Backburn

by Brandy L Rivers

  He chuckled. “How much do you know?”

  “That the reason she changed her mind about the separation was Ashton, but the thing that pushed her into motion was seeing you happy with Marissa. She wanted you to look at her the same way.”

  Glancing away, he sighed. “Things are even better now than they were then. Marissa gets me, I get her. And she’s amazing with Ashton. She spent the whole evening with Ashton on Friday. Just the two of them. He really enjoyed himself.”

  “Hold on tight and don’t let anything tear you two apart. We all need that person who makes everything better. And after talking to Ashton, I’m positive you found her.”

  * * * *

  Marissa arrived at the police station in time to watch Officer Bridges and Sloan haul Pete into a cell. They’d caught him. He was the one who’d robbed the store. He wasn’t talking. Demanded a lawyer, but didn’t have one.

  She couldn’t tell for sure who had taken stuff from the van from the video, but they hadn’t used gloves. They were running the prints now and looking for any other evidence they could find.

  Bridges came to her desk with a smirk. “Why’d you let us take Pete in?”

  “Someone needed to stay behind to make sure no one tampered with the video. Made sense to let you handle it.”

  She smirked. “As long as the bad guy is caught, you’re really fine with it. Aren’t you?”

  Marissa resisted rolling her eyes. “Yeah. That’s my job.”

  “What do you need help with?”

  A smile spread at Bridges’ sincerity. “Help me look at the evidence to find our arsonist?”

  She frowned. “It’s not Pete?”

  “Can’t prove it yet. And if he did it, what was the motive? Unless someone paid him, I can’t think of one. And he’s got that wormy vibe. He’s not that bright. Didn’t you say he pissed himself when you pulled him over.”

  Laughing, Bridges nodded. “True. Who do you think put him up to it?”

  Marissa leaned forward. “There are a few people I could see paying him. I need proof. But we can discuss the possibilities after I go through the evidence.”

  Chapter 30

  Metcalf took Ashton and Mara to dinner, then she took them to get ice cream. Mara asked if Ashton wanted to stay the night, and Metcalf didn’t have the heart to say no.

  His cell phone rang two minutes after he’d arrived at Marissa’s house. Ashton asked to talk to Marissa first, told her all about his day, then tears filled her eyes even as happiness sparkled there.

  What? He mouthed the word.

  She held up her hand and nodded. “You too, buddy. Have a good night with your grandmother.” She paused a moment. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Here’s your dad.”

  Giving him the phone, she pulled a pad of paper over and wrote, He said I love you.

  Metcalf grinned and talked to Ashton while Marissa fixed dinner. “Love you, buddy, be good for Grandma, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Bring Marissa to breakfast, if she can.”

  “You got it. Good night.”

  “Night, Dad. Love you.”

  He set his phone aside and walked up behind Marissa, who was already at the stove, cooking spicy meat. He wrapped his hands around her hips and whispered against her ear, “Ashton wants you to come out for breakfast before he has school.”

  “Sure.”

  “He really does love you.”

  “He’s a sweet kid. And I love him too.”

  “I think that means you need to stay over more, or we need to stay here.”

  “You’re always welcome here. And I have more room.”

  Three bedrooms, an office, and too much space for her alone. He liked the sound of being with her every night. “You wouldn’t mind us here more often?”

  “I like you here. Both of you.”

  Grinning, he nibbled down her neck. A shiver traveled down her spine and he placed an open-mouthed kiss behind her ear. “As much as I miss my boy, I can think of a few things to do while he’s not here.”

  “Hmm, so can I. But we should eat first.”

  “Fine, I’ll wait to make love to you.” He backed away, and she gave him a sexy smile over her shoulder. “Won’t be long. Almost done. You could help by chopping up veggies.”

  “I can do that, darling.”

  * * * *

  As they finished dinner, Enrique hurried up the steps. He was finally out of the brace. He knocked on the door.

  A heavy sigh escaped Marissa as she crossed the room to let him in.

  Enrique let out a breath. “I know who hit me. They arrested him today.”

  She held back her laugh. “Yeah. We found video of who had the van out that night and it was Pete West. That’s what he was arrested for.”

  “My dream…Chelsea is still Cameron. Does that mean anything?”

  “Other than she doesn’t want anyone to associate anything to her old life, no. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, though.”

  “Oh…” His shoulders deflated. “Why?”

  “Well, it turns out her ex beat her. She left town. He wound up dying in a fire. She didn’t want any part of her old life, so she changed her name.”

  “Could she have started the fires?”

  “Not looking like it. Why? Think of something else that would make me want to take another look at her?” She couldn’t think of a reason Chelsea might pay Pete to start the fires. Someone else was doing it. Someone with something to gain from each of those properties.

  “No…and that was mostly why I came. I wanted you to know she didn’t hit me. It was a creepy little guy, who rumor is, will do anything for a quick buck.”

  “Including robbing a hardware store.”

  “Yeah. But Chelsea has issues. She was manic depressive, which was why Aunt Rosalie stopped letting her watch us. Maybe she’s crazy enough to start the fires. Maybe—”

  “Okay, Enrique, take a deep breath and slow down. You’re a nurse. You should realize a lot of people deal with those kinds of issues. Doesn’t make them criminals. So, let’s not jump the gun and assume she was the arsonist. We’re getting close to finding them.”

  “Them? Not him or her?”

  She placed her hands on his shoulders and smiled. “I’m not discussing this. I want to enjoy my evening with Dave. Isn’t Miley home or something?”

  “Not yet, and I was starting to worry. The last place the person tried to set on fire blew the fuck up.”

  Dave came out of the bedroom with a raised eyebrow. “Hey, Enrique. What’s up?”

  “Talking to my sister about the asshole who hit me with their van.”

  “Right.” Dave’s eyebrow arched. “They have him in custody already.”

  Enrique smiled. “Where’s Ashton?”

  Metcalf answered, “With his grandmother. Gives me some time with your sister.”

  “Ah, got it. Well, I should go. Sorry.”

  Marissa spoke up, “Hey, this weekend, we need to move the barbeque to Saturday. There’s a funeral Friday, so we won’t all be here.”

  “No problem. Have a good evening.” He ducked outside and headed back to his car.

  “Well, that was interesting.” She locked her door and turned around to face Metcalf. “You know, he was sure it was Chelsea who hit him.”

  “Weren’t you fairly sure it was her who set the fires?”

  She tipped her head side to side. “Not exactly. It was a possibility. And I was leaning toward her because I couldn’t prove it wasn’t her, and until recently she fit into the story a lot better than the other suspects.”

  “But not now?”

  “Not now.”

  “Are you close?”

  “Yeah, but nothing I can do about it here.” She walked to him and wrapped a hand around his waist. “Come here, Dave.”

  He laughed softly. “You really want to do this in the living room?”

  “Isandro’s busy tonight. He took Arianna to Lourdes Bistro.”

  “S
o, he’ll be getting busy when he gets home.”

  “Let’s not go there,” she murmured.

  He chuckled, pulling her against his body as he slipped his hands under her shirt and lifted it over her head. “I love putting my hands on your skin,” he murmured.

  She opened his jeans and reached under his briefs to grip his cock. “Now this is what I’ve been missing.”

  “You had it this morning.”

  A smirk pulled at her mouth. “Didn’t get enough.” She shoved his pants and briefs down, pulling him toward the couch with her.

  He shoved her yoga pants down and spun her, bending her over the couch before entering her hard.

  “Oh, fucking yes,” she moaned, pressing back.

  He pounded into her, the couch banging against the wall as he fucked her from behind. She would have laughed, but it felt so damned good, but she was too busy coming undone.

  Quiet and cautious was fun and exciting, but this was better.

  He pressed a kiss between her shoulder blades as he gripped her hip and the back of the couch. He filled her body, her heart, her soul. He was everything she needed. Dave, anyway he’d have her.

  She’d never expected this to turn into a real thing, or them to be so close, but things were better than they had been years before, and they were getting better every moment they spent together.

  They could be a real family.

  She rocketed over the edge as she thought of him as hers, and hers alone. He followed, pushing deep and holding himself there as he pressed another kiss to her back.

  “I love you, Marissa.”

  Sitting down, he pulled her into his lap. She wound around him, their breathing erratic but synced, their heartbeats playing the same rhythm.

  “You own my heart,” she whispered.

  He brushed her hair out of her face and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “You’re all I ever wanted, Marissa. You’re the one who showed me everything is where it should be. You’re the one who righted all the wrongs.”

  She leaned back and shook her head. “You were already getting there.”

  “Yeah, but you pushed everything into place, right where I needed to be. You didn’t push me away, which I’m thankful for. But I would have chased.”

  “I wish I’d realized how good we were before.”

  Shaking his head, he murmured, “Stop with the wishing and the thinking, and just feel. Because I feel so damned much for you, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “You’d find your way, but it’s better with you. With Ashton too.” She trailed her fingers over his chest and splayed her hand over his heart. “That was the one thing I wish Carson had given me…only I’m glad he didn’t because I have a good reason to ignore him.”

  “Hey, is that still something you want?”

  She lifted a single shoulder and glanced away. “Let’s wait until we know this is a permanent thing.”

  “It’s permanent, Marissa. I won’t let you get away this time. No matter what you say or do, you’re mine and I’ll fight to keep you.”

  She brought him back for a kiss. A child wasn’t something she wanted until they at least lived together, and it had only been a few weeks since they had wound up in each other’s lives again. She didn’t want to pressure him and didn’t want to force a subject when he’d been through all the mess with his ex and had a funeral coming up in a couple days.

  Marissa didn’t mind that things were moving fast, but there were other things to consider besides what she and Dave wanted. Like what Ashton needed.

  His hand slipped under her shirt, covering her breast. “Need more of you. Naked.”

  She laughed, and he lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom. “And I don’t want to get out of bed the rest of the night unless we need a snack before we go another round.”

  “Now that sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter 31

  Marissa placed a coffee in front of Brian and moved to her desk. He had his nose buried in a file. Which was fine. Her brother was still on the phone, rattling on about wedding ideas.

  “You’re turning into a chick,” she warned with a laugh.

  “Still think you should ask Ashton if he wants to be a ring bearer,” Isandro muttered.

  “Um, okay, I’ll ask. But what about the other kids in the firehouse?”

  “Arianna is asking Cadence if Jenny wants to be the flower girl. Worst case we can get Blaze and Cherish involved. Hell, it would be cute, and you know it.”

  “Yeah, it would. But do you really think Cadence is going to be able to handle dealing with her daughter being in the wedding with everything?”

  “Not sure, but Jenny’s crushing on Ashton. Maybe all the kids could get together so Jenny still has some fun while her dad is recovering.”

  “That’s actually a great idea. I’ll talk to him.”

  “Marissa, need to talk to you,” Brian stated.

  She nodded. “Got to go. Talk to you later, Bulldog.”

  “Later, Sis.”

  She hung up and gave Brian her attention. “What’s up?”

  “A few things. Where should I start? Old Man Tombs or the lab reports we just got back?”

  Her brow arched. “Old Man Tombs. Am I right? Is he Chelsea’s grandfather?”

  Brian nodded. “Yup. He had an illegitimate daughter. The mother was married to someone else and they raised Chelsea’s mother. I guess Tombs kept watch on them. The daughter slept with the wrong guy, had a baby, and gave her up for adoption shortly before the father killed her. That’s why there was no record of him being related.”

  “Okay. And the fire?” Marissa asked.

  “Lab report confirms Pete started the fires. But here’s what’s interesting. A woman took items from the van several days ago. We couldn’t see her face, but she was wearing a dress and a large floppy hat. And the video caught her talking to Pete the morning of the first fire. There were also several strands of long blond hair in the van.”

  “We need a warrant for Chelsea Bauer and Madison Charles.”

  “You’re seriously considering Madison Charles?”

  “Yeah. She has long blond hair. I’ve only seen Chelsea in a dress once. And I can’t remember ever seeing Madison in pants. She owns the shop where we found the van. She has more to gain by burning all three buildings down. Brad said she’d been trying to buy Metcalf’s old home. She tried to buy the building out from under Rick. I can’t think of a reason for the bar, but I’m sure there was something.”

  “Zerr is working on the warrant for Chelsea. We can get one for Madison.”

  “How early did you come in?”

  He shrugged. “Kylie had to go in, so I came here. And trust me, it’s a good thing. Apparently, someone poisoned Carson. He swears it was his mother. She has to wonder if it was Chelsea.”

  “What the hell?”

  “Yeah. Bridges called. Carson is adamant it’s the same thing that happened when he ate false morels on his property when he was a kid. He thought they were magic shrooms. Turns out, Chelsea is allergic to mushrooms, so he doesn’t believe it could be her. But Chelsea left the hospital ten minutes before Bridges and Sloan showed up. Seems awfully suspicious to me.”

  “What if she went to confront Madison?” Marissa asked.

  Zerr came out with a piece of paper. “You have your warrant.”

  “We’re on the way to Madison Charles’,” Marissa stated. “If she’s claiming Madison poisoned her own kid, she’s probably going there first. I need you to get me a warrant for Madison. She has more to gain from all this than Chelsea.”

  Zerr nodded slowly. “Go. I’ll have it before you get there.”

  * * * *

  Metcalf walked into the firehouse and looked at his phone again. Marissa hadn’t returned his call or texts. He couldn’t help worrying, but he knew her job sometimes prevented her from returning his call.

  He found Isandro pacing with a scowl. He had his phone in a death grip.

 
“Hey, what’s going on, Bulldog?”

  “Marissa rushed me off the phone. She sounded excited. Like she does right before she closes a case. I won’t lie, I’m worried.”

  Kyle walked inside and went straight to Isandro and Metcalf. “Hey, I heard something interesting at the hospital. Someone poisoned Carson Charles. He swears his mother did it.”

  “How long ago?” Metcalf asked.

  Kyle shrugged. “Hour or so.”

  “Well, shit. Marissa’s not answering her phone.” Metcalf dropped into a seat and pushed his fingers through his hair. “Okay, I get why a lot of men can’t handle Marissa’s job.”

  Isandro stalked toward him. “You fucking—”

  Metcalf shot to his feet and got in Isandro’s face. Never mind the fact Isandro had a few inches and forty pounds of muscle on him. “Back the fuck down, Bulldog. I never said I couldn’t handle this. She has to live with me running into fires. I sure as hell can handle her job. I imagine she probably felt pretty similar to this the day of the explosion. But you know what, she’s good at her job, and I am not bitching.”

  Isandro’s shoulders relaxed as a smile spread across his face. “Good. Don’t want to have to beat some sense into you, but I’d do it for my sister.”

  Metcalf sighed. “Fuck off. You were just complaining you’re worried.”

  “Yeah.” Then he grinned. “Hey, think Ashton would want to be our ring bearer?”

  The change of subject caught him off guard. “Really?”

  Isandro nodded. “Yeah. We’re asking Cadence about Jenny. Thought maybe with everything Gavin is going through, it might help. Maybe?” He scrubbed a hand over his face and dropped into the seat across from him. “Kyle, what’s going on with Gavin?”

  Kyle sat down with a heavy sigh. “There’s an infection in his leg. They’re trying to treat it, but it’s not looking good.”