Flames Of Deceit

by Carol Hutchens

  Mia mumbled her thanks and wondered how she could get away from this warm-hearted woman, but like the answer to a prayer, someone in the crowd called the waitress, asking for water.

  As the woman moved away, Mia looked toward the tall firefighter. He stood there, staring at the crowd, his head turning slowly as he checked each group. He was searching and she was his target.

  How could she avoid him? Hiding behind the people in front of her, she dipped the napkin in the cup of water and scrubbed her face. When the water was gone, she pulled out the scrunchie holding her hair at the back of her neck, and fluffed the long strands to change her appearance. Moving to the other side of the crowd, she headed down a side street.

  Where had she left her car? With early darkness of the March evening and the cloud of smoke, the streets all looked the same, defeating her rush to get away. Really, there was no need to panic. She could have been staring at the wrong firefighter, for all she knew. Between the eerie light from the blaze and spotlights from news cameras, she could face her own brother, dressed as a firefighter and not recognized him.

  With chills chasing along her limbs, she moved faster, searching frantically for her black Honda Accord. She had taken the exit off Hwy 64 to drive into town, but she couldn’t remember how many different streets she had turned on after that.

  Without her vehicle, she couldn’t escape.

  “Going somewhere, little firebird?”

  Mia gasped as the firefighter’s drawling voice sounded behind her. His hand touched her arm, sending ripples of awareness chasing along her nerves, quickly followed by guilt. Her thoughts should be about clearing Phil’s name, not how her body reacted to this man’s touch.

  Turning to face him, intending to blurt any excuse to distract him so she could leave this town, she forced a clam tone. “Excuse me? Have we met?”

  Any words she might have added, escaped her as she saw the firefighter without his goggles and hat. She forgot to breathe as his green eyes stared from a dark stained face. The heat of his gaze burned as intense as the fire behind them as his glance roamed her face. Even covered by soot, his firm jaw and chiseled lips were appealing.

  Her firefighter was obviously a man to die for…

  Wait.

  She had almost died for one man today. Trying to clear her brother’s name had proved more dangerous than she anticipated. Responding to this stranger, adding more complications to the situation would not be wise.

  Ignoring the energy racing though her veins, she held the firefighter’s steady gaze. If she had met this man in a less questionable situation, she would have enjoyed his attention, but he suspected her of being an arsonist. And she had no proof she wasn’t. She’d been in the wrong place at the worst possible time.

  All she had gained from her efforts to clear her family name was the possibility of adding charges of arson to the offenses aimed at the Clark family. She had lost her integrity, risked her life and her career. For what? The risk of being thrown in jail and grilled by police?

  Staring at this firefighter, who put his life on the line to save others everyday, made her realize she couldn’t look into her brother’s eyes and see the honor and dignity shining in this man’s gaze.

  Why was that?

  Because Phil was a politician and they were famous for kissing babies and stealing their candy at the same time. Or did it go deeper? Phil came up short in comparison with the firefighter. This man’s willingness to protect people from the dangers of fire earned her respect, but it also made him her enemy.

  Anger flared inside her. Leigh Anne Saddler’s claims to reporters had hurt more than Phil’s political career. Mia had staked her reputation on her belief in her brother and spurred her efforts to clear him. She wouldn’t back down now. But if this firefighter hadn’t saved her, things could have ended differently. She owed him her life.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Fireman,” Mia clutched a hand to her chest and fluttered her lashes as she looked up at him. “You scared me, jumping out of the dark like that. Did you put the fire out? Is that why you’re walking the streets?”

  “I’m out here searching for a certain little firebird who is trying to escape.” His words dripped charm, but the look in his eyes said he was serious.

  “Firebird?” Mia arched a brow and tried a puzzled expression. “Is that the name of a car? I can’t remember where I left my car. Would you help me look?”

  The firefighter’s laugh barked loud in the chilly night air as he took her arm. “So you can run away again? I don’t think so. You’re coming with me.”

  “Excuse me. I don’t go off with stranger men.” Mia tugged her arm.

  His grip tightened. “My name is Jake Stone. I live and work in this town. Who are you?”

  “Mia Clark.” She angled her chin high and fought to keep her feet stuck to the sidewalk as she stared in his eyes. “How do I know I can trust you?”

  “You’re safe with me, Ms. Clark. Come quietly, or I’ll skip the friendly questions and turn you over to police.”

  Desperate to get away, Mia tried to reason with him. “Why would you turn me in to police?” She waved a hand toward the billowing smoke a block behind them. “I came to check damage from the fire. What’s wrong with that?”

  Mouth tilting at one corner, Jake Stone traced a line down her cheek and held his finger out for her to see the black stain. “You don’t get this much soot by standing on the sidelines at a fire scene.”

  Resisting shivers caused by his touch, Mia tensed her body and glared. “I’ve been watching for a while. And you’re out of line, Mr. Fireman.” She gave another tug on her arm. “Is this how you pick-up girls in Courtney County, because I’m not interested?”

  A snort of disgust was his only response he propelled her back down the street, toward the crowds watching the fire.

  “I want to find my car and go home.” Mia dug her heels in the concrete and pulled back.

  “Fine,” he glanced down as she stumbled. “But I want answers, first.”

  “Who do you think you—”

  “Hey Judge,” a man crossing the street in front of them smirked. “Too bad your courtroom burned.” Malicious laugher trailed after him as he disappeared in the dark.

  “If he thinks destroying a courtroom will keep him out of jail if he breaks the law,” the man beside her snapped, tightening his grip on her arm, “he’d better not hold his breath.”

  The man’s taunting words and Jake Stone’s response hit Mia up the side of the head. The facts came so fast her feet stuck to the sidewalk. Her blood chilled in the night air. Dread robbed her of breath as the blanket of smoke had done earlier. This man was a judge?

  She’d been caught snooping around the courthouse by a judge.

  “Judge?” She stared at Jake Stone as if he had suddenly grown an extra head. “Are you really a judge?”

  “Rethinking your game plan, firebird?” He tugged on her arm and continued walking.

  Marching her closer to…what?

  Suddenly, the overwhelming odor of smoke and memory of being trapped in that closet filled her with panic. She staggered. Her chest tightened. She couldn’t breathe. The pungent odor of smoke filled her nostrils and robbed her of the will to breathe.

  Hand to her throat, her limbs stiffened, offering enough resistance so Jake stopped. He swung around, leaning down to peer into her face. “This pretense won’t help you. I need answers, firebird.”

  Mia fanned a hand in front of her face. “I-I'm...not acting. I smelled smoke. It all came back. I-I can’t breathe.”

  Placing a gentle hand at the back of her neck, Jake eased her head down, and spoke in a calm tone, close to her ear. “Calm down. Take deep breaths.”

  The warmth of his hand distracted her from thoughts of the dark closet, of burning alive. Tension eased. Her lungs filled with air. “I’m okay, now.”

  She stood upright and took a couple steps, but head swimming, she slumped against the brick wall next to the sidewalk to keep
from falling on her face.

  Being this close to Jake Stone was enough to make her dizzy without memories of the danger she had escaped. Who was he? What was different about him that allowed him past her usual reserve?

  “Keep breathing deep. You should feel better in a minute.”

  Gulping a breath, she coughed. “All I can taste is smoke. How do you do fight fires all the time?”

  “Air tank helps,” Jake shrugged. “You get used to it.”

  “I’ll never forget that smell.” Mia closed her eyes, pressed against the wall, and suppressed a shiver. Or the sound of footsteps, following me.

  “You had a close call. Try to forget about it. Focus on breathing.”

  “Someone tried to kill me.” Mia chewed on her bottom lip as she looked at him, but the instant she heard the words aloud, she wished she hadn’t allowed them to escape. Lifting her chin, she watched his startled reaction. Surprise, then disbelief broke the stern composure he’d maintained to this point.

  He glanced around as if looking for the guilty person and stepped close. “What are you talking about? You said it was memories of the fire that scared you.”

  Mia flung out a hand. “I never want to smell smoke again, as long as I live.” She blinked moisture from her eyes, hating the moment of weakness. Hated admitting her life might have ended already, if it hadn’t been for this man. “It wasn’t just fear of the fire. I could have run out of the building when I smelled smoke. Why did you think I was still there?”

  “That’s one of the questions I need answers to.”

  Mia pushed away from the wall’s sturdy support. “Someone shoved me in a closet and blocked the door.”

  Jake Stone’s green eyes bored into hers as if trying to see deep in her brain. “Are you trying to gain sympathy so I’ll let you go?”

  Crossed her arms over her chest, Mia lifted her chin. “You tell me, Mr. Fireman. No, answer this. Do you think I stayed in all that thick smoke by choice?”

  “You’re saying someone locked you in?”

  Lips clinched to stop their trembling, and managed one jerk of her head as she stared in eyes probing hers for secrets. Finally, she managed a whisper. “Someone wants me dead.”

  ***

  “Come with me.” Jake turned toward the crowd and tugged on her arm with more strength than before. People mingled in the smoke heavy dimness. Thick smoke and spotlights from news teams created an eerie half day, half night, glow.

  Jake pushed through the crowd, heading toward his black F-150 Ford pick-up parked on a side street in the next block. Why had he listened to Mia Clark’s plea for help back there in the courthouse? Why protect her?

  “Where are we going?”

  Her voice stabbed his heart and gave him the answer. Something about Mia Clark melted the ice around his emotions.

  Noticing the heat of her arm where his hand rested above her elbow, Jake realized he was in big trouble. For the first time since his wife died, his heart was taking charge of his brain. He was under the influence of an unknown female, and he didn’t know why. Worse, he wasn’t fighting against this strange reaction. Even his love for Sara hadn’t left him feeling like this…

  “To my truck.” He stopped beside the tall black pick-up and opened the door behind the driver’s seat. Half- lifting Mia into the back seat, he pushed her head down below the headrest and kept his tone aloof. “Stay out of sight unless you want to go to jail.”

  “I can’t stay here,” Her protest ended in a coughing fit. “I want to go home.”

  “Not without me, you don’t.” Jake cursed the urge to listen to her story. Mia Clark could be an arsonist. By listening to her plea for help, he put his reputation and his career on the line. The yes-men on the town board would cheer his actions. He hadn’t intended to give them knives to stab in his back.

  His brain shouted for him to turn her over to authorities, but stronger emotions made him listen to her claims. He wanted to know why? Why now? Why this woman, after six years?

  With a snort of disgust, he admitted he knew why. Mia Clark’s voice sang along his nerves. Her blue eyes offered a path to heaven. And heaven help him, but he couldn’t turn away.

  Living by his own rules was one thing, but responding to this stranger made him question all he believed was right. Teeth grinding, he ignored the warnings in his head.

  “You have two options. You can stay in this truck or you can turn yourself in to police. Your choice. There are dozens of people around here who want to rip the person responsible for this fire to shreds. Take your chances.”

  “Please, believe me.” Mia wiped her watering eyes with her sleeve. “I didn’t start that fire.” She stared at him with a fear-filled gaze. “Someone tried to kill me.”

  “Who are you, Mia Clark? What were you doing in the courthouse?” Jake held on to the doorframe and shucked off his turnout gear. So far, this day had been a disaster. Now he was making things worse by rescuing his prime suspect in an arson case. What was happening to him?

  Stepping out of the fire gear, he reached for the change of clothing he always kept in the truck, and pulled on a jacket and shoes.

  Mia sat there, silently staring at him. His brow arched. “You either talk to me or the police.”

  Trying to ignore his strong chin and broad chest, Mia inhaled a deep shuddering breath. The smoke tinged air filling the truck made her cough, allowing her to stall. Hiding her identity seemed best, but Jake Stone’s stern glare warned that she didn’t have a lot of wiggle room.

  If she wanted to stay out of jail, she needed to cooperate with him. Drawing in another deep breath, she faced him with all the defiance she could manage. He didn’t have to know about her brother. Just surface details. “I’m a reporter.”

  Jake rolled his eyes and stood there, staring at her. His wide shoulders filled the door of the truck. One dark brow arched to matching hair. Lips shaped perfect for kissing, lifted at one corner. A sneer? A grin? In the leather jacket his ‘my way or the high-way’ expression, reminded her of James Dean photos. Awareness almost sliced her in half. Even streaked with soot, Jake’s straight nose and firm chin added strength to a face that made her pulse race.

  Despite her body’s traitorous reaction, she focused on his startling green eyes and accepted the fact that he was serious. He would turn her over to police. Sucking in a deep breath, she considered the options based on his reactions. Deciding to attack on a professional level, and keep her personal life private if she could, she tilted her chin and stared back.

  “Don’t say it. I get the message. People don’t think much of reporters. Your reaction proves you are in agreement, but I’m telling the truth.” She inhaled, and then wheezed from the smoke filled air. “My name is Mia Clark. I work for the Raleigh Reporter.” Covering her mouth with her wrist, she coughed.

  “I see,” his lips barely moved, adding to his stony expression.

  Faced with failure after one glance at him, she inhaled deeply and blurted the truth. “I’m trying to find evidence to clear my brother.”

  “In the courthouse? You aren’t an officer of the court. You had no right to go through court records.” Hands gripping the doorframe, he stared heavenward as if praying for patience.

  Mia heard the doubt in his tone. Saw his brows arch, guessed his thoughts. Something like. What have I done?

  If she didn’t talk fast, she might have to call her mother for bail money.

  “I wasn’t looking at court records.” The doubt flaring in his eyes made her pause. Sighing loud as a sizzling blaze, she met his stare. “I attended the hearing last Friday. When I read the article in the newspaper, my first thought was that Leigh Anne might have hidden something during that court session.”

  Jake’s gaze flickered, reminding her, he was a judge. He’d heard all the excuses. Even to her ears, her explanation seemed far-fetched, but that old saying, truth is stranger than fiction, was repeated so often for good reason.

  For long seconds, he stared at her
, doubt filling his gorgeous eyes. And they were yummy. Dark lashes outlined his eyes, making the color more brilliant.

  “Why should I believe you, Mia Clark?”

  His words echoed inside the truck with the cold warning of a man in control of his life. Jake Stone was all the things she wasn’t, or she wouldn’t be his captive. But she didn’t have time to admire the man she had tripped on the stairs. She needed help. And Jake Stone impressed her. He had listened when she begged him not to call police. Still, she had to make sure. “How do I know I can trust you?”

  “Likewise, Ms. Clark,” he slurred her name as if doubting it was real, and waited for her reaction.

  ***

  Jake didn’t have any reason to trust her, but one look in her eyes showed him a woman in need, a woman searching for answers. The past gnawed at his conscience. If he had listened six years ago, when the woman closest to his heart had asked questions, things might be different.

  He shook off memory of Sara asking him to stay home that weekend instead of going for a firefighter’s training session. That was past. Mia Clark was his current problem. Being a reporter meant she was trouble. From the few minutes of talking to her, he would definitely stick with that opinion. Big trouble.

  But something about Mia Clark jerked his bruised heart back to life after he’d hidden his emotions for so long. Despite the obvious questions racing around his head, he wanted to know why Mia made him feel things he had ignored all that time.

  Why now?

  He should be concentrating on damage from the fire instead of wondering how Mia Clark had slipped past the barriers shielding his heart. Everything about her indicated her guilt. Timing made her actions seem suspicious. Her clothing proved her desire to escape detection, but from what?

  He could believe she was reporter dressed in black for investigative work on a story. By making that concession, he was giving her the benefit of doubt. She could still be an arsonist. But...