Burned (Cunningham Security Book 5)

by A. K. Evans

  “I’ll see what I can do,” I promised.

  “To clarify, by sights I am actually referring to the men. While I’m sure the mountains are beautiful, they don’t interest me.”

  I had no answer to give her for that because I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I’d been burned one too many times already that I wasn’t exactly eager to put myself in that position again. Thankfully, I didn’t have to respond because before I could, Gwen bit out, “Crap, I’ve got to go. One of my students just walked in. I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay, I’ll talk to you then. In the meantime, take it easy on Jason and tell him I said hello.”

  “Will do. Love you, Z. I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have you to talk with me about this.”

  “You know I’m always here,” I returned. “Love you too.”

  After Gwen and I disconnected, I gave Callie a quick rubdown. When she’d been showered with more attention than was necessary for a kitty, I decided to head down to work early. I put in a full morning, which consisted of my usual activities and the added task of planning a rearrangement of the shop for spring.

  Lunchtime rolled around and I chose to do something I hadn’t done more than a few times since I moved and officially opened. The weather wasn’t warm by any stretch of the imagination, but it was certainly the warmest it’d been since before winter hit. From what I’d learned when I researched it, temperatures in the low fifties were about the highest that could ever be expected for the location at this time of year, which was precisely what they were now.

  I left the shop and walked down the street to the café on the corner of the block my flower shop was on. The entire block was lined with small businesses. An ice cream parlor sat sandwiched between the café and a candy shop. Next to the candy shop was a bakery, and thankfully, the remaining three businesses between the bakery and my flower shop had absolutely nothing to do with food. A hardware store, a yoga studio, and a craft store separated me from the tasty delights that littered the block.

  The moment I stepped inside Tasha’s Café, I was greeted.

  “Zara, girl, you’ve finally come back in for a visit. I was beginning to wonder if you were still down the road!” Natasha, the owner, greeted me.

  I smiled and assured her, “I’m still here, Tasha. And I have no plans to go anywhere.”

  “That’s good to hear,” she returned. “What can I get for you today?”

  I glanced up at the menu plastered on the wall behind the counter. Once I ran my eyes over it, I said, “I’ll have the turkey BLT with avocado, please.”

  “For here or to go?”

  Deciding I could use some time in a different space, I answered, “For here.”

  “You’ve got it,” she returned, smiling brightly at me before she got to work on making my sandwich.

  After I stepped off to the side, I turned around to find an empty table at which to sit and wait. While I waited, I watched as quite a few more patrons walked in.

  Not long after I moved to Windsor, I made the effort to introduce myself to the owners of the other businesses along the road. Even though I normally kept to myself, I didn’t want them thinking I was rude or stuck up, so I made the effort.

  Natasha, or Tasha as she preferred to be called, was a curvy woman with dark blonde hair, who was in her early forties. She wasn’t very tall since she was easily four or five inches shorter than my five-foot, eight-inch frame. When I arrived in Windsor, she was one of the first people I met and she’d been warm and welcoming right from the start.

  I had originally thought she was just being friendly to the new girl in town, but the few times I’d patronized her café, I quickly learned that it was just who she was. Tasha was self-assured and confident without being conceited. That was what I envied most about her.

  Her confidence.

  It was evident that I wasn’t the only one who was drawn to it either. As I sat there waiting, and watching, I realized that no matter who entered the café, Tasha had a rapport with them. While I couldn’t be absolutely certain it was the case, I didn’t think she personally knew every client, who she seemed to know on a first-name basis. Moreover, the new patrons seemed drawn to her all the same. And it was for that reason, I believed, that those people would end up becoming regulars.

  I’d been so distracted watching Tasha interact with her clients that I nearly missed the man who’d entered the café. He was, by and large, the most exquisite man I’d ever laid my eyes on. On the surface, he was clean cut with dark hair that he clearly took the time to style that morning. Short, dark stubble covered his jaw, chin, and above his lip. I was too far away to see the precise perfection that I was certain were his eyes, but from what I could see, they were nothing short of amazing. He was tall, taller than me by at least five or six inches, and fit. I had no doubt his entire body was made up of long, lean muscle. His arms were solid and defined, the outline of his muscles covered by the three-quarter length baseball tee he was wearing. The exposed skin on his left arm, which was from about the middle of his forearm down showed tattoos. I couldn’t make out any of them, but I could see the coloring on him.

  He was beautiful.

  And when he moved his head to the side, in the direction opposite of where I was sitting, he turned his body and began walking that way.

  His movement was just as mesmerizing as the rest of him. It was, much like Tasha’s personality, confident. This man knew who he was, what his body was, and none of it was the least bit insecure.

  Looking at him, I would have been willing to bet that he’d never experienced a day of insecurity in his life. He was just that stunning.

  For the first time in months, closing in on nearly a year, I felt a spark. A spark of longing. I wanted that man. Not for the long haul because I knew I’d never in my life ever have a shot at forever with a man like him, but just once. I’d settle for just one night with that man.

  And that was safe.

  Because I was not ever going to set myself up for failure again. No way. I didn’t need that anymore.

  But then it was like a knife had pierced through my belly when I saw him walk over to a table where an equally as beautiful woman was sitting. Her long, dark blonde hair spilled down over her shoulders as she smiled up at him. He leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek before he sat in the seat across from her, his back to me.

  I swallowed hard, my envy of that woman taking hold of something inside me.

  My self-pity was brought to a halt when I heard Tasha call out, “Zara!”

  When I looked over to her, I found she had set the tray holding my sandwich up on the counter. I didn’t even want to eat anymore.

  Unfortunately, I was also not interested in having Tasha question the change in my mood, so I got up and took my food from the counter.

  I sat back down and did my best to think about anything other than the total disappointment I felt.

  So, I did just that and thought about Callie.

  Then, I thought about my flower shop.

  Finally, I thought about the hilarious conversations I had with my best friend.

  I managed to get through nearly all of my lunch by focusing on the good things I still had in my life. And I was proud of myself for being able to do that.

  But all the hard work I’d done went out the window when I heard and saw the commotion. The beautiful man was no longer sitting in his chair. He had rounded his table and was helping the woman with him out of her seat. When she stood, I understood what was happening.

  She was pregnant.

  Very pregnant.

  And apparently, she was also in labor, as evidenced by the fact that her pants were soaked.

  One of his hands wrapped around her back as the other went protectively to her belly. My heart squeezed. Her left hand, adorned with a wedding band, covered his as she looked up at him, her eyes alight with happiness and excitement.

  As he ushered her toward the door, he looked back to the counter and called out,
“Sorry about the mess, Tasha.”

  She shook her head at him and dismissed his apology. “We’re just fine here. I’ll get it taken care of, Pierce. You get to the hospital, but I’ll expect an update with pictures. Good luck, Alexandra!”

  Pierce nodded and walked out.

  Pierce.

  Now I knew his name. I also knew hers. And that hurt even worse.

  Before I could allow myself to sulk, there were ramblings around me that weren’t typical of a crowded café at lunch. It was then I saw everyone there had directed their attention to one of the two televisions Tasha had hung in the corner of the dining area.

  I watched, along with every other patron and worker in the café, as the local news reporter stated, “It’s still uncertain if the blaze fire crews are continuing to battle is another case of arson, but if it is, this would be the first case of arson a Windsor business has seen this month. Sadly, if that is true, it would make it the third one to hit the town in the last two weeks.”

  Thoughts of a man named Pierce melted away as I felt myself riveted to the news. There were two, possibly now three, cases of arson in the last two weeks in the town I’d been living in for less than a year and I had no idea it was happening.

  I seriously needed to get out more.

  “It’s too early to say for sure if this fire was the result of an intentional act and the police and fire chief aren’t giving any information out until a full investigation has been completed. Considering the other two fires haven’t been fully investigated, reports are that it could take some time for an official statement to be made. This is the first fire that, if it were an arson case, was set during the day. As a precautionary measure, investigators and law enforcement officials are urging business owners to be vigilant when securing their buildings every night. They also recommend testing security and surveillance systems,” the reporter went on. “We’re monitoring the situation closely and will bring you any new information as it’s made available. We now bring you back to your regularly scheduled program.”

  The café, which had been buzzing with conversation before the news, was now a bunch of muted conversations and quiet rumblings. My eyes remained on the television, though I was no longer paying any attention to the programming.

  “Are you okay?”

  The question filtered into my ears and pulled me out of my fog. I looked up to see Tasha sitting across from me. I glanced around the café and saw she had workers tending to the patrons and the mess left by the pregnant woman.

  I blinked my eyes at her. “Yeah, it’s just…that wasn’t good news.”

  “The news nowadays hardly ever is,” she put in.

  I couldn’t say I disagreed. Still, this hit too close to home. Way too close. Because my home was above my business.

  “What do you think is going to happen?” I wondered.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure, but I know we’ve got a lot of people in this town who won’t stand for someone destroying it. In the meantime, we’ve got to look out for one another.”

  “Should we be worried?” I pressed her for an answer to a question I’m not sure she could answer.

  “I’d like to say no, but I can’t make you that promise. No matter what, we’ll get through it. And I know you don’t come down this way very often, but there isn’t anyone on this block who’s met you that doesn’t like you. If any of them see something that isn’t right, no matter if it’s here at my place or all the way down to the end of the block at yours, they’ll do something about it.”

  I gave her a nod but remained silent. I wasn’t sure what else I could say.

  After some time had passed, I declared, “I need to get back to the shop.”

  Tasha’s face had changed, but she didn’t explain whatever caused it. She simply urged, “I hope we’ll see you back down here soon. And I’ll be stopping in to your place sometime next week to order arrangements for my mother and my mother-in-law. The holiday is coming and I don’t have an excuse now to wait until the last minute considering I’ve got you right down the road.”

  I offered a friendly smiled and assured her, “I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”

  She returned my smile before she got up and walked away, allowing me to see myself out.

  As I walked down the street back toward my flower shop, the reality of what I’d just learned began to settle in me. Someone was setting fire to the businesses in town. I’d just gotten my life set up here. If my business and, ultimately, my home got torched, I didn’t have anywhere to go but a hotel.

  My pace picked up as I began feeling the weight of the bigger situation settle on my shoulders. I made it back to my shop, unlocked the door, and let myself in. I ran over to the counter, leaned over it, and took deep, calming breaths.

  It was then, being there alone, when I realized just how badly I wished I could have been the beautiful blonde woman. Because when a crisis occurred, she had a man like Pierce there to see her though.

  I, on the other hand, had nobody.

  “Congratulations, Reynolds.”

  I stopped walking toward my office and turned, leaning myself against the doorjamb to Levi’s office. Levi is my boss and the owner of the private investigation and security firm I work at, Cunningham Security.

  I grinned at him and returned, “Thanks.”

  “How’s Theo?”

  My grin grew before I answered, “Good. He’s really good. And he’s a big boy, too. Just over nine pounds.”

  Levi’s eyes grew wide. “What about Alexandra? She’s doing alright?”

  I nodded. “Adjusting. It’s been two weeks, but it’s a whole different life now. If it weren’t for the exhaustion, I think she’d be managing a little better.”

  “Takes time,” he reasoned.

  Before I could reply, the phone on his desk rang.

  “One second,” he requested, holding up a finger while he used his other hand to lift the phone out of the cradle.

  “Yeah, Deb,” he answered. He waited a moment while Deb, our receptionist, spoke to him. Then, he instructed, “Put him through.”

  A few seconds passed before Levi said, “You’ve got me, Detective Baines. What’s going on?”

  Detective Baines worked for the Windsor Police Department. The WPD was grossly understaffed, so it was not uncommon that they’d reach out to us when they needed extra manpower. Of course, if Detective Baines was calling, it typically meant things were bad. I had a feeling I knew what this call was about, too. None of it was going to be good.

  “Send everything you’ve got over to me. I’ll get a team together to work this case. When I have them assembled, I’ll give you a call and let you know who to reach out to as your main point of contact.” He paused, waited, and ended, “No problem. I’ll be in touch shortly.”

  Levi disconnected the call and looked up at me, slightly conflicted.

  I volunteered, “Need a lead on a case?”

  “Are you sure you’re up for it?”

  Without having confirmation on what exactly I was investigating, I confirmed, “Absolutely.”

  The truth was, the WPD needed our help occasionally. We were the most trusted, reliable firm in all of Windsor and the surrounding towns. If we couldn’t provide them with the help when they needed it, they’d likely have to outsource the work to another firm that simply wouldn’t be as good. To top it off, the WPD didn’t have the funding to pay for the services we provided, but Levi had worked things out with them. When we needed a favor, Detective Baines saw to it that they helped us as much as they could.

  So, it didn’t matter that I didn’t know for sure what the case was. I knew it would need to be done and if it was happening in the town I grew up in, I wasn’t going to turn my back on the WPD or the residents of the community.

  “Detective Baines is sending over the case file,” Levi began. “Brace yourself because it’s shaping up to be a big one.”

  “The arson?” I asked.

  Disgust wash
ed over Levi’s face. “Yeah,” he confirmed.

  “What’s changed that they want to bring us on?”

  Levi’s eyes closed. When he opened them, he explained, “It’s been going on four weeks now. In that time, there have been seven fires set to businesses in Windsor. Four are confirmed arson cases. The remaining three haven’t been fully investigated at this point. They can’t keep up.”

  Seven fires in four weeks. This was out of control.

  “All businesses, correct?”

  He nodded and went on. “The initial two had been done at night. The third was set during the day two weeks ago…the same day Alexandra had Theo. The next three fires following that one were all done at night. The most recent one was started early this morning.”

  I shook my head. “Fuck. Any decent leads?”

  “Baines said the WPD is working closely with the fire department, but they’re spending so much time fighting fires he’s concerned something is being overlooked. They’ve got nothing right now other than the obvious evidence and confirmation, at least on four of them, that they’re arson. It gets worse, though.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “The fire set two nights ago at the restaurant,” Levi began. “Well, there are several apartments above the restaurant. The one directly over where the fire started had a single mother and her eight-month-old baby living there.”

  I felt my body grow tense. “Don’t fucking say it, Levi,” I warned him.

  A look of regret flashed in his eyes.

  “A baby?” I repeated.

  Levi nodded.

  “Boy or girl?” I wondered, mostly because I was a sucker for punishment.

  “A little boy.”

  Nothing but anger was coursing through me. Anger and motivation. I was going to get to the bottom of this case.