Rekindle The Flames (The Men of CLE-FD Book 4)

by Toye Lawson Brown

  “Okay, that’s fine. It’s time for me to go back on the floor and finish these last two hours. Ryan, be careful and I love you,” she said before closing out the call.

  “I love you too, babe. See you soon.”

  The last hours dragged for Megan. To help pass the time, she cleaned and restocked examining rooms and help file patient charts. Finally at 7:30 she clocked out and headed home. Pulling into the garage she got out of the car and met Eddie walking up the driveway. He had been waiting for her as Ryan promised.

  She greeted him with a hug. “Hi, Eddie.”

  He returned the hug, closing Megan tightly in his arms. “Hey, beautiful. How ya’ doing?”

  “I am doing great.” Megan stood back and admired Ryan’s older brother. He stood just a few inches taller than Ryan and they had the same dark hair color, only Eddie’s eyes were cobalt blue instead of brown. Ryan wasn’t sure what Eddie did for a living. He claimed to be a meter reader for the water department. However, the man drove a nice car and dressed impeccably to be a low-level worker for the water department. Once when she started to question Eddie about his life, Ryan pulled her aside and told her to stop. It was best if neither of them knew what Eddie’s lifestyle was like.

  “You want to come inside for coffee or a bite to eat?” She asked feeling obligated to offer Eddie something for his time. She knew he would refuse. He was always on the run, like his time was valuable. They could never get him to stay longer than a few minutes when he dropped by.

  “Thanks, Megs, but maybe another time. I promise, one day, I’ll spend the whole day with you and Ryan. We need to catch up on things.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that. I want us to be a close family, Eddie.”

  “We are close. Whenever you need me and Ryan isn’t around, just give me a buzz. I’ll drop everything I’m doing for you.” He checked his watch. “I gotta meeting to get to. Don’t worry, I got everything under control here. I have eyes covering you tonight, so sleep tight,” he said kissing her on the cheek.

  Megan raised both brows and waved as Eddie trotted across the street and zoomed off in a very expensive looking sports car. She didn’t know how to take what he said. Had he installed security cameras or was there someone actually sitting and watching her house? She had a feeling Eddie was into something dark and dangerous but didn’t ask. Following Ryan’s advice, she left it alone. If he were into something shady, she wouldn’t mind having him scare the daylights out of Emin, or her mother if it would get them to leave her alone. She looked around the yard to see if anything had been disturbed. It was the same. The night was quiet except for the crickets chirping in the bushes. She proceeded to walk to the door.

  “Well, when the cat’s away, the mice will play,” a sarcastic voice said.

  Megan turned around to see Lolita standing at the fence that separated their yards. “Not that it is any of your business,” she snarled, “That was my brother-in-law.”

  “Oh, keeping it in the family…nice touch.”

  Megan walked over to the fence. It was about time she put that nosey she-devil in her place. “Look, I’ve had a hard day and you are not about to make it any worse. I know what you tried to do with Ryan. Luring him to your house for dinner and then you tried to seduce him…what a waste of your time and energy.”

  “I’m not surprised he told you or that he turned down my advances. Ryan is a nice guy, too nice to be attached to a crybaby like you,” she replied with a snap to her tone. “You’re lucky I backed off or…”

  “Or, what Lolita? I know my husband; he would never be unfaithful to me. So, if you had been given one minute or an hour, it would not have produced a damn thing. Ryan would not have slept with you.”

  “Don’t be so sure of that. He was all for it before his conscious kicked in.”

  “You are a sad excuse for a woman. If something would have happened it wouldn’t have meant anything for Ryan. He would have fucked you out of pity, not because he desired you. You haven’t had a man since your husband walked out, have you?” Megan bit back. Thanks to Pam, her vocabulary contained words she would never use.

  “Aw, trying to hurt my feelings…NOT! You’re young and will screw up again; it’s in your nature.” Lolita put her hands on the fence and glared at her. “I refuse to help your mother ruin Ryan, but I will help myself to him when you mess up again. I will be there to pick up the pieces of Ryan’s broken heart. And once he has had a taste of what I have to offer, sweetheart, you will be a faded memory.”

  Lack of sleep and lingering anger from the flowers Emin sent to her workplace had Megan lose it altogether. She lunged for the fence causing Lolita to jump back. Rapidly, she spat, “Bitch, stay your ass away from him or it’ll be you and me!” That said she walked inside the house and slammed the door behind her. The clock and pictures hanging on the wall fell lopsided from the vibration. She threw her stuff on the floor, venting. Steam poured from her pores. Her mother had gone too far. She was enlisting help from the neighbors. It was time for her to be stopped.

  Chapter Twelve

  Twenty-Four Hours Later

  Rescue Squad 1 backed into the firehouse. Ryan jumped off the truck. Most of their morning had been spent doing drills.

  “Nice job on the water today, Tisdale,” Otto said slapping him on the shoulder.

  “Thanks, Lieutenant. Hey, if it stays slow today, do you think we can do drills on the ropes? I was hoping we could do a tall building drop.”

  Otto nodded. “Sure, if we stay slow. Go shower, you smell like Lake Erie,” he joked.

  Ryan sniffed his shirt. “Yeah, I do.” He headed for the locker room when Jon stopped him.

  “Ryan, there is a visitor waiting for you in the breakroom.”

  “Who is it, Jon?”

  Jon shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know…I didn’t ask.”

  Ryan entered the breakroom and grinned. “Mr. Jones, what brings you to the firehouse?” James Jones had asked Ryan to call him by his first name numerous times, but Ryan couldn’t bring himself to call him James or any nickname derived from it. He respected the man as a person and admired his calm demeanor as a businessman. He often wondered how he ended up with Iona as a mate.

  James shook Ryan’s hand. “I was going to call but wanted to see where you worked. I’ve never been inside a firehouse before. It’s like a cool clubhouse for grown men with expensive toys to play with,” he chuckled.

  “I’d be glad to give you a tour. If we get a call, you can tag along.”

  “I don’t want to get in the way of the men working.”

  “Nah, you won’t be in the way.” Ryan offered James a seat. “Would you like a cup of coffee or something to eat?”

  “Ryan, I’m fine,” he replied, sitting down and unbuttoning his suit jacket.

  Ryan sat at the table. “Alright, then what can I do for you?”

  James put a folder on the table. “I’m here to help you and Megan.”

  Ryan looked at the folder but didn’t pick it up. He had an idea of what it contained. “Mr. Jones, I hope that folder doesn’t have what I think it has in it?”

  James grinned. “You’re a smart man. I knew I liked you for a reason.”

  “If that’s the case, then you know I’m not going to agree to sign them. Look, Mr. Jones, I respect you. I don’t want to lose that. So maybe we should end this conversation now.”

  “Ryan, it’s the only way to stop Iona and give you and Megan a shot at a happy life. You love my daughter, right?”

  He nodded. “You know I do.”

  He opened the folder and spread out the documents. James said, “These look like legitimate documents, don’t they?”

  Ryan flipped through the documents. They consisted of a separation agreement, divorce decree, and financial spreadsheets. “Yeah, they do. Are you saying these are fake documents?”

  “Every document with your name printed on it is a fake document. Mine are real documents.”

  “You want a divorce
from Iona?” Ryan broke into a broad grin. “I knew you didn’t want to be with that witch. You’re too calm and collective.”

  “Well, I was young when we met and she had the answers that I needed to hear to keep me going when I wanted to give up. Ryan, it took me years to realize she was not the woman for me. I do believe you are the man for Megan. I can’t let Iona ruin a perfect match made in heaven.”

  Ryan shook his head. “Our marriage isn’t perfect, but it could be a lot better without Iona and Emin interfering in it. How is this going to work?”

  “Son, the less you know, the better. In the business world, I have met some shady characters. I don’t dismiss them all because I never know when I might need a favor. The day has arrived that I need a favor. Your divorce papers are 100% worthless and will not stand up in any court. All you and Megan have to do is sign, and my people will take care of the rest. Ten days from now, my divorce will be final. However, you’ll still be happily married.”

  “Ten days? How is that possible, Mr. Jones?”

  “I have a flight schedule to the Dominican. No sooner than Iona signs the papers I’ll be on my way there to get my sham of a marriage over with. Once more night in the same house with that woman, and I can’t promise what will happen to her.”

  Ryan leaned back in the chair and rubbed his chin. The look on James Jones face was serious. “Sounds simple, but I was hoping to get revenge. I wanted to take pleasure in watching Iona melt as I poured water on her.”

  James released a booming laugh. “Revenge is always sweeter when you walk away with clean hands, Ryan. I can’t stop you from hurting Emin. He has to be dealt with, and that should come from you.”

  “What are you suggesting I do?” Ryan asked with a questioning brow.

  “Whatever your heart desires; just don’t kill him. He’s a lawyer with connections through his family. That could make things hard for you. So whatever you do, make sure he provokes you into doing it. You’re a big man, and he wants to be big, but peel away his new shell and beneath it, he is still that quivering mess of flab he’s always been.”

  “I’m willing to do what I have to do to keep him away from Megan.”

  “I’ll protect you as much as I can. I have an excellent legal staff as well as other resources at my disposal.”

  Ryan smirked. “Really?”

  “Yes. And the attorneys that work for me are legitimate,” James added after reading Ryan’s skeptical look.

  Ryan held out his hand. “Then we have a deal. I’ll have Megan sign the papers tonight when I get home. We’re going to Ja’Nell’s to celebrate tonight with some friends, why don’t you join us?”

  “Damn,” James muttered.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Ryan, I don’t think that is a good idea. Iona could have spies watching you two. If you two appear too happy, she will not believe a divorce is in the works.”

  “I didn’t think about that. We already have the plans; I’ll have to alter them somehow; Megan has her heart set on a night out.”

  Jon walked into the room. “I’m sorry; I didn’t know you still had a visitor,” he said, starting to leave.

  Ryan stopped him. “Jon, I want you to meet my father-in-law, James Jones. Mr. Jones, this is my cousin and one of the lieutenants at the firehouse.”

  Jon offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Jones.” James nodded and shook Jon’s hand but remained silent. “I’m gonna disappear now.”

  “Jon, I need your help. Can you stay for a minute while I run an idea by the both of you?” Ryan asked.

  “Sure,” Jon agreed.

  Later that night Ryan, Jon, Orlando, and Nick arrived at Illuminations. Jon and Ryan were standing at the bar when Megan walked in. Ryan could tell from her body language that she was still hot under the collar. His idea to have her call Emin to cry on his shoulder was met with a raging fit. She hated the idea to tell Emin that Ryan had cheated on her with Lolita.

  Megan protested to the point of calling off the evening until Ryan convinced her this was the only way to get the ball rolling to get the manipulative people out of their lives for good. Once the papers were signed and dropped off to the imposters posing as attorneys, they went their separate ways. Ryan went to Jon’s house, and Megan went home to wait for Emin to pick her up for their date.

  The nightclub was packed, and Illuminations was a known hangout for firefighters. There would not be any surprise that they would be there if Emin got suspicious. Ryan doubted that would happen since Emin’s attention was focused on Megan.

  Megan looked beautiful, although she had downplayed her usual style. She wore black skinny jeans and a short crop top that bared her midriff. The pendant that graced her belly button served as a prism for the lights blinking in the nightclub. Her hair was full of natural curls. Ryan could hardly contain himself.

  “Still think this was a good idea?” Jon asked sipping beer.

  Ryan didn’t take his eyes off Megan and Emin as they sat at a table across the room. Emin was being a handful, and Megan was clearly rebuffing his moves. “Yeah, I do. I want to teach that asshole a lesson. He doesn’t fuck with me and get away with it.”

  “I understand that. I hope it doesn’t backfire. Megan looks like she is ready to puke her guts out.”

  Ryan laughed. “That would be icing on the cake if she did that. Where did Orlando and Nick go?”

  “They got you covered from the other side of the room in case dude gets lost in the crowd.”

  Across the room, Orlando spotted Megan and the man she was supposed to be on a date with. “Damn, this place brings back memories,” he said to Nick.

  Nick asked, “You met Regan here, didn’t you?”

  “Yep. We had our first dance on that dance floor and didn’t even know each other’s name. Now we’re married with a son. Have you and Lincoln made reservations in Chicago yet for Lynette’s wedding?”

  “Not yet. We have to either get my mom to go or find a sitter to watch the kids. Lincoln is not gonna want to leave her babies with a sitter for a week.”

  “Yeah, Regan is fussing about that too. Hey, why don’t we hire a professional babysitter to travel with us and split the cost?” Orlando suggested.

  “I can’t afford that. Besides, we would need two. I have three kids to your one.”

  Orlando slapped Nick on the back. “Who would have thought you would have three kids when you acted like a big ass kid yourself?”

  “I never saw it coming, but I’m happy, Orlando. Lincoln is the best thing to come my way. I love her more every day. She keeps me going. I see why Ryan is doing this. You can’t replace that one and only love of your life. Hey, I don’t need to tell you that.”

  Orlando shook his head. “Nope, I understand perfectly why he is doing it. It’s just the people who are involved that have me worried. They can come back to fuck him over, and he doesn’t need that.”

  “We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen. He’s one of us now, a brother to the end. We got his back.”

  Two scantily dressed women approached them, their hips gyrating to the music that was playing. The taller one asked first. “Are you fine studs, firemen?”

  Orlando rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but married ones, so keep it moving.”

  Nick chuckled as the women made their way down the bar to the next set of men. “Damn, man, we are definitely scoring some cool points with the wives tonight. The place is full of free cookies, and we are turning it down. The old Nick Barona would never do that.”

  “That’s the price we pay for love, my man…the price we pay,” Orlando said, drinking down a shot of tequila.

  *****

  Megan’s skin itched where Emin touched her. She didn’t know how she would make it through the night pretending to have a good time with the well-dressed urchin sitting across from her. Ryan owes me big, she huffed in silence. Hmm, maybe a new car or a vacation on a tropical island. Oh, a shopping spree at a real store. Whatever, I decide it will be big and expen
sive. She looked around the room and spotted him with Jon at the bar.

  He was gorgeous. She hardly saw him dressed in real clothes. Tonight, he wore a black blazer with a white button down shirt, black trouser, and hard shoes. His usual attire was shorts, tees, and jeans, and he always wore sneakers. A man of his size looked damn good dressed up. She frowned when two women approached the bar and started to talk to them. Then it dawned on her who they were. Gabrielle and Lincoln. They decided to have Lincoln pretend to hit on Ryan because she was young and had a light brown complexion, and her ultra slim body type fit Megan’s. The only difference was Lincoln was tall.

  Emin took hold of her hand. “Hey, what has your attention?”

  Megan inhaled and said, “Seems Ryan hasn’t wasted any time getting back into the game. Looks like he is on a date tonight too.”

  Emin leaned over to take a closer look. “Wow, she almost looks like you, Megan. That is a sign of a sick bastard. You should be happy to get rid of him.”

  “He is free to date. We signed the divorce papers, and my marriage will be over soon. My mother’s been right all along. Ryan cheated on me with our next door neighbor; I can’t forgive him for that.”

  “You shouldn’t. I don’t want to pressure you, but I have to return to New York. Megan, I need to know if you are going to be with me when I go.”

  The bubble in her stomach moved up to her throat. It was blocking her speech. She hunched her shoulders. “Let’s not talk about that. I want to dance.”

  “Dance? I don’t dance, Megan. At least, not the dancing these people are doing. Once we get married, you will be introduced to a higher society of living. I know your father is a millionaire, but he doesn’t live like one. I will show you a whole new side of what it is like to be rich and fabulous.”

  Megan wanted to hurl. “My dad doesn’t need to show off, Emin. I don’t want to be that way either. Why don’t you and my mom do the high society ass-kissing and I’ll sit back and watch? And another thing I’ve been meaning to ask, what is she getting out of this?”