Face the Flames

by Jo Davis

  Howard chuckled. “I figured you wouldn’t mind too much. See you soon.”

  “Can’t wait. I mean that.”

  After saying good-bye, he ended the call and sat grinning from ear to ear. This was the day! Hot damn!

  “Why are you practically vibrating in bed at oh-God-thirty in the morning, looking like you’ve just won the lottery?” Melissa grumbled from beside him.

  Setting down the phone, he pounced on her, kissing her senseless. Then, arms braced on the pillow on either side of her head, he said, “That was Howard. He needs me to start today!”

  She blinked as it took a few seconds for his words to register. Then she smiled and cupped his cheeks. “I’m so glad. This is the day you’ve been waiting for. Why the change from Monday?”

  “Julian and Eve have the flu. Apparently something is going around.”

  “Well, I’m sorry about that, but glad for you.”

  “Me, too.”

  “When do you have to be there?”

  “Seven. So, I’ve got an hour and a half to get ready and get to the station.” He paused, giving her a heated look, and ground his morning wood into her thigh. “Just enough time.”

  “You’re insatiable,” she said, rolling her eyes. But she held him close and didn’t protest at all as he took a series of kisses to the next level.

  And way beyond.

  Half an hour later, sweaty and sated, he pulled his woman from the bed and into the shower. Morning sex, a beautiful woman of his own, and his job back. His life couldn’t be more complete.

  He was happy, he realized. Not simply content, but totally over the moon, for the first time.

  I’m falling for her. No, I’ve fallen. It’s much too late to guard my heart now, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.

  Is this love?

  Maybe. He’d never said those three little words to a woman before, and his mother didn’t count. Well, she counted, just not in the same way.

  As they got dressed, he contemplated how to discuss his new feelings with her. When and where. A romantic, candlelit dinner? Or while they were out hiking or something, on a picnic? Crap, he had no idea. Maybe he should ask his mom for advice, or his friends, but he wasn’t so sure.

  All too soon, they were in his car and headed for the police station. He pulled up in front of the building.

  “I guess I should’ve taken you home to get your car,” he said. “I was going to pick you up after you got off work, and now I’ll be on shift for twenty-four hours.”

  “It’s not a problem,” she assured him, giving him a peck on the lips. “I’ll get one of the guys to take me home.”

  “If you’re sure . . .”

  “I am.” Her green gaze lit him from the inside out. “Have a great first day back, and text me when you can.”

  “I’ll do that. You have a good day, too, sweetheart.”

  Reluctantly, he watched her go, wishing they didn’t have to be separated by even a few hours. You’ve got it bad.

  Once she’d waved and then disappeared into the building, he put the car in gear and continued on his way. When he got to the street leading to Station Five, he turned right. Just as he did, he noted a dark SUV making a left behind him, heading in the other direction.

  A chill went through him. Fucking paranoid, that’s what you are. But what if he wasn’t? Who could be following them? Her uncle? If Melissa wasn’t exaggerating, and he didn’t think she was, James Ryan was quite the unsavory character—just like his nephew, who’d been sent back to prison after the wreck.

  If Ryan was following them, he was being pretty overt about it. That in and of itself was troubling. If he wanted them to notice, that meant he was trying to freak them out on purpose. He was playing cat and mouse—to what end, Clay couldn’t imagine. But whatever the end game, it couldn’t be good.

  After parking in the station’s lot, he shot a quick text to Melissa: Saw that SUV again. Think it’s the same, but not sure. Turned off just as I got close to the station. WTF??

  He got a quick answer: IDK. B careful.

  U 2. Then he added a heart emoji and sent. He grinned as he got one in return.

  The big doors to all the bays were open as he approached, which was typical. The quint, engine, truck, and ambulance all sat in their spots, red and sparkling. He felt a pang of gratitude to be back, ready to start the rest of his life.

  What wasn’t typical was the absence of any of the guys hanging out in the bay. It was just before shift change, and there should be lots of activity. C-shift should be leaving, Clay’s A-shift arriving, lots of banter all around. There was nobody. Weird.

  He crossed the bay to the door that led inside the station proper, and halted in his tracks when he saw the words on the glass door. They were backward, facing inside for those who were leaving to enter the bay, but he knew what they said.

  Everybody Goes Home.

  He shuddered, thinking of the last time he’d read those words, before he and Julian climbed into the ambulance. Before that fateful ride to the call they’d never made it to. For a couple of seconds, he heard Julian call out. Saw the grill of a truck barreling toward his side.

  He almost hadn’t made it home. But he had survived, and he was ready to reclaim his place. That made him proud, and he reached for the handle, pulling the door open.

  As he entered the short hallway leading to the kitchen, he didn’t hear any voices. Inside, it was silent as a tomb. Not typical at all. He barely had time to process what was going on as he entered the kitchen and a collective shout nearly deafened him.

  “Surprise!”

  Bodies popped up from behind the kitchen counters and the tables, chairs, and the nearby sofa. He stared in awe as he realized every single firefighter who worked at Station Five—from all three shifts—was there. Every single person was present, and they were all suddenly surrounding him, slapping him on the back and giving him manly hugs.

  “Shit, you guys!” he exclaimed. “You’re going to make me bawl, and then I’ll never hear the end of it!” This earned a laugh from the eager crowd.

  “Go ahead,” Six-Pack said, grinning as he stepped forward. “You’ve earned it, and nobody will say a word.”

  With that, the big captain pulled him into a bear hug that nearly squashed his lungs. Clay didn’t mind one bit. As they broke apart, Clay marveled at the turnout, which was bigger than he’d expected. There were dispatchers from the department present, and a couple of the secretaries as well. Battalion Chief Sean Tanner hurried forward, giving him the same treatment as Six-Pack, as Sean’s wife, Eve, stood by smiling.

  Even Chief Ben Paxton, Six-Pack’s father, was there.

  Tears stung his eyes at the outpouring of love from his entire department. He barely kept from losing it as he turned to Howard and smiled.

  “There never was any case of the flu, I take it,” he said, gesturing to Eve and Julian, who were dressed for their shifts and looking healthy as could be.

  “Nope. We wanted to surprise you, and the consensus was that you might expect something if we stuck with having you start on Monday. This way, you probably wouldn’t expect a thing.” He looked awfully proud of himself.

  “I don’t know if I would’ve expected anything this big. But you’re right, I was damned surprised!”

  His friends were pleased that they’d gotten one over on him. Soon, they were all digging into the huge, hot breakfast spread laid out on the counters and table. Everyone had brought some sort of homemade covered dish, and there was plenty of coffee and juice, too. Belatedly, he noted the balloons and the banner that declared, Welcome Home, Clay!

  This place was home. Always would be. The morning couldn’t have been any more perfect.

  He visited with everyone he could, thanking every person he saw. Eventually, the party wound down and people started to leave, some of them s
aying they’d see him on Saturday for Howard’s cookout, where they’d do some real celebrating. As the last of the guests left and only his team remained behind, Clay thought about texting Melissa and telling her about his surprise party, but decided to wait. A text message couldn’t do justice to how great this had made him feel.

  “It’s really awesome to have you back,” Eve said, hugging him around one shoulder. “We’ve missed the hell out of you.”

  “I’m getting that idea. Thank you all for this. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”

  Zack winked at him. “Hey, we had to take measures to bring you in. You’ve been out long enough, you slacker.”

  He laughed, and it felt good.

  “Seriously,” Jamie put in. “Everything’s all healed? No complications?”

  Clay studied their new guy. He was a nice kid, and Clay liked him. “The knee twinges now and then, but my doctor cleared me for work. It’ll hold, and I’m good to go.”

  “That’s great, man. I’m happy for you.”

  “Thanks.” They did a knuckle bump, and then Clay noticed something about Jamie’s face. “Where’d you get those bruises?”

  The younger man ducked his head. “Oh, I just got into a little skirmish in downtown Nashville the other night. No big.”

  “Oh. Well, hope the other dude got the worst of it.”

  “I wish. I’m not much of a fighter. I’m made to rescue people, not hurt them.” Jamie looked uncomfortable with the direction their talk had taken. “I’m going to help clean up the kitchen.”

  As he hurried away, Clay noted the look of concern on Zack’s face while he watched Jamie go. Clay moved closer to Zack and lowered his voice. “What do you make of that?”

  “I don’t know.” Zack sighed. “This isn’t the first time he’s come in with bruises in the past few months, and he always has a ready excuse. I won’t lie, we’re worried about him.”

  “Is he missing work?”

  “No. He’s always on time, and seems really glad to be here. He’s an asset to the team.”

  “You think someone’s beating him?” Clay asked quietly.

  Zack nodded slowly. “Yeah, I do. Whatever is going on, he’s not ready to talk about it.”

  Shit. This was so not good. “Does he still live with his parents?”

  “No, and that was my first thought, too—maybe a dad with quick fists. But his folks live in Florida. He says he lives alone, but I’m not so sure.”

  From across the room, Clay noted how Jamie moved around with some stiffness, favoring his side from time to time. “I don’t think the bruises are just on his face, Zack.”

  “I agree.” His gaze darkened. “And if we’re right about this, his life could depend on whether he opens up and accepts help.”

  “We’ll just have to do all we can to make sure he knows we’re here for him. Every one of us has contacts we can utilize if he’s got an abuser.”

  “Yeah. I hope we can get him to talk.”

  Jamie glanced over at them with a frown, and Clay realized he was probably getting suspicious with them standing there in serious conversation while looking over at him. Quickly, Zack changed the subject.

  “So, how about those Titans? Think we’re headed for the Super Bowl this year?”

  Clay grabbed on to the subject, and they passed the time arguing about football as they cleaned up the rest of the party stuff. His happiness at returning was tempered by the thought of whatever hell Jamie was going through. But his mood picked up as the day went on, and they finally got a call.

  They were summoned to a local elementary school, where a kid had gotten his head stuck between the bars of an iron fence. He snorted, amused. Kids found all sorts of predicaments to get themselves into.

  “Want me to drive?” Julian offered, jingling the keys to the ambulance. They probably wouldn’t need to rush the kid to the hospital, but taking the vehicle was a precaution.

  Clay shook his head. “No, I’ll drive. Best to get that elephant out of the room right away, don’t you think?”

  Julian’s smile split his face. “That’s my boy.” Then he tossed Clay the keys.

  Sliding behind the wheel had never felt so right. “Let’s do this.”

  All the way to their call, Clay was more cautious and alert than ever and watched the traffic like a hawk. He was surprised he wasn’t more freaked out to be behind the wheel of the ambulance again, but glad.

  This, as far as he was concerned, was his last hurdle, and he’d cleared it. They got to the school in one piece.

  And he didn’t spot a single dark SUV following them along the way.

  7

  Melissa was hard at some paperwork when Captain Austin Rainey stuck his head in the door.

  “Ryan,” he said in greeting, then stepped inside. His expression was grim. “You got a minute?”

  “Sure, Cap.” Rising, she tried to quell the icy clench in her gut. She couldn’t think of a thing she’d done wrong, but nasty surprises could come from all sides. “What can I do for you?”

  Moving inside, he closed the door, leaving just the two of them. “I’ve been made aware of a situation, and it has to be handled with the utmost discretion.” He paused, the silence weighty. “One of our officers is missing, and I need for you to dig around, find out anything you can as to his whereabouts.”

  Her heart skipped a beat and she stood, walking over to the captain. “Missing? Oh, no. Who is it?”

  “Officer Ron Nelson. He’s forty-five, been in the department over twenty years. You know him?”

  “No, but I know who he is.” She thought for a few seconds. “The last time I saw him was after he answered the robbery call at the gas station. We spoke briefly, but that was it. When was he last on shift?”

  Austin raked a hand through his hair. “He worked the day before yesterday, then left around five thirty p.m. He called his wife from his cell to say he was picking up Chinese on the way home, but he never arrived at his house.”

  Melissa pulled out her notebook. “Does she know where he stopped?”

  “A place called New Hong Kong over on Barrett Street. He used his credit card, so the restaurant had no trouble confirming that he picked up his order.”

  “Just because his credit card was used doesn’t mean he’s the one who picked up the order,” she mused.

  “True. But we have an eyewitness who claims it was, in fact, Nelson who picked up his food, and he was still in uniform. The kid described him to a T, and we’ve been able to pull some security footage from the restaurant as well.”

  “And the trail goes cold from there,” she guessed.

  “You got it.”

  “Okay, I’ll review the footage and then go talk to the people at the restaurant. Maybe someone knows something they don’t realize they know.”

  “That’s what you get paid the big bucks for,” he said. But his teasing was halfhearted.

  Anyone going missing was serious business, and they would act swiftly to try to find Nelson. But in recent news, with officers being persecuted, shot, and murdered on a regular basis, for one of their own to disappear without a trace was especially alarming.

  “I’ll do my best to find him, Cap.”

  “I know you will. The video from the restaurant is in room three. I’ll meet you there.” After clapping her on the shoulder, he turned and walked out.

  Quickly, she grabbed a pen, her purse, and her cell phone, and hurried after him. She’d need to go into the field, and didn’t have her car. She’d have to check out an unmarked squad, which she hated doing, but it couldn’t be helped.

  In the small room that was set up with computers and the video she needed to see, she took a seat next to Austin. With them was a tech man, Sam, and another officer, Mac Reed, a good friend of Nelson’s.

  Sam pulled up the video feed and hi
t the play button. Instantly, she saw a uniformed officer who was obviously Ron Nelson walk into the restaurant and approach the counter. Nelson hesitated, looking behind him, then proceeded on. The video was mundane and didn’t reveal much. It did show the kid who’d identified the officer, but nothing else. Except . . .

  “Play it again,” she said. They did, and she sat up straight, pointing at the screen. “Pause it. Now go back and play that part again.”

  “What are we looking at?” Sam asked.

  “That hesitation,” the captain said, narrowing his eyes. “Ron paused and looked behind him. Is he frowning?”

  “Can’t tell, but look how he briefly rests a hand on his weapon.” She pointed. “He was bothered by something. Do we have a video of outside, when he’s coming and going?”

  Sam confirmed. “We do, but it’s sort of dark and not good quality. It does show him, though.”

  “Let’s see it.”

  They watched, and at first, it appeared to show little if anything. Nelson arrived, stayed a couple of minutes, just long enough to pay for his order, then left with the food in his hands. But something, some shadow, seemed to move in the background.

  “What is that?” she asked, pointing.

  Sam replayed the video, but it was still hard to tell. Then he did a screen capture of the object and blew it up. When he finally brought the image up enough where it could be seen, Melissa’s blood ran cold.

  “It’s the front end of a dark SUV,” she said softly. “Just like the one that’s been following me.”

  “What?” Rainey asked sharply, staring at her. “What the fuck?”

  “A dark SUV followed me and Clay yesterday, then trailed him to work this morning. I wasn’t sure before, but I’m pretty positive now that we weren’t being paranoid.” The icy ball in her gut grew into a glacier.

  “What reason would anyone have to follow you? Or Ron, for that matter?” Austin’s eyes bored into hers.

  “Why it would follow Ron, I couldn’t say. But I suspect if it’s following me, then my uncle is involved somehow.”

  The captain nodded. “I remember what you told me about him. We can’t touch him—that’s the government’s area unless he commits a crime in town that we can arrest him for. Has he threatened you?”