by Aliyah Burke
“Don’t do this, Carter. We had a great day together. Please, just let’s do this one day at a time.” She touched his arm then stepped back. “I have to go, have an early meeting with the Marshal. Good night.”
“Damn it Gina,” he bit off. This wasn’t at all how he intended the night to finish out. No, in his mind it was the two of them together, in bed, limbs entwined.
In that moment, however, Carter realized Gina didn’t need him. She didn’t need him despite him needing her.
Chapter Eight
Gina ran from her car to the building, cursing each step. At least, she hadn’t worn heels today but was in jeans and tennis shoes. Her day off and she’d been called in when news of another huge explosion reached her. It had happened in the wee hours of the morning and she’d been out of town meeting some friends.
Davidson had been first on scene and was on his way back to brief her on what was going on.
Flashing her badge at the guard, she ignored the elevator and hoofed it up to her floor. Winded, she couldn’t lie about that, she tried to slow her breathing as she hurried to her office.
Davidson waited for her he too, wore jeans and a t-shirt.
“Hey,” she said, ripping off her lightweight jacket and tossing it to the couch in her office.
A couch where Carter has fucked you. She shook off the thoughts and met Davidson part way. “What’s the news?”
“Information is still coming in, but same as the previous seven, someone was seen running from the scene after it’d been lit.” He skimmed a hand over his head and swore. “This guy has been eluding us for months, and I’m getting pissed off about it.”
“Join the party.” She turned on her computer. “I’ve been pissed and this fucker is getting bolder. Were there people in the building this time?”
“Yes, there were.”
“Fuck.” Ignoring the chair, she punched up a city map and pulled up one that had the arsons marked on it. “There has to be something we’re missing. How else have we not caught this bastard yet?” She beckoned for the file from his hand and inputted the coordinates.
“They’re all over the city,” he replied
“I know but there’s got to be something we’re missing.”
“I don’t know what we’re missing.”
Pulling out the chair, she plunked down in it. “It’s something. We just have to locate it. And preferably before another building goes up in flames and we potentially lose lives and property.”
“I’ll get the coffee and be right back.”
“Bring your computer as well. We’ll just work here instead of in a conference room.”
“Roger that.”
Davidson was back in minutes and they were set up in her office working.
Gina leaned back in her chair, sipping the coffee he’d brought her. “I’m sure it’s right here in front of us,” she muttered more to herself than anything. With the click of a mouse, she blew up the area dotted with the red marks. “And nothing holds the same MO that we don’t have marked, right?”
“I’ve pulled old cases, active cases, and I’m not seeing any others that we don’t have on here.” Davidson drummed his fingers on the table. “I’ve even reached out to neighboring cities to see if they’ve had anything similar.”
“Nothing, I’m going to presume, given we’re still looking at the data we have with no clue about where to go from here.”
“Maybe you’ll pick up on something when we get there and investigate,” he suggested.
“You were there, got what you could and left. The firefighters are still battling the blaze.”
“I know, but we both know you see things we don’t, Gina.”
She snorted. “Apparently, that’s no longer the case because I’ve got shit here.”
Davidson wheeled his chair around to her side of the table. “I’ve been thinking.”
“I’m all ears.” She scratched her eyebrow.
“We have them linked according to timeline and it’s just giving us a mess of lines, no formulation, no pattern that we can see, right?”
“Right. Is there a point to this?”
“What if we go from one direction only?”
She put her coffee on the table and looked at her friend. “Sorry, Davidson. I’m not following.”
He reached over her and angled her laptop toward him. “One direction, say out, in. Do you see what pattern shows up when we overlay that way?”
Shit.
“Faint but yes, that’s a nautilus.” She edged closer to the screen. “Why did we miss this before?”
“I don’t know, I just saw it over there now and think maybe this’s how it’s planned. But since we were going on the dates, not the locations on a whole…”
“I think you’re right, Davidson. Great job.”
“Maybe.”
She glanced sideways at him. “What’s the problem? This is great work, especially if we can use it.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Now you’re scaring me. What’s the issue?”
“You know how a nautilus comes to a central point.”
“Yes, I see it on here.”
He double-clicked the center. “You’re not seeing what the place is.”
She gazed at the screen and her heart skidded to a halt. The space happened to be none other than the building she currently sat in with Davidson. “Fuck.”
They looked at each other.
“We need to have them check the building. Or do we evacuate?”
“On what grounds? We don’t have proof that anything is going to happen here. It’s just where it lands. And that’s just something we just now discovered.”
Davidson’s words didn’t make her feel any more secure. “We can’t risk not saying anything, Davidson. There are a hell of a lot of people working here.”
“I know.” He stood. “We can go do a look at the basement and see if we spot anything out of sorts down there. We know how things should look and what would be out of place as an incendiary device.”
“Good idea.” The screen snagged her attention once more and she paused. “Come look at this.”
He stood beside her.
Picking up a pencil, she tapped the left quadrant of the screen. “The area is more concentrated over there, I mean, it still makes this spiral but this area has more. Why?”
“Perhaps, where he started?”
“Like with killers, they stay in areas they know better. They don’t stand out as much and have more idea of how to get by without standing out.”
“It’s a theory.”
She sat and pulled up stations that answered the alarm calls. Station 15 took all but one of those arsons.
“What are you looking for?”
“Do me a favor and at least report our suspicions to security, so they can be a bit more vigilant. I’m going to finish this up, then we can go check the basement.”
“Back in five,” he said, heading out of the office.
What am I looking for? Damn good question, Davidson. She expanded the notes of the responding houses and jotted it down in her book. Then she pulled rosters of the men and women at each station during each one.
She didn’t like what she saw and made mental notes to talk to Carter about this as well.
“I called and filled them in. They said they would be careful and up their patrols.”
She closed her laptop and stood. Making her way to the door, she dropped her notebook on her desk and continued on the way. “Let’s go take a look.”
They took the elevator down to the subbasement and exited. Lights lined the wall offering a modicum of visibility.
“Each side or stick together?” he asked.
“Need me to hold your hand, Davidson?” she teased.
“Please do.”
She punched him on the shoulder. “Let’s each take a side and view it as if we were investigating a scene.”
“You got it.”
Gina went left and D
avidson went right.
The sounds from the pipes added to the eeriness but she continued on, checking as she went. They each had grabbed a flashlight on the way and she utilized its extra light to see behind items.
“Make sure you pay close attention to the load bearing walls,” she hollered out. “The last thing we need is this place coming down.”
“Got it. Be careful.” His voice echoed through the gloom to her.
“Always am.” She flicked the light over the portion of the ceiling she stood by. Water stains but that was it.
“Hey!” Davidson yelled. “Hey, you! What are you doing down here?”
Gina froze before running in his direction. She heard sounds of a fight, then tools falling to the cement floor. Skidding around a corner, she cursed as the sight of Davidson lying unmoving on the floor, slapped her.
Glancing about, she hurried to her friend’s side. “Davidson? Can you hear me?” She checked for a pulse, all the while checking around her. Her fingers were tacky with his blood from the bleeding at his temple. A large pipe wrench lay not far from them and she was positive that was the weapon used.
She dug for her phone and called security.
“Security desk, this is Covel.”
“Covel. Gina Moyer.”
“Hey, Ms. Moyer. What can I do for you?”
“I need EMS called and help down here. Someone attacked Davidson. We’re in the subbasement to the right when you get off the elevator. He’s got a head wound, nonresponsive but I do have a faint—”
Pain exploded through her head and her world went black as she collapsed next to her friend.
αβ
Carter dried the final dish and put it up in the cupboard. After a long talk with Mack about Kyle, Carter had put in for some time off. He’d convinced Gina to take a mini vacation with him. Nothing huge, just a few days out of town.
Well, in terms of their relationship it was bigger than huge. They’d been going back and forth on this relationship stuff for months now and this was the first time he’d gotten her to come with him.
For the most part, she was fine with the sex and an occasional meal out, but she refused to state they were a couple or agree to be exclusive with him. No, he hadn’t seen her out with anyone else, so while he wasn’t worried about that, it bothered the shit out of him, she wouldn’t commit to him.
All she says is I have to trust her or I don’t. Same shit I told her years ago.
He’d been cocky and arrogant when he’d told her such things and now that it was coming back at him, he liked it even less but he understood where she came from.
“If this is what it takes,” he mumbled.
“So this is what it looks like when you finally lose your shit.”
Draping the towel back over the oven handle, Carter smiled. “Fuck you, Charlie.”
“You keep offering but I am going to have to insist we not. I love my wife, plus it would be really odd if we were. Take our relationship to an entirely new direction and I can honestly say, that’s not one I thought of going with you.”
He laughed and gave his friend a nod. “There is that.”
Charlie crossed strong arms over his chest. “You’re in a damn good mood. What gives?”
“Taking some time off. Actual real days off during which I will not even be in the city but elsewhere with Gina.” He took a bottle of water from the fridge and tossed one to Charlie who caught it with an easy motion.
“You two are getting serious then, aren’t you?”
“I’m trying. I see she’s hesitant and it kills me. Christ man, I never stopped loving her. I know, I know, this was my doing. I get that. I acknowledge that and I’m trying to change.”
“At least you know it was your fault. You two talking getting remarried?”
“No. Not yet anyway. I think she’d run through the fires of hell right now to avoid talking about it. She’s a little lacking in the trust department.”
“With good reason. Look, I’m not your marriage counselor or anything like that but you two had something. Even when it wasn’t so good, I saw the way she looked at you. So did Sheryl. And I have to tell you, she’s chomping at the bit to find out what’s going on with you two. Says she’s seen the two of you out together, around town.”
“Tell her we’re working on it.”
“I’m not sure that’s wise, she just broke a piece on a city council member who she’d caught with their pants down, literally, with Rochelle.”
A chill ran up his spine at that news. “Okay, don’t tell her. Just say I wouldn’t tell you anything.”
“Right, now you want me to lie to my wife. Look, I’ll keep her off and tell her it’s between you two and not news for the entire city. She does love you and that may work in keeping her off your back with questions. May.”
He finished his water. “Duly noted.”
The alarms went off and the two of them shared a look as they ran for their gear.
“What’s going on?” he called out, dressing.
“Big ass explosion downtown,” Jason replied as he shoved into his coat and boots.
The doors opened and both engines began rolling out as their riders jumped aboard. Taking his seat beside Charlie, he looked to the front and saw Mack there, expression set, frown lines visible.
“Captain?” Carter asked over the sirens as they took to the street.
“I don’t have any word yet, Carter.”
“Word on what?” Dread slowly filled his gut.
“Towne Centre was the building hit. We’re all hands on deck for this one.”
Goosebumps popped up along his skin. Gina. That was her building.
He dug for his phone and dialed. It went straight to voicemail. The other men in the engine watched him as he tried repeatedly to reach her. Even when they pulled up to the carnage, he’d still been unable to establish contact.
“Carter!”
“Sir?” He met his captain’s gaze.
“I need you here for this. Head in the game.”
He checked his gear. “I’m here.”
They spilled out and despite his words, his heart clenched and slowed as he saw the flames pouring out of the structure.
Mack issued orders and Carter began operating with robotic motions.
Heading beside Charlie to go in, he saw a truck stop with a squeal and Kyle jumped out, partially dressed in his gear.
“Is everyone out and accounted for?” a man asked one of the guards.
“No. That’s what I’ve been trying to say, right before this happened, two people were in the subbasement and one was already injured. When I was on the phone with her, it just went silent.”
He and Charlie went to the guard. “Who’s down there?” Charlie demanded.
“Mr. Levitt and Ms. Moyer.”
He and Charlie shared a glance. His stomach fell to the bottom of his boots.
“Look, the last thing I got from her was they were to the right when you got off the elevator.”
“Thanks,” Carter said. Jogging to the building, he checked with Charlie who gave him a nod, then they pushed in side by side. Thankfully, his man didn’t even doubt where they were headed and worked with him as they pushed through the structure. It undoubtedly couldn’t come close to being stable but he would be damned before he left her down there.
They didn’t take the elevator but the stairwell, as they moved by burning things.
“Control your breathing,” Charlie shouted at him.
It galled that his friend thought he had to remind him of that basic fact but it was true. He became too focused on the woman down there, he wasn’t doing anything but putting himself in danger as well.
They busted through the door leading to the subbasement and Carter had to swallow back more panic. Flames were everywhere. They moved right, checking everything.
Charlie had point and Carter knew the second he spied something. They didn’t waste oxygen on words but used hand signals. Together, they found both of
them lying there. The only reason they hadn’t burned yet was they were surrounded by concrete that had fallen. It hung over them but not on them yet.
Nausea churned in his gut to see Gina lying there, in a pool of blood. The building shuddered and they glanced around, accepting they had to haul some ass to get everyone out safely.
Without speaking, Charlie took the man and hefted him over his shoulder while Carter took Gina. Both were unconscious and she just lay there in his arms. He wasn’t draping her over his shoulder. He was carrying her out.
They made their way back up, where more foundation shudders occurred and falling debris rained around them. As they pushed out into the late afternoon sun, two groups of paramedics dashed forward.
With great reluctance, Carter released her to their care, gave her name and her allergies.
“We have more to do, Liaci,” Charlie again, acted as his voice of reason.
Trusting she was in good hands, he turned back around and returned to the burning building.
αβ
They finally got the blaze under control hours later. The building was unsound and so the tenants there would have to work somewhere else until the structural engineer could make their assessment on repairs.
Carter didn’t ride back with the engine, instead he hopped a ride with one of the ambulances and got a ride to the hospital Gina had been taken to.
“Thanks for the lift,” he said as he headed for the doors. Helmet under one arm, he began undoing his coat as he made his way through those there to the front desk.
“Yes, sir?”
“Gina Moyer was just brought in here from the explosion at Towne Centre. I need an update on her.”
“I’m sorry sir. We can only give that out to—”
“She’s my wife. Where is she and what’s her condition?” He left no room for argument with his tone.
“She’s in surgery right now.” She remained focused on the screen in front of her and wouldn’t meet his gaze. “She’s in a coma.”
Gina.
“Location?” he asked then ran off the moment she supplied that information to him. He paced the waiting area as time clicked by.