Up In Flames

by Alexx Andria

  Zoe, looking every bit the part of the polished, hard-nosed reporter, smiled warmly as Pyro joined her and Jax and Hunter. “Just keep to the bare facts and leave out any part where you did anything illegal, got it?” she told him brightly. “The rest we’ll handle.”

  Pyro gave a curt nod, just ready to get this over with. “You got the recording?”

  She patted her purse. “Right here, with a copy stashed at home just in case things get ‘lost.’”

  Smart girl. “Let’s do this, then.”

  Bronx grabbed his arm to briefly give him a bolster of courage. “You got this, man. Piece of cake.”

  “Piece of cake,” he agreed grimly.

  They walked into the office and the district attorney, a woman by the name Vena Gregory greeted them with a professional smile with an IA investigator. Both rose as they entered the room. “Thank you for coming. I understand this is a delicate situation,” Vena said, gesturing for them to take a seat. “I want you to know that corruption in our law enforcement is not tolerated. I want justice just as much as you do but we have to do things the proper way to ensure that the evidence isn’t thrown out of court.”

  “I’m well aware of how evidence must be preserved, Ms. District Attorney.” She handed over a business card and took a seat. “You may have caught my most recent story on the case of Ronnie Peter, the little boy who was killed by his step-father and buried in the back yard? The one where it was discovered there was an appalling lack of follow through on the part of the investigating officers when there were not one, but five reports of suspected abuse being perpetrated against this child? Does that jog your memory?”

  “Yes, I remember quite well. Well-written. Although not exactly a shining endorsement on our law enforcement. I don’t want people thinking that our police can’t protect and serve as they always have. A few bad apples and all that.”

  “Are they protecting and serving?” Zoe asked, cocking her head in question. “Here are the facts as I see them. At the very least, three police officers employed by this city were working in tandem with a man named Benton Algiers to steal the children of underprivileged mothers — junkies with a history of abuse — and then selling them on the black market at a premium price.”

  “That’s quite an accusation,” the IA investigator said, his gaze narrowing.

  “Indeed,” Zoe agreed, handing the IA investigator a card as well. “But no less true.”

  Jax and Hunter spoke up with Jax, the calm one, speaking first. “Benton Algiers was cooking up a highly addictive and deadly drug so that he could get rid of loose ends that might tangle up his real purpose — to get his hands on the kids without the authorities getting involved. The cops scoped out the right targets and then Benton supplied them with the drugs. Then, the cops swooped in and took the kids, often times before the mom’s body had even cooled.”

  “That’s horrifying,” Vena murmured but said, “without proof, we have no case.”

  “I had a feeling our word wouldn’t be enough,” Zoe said, producing a thumb drive. “On this drive is a recording of Benton and Crawford at the very least, confessing, when they thought they were going to get away with it.”

  The IA investigator scowled. “That’s not admissible in court.”

  “No, it sure isn’t but it’s good enough evidence to write an expose on how corrupt the city department has become and during an election year I imagine, that’s not going to win over voters,” Hunter pointed out.

  “Are you threatening me?” Vena asked coldly. “Because I don’t take kindly to strong-arm tactics.”

  “Of course not,” Zoe said with an understanding smile. “We need to work together, which is why I’m coming here first. I’m giving you the opportunity to do what’s right.”

  “Which is?”

  “Open an investigation, make it quick, and root out the evil that’s corrupting your city law enforcement. Take the opportunity to be a hero. And then I can write a different sort of story. A positive one on how the District Attorney, in tandem with IA, were determined to make the city streets safe again, starting from inside the precinct walls.”

  “Has a nice ring to it,” Jax said, shrugging.

  “Although, might not sell as many newspapers as a headline like, Cops Selling Kids, what do you think?” Bronx put in conversationally. “Everything is so sensational these days.”

  “Definitely much better than how the District Attorney turned a blind eye to kids getting sold on the black market. That’s some bad press right there,” Hunter agreed.

  “Stop,” Vena said, holding up her hand. “That’s enough. I get the point.” She grabbed the thumb drive and stuck it in her computer. “You really know how to play hard-ball. Perhaps you ought to go into politics.”

  “No thanks. I’m a terrible liar,” Zoe said, waving off Vena’s quip. “Once I tried to pose as a prostitute and…well, that story’s probably not appropriate for this visit. Anyway, suffice to say, I prefer to stick to the truth.”

  Max and Hunter chuckled at the private joke but remained gentlemen.

  The IA investigator looked to Pyro. “And what’s your part in all this?”

  “Just a concerned citizen. Plus I was there the night Benton tried to run off with my friend’s baby.”

  “I pulled that case file. Benton Algiers died that night. What do you know about that?”

  He shrugged. “Nothing much. I was too busy trying to save my friend from dying when he’d gutted her like a pig. Sorry if I was preoccupied.”

  “You have no idea how he died? You didn’t see anything?”

  “Nope. He was already dead by the time I reached them both.”

  The IA investigator didn’t believe him but Pyro didn’t care. There was nothing tying him to the murder of Benton Algiers and considering how many people had been at the factory that night, he wasn’t worried. Besides, the gun used to shoot that fucker in the head, was dismantled into a dozen pieces and melted down at the scrap yard. That gun was history. “Would you mind coming down to the office and giving an official statement?”

  “Sure. Or we could do it right here. Save some time.”

  “I think that’s wise. While everything is still fresh,” Zoe said cheerfully, then gestured toward the thumb drive. “If you’d like to take a listen…”

  Vena compressed her lips as if unhappy about listening to the audio with an audience but she did it anyway. When it was done, her lips thinned with distaste but they all knew there was no way she could ignore that evidence. She looked to the IA investigator. “It would seem these citizens have cracked a case wide open for you and delivered it with a bow.”

  “So it would seem.”

  “All right, great. I look forward to chatting with you soon.” Zoe stood and her entourage did the same. “I think you’re going to feel so much better once you root out this corruption, don’t you?”

  “Of course,” Vena said, but she looked as if a pile of bricks had landed on her lap.

  But Pyro had one more thing to add. “There’s a kid named Jazzy Roberts. She’s missing. I’m willing to bet Crawford knows exactly where she is. There was supposed to be a shipment of product and by product, they meant kids. We need to find them before it’s too late.”

  Vena nodded. “I’ll make it my highest priority.”

  Pyro could only wait and see if the district attorney would do the right thing. Either way, they’d played their hand. Now it was time to see if they’d won.

  ***

  Two weeks later…

  Angel walked into her new apartment with Mila in tow, stunned and frankly, speechless. She turned to the man who’d identified himself as Pyro’s friend, Bronx and didn’t know what to say. “I don’t understand,” she said, bewildered. “This is my apartment? All mine? No strings?”

  “No strings. Pyro paid the rent for a year up front. He wanted you to be able to relax and regain your strength and not have to worry about where you and Mila were going to live. He’s also set up a fun
d for you so if you don’t find a job right away, your living expenses are paid for.”

  “I don’t understand…” Angel swallowed the lump in her throat. “Why didn’t he tell me himself about all this?”

  Bronx didn’t have an answer for that, or if he did, he wasn’t saying. Angel’s heart sank. He hadn’t forgiven her enough to come back to her. Had she been stupid to think that they’d connected on a level that was more than sexual? She bit her lip and gently hoisted Mila on her hip, even though her doctor had advised her against picking up her daughter just yet. “Tell Pyro thank you,” she said, nodding through a sheen of tears. “I don’t know how to repay him.”

  “Pyro made sure it was a nice neighborhood and a gated community so no one can just walk up to your apartment door without being buzzed in. He put a lot of thought into it.”

  “I love it,” she murmured, though her heart ached. “Can he afford it?” she dared to ask.

  “Pyro’s got it covered. The man has plenty socked away for a rainy day. I guess he figured it was raining now.”

  Angel wandered the spacious apartment, marveling at the pristine carpet that smelled new, and the freshly painted cream walls. The appliances were state-of-the-art and there was even a washer and dryer unit in the hallway closet. No more laundry mats! With a toddler that was a Godsend. She walked into the master bedroom and gasped. A beautiful, four-poster California King bed with the most amazing goose-down duvet and bedding she’d ever seen anchored the room and all she could do was stare. “I don’t…that’s not mine,” she said, even though the words felt stuck in her mouth. To sleep one night in that gorgeous bed…she might be willing to give her undamaged kidney. “What is this?” she asked Bronx.

  “It’s yours. Pyro went on a little shopping spree. My wife, Dee, helped pick out the bedding because, you know, straight guys suck at that, and the rest of the furniture should arrive tomorrow. We were hoping it would come today but at least the bed arrived so you don’t have to sleep on the floor. In fact, Pyro had a shit-fit when he found out that everything wasn’t going to be ready on time. Do you like it?”

  “I love it,” she admitted, holding Mila as tears of joy slipped down her cheeks. “I just can’t believe it. I just don’t understand why he would do all of this for us. Is it guilt? It wasn’t his fault what happened to me. I don’t want him to feel he has to do this because of what I put into motion.”

  “Guilt is in there but it’s not the driving force, even if he’s not ready to admit it,” Bronx said, confusing Angel. “You really don’t see what’s going on?” At the shake of her head, he chuckled. “He’s in love with you, sweetheart.”

  Sadness replaced her joy as she shook her head. “That’s a sweet sentiment but I doubt it. Pyro doesn’t fall in love, not with anyone. If anyone could’ve won his heart, it was my sister and I don’t think he loved her, not the way she deserved to be loved.”

  Bronx turned serious. “Pyro is a complex person. He wanted to love your sister but we were running around like idiots at the time. Our heads weren’t where they needed to be. I wish things had turned out differently but that doesn’t change the fact that Pyro has most definitely fallen for you.”

  “Then why isn’t he here, telling me this himself?” she said, frustrated and confused.

  “Because that’s where the guilt comes in. He didn’t protect you the way he said he would and he thinks turning you loose is the best way to keep you safe. I told him it was a bullshit move but he’s stubborn that way.”

  Angel nodded with abject understanding. Pyro wouldn’t budge, no matter what anyone said. “Can you please tell him thank you from the bottom of my heart?” she asked Bronx. “He doesn’t realize what this means to Mila and me.”

  “I will.”

  Bronx put the keys in her hand and cupped Mila’s little jaw tenderly. “Take care of this little sweetie. She’s going to be a heartbreaker someday.”

  Angel nodded and walked Bronx to the door, stopping him as he started to leave. “Can you tell Pyro one more thing?” He nodded and she removed one key from the keyring to return to Bronx. “Tell him, when he’s ready…he’s welcome to come home anytime.”

  Bronx curved his palm around the key. “I’ll do that.”

  Angel closed the door behind Bronx and set Mila down so she could explore and then she let the tears fall. Somewhere along the way she’d fallen hard for Pyro but she had no idea whether they had a future together.

  The uncertainty cut at her heart but she was determined to make the most of her fresh start. No matter how much it hurt to move on without Pyro, she wouldn’t chase after a man who didn’t want to stay.

  She’d done enough of that in her young life and it was time to set a better example for Mila.

  -17-

  Pyro had done the right thing — and it felt good — but it wasn’t enough to smother the bone-deep ache he suffered every day without Angel. He missed her touch, her smell, the way she laughed. He missed the way she gasped and growled, and moved against him with total abandon unlike any lover he’d ever had.

  Just thinking of Angel made his cock hard but he didn’t care about that. Hell, he might as well restart his celibacy campaign because he only wanted Angel. He’d tried to visit Lexie again but he couldn’t go through with it. Somehow it’d felt like cheating and he’d left without even unbuckling his belt. He didn’t want sex with cheap whores. He didn’t want sex with expensive whores. He only wanted Angel.

  But Angel was getting back on her feet and that was the way it was supposed to be. Besides, what was he supposed to offer her? He was a felon, president of the infamous Road Dogs motorcycle gang. He ran with thieves and liars most days. He did illegal things without blinking. And yet…he yearned for a life that was just out of reach. Now he knew what Bronx had gone through when he’d hooked up with Dee. He hadn’t begrudged his best friend his happiness but he hadn’t quite understood it either. They were street – not suburban dads. Maybe that’s why he’d been such a dick when Ashley had gotten pregnant. He hadn’t known how to handle the responsibility of going legit. What was out there for him? If he wasn’t running guns and playing a dangerous game, what was he good at?

  And there was Mila to consider. Angel was a mother. He couldn’t just pop in when he felt like it, playing around as if it were no big deal to come and go without some sort of commitment.

  A commitment. He opened his hand and held up the key. That’s what Angel was looking for. Something real. Something that meant more than late night hook ups and convenient good times.

  He wanted something he’d never felt worthy of having — a woman he could trust.

  He didn’t hold what Angel had done against her, contrary to what she might think. He actually respected her for making a tough choice to protect her kid. That’s what good mothers did.

  Not that he’d had one but he knew that’s what they did. And Angel was a good mother.

  Hell, he found that sexy, too.

  Everything about Angel was sexy, to be honest.

  Bronx had said he was worrying too much, that everything would fall into place. He couldn’t go messing around with Angel’s life with the hope that everything will work out. She didn’t deserve that.

  He glanced around his shitty apartment, the place he’d crashed but never called home for the past six years and wondered if remaining in this place had been his sentence. It was worse than a rat-hole and Angel had never complained. She’d just been grateful for shelter.

  Pyro sighed, not knowing what the answer was when his head and his heart were raging a battle for supremacy.

  You love her.

  There was no denying it. Angel was under his skin, burrowing deeper and faster into his heart and there was nothing he could do about it.

  So make a choice.

  Yeah, the question was…did he deserve someone like Angel?

  Did he deserve a second chance at happiness?

  ***

  Angel put Mila to bed and was happy to crawl i
nto her own bed. She snuggled down into the luxuriant softness and sighed as her bones melted into the cushion, cradling her body like a cloud. There’d been a time when she’d taken such luxuries for granted, before her parents had died. Then Ashley had done her best to keep things normal but times had been hard and money always tight but that was nothing compared to living on the streets.

  She never wanted to go back to that. Ever.

  Pyro had made it possible for her to start over.

  If only she didn’t miss him so bad she ached all over. She missed his comforting warmth beside her, the way he tucked her into his side as if he would protect her from her nightmares, and most definitely the way he took her breath away when he took total mastery over her body. A sigh slipped from her lips and she closed her eyes, willing herself to stop pining for a man who hadn’t chosen to follow.

  “You should always use the door chain.”

  Angel’s eyes popped open with a start to find Pyro leaning against the door frame, looking as if he’d just spent the last few weeks tearing up the town and operating on too little sleep. She held her breath, not quite sure why he was there but dared to hope it was for her. He pushed off the frame and walked inside, hands shoved in his pockets as if he didn’t trust himself.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I don’t know,” he answered honestly, surprising her when he went to his knees at her bedside, his gaze almost helpless. “I shouldn’t be here. I told myself I wouldn’t bother you. I wouldn’t contaminate your life when I’d worked so hard to make sure you got your clean start…but here I am. I couldn’t stop myself. So many days, weeks, not enough sleep, too much whiskey…I’m sick of it. I’m ready for something else.”

  He was talking in circles but the pain in his eyes was real. Her heart jumped a beat and she pulled him to the bed where he collapsed beside her, his eyes fluttering shut with as much relief as she’d ever seen and she smoothed the hair away from his forehead. “I’m ready, too,” she whispered, daring to believe they could have a future together. His eyes opened and the moisture glittered, betraying him. The big bad biker was really softy at heart. She laughed through her tears and bent to kiss him. “Please come home.”