
Ellen
.”

Not happening. And he wasn’t going to live in fear of what Jesse might do.

“He wanted me to know he was coming, and when he arrived, that he was here,” he said to nobody in particular. “He knew we’d learn the truth. He’s flaunting it in our faces.”

“I agree,” Shane said. “But we’re going to call in the big guns and let them handle Rose. They’ll do surveillance or whatever they need to do, and Ms. Marshall is going to decide to go visit relatives. Immediately.”

“That’s a good idea,” Eve said, expression scared. “I don’t want Mama anywhere near Sugarland with that man here, now that she’s met him.”

“I can take care of myself,” Amelia protested.

“You can under normal circumstances.” The chief shook his head. “But this man is extremely dangerous—FBI’s most wanted. Despite his scrape in the military, from what I gathered from the Feds when they were here before, they’ve never been able to prove his activities on the major charges. The FBI had a man inside their organization, and he turned up dead a few months ago. No one can get close to them without getting killed.”

“Mama, why don’t you go visit Aunt Felicia in California for a while? She’s been after you to visit and it’s nearly Thanksgiving. You know she’d love that.”

“But what about you? I don’t want to leave you alone for the holiday.”

Eve gave a tremulous smile. “I won’t be alone, and besides, we have to work that day. I’ll feel better knowing you’re off that monster’s radar.”

Sean was saddened. There was a time when Jesse wasn’t a monster—just a gremlin in training. He’d been a good friend, once.

Why did you go down that path? Why?

Why does anyone?

Amelia relented. “All right, I’ll go. But I wish you’d come with me, baby.”

“I’ll be fine. I need to stay here.”

“You should go with your mother,” he heard himself say. “It’ll be safer and—”

“Forget it,” Eve replied flatly. “I’m not leaving you.”

That made him feel pretty damned good, and scared him at the same time. He’d have to be on his guard with Jesse around. Still, he reminded himself, the man had waited all these years to make a move. The FBI would probably have him in custody before he could step up his campaign to drive Sean crazy.

That prompted a question. “Besides me, why is Jesse here? Don’t tell me you don’t know, because the FBI wouldn’t be on your friggin’ speed dial if you didn’t.”

The chief pinned him with a stern gaze. “Let’s just say that if his reason for being here got out, there would be panic.”

“Christ, what’s he planning?” he asked quietly.

“To blow up something big that would turn this entire region of Tennessee into a wasteland . . . Chernobylstyle. And he’s rumored to have the resources and the contacts to pull it off, thanks in part to the dearly departed Forrest Prescott. You follow?”

Sean was speechless. This was far beyond any horror he’d thought Jesse capable of perpetrating.

Shane broke in with more questions. “Since you and Rose were once so close, how come he and Blair never met? Assuming she was innocent of working with Rose at the time of her death, why wouldn’t she have recognized him?”

“Blair and I met toward the end of my time in the marines,” Sean said. “I found out she was pregnant with our son, married her, and then was immediately sent to Kuwait along with Jesse. We were stationed there for over a year, serving in Desert Shield and Desert Storm after that. Blair never had a chance to meet Jesse before my falling-out with him.” Obviously that had changed at some point in recent years when Jesse posed as Sparks.

“Rose didn’t come to your wedding?”

“No. He claimed he couldn’t make it, but by then things were tense between us. I’m pretty sure now that he spent all his leave time involved in his illegal dealings.”

“Makes sense,” the chief commented.

“The FBI will be here in about three hours,” Kayne interrupted, hanging up. “My suggestion is to take Ms. Marshall home, help her pack, maybe get a bite to eat. Then come back here so Sean can tell his story to them, and she can identify Jesse, aka George Sparks. After which Ms. Marshall is on the first plane out of here to enjoy Thanksgiving in California. Everybody got that?”

A round of agreements followed and everyone rose to leave. Sean thanked the officers and escorted Eve and her mother to his SUV. He cut off the older woman’s protests when she insisted on driving home.

“Leave your car here. It’ll be better if it looks like you’re not home, in this case. That way Jesse won’t be tempted to drop by and make trouble.”

She relented, but didn’t like it.

At Amelia’s house, Eve helped her mother pack everything that was necessary for an extended stay, and called her aunt. Amelia then called her boss. On his own phone, Sean booked her flight. When she was packed, she suffered a few anxieties about small things like bills, her plants, and the newspapers. It took both him and Eve to fend off her arguments until she didn’t have a single one left.

They drove back to the police station just over three hours later, and the Feds were waiting for them. One was a big, dark, dangerous-looking agent named Nick Westfall, the other his redheaded, freckled partner, Jack Coleman.

Amelia kept her cool, though Sean realized she was frightened. She positively identified Jesse as being the man who’d called himself George Sparks, and they thanked her, appearing very excited about this break in the case.

Sean went next, going through the whole saga again. Amazing how the more he related it, the more numb he became. Had to be shock or something. He would’ve been content to go his whole life without ever being involved in a homeland-terror case. Especially when he knew the man responsible.

God, he hoped the papers never got wind of this.

He shook hands with the agents.

“Don’t leave town,” Agent Westfall said. “We might need you again.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Agent. I want to see the end of this as much as you do. Trust me on that.”

“I believe you do,” he said. “Here’s my card. Call if Rose shows up, if you think of anything, or have any more trouble out of him.”

“I will. Thanks.”

After sticking the card in his wallet, he and Eve drove Amelia to Nashville Airport. The women hugged fiercely outside the security checkpoint, like they’d never see each other again. Both were teary-eyed and he figured the stress of parting so abruptly, and the reason why, was getting to them. Things would be better after Amelia was safe.

“Thanks for taking care of my mother,” Eve said once they were on their way again. “Mama means the world to me, and if anything happened to her, I’d be lost.”

“I understand the feeling. It was the same for me when I lost both my parents.” He squeezed her hand. “There’s no way I’d allow Jesse anywhere near her. I just wish you’d gone, too.”

“Really?” She arched a brow.

“Okay, the selfish part of me is glad you’re here. But it worries me, baby. If Jesse so much as looks at you cross-eyed, I’m putting you on the first plane.”

“You can try.”

“Stubborn woman.”

“Yep. And you’re a stubborn man.”

“This could make for some sizzling arguments in years to come.”

She beamed at that. “You still want to argue with me years from now?”

“Why not? Making up is fun.” He knew what she was getting at—the “years” part. “And yes, for decades.”

She snuggled into his side and he put his arm around her, held her close. Being with her was about as perfect it got. He couldn’t wait to see what the future held in store for them.

As soon as he figured out a way to rid his life of Jesse for good.

Jesse raised his rifle as a startled Connors jerked his head in Jesse’s direction.

Sean raised his a split second after . . . and got his shot off first.

His armor-piercing bullet ripped through Jesse’s flak jacket with a sickening punch, sending the man backward. Darkness bloomed on his chest, his expression shocked as he fell.

Jesse hit the ground on his back and Sean lowered his rifle. Could only stand there, numb, as the fight raged around him. Could only watch his best friend bleed onto the desert sand. Eyes accusing.

“Oh, God. What have I done?”

“Saved my life, man!” Connors yelled. “Now get your ass down before we end up the same.”

But he couldn’t take cover and leave Jesse to bleed out. He had to believe the man had some good in him, still held on to some thread of the boy he’d known.

Crawling over to his friend, he hooked his arms under the man’s middle, and began to drag him to a waiting medic unit.

“Yeah. Can’t say I blame him, though.”

Eve plucked a paper towel from the dispenser and began to dry her hands. Wasn’t like she was trying to eavesdrop on the two C-shift firefighters who were going off duty, but their deep voices carried from the hallway outside the women’s restroom.

“Gonna be interesting to see who falls in line for the promotions.”

“Heard through the grapevine that Tanner is up for battalion chief. That would rock.”

Eve smiled, dried her hands more slowly.

“Yeah, he deserves it. I mean, if he can just keep his dick in his pants.”

Her smile faded as she tossed the paper towel into the garbage.

“Word, man. Hasn’t he had enough bullshit without banging one of his own team?”

“Fuck, it ain’t his fault. I’d jump, too, if she wiggled that tight little mocha ass at me.”

“Guess you’re right. Still, I never figured Marshall for a slut. What kind of bitch puts her captain’s career on the block?”

No fucking way.

Eve’s temper exploded like gasoline and a blow-torch. Heedless of anything except her targets, she stormed to the door and yanked it open, taking in two very shocked male faces. Wyatt and Green. Catching them off guard with their figurative pants down made her inner bitch chortle with glee.

“First of all, my tight little mocha ass wouldn’t want your limp, shriveled excuse for an appendage if you dipped it in gold!” Wyatt blanched, stammering a response that wouldn’t quite emerge. A couple more firefighters paused in the hallway, observing from a safe distance. Ignoring the gawkers, she went for the kill. “Second, this slutty bitch would
never
do anything to put the captain’s career in jeopardy, and you need to give him some credit for being man enough to handle his personal life. And it
is
just that—personal.”

“I—I—that is, we—”

“Furthermore, I’m well aware of the department policy regarding relationships within the same station. Do you honestly think I enjoy being the subject of ridicule? Nobody
plans
to fall in love. It just happens.” Shit, that wasn’t what she meant to say—and she had no idea whether Sean’s feelings ran as deep. Swallowing the blunder, she went on.

“I didn’t plan to make our work environment uncomfortable for anyone, and I’m well aware I’m facing a transfer. Until then, I’d appreciate some understanding, and for our ‘family’ here to practice the same discretion I’m trying to use.”

“I . . . goddamn, I’m sorry, Marshall,” Wyatt muttered. “Was just talkin’ out my ass, ya know? Guy shit.”

Green nodded emphatically. “Same here. We’re not spreading anything outside the station, I swear. It’s just that we’ve got eyes, that’s all. Discreet as y’all are tryin’ to be, a guy would have to be a moron to miss what’s going on when you look at each other.”

“We just don’t want anyone to get hurt if you two are distracted. And I apologize for disrespecting you,” Wyatt finished sheepishly.

“Me, too.”

“Fine. Apology accepted.” She thought about apologizing for saying Wyatt’s dick was shriveled, but decided to let it go. As far as she was concerned, they were even. “You two have a problem with me from now on, say it to my face. Believe me, I’d have no qualms about stating mine to yours.”

“You got it,” Wyatt said, and Green chimed an agreement.

She left them standing there with their mouths hanging open and walked away as normally as possible. Wouldn’t do to appear desperate to find a corner to slink into and hide. In short, good acting was required.

Rounding the corner to cross through the kitchen, she ran right into her team, who were, to a man, staring at her wide-eyed, expressions varying from amused to worried. Sean leaned against the counter near the coffeepot, red flags on his cheeks, an emotion she couldn’t pinpoint in his gaze.

“Great,” she said sharply. “Since the gang’s all here, why don’t we just hunt this issue down and shoot it, hmm?”

“This isn’t our business, Eve,” Zack said. “Besides, you know we support you two one hundred percent, as long as you’re happy.” A round of agreements met his words.

“I appreciate the sentiment, and I love you guys for it. But as much as I hate being gossiped about like I’m the Whore of Babylon, Wyatt and Green have a valid point.” She held her hand up, cutting short the angry outbursts fueled by the C-shift firefighters’ disrespect. “If any of us screw up on the job, whether or not it’s related to me and Sean being involved, we’re opening our team to scrutiny, nasty rumors, and even lawsuits. Especially now that our relationship is out in the open and we can’t deny it.”

This sobered their friends and they fell silent, thinking.

She sighed. “I think the best solution is for me to transfer before the brass comes to me and slaps my wrist.”

“I disagree,” Julian said. “We all know Sean is on the promotions list. I say wait—why lose two good firefighters from our team when we might only have to lose one? Besides, even if the brass knows about you two, if they’re truly planning to move Sean up, they won’t say anything, because they’ll know he’s going to leave anyway.”

This met with approval from the gang, and Eve smiled despite the crappy start to their shift. “Have I told you all lately how much you mean to me?”

“Oh, God!” Clay cried in mock distress. “Tissue alert at twelve o’ clock! Let’s go, boys, before she has us all PMS-ing.”

They scattered, laughing, all except for Sean, who hadn’t moved. He watched them go, a content expression on his handsome face.

“Idiots,” he said fondly. “If I do get the promotion, I’m going to miss the hell out of this. The camaraderie, the sense of family. They’re the brothers I never had.”

“You’ll visit.” She was pretty sure he’d get the promotion. A lump formed in her throat.

“It won’t ever be quite the same, though.” He pushed from the counter. “Hey, no long faces, right? Nothing is ever a done deal.”

“Any of us would kill to be on that list. Don’t you want it?”

“Sure I do! I need a new challenge. If I don’t get the position and one of us has to leave, I’ll probably retire.”

“What?” Her mouth fell open. “You’re too young to retire! What would you do?”

He shrugged. “Open a business, or invest. Raise horses. Who knows? Doesn’t matter, because the most important thing is standing right in front of me.”

Her heart fluttered, and she let out a big sigh that she kept to herself. “That’s sweet, but you’d lose your retirement money. Your nest egg.”

His lips curved into a rueful smile that held a hint of melancholy. “No, that would be the money I inherited from my parents and Blair. As long as I’m smart about managing it, I’m pretty much set.”

“Oh.”

Jeez, how much money did he have? She’d love him even if he didn’t have a cent, but the man was a continual surprise. With that fabulous house and land, she’d known he couldn’t be destitute, but that didn’t necessarily mean a supply of ready cash. Her tongue burned with the need to ask how rich he was, but she refrained. With great difficulty.

She was only human, for cryin’ out loud.

On the heels of that thought, she was ashamed. Whatever his wealth, it was gained due to great personal loss. She vowed not to broach the subject unless he found it necessary for her to know.

“I’ve got some things to do in my office,” he said. “Do an inventory of the medical supplies on the ambulance, if you don’t mind.”

It really wasn’t a question, but an order. Ever the alpha.

“Got it.”

As she attended to the task, her mind drifted from challenges within the station to those without. Somehow, she’d have to find the courage to address one other issue that might not make him very happy. But they were a couple now, or so she believed, and they’d work through it. Together.

After a load of heartache and fear, the worst had to be behind them.