by Cari Quinn
She whirled around to take in everything. The wide bank of walls were covered in every print I could find that included a set of drums. Famous drummers both illustrated and in photo form, old posters, kitchy drawings, floor to ceiling panels in various artistic styles—I had them all.
My penthouse was broken out into two levels but pretty much the whole thing was open concept. I didn’t like being hemmed in.
But as with most everyone who came into my space—and that wasn’t many people—she went right for the huge open doors that led to my patio.
“Holy shitballs.”
I tucked my hands under my arms and followed her out. It was early enough that the sun was still breaking over the buildings. The heat index wasn’t at max summer strength yet so it was still tolerable to be out here in something other than trunks.
She trailed her fingers over one of the two hanging basket swing chairs tucked under the only available shade. Instead of sitting, she went right for the pool. She crouched by it and dipped her hand into the still water. The infinity edge of the pool made it look like there was a drop off into the city below.
“This is crazy.” She glanced back over her shoulder, a few stray curls blowing in the slight breeze.
“Selling point.”
“And you just hang at my house like…”
“What? I love your house.” Her brownstone was exactly like her. Cozy and a little bohemian with all her pillows and tapestries draped over every surface.
“After this?” She waved her hand to indicate the huge patio.
“I’m just a regular guy. The same one you’ve been hanging out with for the better part of two years, Teag.”
“Regular guys don’t have places like this.”
“Babe, after a few more years in the band, so will you.”
“No. Never.”
She furrowed her brow as her gaze wandered over to the glass and steel box at the edge of the pool. I grabbed the iPad that controlled most of my smart home and tapped the app. The gas fire bloomed to life.
Surprise and a little humor eased the lines on her forehead before she shook her head and stood. “Yeah, this will never be my life.”
I sighed and turned it off. “Tell me what happened today.”
The unguarded surprise in her eyes quickly vanished. She folded her arms, hugging her light jacket closer to her as if she had a chill. “It was a mistake.”
I moved to her and tugged her arms apart. I curled my hands around her ice-cold fingers and drew her back to the L-shaped couch. “Okay.”
She perched at the edge of the dark green cushion. “I just wanted a little time with my piano.”
I frowned. “We’re home. Don’t you have one at your place?”
She shrugged. “I’ve got a lot of my stuff in storage right now. I was—”
Her phone blared from my pants again. “Ignore it.”
“Lila is going to kill me. She must be calling from a different number to get me to answer.”
The phone stopped. “Go on.”
She hissed out a breath. “I couldn’t sleep so I wanted to check out the place.” She stared down at her twisted fingers. “I’ve done it before.”
“By yourself?” I stood and raked my fingers through my hair. We weren’t supposed to do anything alone these days. And yes, I was going out for a run—alone—but I actually had training and could handle myself. Teagan was barely a buck twenty. “Are you nuts?”
“Obviously.” She dug her thumb into the palm of her hand.
I crouched in front of her. “Don’t be an ass.”
Her eyes flashed. “Oh, now I’m nuts and an ass?”
“Yeah, a bit. You’re supposed to be home where it’s safe.”
“So, I’m in a cage on the road and while I’m home?”
“Why didn’t you call me? I would have come with you.”
She popped up from the couch and stepped around me, leaving her fresh peachy scent in her wake. “I can’t call you for every little thing.”
Yes, you can.
It was on the tip of my tongue to say it. Because I wanted her to lean on me. I liked when she was around me. Too much.
I tipped my head back and counted to five before I went after her. She was leaning on the railing along the edge of my patio.
“You can be pissed all you want at me, but it doesn’t explain why you came rushing in here wanting to talk to me.”
Her shoulders scrunched up. “I told you I messed up.”
“Yeah, but how?”
“I broke the glass.”
“What?”
She turned around. “I didn’t mean to. I was scared and…” She trailed off and looked down at her boots. “I was alone and thought I heard a noise. I panicked, okay?”
The nape of my neck prickled.
She wasn’t telling me something. Before I could ask again, her phone blared from my pocket. I growled and took it out.
It wasn’t Lila’s name on the readout. “Who’s Justine?”
“Justine?”
I held out the phone and she snatched it out of my hand.
“That’s my neighbor.” She swiped her thumb over the screen. “Hello?” Her face instantly lost all its color. “What? Wait…what?”
I moved in closer and grabbed her flailing hand. “Teag?”
“Fire?” Her huge eyes shimmered with tears. “My house is on fire.”
Three
I took the phone then hauled her against me. “Hello? This is Cooper, a friend of Teagan’s.”
“Oh, I’m so glad she’s with someone. The fire department is here and I was so afraid she was inside.”
“She’s fine. What’s the status of her house?”
“Status?” The woman’s voice faltered. “They won’t let me see anything. They’ve pushed us back. There are two trucks here though. There seems to be a lot of smoke, but I can’t see flames anymore.”
Teagan trembled in my arms. I tucked my chin on the top of her head. “Okay, we’re heading over now.” I slipped her phone in my pocket again then drew her back. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head. “Can we just go?”
“Of course.” I laced our fingers together and drew her off the patio back inside and through my living room. I called down to the front to have my car brought around then grabbed my wallet and keys from the sideboard. I swiped my fob over the panel, glad that I didn’t have to wait long for the elevator.
I ushered her inside. Instead of twisting her fingers free, she covered our joined hands with her other one. The tremors made me hold on tighter. “It’s going to be okay. The firemen are there already.”
She shook her head mutely. She didn’t start sobbing. It was way worse. Big soul-killing tears dripped down her face.
I couldn’t stand seeing her cry.
I pulled her into my arms and she linked her hands around my back. “I can’t lose my house.”
“Those brownstones are built to last. Let’s just go see what’s what, okay?”
She laid her cheek against my chest. “You’re right.”
It seemed like an eternity later when the doors opened. I took her hand again and we crossed the lobby. Terry was waiting out front, my gunmetal Charger running at the curb.
“Everything all right, sir?”
“I hope so. Thanks, Terry.”
The older man stepped back with a curt nod.
I opened the door for Teagan and she quickly got inside. I gave Terry a stiff smile before I climbed in, never more glad that we had a private garage than right this moment.
I gunned it down Columbus and took every side street I knew to get through midtown. Luckily, it was somewhat slow for traffic in the city. Not that there was any time where things were actually at rest in Manhattan. But getting to Brooklyn swiftly at this time of day was going to take every bit of maneuvering ability I had.
I passed cabbies, cut off cars, and probably had a string of curses following me out of town. Teagan was furiously scrolli
ng on her phone.
I punched it under an overpass and nearly sideswiped a Beemer as I cut across three lanes to get to the turnoff for the FDR. I just had to pray that there wasn’t construction for days.
I thumbed my in-dash hookup to my phone. “Call Lila work.”
Teagan’s head whipped toward me.
“Babe, we gotta call her.”
She nodded silently.
“Mr. Dallas, I’m a little busy.”
“Yeah, well, it’s only going to get worse.”
The line went silent for a moment. “Have you heard from Ms. Daly?”
“That’s an affirmative. She’s right next to me.”
“I need to speak to her. Now.”
“You’ll have time to interrogate her later.”
“That is not my intention.” I could practically see Teagan’s spine stiffening.
“I know about the club, Lila. And Teagan has plenty to tell you about that, but we have a bigger problem.”
“What could be bigger—never mind. Nothing would surprise me at this point.”
“Yeah, well, hold your ass.”
“Mr. Dal—”
My mom would box my ears, but I talked over her anyway. “We’re heading to Teagan’s place in Brooklyn. It’s on fire.”
Silence. “Excuse me?” Lila’s voice lashed out.
“Yeah. I don’t know much more than that. One of her neighbors called, and we’re headed there. Maybe you want to send someone to meet us?”
“Is Teagan with you?”
“Yes,” Teagan answered without inflection. “I can’t get more details right now. My neighbor isn’t answering me.”
Lila’s tone gentled. “We’ll help any way we can, Teagan.”
My eyebrow spiked. Lila didn’t let out her softer side too often. I stepped on the gas and weaved in and out of the crush of traffic.
Teagan grabbed the edge of the window then reached up for the oh shit handle and shot me a look. Instead of fear, there was a grateful smile. She dropped her phone into her lap and reached across to touch my hand on the shifter.
I downshifted and the V8 engine roared and shot us forward again.
When neither of us said anything, Lila spoke again. “I’ll contact our security unit and see who we can get out there.”
“Thanks.” I hit the end button and caught Teagan’s hand before she could pull away. “It’s going to be all right.”
She nodded and kept her hand under mine until I had to shift again.
It normally took me nearly an hour to get to Teagan’s place, but I shaved a good ten minutes off of that. Her street was blocked off by a couple of fire trucks and squad cars. I found a spot around the corner and parked. Before I could come around and open the door for her, she was already sprinting for her building.
I didn’t hear the telltale hiss of water, and it was strangely silent save for a few stern voices. My longer stride allowed me to catch up to her, but she was smaller and quicker than I was expecting. She darted around cars and people.
“Teagan,” I called after her.
She ignored me and ducked under the yellow tape they’d used to keep the nosy neighbors away.
“Shit.” I followed her and grabbed her by the collar of her jacket before she could get to the sidewalk. “Would you wait?”
“I need to see.” The tears were back.
I had to ignore them for now. Someone had to think about her safety because she sure wasn’t.
Two men shouted for us to get back.
“This is my house.” She started forward again.
I hooked an arm around her waist and hauled her up against me. “Teagan, it’s not safe to go in there.”
“I need to see.”
A man wearing half of the usual gear waved off the two younger firefighters. “I’ll take it from here.” His face was sweaty with dirt dug into the smile lines around his eyes and mouth. “Ma’am, we’re checking for structural integrity. I need you to move back.”
“What happened?”
“We won’t know exactly until the arson unit takes a look.”
“Arson?” She sagged against me.
I curled my arm around her more securely. “Unattended fires always require an investigation.” Attended fires too usually, but I wasn’t getting into that now.
The man nodded and tipped his head. “And you are?”
“Dallas. Former Ranger.” The man’s eyebrows rose. “A few of my old unit buddies ended up joining up with the Boston FD.”
“I’m McCain.” He turned his attention to Teagan. “Well, ma’am, your friend is right. Once we find the reason for the fire, we’ll be able to give you more details. We have the fire out, but there’s a fair amount of smoke and water damage. The fire was centralized in the front. Kitchen, living room, and some of the hallway.”
She buried her face in my shirt, her fingers bunching it as she gripped me tight. She still wasn’t making any sounds. Just shuddering silently.
“Anything salvageable?”
“Hope she has good insurance.”
Teagan’s nails dug into my chest.
“Dallas.”
I turned at the clipped male voice I knew all too well. “Great.”
Teagan looked up at me, her lashes starred with tears.
“Chuckles is here.”
“His name is not Chuckles.” She took a step back from me, dashing away the tears.
I grunted.
All at once, Teagan seemed to pull herself together. I wanted to believe it was because she wasn’t close to Noah. That she could let down her guard with me in a different way than she would in front of outsiders.
But another part of me wondered if there was more.
Noah cut his way through the small crowd gathered across the street. She headed for him and he caught her into a quick hug. My hands tightened into fists.
McCain cleared his throat. “We should be out of here in the next hour or so. She won’t be able to go in until tomorrow at the earliest.”
I nodded. “Thanks, man.”
I couldn’t hear what Teagan was saying but she gestured across the street where the neighbor must be. Noah made his way over to me.
“I can’t leave you guys alone for a week.”
It had actually been a little longer than that, but I wasn’t going to correct him. “You know this isn’t her fault.”
Noah’s expression was steady and flat.
“She wasn’t even home. She was over at the club then she was with me.”
“Convenient.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Noah dipped his hands into his black cargo pants pockets. “It means she’s got some explaining to do. I just finished cleaning up the mess at Purgatory. More cops and firefighters. Great way to start the morning.”
“She didn’t do anything. She got scared at the club.”
Noah stared me down. “What the hell was she doing there?”
I faltered. I couldn’t exactly explain it. I still didn’t really understand what had happened myself. “She wanted some solo piano time.”
“At oh-dark-thirty?”
“We’re all a little messed up, Jordan. If she needed some time to bang on her piano to straighten herself out, then that’s what she did.”
“It’s not like we’re on the road. She’s home. She could play at home like the rest of your bandmates.”
I lifted my chin. “Maybe she wanted a feel for the place before tonight. These charity gigs don’t give us much time for rehearsal before we’re passed around like party favors for pictures and signatures.”
“You’re breaking my heart, Dallas.”
“Fuck you.” I cracked my knuckles. “You just fucking hugged her like you’re old pals.” Or more, but I wasn’t going there. “Now you’re accusing her?”
“I’m asking questions. Just doing my job,” he said, his voice low and hard.
Point taken.
“What’s going on?” Teagan
came up between us.
“Nothing.” I tightened my jaw. “Noah was just asking about your place. I’m sure he’s got work to do to figure out the security here.”
Noah folded his arms and glanced between Teagan and me. “Right.” His jaw was just as clenched as mine. “Make sure the two of you are at the club on time.”
“Of course we will.” Teagan’s voice was tight.
Noah gave her a curt nod, turned on his heel, and headed for McCain.
Teagan frowned up at me. “He’s really mad at me, huh?”
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into me. “No one’s mad at you. They’re just worried.”
She shook her head. “No, they’re mad. I messed everything up and now this.”
“McCain said that you can’t go in until tomorrow at the earliest. Why don’t you come back to my place for now? We’ve got a few hours. Maybe take a nap.”
“I don’t want to put you out.”
“You’re not.”
She pulled away and rubbed her temple. “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know if I can sleep.”
Considering the bruises from exhaustion under her eyes, I had a feeling she’d pass out in the car before we even got back into the city. Adrenaline was a tricky thing. You were wired one minute and crashing the next.
“Did you talk to Justine?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I couldn’t tell her much, of course. She said she called 911 when she saw smoke coming from my kitchen window. I usually leave it cracked open for some air when I’m cooking.”
“You cook?”
She gave me a half smile. “Shut up.”
I kissed her forehead. “Well, I’m glad she was paying attention. It sounds like it could have been far worse.”
“If I forget to say thanks…”
“There’s no need.” I urged her across the street toward where I parked.
“You’re a really good friend.”
My chest ached in ways I tried to ignore. I pulled out my keys to unlock the car as we got closer. “Always.”
I opened the door for her and she slipped inside, flashing me a weak smile. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”
“You’ll never have to find out.” I closed the door and blew out a breath as I went around the back of the car.
