Safe From the Fire (9 page)

How
could she do this to him?  Resentment rolled through him, followed by the
rueful realization that she didn’t understand.  Grace didn’t know his history –
he hadn’t told anyone about his father except Rafael.  She’d never met his
mother, just a shell of the woman she was.

If
she knew, she wouldn’t ask.  Hell, she wouldn’t come near you with a ten-foot
pole.
 
Not with those demands.

How
could he give her sexual orders and not feel like a monster?  How could he
strike her, even for her pleasure?  How could he control himself when she was
submissive, turned on by giving him anything and everything that he wanted with
no off button?  She terrified him with her honesty, even as she pissed him off
– she didn’t want intimacy or love, just a sexual partner to share her edgier
desires.  

He
terrified himself because he was already trying to figure out a way to make it
work.

GRACE
STEPPED OUT OF the SUV, eyes wide as she took in the flaming warehouse, one of
a cluster of storage units at the top of a winding road.  Two fire engines
flashed their red lights as firefighters fought the blaze, shouting orders to
each other.  With a quick, “Stay by the car,” Matt hurried to pull an extra set
of gear from an engine compartment and started suiting up.

The
flames burned high, threatening to spread to a second storage unit, and Grace
felt her stomach clench as Matt stepped up to join Rafael on the line.  Strong,
sure, and completely in control, here in his element. 

Not
like before.

She’d
shocked him and she knew it.  The look on his face had moved from confusion to
horror to outright terror, and her heart had sunk.  They were quite a pair – both
wanting something that the other simply couldn’t provide.  At least now she
could get back to her life.

And
try to forget that you had Matt Harris, nearly naked and godlike, under you,
his hands all over your body, if only for a few minutes.

For
a brief moment, Grace thought about trying to be what he wanted – a normal
girlfriend who dressed and acted like everyone else, whose most exciting sexual
escapade was a romp in the shower.  Matt turned her on, there was no doubt
about that, but she’d been down this road before – she couldn’t change to
please him, and she’d seen his face.  Horror.  Unlike most of her previous
entanglements, it would hurt when Matt had finally had enough, when she’d
pushed him to his boundary and he left her.  Better not to get seriously
involved at all.  He wasn’t into her kind of fun, and that was that.

But
he ripped your panties off.

Grace
was still tingling over this unwanted not-subtle nudge from her inner tramp. 
There were more important things to worry about, like the fire raging in front
of her.  Three fires wasn’t an accident.  Not in a place as small as Bright’s
Ferry.

Evie
separated herself from a small cluster of people and walked toward her, the
look on her face confirming Grace’s suspicions.

“It’s
the same guy, isn’t it?” asked Grace as soon as she was in earshot.

“There
are differences, but the sprinklers over the whole complex were disabled, the
fire alarm pulled, and no one was inside.  Just like the others.  Chief Hammond
assures me they’ve got this one under control.”

“Unbelievable,”
murmured Grace, watching the flames, “I’m glad no one was hurt.”

“I’m
sorry I pulled you away from your date,” said Evie, unable to conceal the
curiosity in her voice.

“Don’t
worry, it was over,” Grace replied sourly.

“Really? 
What happened?”

Grace
hesitated.  She and Evie were growing close, but aside from Fiona, who was
almost a sister, and Colin, one of her oldest friends, no one knew about her
sexual proclivities.

“You
don’t have to tell me,” said Evie, but there was a note of hurt in her voice, “I
mean, we haven’t known each other that long…”

Grace
quickly shook her head.  Unlike Grace, who had a “fuck them all” attitude about
the good people of Bright’s Ferry who looked down on her, Evie’s no-nonsense
exterior hid a soft and gooey center – she’d worked hard to get the town to see
beyond her own family’s sordid past.  She had a few trust issues, and Grace
never wanted her to feel left out or unwanted.

“I
don’t know if Colin mentioned it – ” A quick head shake from Evie confirmed
that he hadn’t, “but let’s just say that I don’t think we’re compatible. 
Sexually.”

“Matt
Harris looks like he wants to eat you up with a spoon and then lick the bowl,
Grace.  Are you sure you aren’t reading him wrong?”

“I’m
a little, well,
submissive
, in the bedroom.  And Matt’s just not – I
need – we aren’t – it’s a whole big
mess.
  Shit.”

Evie
looked at Grace, her gray eyes flickering in the firelight, and Grace was
surprised to find herself blushing under the scrutiny.

“This
conversation has a two drink minimum.  Once all this is taken care of, you can
buy me a shot and tell me all about it,” Evie said, “but I will say this.  It’s
amazing how willing someone can be to try new things with the right person.”

She
smiled.

“Let’s
just say that we both have control issues, but Colin is
very
creative
about getting his way.”

At
that moment, Deputy Zeke trotted up.  There was ash in his red hair and soot
streaked his sweaty face, but it was his eyes that had Grace’s spine tingling
with dread.

“What
did you find, Zeke?” asked Evie, correctly reading the expression on the young
deputy’s face.

“It’s…well,
I was walking the outer buildings like you told me to, and over by the
dumpsters…” he trailed off, clearly upset.

“Spit
it out,” ordered Evie, and Zeke held up a dusty plastic rectangle – a credit
card.

Evie
squinted at the little blue piece of plastic.

“I’m
sorry, Miss Mallow.”

“That’s
my
credit card!” she gasped, “But how – ”

“Do
you keep a storage unit up here?” asked Evie.

Grace
shook her head.

“When
was the last time you saw it?”

“I
had it last night at the club.  I gave it to Adam to start a tab and then
completely forgot about it when the fire started.”

“Are
you sure Adam gave it to the bartender?”

“Evie!”

Grace’s
screech was loud enough to catch Matt’s attention, and he glanced in her
direction.  Noting her distress, he said a few words to Rafael and hurried
over.  Behind him, the fire was under control – a testament to the Bright’s
Ferry Fire Department’s quick thinking and constant skill training. 

“What’s
wrong?” asked Matt.

But
Grace wasn’t done freaking out.

“Adam
wasn’t anywhere near here.  Besides, why would he burn down a storage unit
that’s totally in the middle of nowhere?”

“Grace,
I have to ask these questions, you know that.”  Evie’s gaze was steady, but
there was a note of censure in her voice.

Grace
couldn’t look at Matt, but when he took her hand, she didn’t pull away.

“So
you haven’t talked to him recently?” Evie continued, and Grace shook her head.

“I
gave him my car keys and told him to go get a cell phone.”

“We’ll
need to talk to him, Grace.”

With
a quick nod at Matt, Evie and Zeke moved away to join Tony, who was just
getting out of his department SUV.

Grace
couldn’t help the rush of tears, and tried to swallow them down.  She was still
holding Matt’s hand, and she clung to it like a lifeline.

It’s
starting all over again.

“He
didn’t do this,” she insisted, finally meeting Matt’s eyes, and the strength
and empathy she saw there made her want to curl up against his chest and
blubber.

“Then
someone’s going out of their way to make it look like he did.”

“You
believe me, right?”

Almost
involuntarily, Matt drew her close, enveloping her in warmth and safety, his
hands tucking her against his chest, his breath ruffling her hair.  She felt
him press a kiss to her temple and was too overcome to protest.

Does
he have to feel so good?  Dammit.

“I
believe you.”

Behind
them, Zeke cleared his throat, and Grace pulled away, a little flustered.  The
awkward deputy was as red as his hair, whether from embarrassment or from the
glow of the dwindling fire, it was hard to say.

“Mr.
Harris, the Chief needs you.”

“What’s
going on?”

“There’s
another fire.”

FOR
A BRIEF MOMENT, Adam wished he were back in his little bedroom above the soup
kitchen where no one knew him, no one cared where he came from, and no one
looked at him with years of reproach in their eyes.  What he wouldn’t give to
be completely anonymous.

He
sat across the conference table from Evie Asher and Sheriff Tony, nervously
fiddling with a paper cup of coffee.  An exhausted Matt Harris was there as
well as a representative from the Fire Department, and the way he scrutinized
Adam made him uncomfortable.  Grace was waiting outside – despite her protests,
Evie wouldn’t let her sit in on the interview, and Adam was grateful.  Grace
would stand up for him, he knew it, but it was time for him to stand up for
himself.

Adam
had arrived home late, new cell phone in hand, along with a car full of
supplies to fix up Grace’s house, generously donated by Russell Lansky.  He had
showed him to the scrap pile behind the construction offices, told him to help
himself, and then waggled his eyebrows and rushed away to meet his “hot date.” 

Adam
hadn’t been home ten minutes when Zeke Biggs arrived to take him in for
questioning.  Not one fire, but two – a storage unit in the hills and a house
across town.  The storage unit fire was out, and the firefighters had been too
late to save the house.  The family was on vacation – that was something at
least. 

 Zeke
was apologetic as he helped Adam into the back of the SUV.

“Sorry,
Adam.  Just doing my job.”

Zeke
had been a year ahead of Adam in school, a shy, awkward kid who had been the
target of some serious bullying.  He’d shocked everyone by passing the deputy’s
test with flying colors, and Sheriff Tony had taken him on.

Good
for him,
thought Adam.  He’d certainly never been that motivated.

Evie
leaned forward, noting every little fidget with her cool cop’s eyes.

“Adam,
we found Grace’s credit card at the storage unit.  Do you have any idea how it
got there?”

Adam
blinked.

“That’s
impossible.  I left it at the bar at the club.  I started a tab…”

“The
bartender says he doesn’t remember seeing it at the end of the night.”

“I
was with Russell Lansky that whole time!  Ask him!”

“We
will,” said Tony.

“The
club was pretty crowded, right?  You could have swiped the card before you
left.”

“But
I didn’t!  Why would I do that?”  Adam asked, desperately, feeling the walls
closing in.

“What
about the Haden house?  Maybe you finished your errands, set fire to the
storage units, and then headed back across town to the house.”

“It
wasn’t me.  I don’t know what else to tell you.  I don’t even know the Hadens.”

Adam
looked anxiously from Evie to Tony, skepticism etched on their faces.  He shook
his head, overwhelmed.  Finally, something flickered in Matt’s eyes.

“Ease
up, Evie,” he said, “Do you have any real proof?”

“The
credit card is pretty damning, don’t you think?”

“Anyone
could have taken that card while the club was being evacuated.  Unless you’ve
got something solid that’s not Adam’s juvie record, which isn’t admissible in
court anyway, let him go.  It’s late.”

Adam
was surprised at Matt’s abrupt defense.  Then again, the man was trying to get
into his sister’s pants, and Adam himself had actually pushed her toward him. 
In light of recent events, he wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but hell, the
man was going to keep him out of jail, which was fine by him.

Evie
sat back with a dissatisfied “hmph,” but nodded and waved her notebook filled
with scribbles.

“We’ll
check your alibi out and be in touch.”

THE
HADEN HOUSE WAS a smoldering shell by the time the Fire Department had arrived
and gotten it under control.  He hid in the ditch across the road, flat on his
stomach, watching them battle the blaze, knowing he was invisible under cover
of night.  There would be nothing left to find – just a heap of ash. 

Thank
God.