Arson & Ache: A MFM Firefighter Romance (Surrender to Them Book 8)

by Kelli Callahan

  “I’ve barely got started, but it’s definitely better than getting yelled at all day. It is pretty nice to have a boss that takes the brunt of the wrath.” I smiled and chuckled.

  “I don’t think you ever got the worst of Ms. Stone’s wrath. She seemed to like you a lot from the very beginning.” Hannah’s lips turned to a grin. “That’s why you got the big promotion.”

  “She’d probably promote you too if you wanted to do more than answer the phones all day.” I shrugged and motioned towards her desk when the ringing started again.

  “I’m happy doing this.” She turned towards the phone and picked it up.

  I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone while Hannah tended to another one of Ms. Stone’s clients. Based on what I could overhear, they were less than pleased that Ms. Stone was out of the office. I started looking at the news and saw there was an article on Fireball—but it had a strange headline. It had to be an old one because it said that Fireball was back. Those days were over. I clicked on the headline and then my jaw fell open. It was a new letter from Fireball, and the story said that the police arrested the wrong man. My thoughts immediately went to Kincaid and Donovan. I waved goodbye to Hannah and walked towards the elevators. I didn’t want to create a panic at work, considering that the man who owned the company was one of Fireball’s targets, but I needed to talk to Kincaid or Donovan.

  This can’t be real. Oh my god, they have to be losing their minds right now.

  Kincaid

  “Hello beautiful.” I forced a happy tone, even though there was none inside me when I saw Marissa’s number on the front of my phone.

  “Kincaid, I just saw the news article. What is going on?” Marissa’s voice was stricken with panic.

  “The article covered most of it.” I exhaled sharply. “The police arrested the wrong guy and Fireball responded. I’m trying to find something that can help at this point, but there’s just—nothing.”

  I hate to have to admit to that to myself, much less her.

  “Are you okay? Do you need me to bring you some lunch or anything?” I heard her voice get a little more frantic.

  “No, we had something delivered. But you may want to call Donovan. Something happened with his father. He’s in surgery—or he might be out now. Donovan was supposed to call, but I haven’t heard from him.” I turned my wrist to look at my watch.

  Yeah, he should be out by now. I should check in myself.

  “Holy crap. Okay, yeah. I’ll give him a call. Please let me know if you need anything.” Marissa sighed, and I heard her swallow so hard it was audible over the phone. “And please be careful.”

  “I won’t be rushing into any fires today, so I’ll be fine. If I figure out who this asshole is, I’ll let the police arrest him.” I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me.

  At this point, I don’t even care who arrests him. I just don’t want him to get a chance to hurt anyone else.

  I spent all morning digging through the database Detective Lewis provided me, and I had a few suspects picked out, but there was no way to interview them all—not before Fireball intended to do what he promised. What if I did land on the right one? The police wouldn’t be able to hold him. All I would do is tip him off that we were investigating him—that might heighten his desperation. No judge was going to sign off on an arrest warrant after the police slapped the cuffs on the wrong suspect the first time around. We would need evidence, and possibly a confession. Letting Fireball show his face might be the only way we were able to figure out who he was. The problem was that it might be too late by then. I stared at my computer screen and started to feel like a zombie. It seemed like every few clicks added another suspect to my list. If I hadn’t even finished building the list, then I was definitely not going to figure out Fireball’s identity before he did whatever he had planned.

  “Any progress?” Chief Vance walked up to my desk—and he had visited me so many times at that point I had lost count.

  “No.” I shook my head back and forth.

  “Detective Lewis said he’s got every available officer on the case too, but they’re coming up empty.” Chief Vance sighed. “The mayor is threatening to have the lieutenant replaced and demote Detective Lewis.”

  “Holy shit.” I blinked in surprise. “I figured he would be pissed off, but that’s taking things to the extreme.”

  “He’ll be up for reelection soon. Being able to say he caught Fireball was a feather in his cap. Now he’s just got a bunch of fucking mud on his face.” Chief Vance shrugged. “I don’t really give a fuck about politics, but eventually that pressure will be coming back our way.”

  “If it doesn’t come back our way in a few hours, then there won’t be any pressure to worry about.” I slammed my hand on my desk. “Fuck, I just want to arrest every one of the guys on the list I’m making—if they’re all locked up, then there’s a chance we’ll avoid this shit storm entirely.”

  “The justice system doesn’t work that way.” Chief Vance leaned over to look at my screen. “Damn, that’s a lot of suspects.”

  “I’ve already vetted a few of them, but there are some that are promising. I wish I would have had this database six months ago when we would have had plenty of time to investigate these guys.” I leaned back in my chair and sighed.

  I felt like everything was hopeless. The hours ticked by. There was no way that I was going to be able to do anything. Detective Lewis called a few times and I could tell by his tone that he was feeling as helpless as I was. I sent him my list of suspects and he had officers check on a few of them without approaching the suspects. That eliminated a few people when we found them hard at work and living normal lives, but it took time. Time was too precious for us to do that with everyone on my list, and Detective Lewis had suspects of his own. The problem was that none of them were a perfect fit. They might have been screwed over by someone else’s greed or fired from a top investment firm, but that wasn’t enough proof to get them in a set of handcuffs, much less prove they were Fireball.

  “What the hell is going on? The emergency signal is jammed.” I heard Charles, one of our dispatchers, from across the station.

  “What do you mean it’s jammed?” I stood up and noticed some of the other firefighters gathering around a television screen. “What the fuck is going on.”

  “It has to be Fireball!” Charles looked at me with panic in his eyes. “The emergency signals are down and all of the television stations in New York just went off air.”

  “What the fuck!?” I ran to the television screen, which was showing static, but then a garbled voice came through the speakers.

  Hello New York.

  Donovan

  My father’s surgery was a success, but he was going to be in ICU for a couple of days just for observation. They wanted him close to medical personnel in case something went wrong. It was minimally invasive, but due to the nature of the procedure, he would still need four to eight weeks of recovery before he would be able to do much more than rest in his recliner. Abby and I weren’t able to go back and see him, but the doctor said he would try to get us back there the following day because it was getting late. I called Marissa to let her know since she had called me on her lunch break and gave Kincaid an update as well. I was upset to learn that the Fireball case was still as cold as it was when I talked to him that morning. I could hear the frustration in his voice and I wished I could be there for him.

  “Something is going on with the television.” Abby pointed at the screen, and a second later, I heard a voice that sounded like it was being masked by some sort of device.

  Hello New York

  “Holy shit.” I walked close to the screen, which had captured the attention of everyone in the waiting room. “That’s—that’s gotta be Fireball.”

  “I guess we’re about to see his face…” Abby looked at me with concern on her face.

  “Yeah.” I nodded quickly.

  The static on the screen began to fade. I saw a
room that had several shelves stacked with kerosene, gas, fertilizer, and a lot of other items that could have been used to start a fire or make a bomb. The static still jumped across the screen several times, but the picture was mostly clear. I wasn’t sure if we were seeing some sort of place that Fireball intended to burn down, or if we were going to see the man himself. I got the answer to my question a few seconds later when a figure walked in front of the camera. They were wearing a thick padded red jacket, loose fitting brown pants, and gloves. The camera only went as high as their neck, so I couldn’t see anything else except for enough skin to tell that Fireball was Caucasian. The camera moved, and I saw the figure sinking down. It was really going to happen. We were going to see the face of the man who had caused all the carnage.

  Are you ready to see my face?

  “Yes asshole, we are.” I grunted under my breath and continued to watch.

  The camera shifted up and instead of a face, I saw a mask. It looked like the kind of mask that a professional wrestler would wear with padding around the circumference of the face. It was mostly red with hints of orange, and flames twisting up past the top of the mask. The eyes were covered in a layer of green that had money signs where the eyeballs would have been. Fireball really did think he was some sort of comic book villain. His mask looked like something someone would have designed for a television show. I heard a low, garbled chuckle and then he started to shift the camera until it was directly pointed at his face. My jaw tightened with anger. He was still playing his fucking game. He wasn’t going to reveal his face or disappear. He just wanted to make a fool out of everyone who arrested Johnny West.

  This is the best you’re going to get. Why? Because my mission isn’t done yet. I haven’t even begun to revel in the despair of those who satisfy their greed at the expense of others. They know who they are. They tremble in their ivory towers when they should be running—because those ivory towers are coming down. One by one they will fall. The greed will become ash. The monuments themselves will remain, but how will they survive when I cauterize their hearts? Tonight, you get to witness it live. A sacrifice in the form of an effigy. I bet she’ll look good dancing in the flames.

  “Oh fuck.” I watched as the camera shifted and turned in a circle to reveal a woman tied to a chair.

  “He’s going to kill someone on live television?” Abby looked at me and grabbed my arm. “I can’t watch this.”

  “Nobody should have to watch this—oh my god. That’s Veronica Stone!” I stared in disbelief as the light was adjusted in the room to reveal the face of Marissa’s boss.

  “You know her?” Abby tugged on my arm. “Who is she?”

  “She’s the CEO of Livingston Capital…” My words trailed off as the horrifying realization set in—Fireball was going to burn her alive for the entire world to see.

  Veronica Stone. Do you know her face? If you don’t, then count yourself lucky. She’s the epitome of evil and greed. She destroys lives and leaves ruination behind. She pillages the souls of the unfortunate few who are forced to surrender to her wrath. Tonight, she will be cleansed of her sins. She will taste the fire of purity while feeling the same pain she inflicts on others. Are you ready to watch the sacrifice? This is what you’ve been waiting for. This is her moment to—shine.

  The camera spun around again, and we were staring at Fireballs masked face, but something caught my eye. An outline of something on the shelf behind Fireball that was only visible for an instant when the camera was being turned. It was buried in my memories, but it didn’t immediately come to the surface. Then it hit me. It was a purse—a tattered green purse. The exact same purse I saw my sister holding when she was freaking out the last time I saw her. It couldn’t be—it had to be a coincidence. My heart sank into my stomach and I pulled away from Abby. I didn’t have time to tell her why—I had to make a phone call. I rushed out of the emergency room and dialed Kincaid’s number. I paced as I listened to the phone ring and was shaking so bad when he finally picked up that I struggled to speak.

  “Kincaid! Hey, I need you to do something for me, and you can’t ask any fucking questions.” I spat the words into the phone and started running towards my car.

  “What’s going on?” His voice sound almost as disturbed as mine, but there was no comparison to the despair churning inside me.

  “I need you to trace my sister’s phone. I’m going to send you the number.” I hopped into my car and cranked up the ignition. “Don’t ask—please. Just do it!”

  I slammed the phone down and cranked up my car. My head was spinning. My heart was beating in my chest to the point that I thought I was going to end up in the hospital next to my father. My sister—my little sister was Fireball? How as that even possible? I hoped I was wrong. I had to be wrong. There was no way my little sister could be responsible for those atrocities. She wasn’t ruthless enough to kill someone, much less burn someone alive in front of a camera while the whole world watched. That was pure evil—that was hate. But my sister did have hate inside her. She hated Veronica Stone more than anyone else in the world. I remembered the dark days that proceeded her exit from Livingston Capital. Was she completely out of her mind and seeking revenge? My thoughts spun as my phone lit up with Kincaid’s number.

  “Hello?” I pulled the phone to my ear.

  “Hey, I have it. I’m sending you the address.” He sighed angrily. “Are you watching this Fireball shit?”

  “I had to leave. What is—he doing?” I switched my phone into speaker mode and stared at the address.

  “He’s just going off about greed and shit. I think he’s going to do it though. Fuck man, he’s going to set Marissa’s boss on fire and there’s nothing we can do! The police tried to trace the signal, but it’s bouncing off of towers in five different countries. It would take a week to find it.” I heard Kincaid exhale sharply.

  “Come to the address. Just trust me.” I slammed the phone down and hit the button for the GPS.

  Okay, she’s nearby. It’ll take Kincaid a while to get here, but I’m not far away. Thank god. Don’t do anything stupid until I get there, Janine. Please fucking god let me get you the help you need before you murder someone on live television.

  Marissa

  “Oh my god!” I stared at my phone in shock as I watched Fireball’s broadcast.

  Ms. Stone doesn’t deserve this! What the hell is wrong with this asshole?

  I was on my way home after working late on my first day actually managing my own account when Fireball’s broadcast started. I had to pull over to the side of the road to watch, but as soon as I saw Ms. Stone’s face, I hit the gas and started driving towards the fire station. Kincaid might not be able to do anything, but I just needed to know the reality of the situation—whether it was good or bad. My stomach was a pit of despair. My heart was beating in my ears. I almost had to pull the car over and throw up at one point. I thought about all the times Ms. Stone yelled at me.

  Yes, she was a tough boss, but that didn’t mean she deserved to die. She clawed her was to the top of an empire at a time when women weren’t often given the chance to do so. Her ruthlessness was a product of the environment she was forced to navigate in order to become the CEO of Livingston Capital. She might have been feared, but she was well respected. I couldn’t imagine a version of Livingston Capital that didn’t have Ms. Stone sitting on the top floor. The company became the top investment firm in New York City because she never stopped believing it could be.

  This feels like a nightmare.

  I walked into the fire department and the place was in absolute chaos. Some of the firefighters were gathered around the television screen, but others were gearing up for action. I hoped that meant there was a chance they could locate Ms. Stone and save her. Fireball was still talking, which I thought was a good sign, but I didn’t care what he had to say. I just wanted to know if there was a chance that my boss could be saved. I saw Kincaid at his desk and he looked like the weight of the world was on him. The fi
refighters didn’t even seem to notice that someone was there that didn’t belong, so I just walked through the chaos to get to Kincaid. He was on the phone when I got to his desk, but he motioned for me to come closer. It was a quick conversation and as soon as he was done, he immediately turned to his computer screen.

  “Give me a minute. I need to do something for Donovan.” Kincaid pulled up some sort of program on his computer and started typing in a phone number.

  “No problem.” I nodded quickly.

  “Okay, this will take a second to run. Come here.” Kincaid walked towards me and we embraced.

  “Is she going to be okay? Please tell me that you’re going to be able to save her.” I felt my emotions spinning out of control and I almost broke down in tears.

  “I don’t know. I wish I had a better answer.” He exhaled sharply and squeezed me tighter. “The police are the only ones that are going to be able to trace that signal, and they’re not having any luck”

  “Was that Donovan on the phone?” I looked into Kincaid’s eyes when I pulled back from our embrace.

  There’s so much turmoil in them—just as much I’m feeling.

  “Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on, but he asked me to do something for him.” Kincaid turned towards the computer screen. “Hold on, I need to call him back.”

  Kincaid called Donovan and I listened to the conversation. I had spoken to Donovan earlier in the day before Fireball’s broadcast started. His father was doing better, but he was going to be in the hospital for a couple of days. I wished I could be there for him. Everything felt like it was falling apart around me. The conversation between Kincaid and Donovan had something to do with the phone number and address that popped up on Kincaid’s screen. I had no idea if it had something to do with Fireball, but as soon as the conversation was over, Kincaid wrote down the address and grabbed his jacket off the wall.