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

by Kelli Callahan

  “I need to go.” He grabbed me for another hug. “Stay here. We don’t know what the hell Fireball has planned, but there’s a chance Ms. Stone might not be his only victim tonight. You’ll be a lot safer here than anywhere else.”

  “Where are you going?” I leaned back and stared at him.

  “I’m—I’m honestly not sure, but Donovan needs my help.” He finished sliding on his jacket and started walking towards the door.

  My attention was immediately drawn to the address on Kincaid’s computer screen, which he didn’t shut down before he left. Was that where Ms. Stone was being held? I thought back to the disappointment I heard in Kincaid’s voice when he thought the police had apprehended Fireball. Surely, he wouldn’t put his desire to be the one who caught Fireball ahead of saving Ms. Stone’s life. That didn’t seem to be the kind of man he was—at least not the one I knew. My gut said I should stay where I was so that I was safe, but all I could do was look back at the address. What if they tried to be heroes on their own and weren’t able to stop Fireball? Ms. Stone would die. I knew I could be chasing an impossibility, but I had to do something. I wrote took a picture of the address with my cell phone and started running back towards the door.

  I have no idea what I can even do, but I’d rather feel like I have a chance of intervening than sit around waiting to see if Fireball kills my boss.

  It was a stupid plan. I told myself that over and over as I drove towards the address. If Donovan had located Fireball, they wouldn’t be going after him on their own. Would they? What if their pride put them in danger as well? My stomach tied up in knots and I turned on the radio to see if I could find a broadcast. It wasn’t hard—Fireball was on every station. His voice sounded like it was being disguised by some sort of electronic device. He promised to show his face, but all he revealed was a mask. His reign of terror was far from over. Fireball intended to kill Ms. Stone, but that wouldn’t be the end of it. He was seeking revenge in his own twisted way, but that was just madness being manifested. He belonged in a mental institution instead of jail. If he killed Ms. Stone, he might not even get that luxury—they would probably put him in prison for life. I felt the emotional recoil tearing my thoughts apart.

  This address is upstate, which is close to where Donovan’s father lives. Donovan will probably get there first. I really hope he doesn’t try to confront Fireball on his own…

  The thought of losing Ms. Stone terrified me, but what if something happened to Donovan and Kincaid? Our relationship was still new, but the thought of losing them was horrifying. They had showed me things I never realized I could enjoy—opened my eyes to the first real possibility of love that I had ever felt. There was no way I could lose that. Things were going so well in my life. I wanted to believe that I deserved happiness, but that was selfish. It wasn’t about me.

  I approached the location and looked at my surroundings. I was on a long road that had turned to dirt. I could see a factory or something ahead, but I wasn’t close enough to see Kincaid. I knew Kincaid would be upset if he saw me, so I turned off my lights and tried to drive with the moon as my guide. Fireball was still rambling on the radio, which meant Ms. Stone was still alive. When I got closer, I saw Kincaid’s car. I parked nearby and turned off my car. I had no choice but to go inside. If I needed to call for help, I could. I had to at least see if they had control of the situation first.

  If Fireball is still talking, they must not have tried to do anything yet.

  Donovan

  My heart was beating so hard that I thought I was going to pass out as I approached the location of my sister’s phone. I wanted to believe it was a mistake and that there was no way my sister was Fireball. I knew she had problems, but I had no idea she had gone completely insane. The address Kincaid gave me went to an old abandoned factory. That definitely wasn’t a good sign. There was no reason for my sister to be in a place like that. I listened to Fireball on the radio, trying to hear something in the voice that would confirm or deny who was behind the mask. The electronic device that Fireball was using sounded like gravel being rubbed together. There was no way to tell for sure that my sister was behind the mask without walking into the factory. I parked my car and stepped out, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders. I couldn’t hurt my sister, but I couldn’t let her hurt anyone else.

  Janine—I really hope there’s some part of my sister still buried behind that mask.

  I knew I was breaking every protocol there was. I should have called the police. I shouldn’t have walked into the factory alone. I was just afraid to make the call and have the cops go in guns blazing. I had to try and talk my sister off the ledge. The factory was dark, and difficult to navigate without a flashlight, but I was afraid to do anything that could draw attention until I found Janine. I saw a light in the main part of the factory and slowed my steps so that I wasn’t making any noise. I peeked around the corner and saw Fireball speaking into a camera. There was a part of me that hoped I would see my sister tied up next to Ms. Stone—that she was a victim who could be saved instead of the perpetrator. All of that was shattered when I got close enough to hear Fireball’s voice—my sister’s voice. The masking device changed her voice for the people watching the broadcast, but I could hear the unfiltered insanity. I had to confront her—there was no other option.

  “It’s over Janine.” I stepped out of the shadows and started walking towards her. “You need to let Veronica Stone go and come with me.”

  “What the fuck?” She slammed her hand into the camera, turning it off, and jumped to her feet. “Donovan?”

  “Yes.” I nodded and kept walking. “Let me get you the help you need.”

  “Don’t—don’t come any closer!” She grabbed a can of gasoline and held up a Zippo lighter.

  “Janine, stop!” I paused my step and held up my hands. “You don’t know what you’re doing. This is not you.”

  “I know exactly what I’m doing.” She turned the can sideways and started dousing Veronica Stone, who screamed behind her gag. “You know what this bitch did to me!”

  “Yes, but you’re going to kill her because she was an awful boss!?” I tried to take another step, but immediately stopped when she moved the lighter towards Veronica Stone. “Think about that for a second—does that even sound logical?”

  I’m not sure appealing to logic is going to do anything at this point, but I have to try.

  “This is bigger than her!” Janine tossed the gas can on the floor and ripped off her mask. “Don’t you get it? Haven’t you been listening to anything I said? Greed destroys lives—and her greed is unforgivable!”

  “Are you even listening to the words coming out of your mouth?” I motioned to my sister, who tapped the lighter against her fingers.

  “When I started working at Livingston Capital, I was a naive girl. I believed that the world was full of good people. I quickly learned the harsh reality of greed—how awful people really could be.” A slight smile formed on Janine’s face and it was sickening. “That’s why I’m going to destroy them. I’m going to bring down the monuments and turn them to ash—and those that victimize others will burn like effigies in the night.’

  “No.” I shook my head back and forth. “I can’t let you do that. This ends tonight.”

  “Veronica Stone did teach me one thing that I never forgot.” Janine reached behind her back and pulled out a gun. “She taught me that everyone is expendable.”

  “Janine—what the fuck are you doing?” My heart started to race when she lifted the gun and aimed it at me.

  “I’ll make it quick. You’re not part of the problem, you’re just in the way.” She shrugged and started to squeeze the trigger.

  “Donovan, watch out!” It was Kincaid’s voice, but he was too late.

  The gunshot was so loud that it sounded like an explosion against my eardrums. The bullet hit me first, and then Kincaid tackled me. A second sooner and it might have ripped through him instead of me. It embedded in my stoma
ch and pain flooded through my veins. My sister shot me. Of all people—my fucking sister pointed a gun at me and pulled the damn trigger. She had truly lost her mind. There was no saving her. I crashed into the floor with Kincaid on top of me and he immediately leapt to his feet. My eyes started to glaze over as the blood started to pool beneath me on the floor. I looked up at Janine and saw her aiming the gun at Kincaid. He was too late—we were both going to die. I didn’t just sign my own death warrant, I put Kincaid’s life on the line as well.

  “Janine—don’t.” I forced my words and felt the metallic taste of blood in my mouth.

  “You just watched me shoot my own brother. Take one step towards me and you’re next.” Janine’s voice twisted into one I didn’t recognize—she sounded downright evil.

  “He needs help. Let me call an ambulance.” Kincaid held up his hands and tried to reason with her.

  That isn’t going to work. There’s no way she’s going to back down.

  “He made his choice.” Janine grunted angrily. “I may not be able to do this on live television like I planned, but this bitch is still going to burn.”

  Janine flipped the top on the lighter and ignited it. There was no way that Kincaid could get to Janine in time. She was going to burn Veronica Stone in front of us. Even if Kincaid tried, he would get shot like I did. He needed to run. Once the fire started, the factory was going to turn into an inferno. There were so many cans of combustibles near Janine that she would be lucky if the fire didn’t engulf her before she got away. She wasn’t even focused on her own safety. The insanity had a grip on my sister that couldn’t be reasoned with. My head started to spin as I watched her move the lighter towards Veronica Stone while the gun stayed leveled on Kincaid. Suddenly, there was a flash in the corner of my vision—we weren’t alone. Someone else was in the factory with us. My vision was blurring, but I would recognize that beautiful face anywhere—except it was the last place she needed to be.

  “Marissa?” I felt my eyes completely losing focus.

  Oh god—no!

  Marissa

  I made me way through the warehouse and picked up my pace when I heard an argument. Then a gunshot nearly made my heart drop into my stomach. I feared the worst when I got to the main room, and the worst was exactly what I saw. Donovan was on the floor and he was bleeding. Kincaid was staring down Fireball? Fireball was a woman? I didn’t even have time to process that because the danger was making every hair on my body stand up. Seeing Ms. Stone tied to a chair in front of me was a lot more vivid than seeing her on television. It was very clear that Fireball was going to set her on fire. She walked towards my boss with a lighter, holding a gun on Kincaid. There was no way Kincaid could do anything—but I could. I could get to her before she saw me. Her attention was focused entirely on Kincaid.

  This is either going to be bravest thing I’ve ever done, or the stupidest.

  I rushed towards Fireball with a clear focus in mind—I need to hit her hard enough to make her turn the gun away from Kincaid and stop her from tossing the lighter at Ms. Stone. I had never been in a fight. I wasn’t the kind of girl that charged into danger. Something woke that bravery inside me—I had to do something. Donovan needed medical attention. He wasn’t going to get that if Kincaid got shot. My bravery might cost me everything, but it was the only option in front of me. I caught Fireball off guard. She didn’t see me coming until I was almost on top of her. I wasn’t thinking about my own safety, or what would happen when I collided with her. I just accelerated as I ran and hit her with everything I had. The gun crashed onto the floor and skidded out of sight. The lighter went into the air. Fireball went down, but I hit her harder than I expected. She flew into the shelf and her skull cracked against one of the steel bars. I had so much momentum that I couldn’t stop myself and landed on my knees.

  “Oh shit!” I looked at Fireball’s limp body, and a second later I saw a flash as the lighter landed in the gasoline and fire shot up in front of me.

  “Marissa, oh my god.” Kincaid ran up and grabbed my arm.

  “I’m okay!” I held onto him as he helped me get to my feet, and then pointed over at Donovan. “Get him out of here! I’ll get Ms. Stone.”

  I ran to my boss and ripped the gag out of her mouth before I started working on the ropes that were wrapped around her wrists. She started screaming obscenities, but they were music to my ears. I never thought I would hear her angry words again. As soon as she was untied, she stood up from the chair and couldn’t resist kicking Fireball one good time before we started heading towards the exit. The fire was spreading fast, and we were in immediate danger. I ran over to help Kincaid with Donovan and Ms. Stone followed behind us. Donovan was too weak to stand on his own feet, and I wasn’t much help, so Kincaid just picked him up and carried him. That slowed Kincaid down a little bit, but once we were out of the main part of the factory where the fire was, we were able to move a little slower. We got to the exit and I practically drank in the night air. I wasn’t sure I would see it again when I ran towards Fireball. Kincaid put Donovan on the hood of his car and immediately started calling for help.

  “Wait…” Donovan opened his eyes and grabbed my arm. “Please don’t leave my sister in there.”

  “Your—sister?” I blinked in surprise. “Oh my god. Fireball is your sister!?”

  “She…needs help.” Donovan’s words were weak, and I saw blood on his lips.

  “I’ll get her.” Kincaid stuffed his phone into his pocket and ran back towards the factory.

  Things suddenly made more sense than they had all night. That was why Donovan was so secretive—it must have been how he found Fireball to begin with. But she was his sister? That news didn’t even register as reality. It took me a minute to fully process it, and by the time I did, Kincaid was back inside the factory. Ms. Stone didn’t react. She looked like a soldier that had just survived a war and hadn’t been able to fully come to terms with everything she endured. It had to be scary for her. She thought she was going to be burned alive. Things began to drop into place in my head. Donovan mentioned that his sister used to work for Ms. Stone. He said that things ended badly—that she went through hell. Ms. Stone wasn’t just one of Fireball’s victims, she was the one who created the monster in the first place. It didn’t make it right, but I could easily see how someone could snap after being exposed to her brand of cruelty.

  “Please hurry up.” I swallowed hard as I waited for Kincaid to return—panic swept through my veins when I heard an explosion inside the factory. “Oh no!”

  “He should have let that bitch burn.” Ms. Stone’s jaw tightened, but her eyes were still void of emotion.

  I heard sirens in the distance and turned back to Donovan. He was weak and had lost a lot of blood, but he was still breathing. He was in rough shape, but I was more worried about Kincaid at the moment. I understood why Donovan didn’t want his sister to die, but Kincaid was taking a huge risk going back into the factory. The fire didn’t start near the gasoline and combustibles once the lighter was knocked out of Fireball’s hand, but it was still spreading fast. Another explosion sounded, and it felt like the ground shook. My fear amplified, and I started to tremble. Ms. Stone even seemed to be worried after the second explosion. The sirens got closer and I started to hope that they didn’t take long. Kincaid could need help. I was considering rushing into the factory myself, even if I knew it would put me in danger, just to try and help Kincaid. A second before that consideration became reality, Kincaid appeared at the door with Donovan’s sister in his arms. He took a couple of steps and collapsed.

  “Kincaid!” I ran towards him as he fell to the ground.

  “Help me get her away from the factory—this is about to get worse!” Kincaid used his fists to push himself up.

  I grabbed Fireball with one hand and Kincaid with the other. He had inhaled a lot of smoke and was coughing so bad it was almost violent. Ms. Stone ran over and despite the trauma she suffered at Fireball’s hands, she still helped
me pull her away from the factory. A line of blue and red lights appeared on the horizon and then another explosion sounded behind us. The force nearly knocked me to the ground and I felt heat on my back. I had to keep going. We made it to Kincaid’s car as the parking lot of the factory filled with emergency personnel. I dropped to the ground next to Fireball and checked her for injuries as the paramedics rushed to Donovan’s side. We were all alive. That was something at least. Donovan and Fireball were loaded into separate ambulances. Kincaid refused to let them take him to the hospital once he was able to put on an oxygen mask and catch his breath.

  “I can’t believe Fireball was—Janine.” Ms. Stone looked over at me and shook her head.

  The police came and talked for Ms. Stone for a couple of minutes before taking her away, so they could get an official statement. They wanted me to go as well, but Kincaid shut them down and told them I was leaving with him. My statement could wait. My thoughts were still spinning, but I kept telling myself that it was over. Fireball’s reign of terror had come to an end, and although Kincaid didn’t get to see them put handcuffs on her, he was instrumental in bringing her down. I hoped that gave him closure. The immediate concern for both of us was Donovan, so we headed to the hospital once the ambulance pulled away from the factory. Once we got to the emergency room, we learned that he was going to need surgery to remove the bullet, and while they didn’t think it was serious, there was definitely concern. The bullet had missed all of his major organs, but it was lodged in his stomach.

  “It’s going to be a long night.” I walked over and put my arms around Kincaid.