by Piper Stone
“Hi.” He nodded toward the chair. “Do you want a cup of coffee? Should have met in a bar. Need a fucking drink.”
“No, I’m fine. I was surprised getting your call. I thought you had to work.” I eased into the chair, surprised there was so much tension between us.
“I took a couple hours off. As you can imagine, the entire firehouse is reeling from the news,” he said, snorting.
“I haven’t had a chance to look over everything yet.”
He snapped his head in my direction. “What do you mean you haven’t had a chance? You’re the one responsible for this... This bullshit. And I actually believed you. You must have had a good laugh or two.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play games with me any longer, Genevieve. You had me tell you about everybody I knew in the various firehouses, including what I thought about equipment. You even delved into anyone that could be a traitor. And I told you my thoughts. Everything. I told you everything I knew. What was all that about?”
“I was interested in your job, Blaise, nothing more. What are you accusing me of?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “As if you didn’t know. I’ll give you credit. You were a damn good actress. I bought your shit totally. The sob story about your friend, the concern about now being able to do your job.”
I was incensed, so thrown that I opened my mouth to retort and nothing came out. The painful memory of Stacy flooded my mind, fueling the biting anger as well as the guilt. “How dare you. What I told you about Stacy and the baby was all true. They died, and it was horrible. Jesus. What is wrong with you? What did I do?”
Blaise studied me for a few seconds before yanking some papers from his jacket pocket. “Proof.”
I took a quick glance at the reports. “The mayor actually admitted he took my preliminary reports, that weren’t finished and weren’t entirely accurate and used them. I’m going to fix this.”
“Right. Well, these certainly don’t look like anything preliminary to me.” He rolled his eyes. “They’re formal and they have your name on them. How do you explain that?”
My blood pressure shot through the roof, the sickness in my stomach returning. My fingers were shaking as I tore through the reports. They were indeed final reports, issued by my office.
They also had my signature at the bottom of every one of them.
“Mother fucker. These have been forged.”
“Right. Cut the crap, Genevieve. You roll into town, upon the insistence of a brand-new mayor who’s making waves. He obviously hired you for a reason.” He leaned over the table, hissing. “He knew he could control you. I’ll tell you this much, the information I gave you is easy to replicate. I will get to the bottom of what that fucker is doing, but he will not destroy my firehouse. He will also not take away the career of a man I highly respect.”
“I... What?”
“Oh, come on. You know Captain Waters is being canned. Of all the men you could have picked on, why him? He’s decent.”
“I’ve never mentioned getting rid of anyone. Not on any preliminary report, not in any conversation. You need to believe me. There is something else going on here and you bet, I’m going to find out what. The crap he said to me today just doesn’t fly. What he demanded I do and why was just horrible. I...” Tears formed in my eyes, forcing me to look away. I could hear his fingers tapping on the table. He didn’t believe a word I was saying.
He laughed softly. “I’ll bite one more time. What did the mayor tell you to do?”
I closed my eyes, wanting this all to go away. My little voice was poking me, screaming at me to tell him everything. There was no way he’d believe anything. Not now. “He told me to stop seeing you. He threatened me, and he made certain that I knew he’d ruin you for what happened in Texas.”
There was no sound. Nothing. When I finally had the courage to open my eyes, I stared into the coldest eyes I’d ever seen. Gone was the man I’d grown to care about, the man who’d been able to open up to me, share his love of domination. There was nothing but hatred.
He finally smiled as he got up from the table. “Well, then I guess every goal you set out to achieve has been accomplished.”
“Goal? I detest that man. I shouldn’t have come to Charlotte.”
“You and I can agree on something. I have to know. Did you really receive any threats or just a part of the game?”
“Blaise. Please don’t do that. Someone knows I’m getting closer to the truth. I’m going to continue to dig. Yes, I came here today to play his game to keep you safe, but I love you, Blaise. I know that now. I don’t want this to come between us, but I can’t risk having you hurt.”
“As I said, I’m a big boy, but I’m going to make this easier on you. I never want to see you again and sweetheart, I don’t care about your position or who you’re friends with. Maybe I should say who you’re sleeping with. I will make certain there’s a full investigation, no matter how many doors I have to bang on or how many people I have to hunt down. When I’m finished, you and your buddy will be sent to prison.” He moved around me, taking long strides.
“Wait, please.”
Blaise stopped but didn’t turn around. His shoulders were heaving, his fists clenched. “What?”
I moved directly behind him. “You told me that we’ve all had things in our past that we’re not proud of, difficulties as well as tragedies. That’s no doubt true for everyone. There are things in my life that I’m not proud of, decisions I made that were poorly thought out. I can assure you that I’ve never slept with that man and I never will. I can also tell you that I will stop at nothing to uncover what’s going on and why the mayor needs a significant portion of the city’s funds. I will stop at nothing, no matter what I need to do. That is my promise to you.”
He twisted his head until he was able to look me in the eyes, but there was no change. He simply walked out the door and out of my life.
Exactly like the mayor had wanted this to be.
And I’d been stupid enough to fall into the man’s ploy.
* * *
“You’re a very bad girl, deserving of consistent punishment. I will make certain you get exactly what you need.” Blaise unfastened his belt, taking his time as he slowly pulled the strap from the brass buckle, tugging until he was able to pull the thin metal strip from the rounded hole. I watched in fascination as well as anticipation of exactly what the thick leather implement would do to my already reddened ass. He stood bare chested, his feet a foot a part, his eyes never leaving me.
“But I thought you said I was amazing.”
The wry smile crossing his face was laced with the kind of dominating look that continuously sent chills down the length of my spine.
“I meant what I said. You are incredible, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need strict discipline.”
I was unable to take my eyes off the way his hand wrapped around the strap, pulling the belt free from the tight confines of his pant loops. I shuddered from the whooshing sound the leather made as his hand managed to snap it free, the tail slapping against the wooden floor. The man was unrelenting, making certain he kept me in line.
“I don’t understand this,” Karen said as she stood over my shoulder. “From what I know, Blaise doesn’t go off halfcocked.”
Karen’s voice dragged me kicking and screaming from my fantasy, the same one I’d had since Blaise walked out of my life. I let out the breath I’d been holding, trying to concentrate on our conversation. I had no willpower, no real desire to continue investigating. Everything that had occurred in less than two weeks had altered my path. I rolled my eyes, wanting nothing more than to go back in time. Even three weeks would change everything.
“Are you even listening to me?” Karen’s question was imploring.
“I’m listening to you. I’m just...”
“Thinking about that hunky fireman. I understand.” She shook her head before moving closer to the table, nodding toward my com
puter.
I’d done nothing but surf the internet, follow through with tests from the fire scenes and ponder my options. There was a word. The real truth was uglier. I was trying to figure out a way to talk to Blaise, confess my sins. “He’s out of my life. He made that perfectly clear.”
“He’s angry. He’s hotheaded. I told you that from the get-go. He’s also confused just like I am. I know the reports on his sister are all over the place, but I can’t see any clear implications that he was involved in the fire.”
I had to give her a smile. As soon as I’d told her what the mayor had said, I thought she was going to hunt the man down and shoot him right between his eyes. I’m not certain I would have stopped her. “You’ve always had my back, even during college. Sometimes I wonder why.”
“Because you need someone to care about you,” Karen said with a stern tone. “I am being serious, but also because it’s easy being with you. I want you happy. Whatever your life turned into in Atlanta changed you, and I’m not talking about your job. I just wish you’d tell me. Open up.”
“I just...” I looked down, every part of me trembling. “I’m living a new life now. The past is the past.”
“Is it?”
That was the question of the week.
“I know I screwed up,” I managed to say. I’d played the last conversation back more times than I could count.
“Then you apologize, and you go after the asshole who did this.” Karen was insistent, her expression holding such defiance. I wondered if she had any idea how all of this would turn out when she finagled a meeting with Blaise.
I nibbled on my finger before sliding it across my mouse, moving to another screen. There was the mayor’s face in all his glory, captured for all of posterity. As far as I was concerned, the man was a dirty rat. “He won’t listen.”
“Then you make him. From what you told me, he’s already aware that the mayor has a huge hidden agenda.”
“Yeah, trust me, the mayor played all of us. I just have to figure out how. I need to connect some names together. Everything is right here, I just know it.” Two days had gone by. I’d stayed out of the office and away from the mayor’s clutches. Thankfully, there’d been no more fires and no additional threats, which told me that the mayor was behind every text and email, whether or not he had his minions handling his dirty work. God, the man was a true prick.
“Honey, call Blaise. Go see him at the fire station. You need to help him understand what’s really going on.”
I shot her a look before flipping to yet another page on the computer. “How the hell am I supposed to do that when I have no fucking clue what’s going on?”
“Yes, I think you do, even though you refuse to follow your instincts.” Karen swirled her wine before leaning against the window, the very window that had just been replaced. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was going to be more than just a brick tossed through it at some point.
“My instincts suck, if you want to know the truth.” The press had been less than kind about the mayor’s decision to shut down any and all new equipment. They’d also painted me like some black widow, coming in to derail the fine establishment of firefighters. If only I could tell them the truth. If only I knew the truth.
“Then stop thinking so hard.” She huffed, her gaze stuck on staring out the window. “You love him.”
“Excuse me?”
“Blaise. I know you love him. I knew that the second you walked into my house days ago.”
There was no arguing with Karen, not that my weak excuses would hold any merit. She managed to dig her way through my bullshit just like Blaise. Shit. Even thinking his name had me hot and bothered, longing to just hear his deep baritone voice. “I care about him, but everything about our relationship is wrong.”
“You know what? You’re a damn hardhead. You push everyone out of your life, especially men. What hold does this asshole mayor have over you? I know there’s something you’re not telling me, which means you didn’t have the courage to say anything to Blaise either. He’s an intelligent man, at least if you can get past all his fake bravado. He figured out you were hiding something from him, which is why he’s angry.”
“He’s angry because he thinks I betrayed him!” The words were issued with a far too sharp tone, forcing me to recoil. “I’m sorry. I just can’t figure this out. I don’t understand why I can’t put the pieces together. When I do, and notice I say when, I can talk to Blaise, at least try to help him understand.” I flicked my fingers at the mouse, almost knocking over my glass of wine. I hadn’t been able to sleep. I couldn’t care less about food. Nothing made any sense at this point. “Damn it!”
“Well, let’s play this through.” Karen walked toward the table. “Relax your mind and think like the criminal investigator you were before you came here.”
At this point, I’d try anything. “Fine. What?”
“Horrific fires occurred at buildings that are worth much more in land than in the structures or the businesses themselves. That could indicate that the owners are in on this ruse or that they were promised a hefty sum to look the other way when the fires occurred. Let’s assume the land is going to be used for something else.”
“Okay. What? What the hell do they want with the land? Still going to take time to get through the investigation, the insurance bullshit.”
“Condos? Hotels? There’s a lot of money in both.”
“Not in the area they’re in, at least not unless a few of the other properties are either torched or sold. Supplementary fires so close to the original ones would draw too much of a red flag. They can’t burn down everything.” I knew what Karen was saying and I was glad she was here. I was going out of my mind searching the internet, trying to make phone calls without drawing any additional red flags. I’d managed a few, but answers had been stilted at best. Seemed everyone was on the mayor’s side.
“Do you know what else is in the city’s budget?” Karen had a gleam in her eyes when she asked the question.
I slumped against the seat, trying to remember what little I’d been allowed to see since arriving. “There are almost a dozen departments clamoring for money. That’s first and foremost. Then I know...” I cocked my head, remembering a portion of a conversation. “There’s some huge corporation looking to come into the area. They need... Land.” I chuckled, almost shoving my face into the computer, trying to remember what corporation had been mentioned.
“Interesting. Then let me retract what I said about the buildings. What if the owners had no idea what was going to happen? What if the insurance paid them only a portion then a deal was made under the table to also have them sell the land, thereby making them whole?”
I rubbed my eyes, my head aching given my level of exhaustion. “Why not rebuild?” I already had an idea of the answer.
“You already said it. Depending on their insurance coverage, they might not have had full replacement value. There was no way they could rebuild, not unless they had deep pockets. If some corporation is coming into town...” She allowed the sentence to fall off.
I grabbed for my wine, connecting the dots. “These businesses get their cash, even more than what they thought, and they walk away. That would take deep pockets to purchase the locations.”
“Not deep but many.” Karen grinned. “Or perhaps funded in part by this unknown corporation. Think of this as an incentive.”
“Not a bad thought. So, a number of people are involved.”
“I think you’ve been looking at the obvious, at least in your mind. There’s very little land in Charlotte that isn’t accounted for. You have to go twenty miles outside of town to get anything and even then, very expensive.” Karen swirled her wineglass.
“You’d know better than I would.”
“I do know many things, girlfriend. Let’s continue walking this through. If you were the person behind this operation of sorts, you’d need someone who knew how to set fires for maximum damage without hurting anyone, assum
ing they didn’t want to turn into murderers. You’d need financial backing of the city given the locations and proffers. You’d need someone with connections to various businesses, maybe a land developer who knew exactly what to build. You’d also need to control the fire investigator, one who really has no clue what she’s doing, but one who brought varied microscopes to the situation. Hide in plain sight.”
Nodding, I glanced at the list of names Blaise had given me. “There have to be transactions of this somewhere, somehow.”
“A real estate tax assessor would know if any land has exchanged hands. Even if there is a dummy corporation, the information will be listed somewhere.”
Laughing, I took a gulp of wine. “They won’t give that out freely. My guess is the mayor has everyone working for the city locked down. He has that way about him.”
“They might open up for the right person. I happen to know someone who owes me a favor or two in the assessor’s office. I could see what I could find.”
“That would be great, but I don’t want you in the middle of this. Remember, I did receive some pretty nasty threats.”
Karen gave me her standard look, one telling me in no uncertain terms not to push her. “A visit to their office to gain some information will be easy enough. I trust the person in charge of the department. We dated for almost three years.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “You are a genius; however, I still have some issue with this. There’s something we’re missing, but I’m closer. I also don’t think it’s over. If there is a major corporation involved with this, there has to be chatter about this, even if I can’t get to the official information.” I did wonder if I could make friends on the city council. Hell, they probably had no real clue who I was. The mayor had railroaded my appointment, like everything else. I had to wonder what lies he’d told in order to do so.
“You’ll find a way. I know you. Just make certain that asshole of a mayor has no clue you’re onto him.”
I heard the tinkling sound of a text coming through on my phone. While I longed for it to be from Blaise, I’d given up on that after the first night.