She elbowed him in the ribs. “C’mon. Be truthful. You don’t even think of weddings. Most guys don’t, and I’m betting you’re career military. Aren’t you?”
He shrugged, avoiding her eyes. She was right. He’d never thought of weddings, a marriage. His work and his ethics consumed him. He’d always believed he couldn’t give a hundred percent to both a relationship and a military job. Anything less wasn’t acceptable. So he’d shelved the idea of having a personal life beyond casual dates.
Now he wasn’t so sure. As he grew older, he sometimes wondered what it would be like to go home to someone with whom he could share his thoughts. Hear about her day. Maybe start a family. Was it because most of his buddies had paired off, started families, leaving him alone, and lonely, more often? Or maybe he was getting tired of his only companions being a laptop and a cell phone.
He shoved that self-eval aside, instead answering her question. “I never have time to meet anyone. It’s one case right after another. Are you volunteering? Because I could move a few things around on my calendar.”
He’d surprised a laugh out of her. He enjoyed the tinkling sound of it. She took her life as seriously as he did, so when she laughed, it made the carefree sound even more attractive. And then she stopped laughing. Her lips lost their upward curve as she stared into his face. His grin disappeared. He found himself looking at her mouth.
Her tongue came out, swiped her lips, leaving them glistening, kissable. Suddenly parched, he licked his own lips. Her mouth opened slightly. He stifled the groan that rose in his throat. Looking away from those tempting lips, he saw her eyes widen, then her chest rise and fall with each rapid breath.
All her little cues of attraction turned him on. Their bodies swayed toward each other. He bent his head, lifted his hand. Could already taste her lips. Strawberries? Honey? His body ached to find out. Just when he was ready to take the Holy Grail, she stumbled back, blinking rapidly like a hypnotized subject coming out of a trance. She held up a hand and waved it under his nose.
“Nice try, but I think I’ll pass.” Her voice was hoarse, and she cleared her throat. Twice. She’d been as affected as he had by the previous moment, no matter what she said now. “You and me? We’re strictly business. Your career is first, and I’m done with military men. Uniforms cloud my judgment. There’s one more fern to go, Special Agent. Why don’t you get that while I have the wedding planner sign off on all this?”
His arousal was a deflated balloon as his common sense returned. What the hell had he been thinking? He’d come to her for help, not to make out with her. At least her brain had gray cells in it. His seemed to be on hiatus.
He turned on his heel to do her bidding and put some much-needed space between them. “Don’t go outside,” he warned. She sniffed in answer to his order but whipped out her phone to text the planner, who’d moved to the adjoining reception area.
That had been a close call. Even as he reminded himself of behavior befitting a soldier, a part of his wayward brain picked up on her comment that uniforms clouded her judgment. That was one tantalizing turn of phrase. For some reason, the idea that Audrey liked a man suited up in all his regalia made his pulse spike. He wished he hadn’t worn jeans today. And then he wanted to slap his face. It was that kind of thinking that he was supposed to stay clear of.
When he reentered the church, he saw the wedding planner signing the paper on Audrey’s clipboard. Audrey’s phone rang as she shook hands with the woman. A second after she answered, her face drained of all color.
Cam left the last fern and strode to Audrey’s side, mouthing “What is it?” as she stared unseeingly at him. When she didn’t answer, he gently pulled the phone from her fingers, barking into it, “Who is this?”
…
Her shop was on fire.
Buzzing started in Audrey’s ears, intensifying like a hundred leaf blowers whirring. Elena’s words, told between huge, racking sobs, echoed in Audrey’s head. She couldn’t speak. As the phone slipped from her fingers, she put out the other hand for balance. It collided with something solid. Solid and warm.
A voice, Cam’s voice, came to her as if through a tube, distorted and distant. She felt its rumbling under her hand. “Who is this?” followed by “Are you safe?” and “We’ll be right there.”
Elena was okay. Once Audrey heard that, her mind froze on the larger issue. Her flower shop was burning. She began trembling. Her livelihood. Her dream. Her salvation, all up in flames. She’d fought her way back from the bus explosion, taken Brett’s defection on the chin. But this? This was her everything.
The shakes intensified until the floor itself seemed to shift. She was falling, falling into despair, that pit that begrudged anyone’s escape. Before she fell very far, arms wrapped around her, powerful, warm. Shielding. They held her fast. A heartbeat, strong and steady, drummed beneath her ear, promising safety.
She curled into the embrace, listened to that rhythmic thump, grasped at the solace being freely given. Just for a moment, let her be weak. Let someone else shoulder the pain of everything she’d worked for evaporating into the wind. She’d been strong for so long. She clutched the soft material covering that heartbeat, clung to it like a talisman.
Tears threatened at the back of her eyes, and she clenched them tighter. She wouldn’t cry. That didn’t solve anything, but oh God, Cam’s comforting embrace threatened her resolve. No one had held her this way in years, possibly since she was a child. She’d always relied on herself as a soldier, and as an adult. Her problems were just that: hers. She’d built herself into a strong, fearless woman, one who could accomplish anything with her brains or her fortitude. Until now. This was beyond her scope. Beyond her strength. She was losing her whole life in one twenty-four-hour cycle.
Cam stroked the top of her head several times, then planted a soft kiss there. His lips lingered, and the warmth of his body seeped into her, providing comfort that she hadn’t knowingly sought yet welcomed. She fought the urge to let go, allow him to take control of the situation. Just once she’d like to lean on someone.
He made the decision for her by pulling back enough to look at her face. She avoided eye contact, concentrated on the scar on his chin. She didn’t want to see pity or sympathy in the depths of his eyes. She couldn’t accept either.
“We need to go,” he said in a near whisper. She thought she felt his hand stroke her hair, a touch of lips to her forehead. The moment was fleeting. “Elena called the fire department, but you need to be there. I’ll be right beside you.”
She nodded, finally looking into his eyes. And almost broke down at the compassion shining in the depths of them. Not pity, not sympathy. The comfort he’d already provided, added to his kind understanding, was an irresistible combination. But resist she must. This man was here to do a job, one he’d botched the first time. She forced herself to remember that.
Instead, she surveyed her floral arrangements in the church one more time. She assured the concerned planner that everything was all right and then moved toward the van like a sleepwalker. She was aware of Cam by her side, talking into his phone to someone. Someone of rank, by all the “sirs” sprinkled throughout the conversation. She tuned him out, focused instead on what she would find, whether Elena was truly okay. Had the shop burned to the ground? Could anything be salvaged? Or would she have to start completely over again? Her stomach twisted at the thought.
“Hand me your keys.”
Cam’s voice jolted her into the present. She almost refused but decided he was right. She wasn’t in any shape to drive. Fishing out the requested items, she asked tersely, “Is Elena really all right?”
He didn’t answer until after he slid behind the van’s wheel and started the engine. With a jerk, the vehicle rolled forward. As Cam retraced the way they’d come, Audrey admired his memory with the one small part of her mind that wasn’t reeling. She wouldn’t be so good at retra
cing their steps after one drive through.
“Yes. She sounded pretty shook up, but she got out fast. The fire started at the rear of the shop, but we’ll confirm that with the fire department.”
“You know it was Brett,” she growled, fighting back tears of both anger and frustration. She should never have taken up with that man. He was crazy. Crazy and dangerous.
Cam removed his right hand from the steering wheel and covered one of hers with it, squeezing tightly. “Maybe,” was all he said. When his grip relaxed, she clung tight to his warmth, his continued security. Somehow, during the short time she’d known him, she’d come to rely on Cameron Harris. That scared her, but she wasn’t in any shape to face that realization right now.
They saw the smoke before they turned on to the street. A gaggle of people clustered on the sidewalk across from her shop. A firetruck stood angled to the curb, its red strobe rotating silently as fighters in their turnout gear buzzed from it to her shop. A couple more trucks stood at the ready at either end of the short block. Clearly, the fire personnel were taking no chances of stray sparks starting an inferno. This was Northern California, after all. It had had enough devastation by flames to last several lifetimes.
All the evidence drove the point home that what she’d been told had really happened. “Oh my God, it’s true,” she lamented. “I’d hoped it was all made up, but it’s not. What am I going to do?” The enormity of her loss overwhelmed her. She hadn’t paid off her commercial mortgage. It was insured, but how was she supposed to meet that bill if her business was lost? For that matter, how would she pay her home mortgage? Her thoughts circled faster and faster in her head, a merry-go-round that she didn’t want to be on.
“There’s Elena.”
Cam pointed out her BFF across the street, talking to a fire official. Once again, his memory impressed her. He’d only met her friend and coworker one brief time.
He parked the van haphazardly across from the flower shop. Audrey jumped from the passenger seat and beelined toward her friend. She heard Cam bark “Audrey!” in that exasperated tone he used a lot with her, but she ignored him. He was always worried about Brett possibly taking her out, but all that bastard seemed to do was work from the shadows. Damn, but he pissed her off. She welcomed the anger. It fueled her better than sorrow.
Elena looked up as she approached. The fire official excused himself, going back to the scene. Audrey could see tear tracks of mascara on her friend’s face, and then she was pulling her into her arms, making sure for herself that her friend wasn’t hurt.
“I’m so sorry, Audrey! It happened so fast. I tried to fight it, but the flames were everywhere.” Elena’s voice was muffled against her. Audrey clung tight to her friend, shushing her.
“Hush, Leni! Your safety is all that matters.” She leaned back to look at her friend’s face.
“I’m fine. I was in the front, on the computer, when I smelled something burning. It was in the back of the shop. I tried to use the fire extinguisher, but the flames started to fan out, so I got the hell out of there. The fire chief thinks it could be faulty wiring around the refrigeration unit, but they won’t know for sure for a few days.”
“That unit isn’t very old.” Audrey’s blood began to pound in her ears. This was Brett. It had to be. It wasn’t wiring, it wasn’t an old refrigeration unit. It was her screwed up ex-boyfriend.
Of course, she couldn’t tell the fire chief that. She looked at Cam, who barely shook his head at her before turning his attention to the chief. He agreed to keep their suspicions to themselves.
“What are you saying, Audrey?” Elena didn’t know about the intrusion at her house last night. Was it really only last night? It seemed like days since it had happened. Should she forewarn her friend about her suspicions that it was Brett?
“You really think it’s Brett, don’t you? Is he making good on his threat in court?” Audrey’s silence must have tipped off Elena. “That asshole.”
So much for not telling anyone.
“Ms. Jenkins?”
Both of them turned around. The fire chief approached, a man in his early fifties. His gray eyes somber, he explained the situation in calm terms. “I’m sorry ma’am. The back of your shop was consumed by the flames, but we were able to save the front. It’s not a total loss. After our investigators conclude their examination, you’ll be able to go inside.”
The next fifteen minutes went by in a blur. Audrey learned about faulty wiring, how to file a claim, what information she would need from the fire department for insurance, and the conversation droned on and on. Her ex had done a good job of making it look accidental. But she knew better.
At last the fire crew began mopping up. The chief moved to oversee the final cleanup. While Audrey had been preoccupied with him, she’d kept an eye on Cameron, who had separated from her to talk with the firefighters, scoring an invite to the back of her flower shop. She, the owner, hadn’t even been allowed yet. He’d probably flashed his CID credentials. There was definitely an unspoken bond between people in uniform. She should have announced her service record, though she usually kept that fact secret.
She seethed as she watched the CID agent’s broad shoulders disappear into the alley beside her store, following a firefighter.
“I need to follow Cam,” she said to Elena, who’d been by her side the whole time. Despite the gravity of their situation, her friend smirked.
“Hell, yeah, me too. Look at that ass. Cam, huh? Since when did you get on a first-name basis? Last I heard, you wanted to tar and feather him.”
“A lot has gone on since yesterday.”
“A ‘good’ a lot, I hope? ’Cuz your pipes needed a serious blowout, girlfriend.”
“Elena!” Audrey’s face burned from her friend’s lewd suggestion.
“I’m only stating the obvious. Women weren’t made to rely on electrical devices indefinitely, hon. When’s the last time you’ve been with a man? I can’t remember your last date.”
“Elena, I love you like a sister, but I’ve got more important things to worry about than getting laid. Like, what am I going to do without my business?”
“I understand, sweetie. But that man?” She pointed in the direction Cam had disappeared. “He’s built for endurance. Maybe after you throw Brett back behind bars, you could look that guy up. If you don’t, I might.” She licked her lips for emphasis.
“You’ll do no such thing, Leni,” Audrey hissed, dismayed at the tightness clenching in her throat. Did that mean she was jealous? No, no, no. She was done with men in uniform. They always burned her. Besides, there was no way she could match Elena’s sex appeal when it was turned on full throttle. But she didn’t want her friend going after the CID agent. And that thought worried her.
“Territorial? I like that. I can postpone my hunting season for a bit. Seeing as this calamity is going to take all our time. Oh shit. I’m out of a job, aren’t I?”
Audrey knew what her friend was doing. Trying to make her feel better was Elena’s schtick, whether by humor, sarcasm, or commiseration. It always worked. But right now she needed to find out what Cam was learning, though charging after him in her usual way would only get her detained. She’d have to adopt some subtlety if she wanted to join him in his covert investigation.
She dropped a kiss on her friend’s cheek, who gave her a surprised look. “You’ll always have a job, Leni. Thank you for watching my back. I’ve got to find out what’s really going on here.”
Before Elena could detain her longer, Audrey strode over to the fire chief, widening her eyes in what she hoped was a damsel-in-distress look. “Would it be possible for me to see where the fire started, sir? Perhaps I could take a few pictures for my insurance?” Did her plea sound genuine?
The older man’s face flushed under his tan. Maybe she was laying it on a bit thick, but she needed to catch up to Cam. See the damage firsthand.
“I can take you around the alley, ma’am, but the shop itself is off-limits—”
“Thank you, sir. That would be great.” Audrey took off, leaving the chief to hustle to catch up.
She wasn’t prepared for the apocalyptic scene she encountered as she rounded the rear of her shop. She halted on a gasp, covering her mouth with a shaking hand. The bricks and mortar were black and scorched, a modern interpretation of Dante’s Inferno. The whole back of the shop was missing, with rebar poking upward like skeletal remains of her dream. What wasn’t charred was soaking wet. All her flowers, all her plants, were reduced to soggy ashes.
Tears threatened once more, and she blinked rapidly to keep them from overflowing. The lightheartedness of a moment ago vanished. This was her life, her livelihood, literally up in smoke. She balled her shaking hands into fists, willing the tremors to leave her body. Brett was not going to consign her to a blubbering mess. She’d made that vow earlier, and damn it all to hell, she would stick to it.
She walked the perimeter, shaking her head and choking back the bile spilling into her throat, resisting the urge to kneel down and weep. All of it was gone. Her workshop was completely destroyed. She went cold, yet sweat drops dotted her face, her upper lip. A flu-like clamminess stole over her as she stared at what remained of the building.
The fire chief was wrong. She may still have the front part of her shop, but the heart, the soul, of her business, had been ripped from her.
Chapter Ten
The shadows had lengthened when the fire crew finally picked up stakes and released to Audrey what remained of her flower shop. Their investigation had been thorough and their conclusion decisive. Faulty wiring was the culprit.
Cam nosed around on his own, following the arson investigators without drawing attention to himself. While they sifted through ash and debris, he watched and studied what they unearthed, as well as what they didn’t. And he didn’t come to the same conclusion. He knew what they didn’t: this was Brett, doing what he’d promised to do. It wasn’t poor electrical, or owner negligence. The handcuffs had been his calling card. The burning of the shop was his way of getting even. Was he working with the cell that burglarized Audrey’s home, or was he finishing his own agenda? Maybe it was a little of both. Brett was clever. But would the cell like him working on his own? It remained to be seen.
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