Yours To Seduce

by Karen Anders

  “I won’t do it again.”

  “So, we’re okay?” he asked wanting to end the animosity between them.

  “Yes.” She touched his face, looking at him in awe.

  “What?” he said.

  “I haven’t been that turned on or that satisfied ever. It seemed to me that we were both on a path to something special.”

  “You aren’t kidding. I can’t say you bring out the worst in me, because, sweetheart there wasn’t anything bad about what we just shared.”

  “Sean, the bad boy lover. Hard for me to get my brain around that one. You’re mild-mannered by day, but a man of steel at night.”

  He laughed and drew her over his body. “I’ll show you how hard I can get.”

  “Now you’re talking,” she purred.

  THE NEXT MORNING AS SEAN LEFT, he passed her father coming up the walk. They nodded to each other warily and Lana closed her eyes.

  She’d totally forgotten that her father was going to help her tune up her car today.

  When he came into the house, he gave her his we-need-to-talk look and Lana said, “Don’t start.”

  “Who was that?”

  She held up her hand to stop him. “Dad. I said don’t start.”

  “He looked familiar,” her father said, his eyes narrowing in concentration.

  Lana sighed. He would remember. Her father’s memory was excellent. “I work with him.”

  He gave a surprised grunt and looked out the window as Sean got into his car. “At the eighty-second? Are you crazy?”

  “I think so,” Lana said under her breath.

  Her father was sober as he regarded her, a worried look in his eyes. “You shouldn’t get involved with anyone on the squad. How can you effectively lead if you’ve slept with…”

  “Dad, drop it. Don’t you think I’m smart enough to know that what you’re saying is correct. Just let me deal with it in my own way.” She hadn’t admitted it to herself until her father had spelled it out for her. Now she couldn’t deny the truth. She would eventually have to break it off with Sean.

  He rubbed at his forehead in a frustrated move Lana knew so well. “You’re not thinking, Lana. It has everything…”

  Lana glared at him. “Look, I’m not up to doing the car today. Can we do it some other time?”

  “Is that a subtle way of asking me to leave?”

  “I don’t want to argue with you, Dad. Don’t worry about my commitment to becoming captain. That hasn’t changed. I won’t let anything stand in the way of realizing my dream, I’ll handle it when the time comes.”

  After her father left the house, Lana sat down on the rumpled bed and put her head in her hands. What a complicated mess. Why couldn’t she have Sean and be captain, too? With a sense of uneasiness, she knew that somewhere down the road she might have to choose. Why did she have to sacrifice him to her ambitions?

  She was too drawn to Sean, too aware, too interested in him for her own good. The best thing she could do—the smartest thing—was retreat. But how could she? Their relationship would never be brought to what it once was.

  Sean was more than her friend now.

  But what that meant, she still wasn’t sure.

  8

  THE MINUTE THAT LANA WALKED into the station she heard her captain call her name.

  She poked her head into his office, “Cap?”

  For the first time since she’d worked for him, he looked at her sternly. “Sit down.”

  She took the chair even though she would much rather stand. It was hard to ignore the pictures that covered the walls. Her great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were all members of this station. Her father was the only one who hadn’t made captain. She felt the weight of that tradition more so than ever. Perhaps it was the looming test that would take her up to the next level or the secret investigation that was no secret. There was a real possibility she could get a written reprimand.

  “Are you stepping all over Dane Bryant’s toes?” Captain Troy demanded.

  “Yes,” she said firmly, “But…”

  “I don’t want to hear any buts,” he snapped. “It’s not like you to step out of bounds, Dempsey.”

  “I collected soil samples and one of the samples has come back positive for accelerant. I think the second one will, too.”

  His face settled in grim lines. “You do?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Her captain grimaced. “So what were you trying to prove? That Dane was wrong.”

  “No, sir,” she said calmly. “I was trying to prove that those two fires were deliberate arson and that we have a serial arsonist on our hands.”

  He sat back and steepled his fingers. “Sounds like you are trying to prove Bryant wrong. You can’t go around freelancing. Take what you’ve discovered over to him and leave the investigation to the people who get paid to do it.”

  Lana schooled her face into a mask of indifference. “Yes, sir.”

  “Because of your family’s long tradition with the fire department, I’m going to cut you some slack. Next time, this goes into your jacket.”

  She gave him a quick, jerky nod. “Yes, sir.”

  “Dempsey, has he threatened you?”

  “Bryant?” she asked.

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  His face hardened. “I’ve heard differently.”

  “It’s not anything I can’t handle, sir.”

  “There’s nothing I’d like to do more than squeeze Bryant’s balls in a vise.”

  She couldn’t completely stop the smile itching to spread across her face, but it wouldn’t be prudent to smile. “Yes, sir, but I can handle it.”

  “Get going,” he said gruffly. “I don’t want to be short staffed. Take a man with you, so that you can avoid any unpleasantness.”

  Lana walked out of the captain’s office and almost ran into Sean.

  “What happened?” he asked eyeing the captain through the glass.

  Lana sighed. “Bryant told on me. I got chewed out and I’m directed to turn the evidence over to Bryant.”

  “With the evidence that Kate uncovered, you can at least prove that there is a possibility of a serial arsonist.”

  He said the words to comfort her, but she wasn’t happy. “I can, but will Bryant care?”

  “Lana, it’s not your job to worry about that,” he offered.

  “I know, but I have a bad feeling about all this.” And she did. She didn’t think it would do an ounce of good to give this evidence to Bryant. She was convinced that he didn’t give a fig what she said. He saw her as a woman who didn’t belong in a man’s job and who couldn’t do that job. Lana sighed. Sean was right. There wasn’t anything she could do.

  “Let’s go get the report from Kate and get over to HQ.”

  They took one of the station’s small trucks to the Police Department to pick up the report.

  Kate was in her office when Lana and Sean walked in. Kate smiled at them and indicated her chairs.

  “San Diego has a serial arsonist on its hands.”

  Jolted by her words, Lana felt something come alive inside her, like a wire suddenly filled with electricity. She chafed at the thought that she had to give her hard-won evidence over to a man who could care less. The urge to take the next step in the investigation was almost overpowering. But a bad mark on her record would effectively delay her ascent or may even hurt her enough that the captain’s position would move beyond her reach. She shifted, thinking about her father’s reaction to that. “Positive for accelerants?”

  Kate nodded grimly. “I’m afraid so and they match in quality. I’d say that the two buildings were torched using a metal can like one would use to fill a gas tank. I found trace amounts of metal and rust.”

  “Any way to trace where the accelerant originated?” Sean asked.

  “No. I’m afraid not,” Kate said regretfully. “But if you bring me the metal container, I can tell you if it’s the one that held the accelerants used in the a
rsons.”

  “Thanks, Kate,” Lana offered.

  Kate pulled her report off the printer and tucked it into an envelope. She handed it to Lana. After a moment, she said, “Lana, I would suggest that you turn this over to Bryant. It’s important information that he should have even though he didn’t want to believe you in the first place.”

  “That’s exactly where I’m heading now. I got the word from my captain. No more investigating or else it goes in my file.”

  “I’m sorry, Lana, but I have to agree with him. This could be very dangerous.”

  The receptionist in Bryant’s office building directed Lana and Sean to the arson investigator’s office.

  Lana went up to his door and knocked. A man was walking by.

  “If you’re looking for Dane, he’s not here.”

  “I need to drop off two reports.”

  “I can take them if you like. What’s your name?”

  “Dempsey.”

  “The firefighter who’s busting his chops?”

  “Afraid so.”

  Lana felt Sean stiffen beside her and she rested her hand on his arm.

  The man laughed and reached out his hand. “Hi, I’m Tim Davis. Keep up the good work.”

  “Nobody likes the guy,” Sean said under his breath.

  Lana elbowed him gently in the ribs.

  Tim walked to Bryant’s office and opened the door. “Go ahead and leave the stuff on his desk. He’ll see it when he gets back.”

  Lana set the reports on the desk, but photos sitting on top in an open file folder caught her eye.

  “Are these from the fires?” Lana asked.

  “They are,” Tim replied.

  “I sure would like to look through them.”

  She reached for the photos, but Tim stopped her.

  “I’ve got a duplicate set I can lend you as long as you return them.”

  “You don’t mind.”

  He smiled. “No. I’m the photographer. I think it’s good that firefighters take a look. Sometimes you guys see something the arson investigator can’t. After all, you’re right there in the action.”

  Lana followed the guy to his office and he handed her a folder.

  “It sure seems strange that Bryant’s so reluctant to accept evidence that you’ve collected and had analyzed. Seems it would make his job easier,” Tim said.

  “That’s what I thought,” Lana concurred.

  BACK IN THE TRUCK, Lana turned to Sean. “Do you think that Bryant could be the arsonist?”

  “What?”

  “Listen for a moment. He’s been hostile about me collecting evidence, won’t accept that the fires are connected, and complained to my captain.”

  Sean shook his head and snorted. “I think he’s an uptight jerk who doesn’t like women firefighters. Jeez, his own co-workers don’t even like him.”

  Lana heard the squeal of wheels just ahead of her on the bridge. Suddenly a car careened across the median and slammed into the railings. The railing gave way with a groan and scrape of metal. The car hung precariously, its undercarriage partly on the road and partly in midair. With another groan, the hood of the car dropped, but was held suspended by the broken and dislodged railing.

  Sean was already picking up the radio to call for help as Lana grabbed her helmet and jumped out of the truck.

  She reached the car and called. “Hang on. We’re getting you some help.”

  A faint sound came from the front seat. “Help me.”

  “Can you move?”

  “Yes.”

  “Try to come to the back of the car. We’ve got to get you out,” Lana instructed calmly.

  “I’ll try.”

  Lana could see someone try to crawl over the seat. But with the movement, the car shifted again.

  “Wait! Stop!”

  Lana edged forward as close to the car as she could get.

  “Lana, not too close. If that goes over, you’ll go over with it,” Sean’s voice cautioned.

  She turned to him. “If we don’t do something, she’s going over regardless.”

  “The eighty-second is on the way,” Sean said, inspecting the car again.

  Lana knew that the weight of the car would begin to pull on the guardrail and the car would fall. “We don’t have time to wait.”

  “I’ve got rope in the truck.”

  “We don’t have time, you’ll have to hold my legs.”

  Sean looked grim but then nodded.

  Lana yelled. “Can you open the driver’s side window?”

  She heard the sound of the window being lowered and a head emerged. “Stay there.”

  Lana got down on her stomach and moved closer to the edge of the bridge. Sean grabbed on to her ankles and braced himself against the concrete curb.

  “Sean are you ready?”

  “Yes,” he said between clenched teeth. “Go.”

  She reached out into space, her stomach muscles straining. “Grab my hand. Hurry!”

  “I don’t know if you can hold me. I’m pregnant.”

  “Look, don’t worry about us. Worry about grabbing my hand.” The car groaned again and with a horrible scraping sound the car started to fall.

  The woman reached out and Lana lunged for her hand.

  Just as the car tumbled to the ground below, Lana grabbed for the woman. She felt as if her arm was being pulled from the socket, but she held on.

  The woman struggled. “Stop moving. Try to hold still.” The woman’s terrified face looked up at her. “I know you’re scared,” Lana said, her heart pumping with determination and adrenaline, “but just hold on and stay still.”

  Lana slipped forward. She risked a glance back. Sean was holding them, but sweat was beginning to pop out on his forehead.

  Suddenly, she felt herself slip forward again. When the woman jerked down, she screamed. Lana felt the woman’s hand slip and she fought to hold on. Soon, motorists were helping Sean pull her and the woman to safety.

  She heard the sirens of the fire engine and the ambulance trying to work through the traffic on the bridge.

  As soon as the woman hit the ground, she said, “The baby’s coming.”

  Lana checked her, while Sean ran for the ambulance. The head was already crowning and the woman was beginning to push. Lana stayed with her until the paramedics ran up, and Lana relinquished her spot just as the infant appeared.

  Lana stood there for a moment, just stood there and watched the scene.

  Sean, standing right behind her, as usual, asked, “Are you all right?”

  She felt the tears start to well at the corners of her eyes.

  “You all right, Dempsey?” the captain asked.

  Sean looked at him. “She’s fine. It’s really me, Cap. I think I pulled something.”

  Lana couldn’t stay one more minute. She walked away and heard the captain say, “Get to the hospital and take care of it. Have Dempsey drive you. We’ll sort out things here.”

  She was standing at the railing to the bridge when Sean approached her, looking down at the wreckage and the sheer, terrible fall.

  “Lana?”

  “She had a little boy.”

  “I know.”

  Sean could sense that Lana’s expression betrayed the horror of what might have happened had they not been there. He drew her over to the truck.

  “I’ve been ordered to the hospital. I think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder.”

  “Get in. I’ll drive,” Lana said.

  After an hour in the waiting room, Lana asked, “Do you want some coffee?” She was feeling edgy.

  “Sure.”

  She got up, but the first thing she noticed was that the nursery was on the fourth floor. Without thinking, she got into the elevator. As she exited, a nurse was coming out of the maternity room.

  “Excuse me, Lana Dempsey from the eighty-second. There was a baby who was born on an over-pass bridge just about an hour ago.”

  “Right. Ryan.”

  “Could you po
int him out?”

  The nurse guided her over to the glass and searched the sleeping faces. “There he is. Third from the end.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “He’s fine. Are you the firefighter who saved his mother?”

  Lana nodded. “Is she okay?”

  “Also fine.” The nurse touched her shoulder. “Good job.”

  Lana smiled softly and nodded again.

  After a moment, the nurse left. Lana stared at the baby and felt tears forming again. When she’d started as a probie, she had this abstract notion about saving lives. It wasn’t until her first rescue, that the abstract narrowed down to a real, specific person. She looked at Ryan’s little pink face, his little bow of a mouth as tears slipped down her cheeks. He was why she got into firefighting.

  Yet, the horrible fear of dropping the mother of this baby and being responsible for their deaths surged through her.

  She’d mastered the ladder climbing, the tool skills, hose etiquette, ventilation, and ax wielding. She’d been burned, wet, dirty, and soot covered, but this emotional strain was something that she didn’t know how to measure or how to train for. Each new experience left her a little more raw inside. This job demanded so much physically. Ah, but emotionally. How could you stow that?

  What if she’d dropped the mother? Failed little Ryan. Those consequences were unbearable to think about.

  She wiped at her tears and turned away. This rescue added even more scar tissue to an already broken heart.

  BACK AT THE STATION HOUSE, Lana went immediately to the kitchen since it was her turn to cook.

  Sean was close on her heels. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”

  “What? Cooking?”

  “Staying. Maybe you should take some time.”

  “I’m fine. What about you?”

  “It’s only a slightly pulled muscle. I’ll take some painkillers and it’ll be fine. I’m just not supposed to hold on to two people dangling over a bridge anytime soon.”

  He stood there for a moment. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  She rolled her shoulders because she didn’t want to snap at Sean. “I was shaken up. That’s all.”

  “Okay. I’ll go get some other work done.”