Burning Up: Firefighter Contemporary Romance Series Box Set

by K. C. Crowne

  “Really, Logan? You want to talk about that now?”.

  “Hell yeah, I do,” he said, doing his best to stand on his own two feet. “What’s going on with you and Hannah?”

  “Nothing,” I said, looking at Finn for backup. He didn’t seem to know what to say. “We were just talking about the wedding tomorrow.”

  “Liar,” Logan accused, lurching toward me. I managed to move out of the way just in time, but Logan fell forward, landing on the hood of a parked car. Finn and I rushed over to pick him up, but Logan pushed us both away. “You’re a fucking liar, Justin. Just admit that you’re into my sister.”

  Again, I looked at Finn. This wasn’t the time to discuss what was going on with Hannah - if anything was going on. I wasn’t about to admit to sleeping with his sister while he was shitfaced and unpredictable.

  “Come on, Logan,” Finn said, taking his arm. “Let’s get you home.”

  Logan scowled at me. “Everyone can see it, Justin. Stop fucking lying to me.”

  The guilt hit me hard. He was right, I had been lying. Not just to him, but to everyone. Even to myself. Hannah had worked her way into my soul without me even realizing it. I cared for her, I wanted to be with her. But I couldn’t see her wanting to be with me. She’d never trust me, always thinking about my past. A relationship like that would never work, no matter how much I might have wanted it to.

  I ignored the question, and we continued walking in silence. When we got to Logan’s building, Finn helped him sit down on the steps. I sat down beside him. Logan had apparently forgotten about being mad at me because he turned to me with tears in his eyes.

  “I fucked up, Justin,” he slurred.

  I knew Finn had a family to get back to, and it was getting late. Finn was a close friend, but I was Logan’s best friend - the person who’d known him the longest. I was the one who needed to help him through this. If Logan had done something more than just talk to Jessica, I didn’t want anyone else knowing. It would be a private matter, between close friends and Melody. Not between guys at work.

  I looked at Finn and said, “Don’t worry, I can take care of him from here.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yeah, I’ll sober him up a bit before putting him to bed,” I said, waving Finn off. “Go home to your family.”

  Finn relented after a moment, leaving Logan and me on the stairs to his apartment building. Logan was thankfully sobering up. The walk had done him some good at least.

  The bad part? He was in tears, feeling terrible about what almost happened with Jessica. He confessed everything to me, and I was happy to discover there wasn’t much for him to confess.

  “I’m not even attracted to her. I didn’t text her to ask her to come out. She texted me first,” he said. His eyes were clearing up finally. “And I told her where I was, and she just invited herself, I guess? By that point, I was too drunk to know what was happening.”

  “It’s alright, Logan. You didn’t actually do anything,” I assured him.

  “Melody wasn’t there, was she? She didn’t see me and Jessica?” Logan asked, his hands covering his face.

  I put an arm around my friend and said, “No, Melody was gone. She didn’t see anything. You’re all good. You just need to be more careful next time. That’s all.”

  I heard footsteps coming down the steps, and both Logan and I stood up to let the person pass. I was stunned to find Hannah walking down, a pissed off expression on her face.

  She scowled at me but otherwise ignored me entirely. She went over to her brother instead, pointing a finger in his face.

  “If I ever hear of you playing games on Melody, I’ll kick your ass. You may be bigger than me, Logan, but don’t you dare underestimate me.”

  “What?” Logan said. “No, Hannah, I didn’t--”

  He stopped talking as she pushed past him in a huff. She must have heard part of our conversation, perhaps she’d taken it the wrong way. I started after her, but Logan stumbled down the last few stairs, still not completely sober. He was also trying to go after Hannah but failing. I caught him before he hit the ground, averting disaster, but Hannah was already gone.

  I decided to call her instead, let her know it was a misunderstanding. I reached for my phone and notice a missed call and a voicemail from a number I wasn’t familiar with. I pull it up and listen.

  “Hello, Mr. Hargraves. This is Stephanie Mannis from Atlanta Child Protective Services. There’s been a problem, and we currently have your daughter, Abigail Price, in custody. If you could please give us a call at--”

  I didn’t even listen to the rest of the message. My heart stopped in my chest. I couldn’t have heard that right. A daughter? I didn’t have a daughter. Sure, she knew my last name, but this had to be a mistake. The girl had Dee’s last name, but still… It had to be a mixup.

  Logan must have sensed something was wrong. He gave me a curious look. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” I lied, putting my phone away. “Wrong number, that’s all.”

  I didn’t have time to think about it then. I had to get Logan upstairs and in bed without disturbing Melody. We had a wedding the next day. I’d call the number back and clear it up as soon as the wedding was over.

  There’s no way I have a kid, I thought. Later, I’d laugh about this with the guys, surely. How funny it would be - me, being a dad to a little girl. The concept was just so far fetched, I tried not to give it a second thought as I helped Logan up the stairs and into his apartment.

  Melody was already asleep, and Logan was mostly sober, so I didn’t have to do much. Once he was secure in his place, I headed home.

  I listened to the voicemail one more time, double checking that she’d said my last name. She had.

  I hadn’t spoken to Dee in many years. She’d probably had a kid with someone else by now, and there was a mixup. Either way, she’d have some explaining to do.

  Hannah

  There’s no way we’re going to get everything done in time, I fretted. I stood in the doorway of the church with Cassie, Izzy, and Mason. Finn, Jax, and Justin were supposed to be there any minute. We had a lot to set up. Because everything was last minute, I’d foolishly offered to help decorate the church and reception hall prior to the wedding. I even told Elizabeth I’d be busy the entire day and asked for the day off weeks in advance.

  Still, even with the entire day, we had a lot to do. None of us were wedding planners, and while the decorations were fairly simple, the reception hall wasn’t set up at all. That meant setting up the tables, chairs, everything.

  Clapping my hands together, I decided to get to it, divvying up tasks to everyone who was there already.

  “Mason, please start setting up the tables. When the other guys get here, I’ll send them over to help you too,” I ordered. “Izzy and Cassie, you can help me put the centerpieces together.”

  Finn walked in a second later, followed by Jax. I put them straight to work with Mason. I checked the time and realized Justin was running late. Typical. With so much to do, we needed everyone, and I’d made sure to let everyone know this in an email I sent out a few days in advance.

  I pushed any and all thoughts of Justin from my head and got to work. Izzy was a pro at arranging the floral centerpieces, and I left her and Cassie to do that while I started putting the linens on the tables the guys had already set up.

  When my phone rang, I muttered, “Finally,” assuming it was Justin.

  I answered in a huff, only to hear my boss’s voice on the other end of the line. “Hannah, I’m sorry to bother you,” she said, speaking quickly before I could stop her. “We’ve had something come up - and I really need you to run an errand for me.”

  “You know I can’t, Elizabeth. I told you weeks ago that I had my brother’s wedding today and--”

  “I know,” Elizabeth said, cutting me off. “But you don’t understand. I need this piece for a photo shoot I’m doing tomorrow, and there’s only one in New York City and it’s highly covete
d. If I don’t get it ASAP, I’m going to miss out entirely.”

  “I’m sorry, Elizabeth. You’ll have to find someone else.”

  “There is no one else, Hannah. It’s a very expensive, rare piece, and I trust only you to pick it up. I’ll text you the address. I’m sure it’ll be quick.”

  My blood was already boiling, and I was stressed beyond belief. I’d had enough running around and being pulled in too many directions, and I simply snapped.

  “No, Elizabeth. In case you misunderstood me, I’m not doing this today. I can’t. I’ll be happy to run any silly errands you need of me tomorrow, but not today.”

  There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the phone. I was sick and tired of being pushed around.

  “Listen to me, Hannah,” Elizabeth said, her voice raised. “Either you get me this piece tonight or you’ll be out of a job. If you want to make it in this industry, you have to be willing to put your career first, above all else, even family sometimes. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes, I hear you,” I said, my voice cracking.

  “Good. I’ll send you the address,” she said. The line went dead.

  I hadn’t agreed to do the task. I still had the choice. I could simply skip out on it and continue preparing for the wedding, or I could let my best friend and brother down. My hands began to shake as the reality of the situation hit me.

  I had a choice to make, one that would affect my life either way.

  I couldn’t lose my job.

  I couldn’t let Melody and Logan down.

  But I had to choose, and I only had a few minutes to decide.

  I was on the verge of screaming when lo and behold, Justin finally decided to show up. He walked through the door looking like death himself. His eyes were sunken in, his complexion paler than usual. He still looked gorgeous, mind you, but clearly, he’d had too much to drink the night before.

  I slammed my phone down on a nearby table and stalked over to him. He was already on the defensive when I got there, holding his hands up as if to defer an attack.

  “I’m sorry, Hannah, something came up--”

  “Something came up?” I screamed. “Today, of all days, you couldn’t manage to get here on time? The day your best friend needs you the most?”

  “Hannah, please--”

  “No, Justin, listen to me,” I said. My lower lip was trembling as I fought back the tears in my eyes. It wasn’t just Justin that had me upset, but I took it all out on him. “You keep acting like you’ve changed, like you’ve grown up and become a better man. Sometimes I even believe it. But then you go and pull a stunt like this after encouraging my brother to mess around on his wife to be--”

  “Hannah, that wasn’t what happened,” he said, rubbing his temples. His voice was softer than usual, and there was no witty comeback or defensive bickering. He looked at me with sad eyes. “I’m sorry I’m late, and what you heard last night wasn’t me encouraging your brother to cheat. It was talking him through a rough time. He was scared and drunk and had almost done something stupid. But the guys and I, we stopped it, and he regretted it.”

  Jax and Finn were standing nearby, and I glanced over at them. Both men nodded their heads. He had backup.

  “Alright, I’m willing to admit I may have misheard you last night,” I conceded, relaxing my shoulders a bit. “But you’re still late.”

  “I know. I have a lot going on right now.”

  “You’re not the only one with a lot going on, Justin, but this day is so important to the people we love,” I said. All attempts at stopping the tears had failed me, and I began to cry. “I’m likely out of a job because of it, and you don’t see me slacking off, do you?”

  “What? Why?” Justin asked.

  I told him everything that had happened with Elizabeth, letting it all out before I could stop myself.

  Justin seemed to perk up and said, “Alright. Let me run and grab this thing for your boss, whatever it is, and--”

  “No, she said I have to do it,” I said. “Thank you, but there’s no way you can do it this time.”

  “Then you go, I can handle everything here,” he offered.

  I stared at him in disbelief. I felt like laughing. “Really? Leave you in charge of the wedding set up?”

  “Why not? You see how I handled the party last night?” he said with a shrug.

  “Yeah, but that’s different. That was a party at a bar. This is a wedding and a reception, and there’s just so much more to do.”

  At this point, Izzy popped her head into the room.

  “All done with the centerpieces. Are the tables ready for them?”

  “Yes,” I said, heading off toward Izzy.

  “Hannah, I can do this, and I’m not alone here. Izzy can help me,” he called.

  “I can help with what?” she said, holding up the brilliant centerpiece. It was everything Melody had wanted. Simple, elegant, and with her favorite flower - the lily - as the focal point.

  “Help finish setting things up while your sister runs an errand for her boss,” he said.

  “Oh, of course,” Izzy assured me. “We’ll be just fine. Cassie is almost as much of a stickler for these things as you are.”

  “Cassie? Really?” I stammered.

  “Oh, yeah, she’s already working on the flowers in the church, and it’s stunning,” she said. “And I did the centerpieces myself. They’re perfect, right?”

  I turned and looked at the room around me. The tables were set up. Most of them had linens. The centerpieces would go in the middle of each table. The rest of the decorating was fairly simple; it just had to be done. There was a lot to do, but I realized, it didn’t have to be me doing it all.

  I could delegate to my sister and the others.

  I didn’t want to do it, but it seemed to be the only way to keep my job and make everyone happy.

  I grabbed my phone and looked up the address Elizabeth had sent me. It wasn’t too far, about a twenty-minute commute, there and back. So maybe an hour. I had about two hours to get back to the church and get ready. I could do it.

  “Go,” Justin said. “We’ve got this under control here.”

  “Are you sure?” I questioned. “I should get back with an hour or so to spare, so if you need anything--”

  “We’re fine,” Izzy said, laughing at me as if I were being silly. Perhaps I was. “Go.”

  I hurried out, nearly running to my car, and pulled up the directions on my GPS.

  I can do this. I can do both, I told myself. I just have to make it fast.

  Ooo000ooo

  Checkov’s was a kitsch little antique store tucked away in an alley and off the street entirely. It almost looked like a sketchy place you’d pick up something illegal, not a store that sold high-end antiques. I wondered how they made any money, located where they were, but once I stepped inside, I had my answer.

  The store was small, but case after case of exquisite gemstones and jewelry lined the walls. Rubies. Emeralds. Sapphires. You name it, this store had it. Many items in the store were encrusted in them, almost to the point of being gaudy. Swords with ruby handles that looked like something from a medieval knight in a Disney movie. Tiaras and crowns fit for a queen or king, or at least one you’d see in the movies. I wasn’t sure how much of it was real antiques, it all seemed a bit much to me, but the price tags were enough to make me think they were real.

  Either that or just really expensive pieces to play with, simply because you had the money to do so.

  A burly man sat behind the counter. He eyed me when I entered. In a thick, Russian, accent, he asked, “Can I help you?”

  “Uh, yes, I’m here to pick up a piece for Elizabeth Brownstone,” I said, walking to the counter and trying not to knock anything over in the process. “I’m her assistant, Hannah Wheeler.”

  “Ah, yes,” the man said. “Can I see some ID first?”

  “Oh, of course,” I muttered, digging through my bag. I found my driver’s license and handed
it over. The man studied it carefully, then looked at me before handing it back.

  He went into a back room, leaving me alone in the store. A camera was pointed directly toward me, and in the glass, I saw a reflection of the security video with my face plain and clear. On the wall was a sign that said, “Smile, you’re on camera.” It explained why he felt okay leaving me alone.

  When he came back out, he carried a small case. Much smaller than I expected. I wondered if she’d bought a piece of jewelry, maybe a necklace for her fashion shoot. The Russian slipped something out of the case. It was a black velvet bag. He opened it and pulled out what looked to be a gun.

  I stepped back on instinct since the thing was pointed directly at me.

  “Don’t worry, it’s fake,” he growled. “It’s just for show.” He placed it gently on the counter, motioning for me to take a look at it. “I require all items to be inspected prior to leaving the store since there are no returns allowed.”

  “Alright,” I said, thinking to myself that I had no idea what I was looking at. I stepped closer and stared down at the gun, which looked real but was encrusted with gemstones like everything else in the shop. It appeared to be made out of diamonds with rubies and some black stones creating an intricate rose on the handle. It was a beautiful piece, unlike anything I’d ever seen before. “It looks good to me, not that I know what I’m looking at.”

  The Russian chuckled, shaking his head. “This piece was created by crime boss Antonio Grogeo in 1946, a gift to his wife. He even had it engraved, and this is how you can tell it’s authentic.”

  The man turned the piece over, showing me the handle. You had to look very closely, but underneath the diamonds, were the initials E.S.G.

  “Emilia Sophia Grogeo was her name,” he said. “The couple never had any kids, so the piece was passed down through nephews and cousins before arriving in my shop. The family is no longer wealthy. The kid who sold it to me was desperate, gave me a real good deal on it too - which I’ve passed on to your boss.”