by Jenna Brandt
As Megan predicted, there were a few mean-spirited guests who went out of their way to make him feel like an outsider, but as soon as it happened, Megan would step in and politely stop it. Within an hour, Christian and Megan had fallen into a routine, enjoying playing the part of good friends.
“Pastor Eugene, I’d like to introduce you to Christian Perez. He’s an instructor for the Disaster City Search and Rescue Academy and a good friend of mine,” Megan explained, using the cover they decided upon so no one knew he was in charge of the arson investigation. “Eugene Forester is the head pastor of Grace Assembly, the church I currently attend.”
“Don’t be so modest, Megan. You are more than just a regular church attendee. You’re one of our biggest supporters and serve on several committees and outreach teams,” the gray-haired elderly man praised with a huge grin. “We greatly value all you do for the church”
A full body blush crept across Megan at the praise. “Thank you, Pastor Eugene. That means a lot coming from you. The people at your church have really helped me through a dark time in my life. I honestly don’t know where I would be without your support.”
“It goes both ways.” The pastor glanced around and gestured with his head towards a couple of wealthy businessmen in expensive tuxedos. “I need to keep making rounds to encourage people to make bids on the silent auction. The community center is going to really need the money after the fire.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Sandra said as she came up to the trio. “But if anyone can find a way, it’s Megan. She really has a way of making the impossible a reality. I’m truly grateful you sent her our way with your volunteer team.”
“She’s a true asset to us all.” Pastor Eugene agreed with a nod before heading off towards the group of businessmen.
“I’m surprised to see you here, Investigator Perez,” Sandra said, glancing between Megan and him. “Is this a date?”
Both of them shifted their stances, averting their eyes from each other and Sandra. Though neither of them voiced it out loud, Christian was certain they both felt the connection that had been growing between them over the past week. After a few awkward moments of silence, they both finally looked up.
“We’re friends, Sandra, and my father invited him. He thought it would be a good idea for Christian to check out the gala guests since it’s a high likelihood that one of them could be the arsonist.”
“Your father has a good point, but this doesn’t have to be all work. You two should enjoy yourselves a little bit. I have a good feeling about the two of you,” Sandra hinted with a knowing smile. “You’re young only once; don’t let a chance for something wonderful pass you by.” With that final piece of advice, Sandra turned around and left them alone.
“That was a little odd,” Megan observed, letting her eyes tentatively look up into his. “I’m not sure what Sandra was going on about.”
“Don’t do that,” Christian gently requested.
“Do what?”
“Pretend she was seeing something there that wasn’t. We both know she’s right.” The band started to play a slow song, prompting Christian to pull Megan towards the middle of the room where other couples were swaying to the music. “Come dance with me.”
Before she could protest, he gathered her into his arms. After a couple of moments, she relaxed, allowing them to fall into a natural rhythm.
As they moved in sync to the beat of the music, Christian asked, “Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” He reached up to touch the side of her cheek. “The blue of your dress matches your eyes perfectly.”
“Thank you. Have I told you, you look pretty handsome yourself in that tuxedo? I didn’t know you could clean up so well. From all our online chats, I thought you only owned jeans and t-shirts.”
“What can I say, I’m full of surprises,” he teased with a chuckle. “I think we have that in common.”
“I think you’re right,” she agreed with an enticing smile in return.
The urge to kiss her took over any rational thought Christian had left. She drew him in like a mythical creature who brought sailors to their death. If he didn’t watch out, she was going to bludgeon his heart against the rocks with her captivating ways. Despite all of his best efforts over the past week, though, he couldn’t resist her. He knew that the moment their lips touched, he would be hers forever.
Christian didn’t care if they were in a room full of her friends who didn’t think their relationship made any sense. He didn’t care that she was a victim on one of his cases, or that her father might very well put a restraining order out on him if he knew how Christian felt about his daughter. All that mattered was that the feelings he used to have for her were flooding back, and the thought of kissing her was all-consuming.
He could see his own desire reflected in her eyes, encouraging him to let his mouth drift down towards her. He stopped just inches away, knowing that once he kissed her, for real this time, there would be no turning back.
An older woman with the same chestnut colored hair as Megan rushed towards them, interrupting the moment. “Megan, there’s an emergency. You need to come with us.” Right behind her was Mr. Williams, a look of concern written across his face.
“What’s going on, Mom?” Megan asked, stepping back and away from Christian. “Has something gone wrong with the gala?”
“No, it’s of a personal nature,” she said glancing at Christian with a skeptical eye. “Perhaps we should talk about this privately.”
“It’s all right, Lydia,” Mr. Williams placed his hand on his wife’s arm in an effort to calm her. “He’s the investigator I told you about. He’s going to need to know about this.”
“Now, you’re both scaring me. You need to tell me what’s happened,” Megan demanded.
“Your mother’s right; we should leave the ballroom at once,” Mr. Williams gestured for the bodyguards to follow them.
Once they were secluded in a corner of the lobby, Megan’s father turned to them and gave her the bad news. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Megan, but I just got a call from the security guard I had posted at your apartment. Apparently, he was called downstairs on a ruse, then knocked out. While he was incapacitated, the arsonist set fire to your place. When he woke up, the fire department was just arriving.”
“What?” Megan screeched out in dismay. “How bad is it?”
Her father shook his head. “That doesn’t matter right now. All that matters, is getting you to safety.”
“Why don’t we take you home and let you rest, dear,” her mother suggested.
Megan shook her head. “No, I need to go there and see it for myself. Everything I own is in that apartment.”
“It’s only stuff, dear, we can buy you ten more of everything,” her mother said in an effort to comfort her. She reached out to pat her daughter on the back, but Megan pulled away.
“You don’t understand. I have sentimental things there that can’t be replaced, Mom. Money can’t fix everything.” Megan turned to face Christian, a pleading in her eyes he wished he’d never had to see. “Can you take me there, please?”
Christian nodded. “Of course I can.”
“We’ll follow behind,” her father shouted after them. “It’s going to be all right.”
Christian hoped for Megan’s sake, her father was right. The problem was, he’d seen too many people get hurt, or worse, when an arsonist became fixated with their victim. This was by far the worst case he’d ever seen of an obsessed arsonist, and Megan was at the center of his or her crosshairs. Christian wasn’t sure how he was going to do it, but he was bound and determined to keep her safe, no matter what it took.
Megan pressed the palm of her hand over her lips to hold back a cry, heartbroken at the sight of the crumpled heap of burned rubble that used to be her home. Everywhere she turned, she found one more thing that she loved which had been destroyed by the devastating fire.
Did she do something to deserve what was happening to her? Part o
f her wondered if that were the case. She spent most of her life being self-absorbed and only focused on making herself happy. Was this what she got for putting herself first for so many years? Maybe her choice to change came too late, and this was her punishment for years of bad decisions.
“How significant is the damage?” she heard Christian ask one of the firefighters.
“Unfortunately, Miss Williams’ unit is a complete loss, as are both units on either side of hers. The good news, however, is that the left unit is between tenants and the renter on the right side is away on business, so no one was hurt in the fire.”
“That is good news,” her mother said with relief. “It would only make matters worse for my daughter if someone died because of this. She doesn’t deal well with accidents and tends to take the responsibility for them upon herself.”
“Lydia, keep your opinions to yourself,” her father scolded. “That isn’t helpful.”
“And this wasn’t an accident,” Christian reminded Megan’s parents. “Someone did this on purpose, to harm your daughter. At best, they wanted to scare her. At worst, they might have hoped she was home. This proves that the arsonist is escalating between the fires, shortening the time and making the targets more personal and the fires bigger. He has to be stopped.”
“Indeed, and what are you doing to manage that?” her father accused.
“I’m doing everything I can, Mr. Williams. Keeping Megan safe is my biggest priority.”
“Really, from the way you were behaving with her tonight, flirtation seemed to be on your mind more than anything else,” her father said in a resentful tone.
Megan had remained quiet during the exchange, still shell-shocked from seeing what had happened to her home. Hearing her father go after Christian the way he was, she couldn’t let that stand. “Dad, leave Christian alone. He’s doing everything he can.”
“He better be, if he wants to keep his job at that academy of his. My reach is far and wide, and I can end his career with a snap of my fingers,” her father threatened.
“Mr. Williams, I don’t know why you think it’s acceptable to go around threatening everyone the way you do. I came here as a favor to the Dallas fire department, and I’m staying because I care about your daughter. You don’t need to try to scare me into compliance.”
Her father’s eyes grew wide with shock. For a moment, she thought he might blow a gasket. Instead, his shoulders slumped forward, and he whispered, “She’s my only child, Investigator Perez. I don’t know what I would do if something should happen to her.”
“It won’t come to that. I will figure out who is doing this and stop them,” Christian vowed with steely resolve. “I’m going to go get Cinder and bring her right back, but without even looking, I know we’ll find evidence of acetone. This has to be the same guy.” Turning his attention to the firefighters that were finishing up securing the residence, he inquired, “Did the arsonist cut the power off like before?”
The head firefighter nodded. “It’s the same mode of operation. The burn patterns are the same, too.”
Christian growled under his breath, shaking his head in frustration. “I was hoping that there might have been some footage since this apartment building is so big. I could ask the doorman and the receptionist downstairs in the lobby if they noticed anyone unfamiliar coming in before the fire was started.”
“They were both knocked out, as well. I don’t think they’ll be any use,” the firefighter informed Christian. “Whoever is behind this is very good at covering their tracks.”
“Dear, I think it’s time we take you home with us,” her mother insisted. “There’s no reason for you to stay here and continue to look at this.”
Christian reached out and gave Megan a hug. “I won’t rest until I figure out who is behind the fires. In the meantime, you should go with your parents and get some sleep.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, before taking one last look at what remained of her home, certain the charred remains would be etched in her memory for all time. She felt overwhelmed, like she might burst into tears at any moment. Silently, she sent up a prayer, asking God to help her. She was frightened by what would come next if Christian didn’t stop the arsonist. The fires were getting worse and more frequent, and Megan was worried the next one might claim her life.
6
Christian climbed into his car, his mind preoccupied by thoughts of what would have happened if Megan had been home when the fire was set. The accelerant would have made the fire burn more rapidly, and by the time she smelled it, she would have already been trapped inside by the flames.
Relief filled his heart, prompting him to thank God that it hadn’t come to that. The arsonist seemed to want to torment Megan, rather than kill her. What Christian worried about was how long that would last. This type of arsonist escalated, and there would come a point when he was ready to make the leap to have his victim in the fire. Christian had to find him and stop him before that happened.
He’d come to realize over the past week, he still had feelings for Megan, and he didn’t want anything to happen to her. In the beginning, it was just a job, but now it was personal. He genuinely cared about her, and when all of this was resolved, he planned on telling her that he wanted to try again.
Christian made quick work of gathering up Cinder and changing into his DCSR uniform before returning to the latest crime scene. As they climbed out of the DCSR SUV, Christian noticed a high-end nightclub across the street. The loud music could be heard from where he was standing. The place had a long line that wrapped around the building. At the far end of it, he noticed there were several cameras keeping tabs on the hopeful patrons wanting entry. A couple of the cameras looked like they might have vantage points of Megan’s apartment building.
“Cinder, I think we might finally be able to get a solid lead,” Christian stated, excited that a crucial piece of the puzzle might be just a few feet away. He attached the leash to his K9 partner’s collar before they made their way across the street.
He reached the front of the line and drew the attention of the bouncer. “I need to get the footage from these surveillance cameras,” he requested, pointing out the different ones that were scattered around the area.
“Hey, man, are you saying we’re on camera? Isn’t that against my Constitutional rights or something?” one of the patrons in line grumbled, with a few of the other people around him nodding and saying ‘yea’ in agreement.
“No, it’s not,” Christian corrected. “They’re a private business that you’re wanting to enter, and they can keep tabs on what is going on while you wait.” Turning his attention back to the bouncer, he continued, “How do I get the footage?”
“That’s way above my paid grade; you’ll have to talk to the club manager. He’s inside; his office is in the back left corner.”
“Thank you,” Christian said, as the bouncer lifted the velvet rope and let him walk inside with Cinder next to him.
“The dog gets to go inside before I do, that can’t be right, man,” he heard the same patron complain before the door shut his whining voice out.
The club music was even louder inside than it was outside. Christian wished he had earplugs, but hopefully he would only be in the club a few minutes and it wouldn’t matter. The further he progressed into the establishment, though, he quickly realized that getting through the throng of people was going to be easier said than done.
“Oh, my gosh, aren’t you handsome in your uniform,” a bottle-blonde woman cooed from the side of him, placing her hand on his arm. “And you have a dog with you? Look, Amy, he’s a firefighter with a Dalmatian. Could anything be cuter?”
“Hot, I’d say that’s downright hot, Krista,” the redheaded woman stated in a sultry voice, stepping in front of him to block his path. “Nothing hotter than a man that loves dogs and wears a uniform in just the right way.”
Christian realized that he was trapped between two women that didn’t seem to understand that he was
there to do his job. “Ladies, I need to get through. I’m here on official fire department business.”
“Really? You don’t have a little time to spend with two willing and able women who want to keep you company?” the blonde inquired as she batted her long, fake eyelashes at him and squeezed his bicep with her acrylic nails that were several inches too long to be practical.
“We’ll even let you bring the dog if you want,” the other woman said with a wink. “It might make it interesting.”
“Look, I don’t have time for this,” he snapped out as he shook the first woman off him and glared at the other one. “You need to get out of our way, right now.”
Without waiting for a response, he pushed past the other woman and stormed off towards the back of the club. Most of the patrons got out of his way, but a few he had to gently shove to get by. They were irritated at first, until they saw the badge and dog beside him.
It took him a solid ten minutes, but he finally reached the back corner. There was a door that had a two-way mirror beside it. This had to be the place. He knocked on it, waited a few seconds, then knocked again. A moment later, the door swung open to reveal a guy who could be a dead ringer for Don Johnson, eighties neon suit and all.
“Yeah, what do you want?” he bellowed out in a high-pitched, nasally New Jersey accent, before his eyes settled on Christian’s badge. “Oh, Disaster City, huh? I’ve had a few of your guys in my club over the years. Always behave well, tip big, and spend lots of money. I like you guys.”
“That’s nice to hear, but this isn’t a social call,” Christian pointed out.
The club manager’s eyes settled on Cinder, a confused look on his face. “You brought a dog into my club? A dog? You’re lucky I like you guys. No way having a dog around all these drinks is okay.”