Pepper
“You ran him off.”
I towel-dried my hair as I walked into the kitchen—minus a certain someone.
“For your information, he had an emergency call.”
I frowned. “Everything okay?”
My mind jumped to worst-case scenarios. Had something happened to his brother or sister? Someone else at work?
“Big fire. Sounds like it’s close by.”
That sinking feeling intensified. He was headed straight for danger. I admired his bravery but hated the threat.
Miss Adeline rinsed out the bowl and set it in the sink. “Want some tea to warm you up?”
“No. I actually think I might dry my hair and go to bed.”
Sadie perked up at yet another of her favorite B words.
“Pepper.”
I stopped fiddling with the towel. “Yeah.”
She stared at me a minute. “Sometimes we have to figure out how we feel before we’re ready to.”
“I don’t know what that means.” I wandered over to stand next to her.
“You will one day.” She took my cheeks in her frail hands. “I love you and I’m with you all the way.”
“I love you too.”
The old woman I adored wandered away with several dogs behind her and more of her mysterious wisdom. It had been a while since she’d bestowed any of those nuggets. Miss Adeline had always been amazingly good at walking the line between telling me about life and letting me figure it out for myself.
Huh.
For as much as she liked to talk, she never tried to dictate how I lived. That was another reason I admired her. Even if she did meddle at times.
While I didn’t quite get what she was telling me now, I had a pretty good idea it had to do with Teague.
How did I feel about him?
I propped my hip on the counter. Sadie put her head back down and sighed.
Did I really need to know now? We were . . . doing whatever it was we were doing. It seemed almost minute to minute.
Which wasn’t that much different than how everything in my life had been up to this point. Except Miss Adeline. And the dogs.
They were the constants who kept me grounded.
Before that, what I believed was steady and sure washed out from under me before I realized what was happening. I never planned to end up living in the dog kennels at a racetrack in Virginia.
At the time, it seemed hopeless.
Turned out that was the best thing to ever happen to me.
But the last person I’d truly let in was Miss Adeline. I’d allowed Teague into the first walls, but there were many more surrounding my heart.
He seemed capable of battling his way through every locked gate inside me. Did I want him there?
By the rapid pace we were moving, it seemed I did.
I liked his heart.
I liked his determination.
I liked his spirit.
I really liked his kisses.
What did that mean though? This was all new to me. I hadn’t experienced any of these things in my mature life.
You ready to take a stand?
I didn’t know what Miss Adeline’s question for Teague meant either. The way he’d stiffened, I had to believe he did.
“If she’d offered bourbon, I might’ve taken her up on it.”
Sadie ignored me.
I squeezed the towel around my hair again. “C’mon. You can bark at the hair dryer.”
She shot to her feet. The pitter-patter of paws on the hardwood floor erased some of the stress of the day. It was my favorite sound.
Muffy flopped on my bed while Sadie cruised past to the bathroom. Ash and Lucky stood at the foot of the bed, unsure who to follow.
The second I turned on the hair dryer, the barking commenced. I was lost in the hum. Thoughts of that scorching kiss besieged me.
Teague had a way of sneaking up on me whether he was present or not.
I wanted another kiss. The urgency and frenzy of it.
The certainty of his touch. He was never tentative.
And I needed him to be sure.
Something deep burned within me. It was like a tiny flame had escalated into a ball of fire. A desire so hot it threatened to consume me.
I switched off the dryer and shed my sweatshirt. When I saw my reflection in the mirror, I looked the same, but the inside pieces of me were shifting.
I traded my flannel pajama pants for an old pair of sleep shorts and crawled into bed. Sadie jumped up and lay on my pillow before I could put my head on it. I grabbed another pillow and scooted her over to make a little room. Ash snuggled next to Sadie. Lucky settled on the floor.
Exhaustion set in, but my mind worked too fast. Was Teague okay? Had they contained the fire?
I checked my phone. It was barely after nine.
I rolled over. Sadie’s face was right in mine. She sniffed and licked my nose.
“You’re crazy.” I rubbed her cheeks and kissed her head.
In the light through the window, Muffy gave the two of us a go to sleep look. These dogs constantly kept me in check.
Maybe I’d never needed a man in my life or my bed because I had them.
“You like him.” I patted Ash’s side. She was doing well. Almost thriving considering what she’d been through.
Her tail thumped as if she knew I was talking about Teague.
“What would’ve happened if he hadn’t been called away?”
She looked at me with those luminous eyes.
“I don’t know either.”
Bzzz. Bzzz.
My stomach dropped at the text alert. Were the dogs at the Elliots’ okay? Gah, I was such a worrier.
My stomach dropped again for a different reason when I read the message.
Meet me at the back door.
Chapter Forty-Three
Teague
Where are her clothes?
A gaggle of dogs greeted me as I slipped through the open door.
“Heyyy.” I gave each of them some attention but not because I was a saint who loved dogs. I did love dogs.
But if I didn’t do something to distract myself from that camisole and those short shorts, I’d be in trouble.
She folded her arms and rubbed them.
Mission failed.
All I saw was smooth skin just begging for me to explore.
“You cold?” I straightened, focusing on her face.
Her hair is down.
I couldn’t remember ever seeing her without a bun or lopsided ponytail or braids. Her dark locks looked temptingly soft.
The woman was going to completely unravel me.
Except I didn’t think she was trying at all.
“I’m fine.” Goose bumps rose on her bare legs. Down my gaze went. Her overalls usually hid the shape. I had no idea how slender and toned they’d be. “Everything okay? Miss Adeline said there was a big fire.”
All at once, it felt like I was back outside in the cold rain.
“Yeah.” That wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth either. The fire was contained, but everything most definitely wasn’t okay.
“You changed.”
She ran her eyes down my body, taking in my sweater and jeans, and heat simmered in them.
“I grabbed a shower after and . . .” Wanted to see you. But I couldn’t say that. “Did I wake you?”
“No,” she said sleepily. “Want to come up?”
She held out her hand.
More than anything. After I left the fire, all I could think of was getting back to her.
I stared at it a moment before twining my fingers with her warm ones.
The dogs led us up the stairs and straight to her bedroom. Most of them pounced on the bed and claimed their space.
If the plan was for all of us to fit in that queen-sized bed, I didn’t think it was going to work.
“I don’t have any pajamas your size.” Pepper stood on the edge of the bed with the comforter fisted.
“Good thing I don’t wear any.”
She swallowed hard. “Oh.”
Gently, she adjusted Sadie, who was already on a pillow. She slid under the covers and pulled them up to her chin.
I kicked off my boots, pulled my sweater over my head, and shoved my jeans to the floor. Pepper watched my every move like she’d never seen anyone undress.
The bed creaked when I sat on the edge. Ash inched toward my lap.
“Wanna let me in?”
She licked my hand in response.
“She’s glad you’re here,” Pepper said quietly.
I twisted. “Are you?”
She nodded and I finagled my way under the covers. A wall of dogs separated us.
“This isn’t going to work.”
I climbed back out of bed, eased three dogs to the spot I’d just occupied, and rounded the foot.
“Scoot over,” I said to Pepper when I reached her side.
We smushed together in our half of the bed. One of my ass cheeks and part of my leg was hanging off, but I didn’t care.
I pulled her against me and kissed the side of her hair.
She snuggled into my chest, her body a perfect fit.
“You smell like fire.”
I fingered her hair. It was as soft as it looked. “No matter how much I shower, that scent lingers.”
“I like it . . . except I guess it represents destruction.”
She was more right than she probably knew. I wanted to shield her from the unpleasant. Have this moment where we held each other and didn’t have to think about anything beyond these walls.
But that wasn’t how real life worked.
“The fire . . .” I fiddled with a strand of her hair. “It was the park.”
Her brows dipped. “The park?”
“Down the block.” I pulled her closer, needing to cocoon her as I broke the news. “The one we met in a few days ago. Their park.”
A strangled noise escaped her. “Is it . . . bad?”
There was fear twinged with the heartbreak. Those dogs loved that park. It may have been small but that was their special place.
“It’s gone.”
She covered her mouth, and I eased her head to my chest. Her shoulders moved up and down, not with tears, but heavy breaths . . . like she couldn’t catch hers.
We lay like that for I didn’t know how long. She’d had a long day. A hard one, even if she hadn’t said the words. And I’d just added to it. While I wished I could’ve kept the news from her, no way was I going to let her find out when she took the dogs tomorrow.
She lifted her head. Pain seeped from every line on her face. “How?”
I hesitated. She deserved more than my cowardice.
“Arson.”
The blaze had shot high into the sky despite the rain and wind. We’d worked frantically to keep it from spreading to nearby buildings. Once it was under control, several melted barrels were in the center of the park.
“Who would burn such a special place?” There was an innocence in her tone, like she hadn’t seen enough bad things to understand evil. I wanted to do everything in my power to keep her that way.
“Children play there.” The innocence had turned to anger.
“None of them were hurt.”
She pounded on my chest. “But they will be tomorrow when their favorite place is gone.”
Pepper wasn’t just talking about the kids in the neighborhood. She meant her children. The four-legged ones.
“It’s not like lightning struck a tree and a terrible thing happened,” she cried. “Someone destroyed the park on purpose. What kind of monster does that?”
I brushed my thumb across her cheek. This woman was brave. Had the kindest soul. And I wanted to hurt—badly—the person responsible for breaking her heart.
“The worst kind.”
I didn’t know how, but I was going to fix this for her. For them.
Ash moved so that she lay across our feet. Like she knew we both needed the comfort.
“Will you find out who did this?” Pepper asked through gritted teeth.
“The investigation unit will try.”
A dissatisfied noise came from her direction. We were both well aware how many unsolved crimes there were in the city.
My phone trilled from my pants pocket.
I didn’t move.
“You should get that.” Pepper nudged me.
Reluctantly, I got out of bed and swiped the phone.
“Yo. You ain’t gonna believe this.” Burke practically screamed in my ear. “All them barrels?”
“Yeah?” I switched the phone to my other ear and got back in bed.
I slid an arm around Pepper’s shoulders, who was looking at me with curiosity.
“Every one of them had a body in it.”
Chapter Forty-Four
Pepper
Sniff. Sniff. Sniff.
A nose in my ear stirred me. I was surprised I’d found any sleep at all. It had evaded me for hours.
The park.
Losing that space almost felt like losing a friend.
I hadn’t realized how important it was to our family until it was gone.
Sniff. Sniff.
I pried my eyes open.
For the second day in a row, Teague’s beautiful face was my welcome to the land of the living. This morning, there was no peace in his features. He was draped across me as if afraid I’d escape.
Muffy sniffed more urgently. I cupped his face in a silent I’ll take you out.
Maneuvering so I didn’t wake Teague? That was going to be an interesting feat.
The second I moved, his lids popped open.
“Sorry.” I screwed my face up in apology. “Muffy’s got to go out.”
He blinked a few times as if trying to get his bearings. “I’ll take him.”
Like he understood, Muffy leaped off the bed and stood at Teague’s side, wagging his tail.
He slid to his feet. In the light of day, I had a much better look at his chiseled torso. Bruises, now turning yellow, spread across his stomach.
“Does that hurt?” I pointed at his skin but didn’t touch it.
He looked down as if attempting to figure out what I meant, then shrugged. “Don’t think about it anymore.”
Robotically, he tugged on his jeans and sweater. He was silent, closed off. But I wasn’t sure if it was because he was tired or something else.
I hopped up. “I’ll go with you.”
I layered up, and after a peek out the window, I put on my heavy coat instead of my rain jacket.
Excited dogs trotted to the front door. The old pipes creaked through the walls. Miss Adeline must be in the shower.
I scribbled a quick note and left it propped against her favorite tea mug.
“I’ll take three, you take two?” I offered Teague Ash’s leash.
He grunted a response. Maybe he wasn’t a morning person. But this was the opposite of the man I’d been with yesterday.
Once we burst out into the alley, the dogs pulled and yanked, anxious to go. Muffy stopped and lifted his leg on a patch of weeds growing next to the building.
Teague and Ash patiently waited but quickly caught up to us. Out of habit and routine, the dogs led us in the direction of the park.
“Don’t do this.”
His voice was rough, pleading.
“I need to see it.”
The dogs didn’t realize what lay ahead. And I hated for them to find out. Because they would know their favorite place was gone.
Selfishly, I had to see what was left. Just how bad it was.
I smelled the destruction before I saw it.
Smoldering ashes dotted what used to be the park. Everything was charred. The trees. The gate, which was a tangled heap.
Nothing but a metal leg remained of the bench I’d sat on with Teague what seemed like a lifetime ago.
I was rooted on the sidewalk across the street, unable to do anything but stare
in horror. Muffy sat and cocked his head. Sadie pointed her nose to the air and sniffed. Ash was glued to Teague’s side. She knew what that scent was all too well.
“How do you do this?” The wreckage was almost crippling.
“I don’t know how someone could do this.” His jaw was hard, knuckles white as he fisted the leashes.
“No. How do you do this? How can you stand to witness this every single day?”
My insides would be as charred as this park if I had to constantly live through that. Sure, this park affected me directly, but look at what fire had done to Ash. To Cassano. And how many others who’d lost everything.
I turned my head. It was too hard to take in.
“I couldn’t save my mother.”
He spoke so quietly I almost missed it. But his words twisted at my heart. Or maybe it was the unspoken ones.
He was trying to make up for that by helping other people.
The vulnerability in his expression nearly knocked me to my knees. Had he ever admitted that to anyone . . . or himself?
I opened my mouth to tell him she was proud but snapped it closed. I didn’t know her. If she was anything like Teague, she would’ve been so honored at the man he was.
But those were words for someone else to tell him. Someone who had the right to.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save your park. I tried.”
A burden no one should have to carry weighted him.
“No.” I shifted the leashes so I could touch his shoulder. “You did everything you could.”
I had zero doubt about that.
“We should head back.” I pointed with my head in the direction of Grey Paws.
Silently, we strolled. At this early hour, there was little noise around us as the city came to life. Even Sadie behaved.
“Will they find out who those people are?”
I’d been horrified to learn what they’d discovered in the incendiary barrels. What motivated humans to hurt others, I’d never understand.
“Depends on if things break our way.”
“I hope they get justice.”
He nodded once. “Me too.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Teague
Crash: Crash & Burn Duet Book 1 (Shaken) Page 19
