Hooked on a Phoenix

by Ashlyn Chase

  Parker had painted a different picture of Misty than the one he was discovering. Naturally, Parker would see her as his little sister forever, someone naive who needed to be looked after. But the woman standing next to him seemed pretty capable.

  “Gabe? When this is all over, can we go out for coffee or something? I don’t want you to just walk out of my life after this. I’m betting that as soon as your firefighter buddies show up, you’re going to drop me like a hot potato and saunter off with them.”

  He tried to muffle his laugh in his sleeve. She didn’t know he was supposed to be keeping an eye on her, but even if he weren’t, he wouldn’t just walk off with his buddies and leave her there.

  “Sure. Coffee sounds great.”

  He opened his eyes briefly to check the progress of the hole in the ceiling. More light shone through now, and he could see they were working on two sections at the same time. More voices were rumbling. He wondered how many guys were up there. Probably a dozen or more. It wouldn’t be much longer.

  Gabe suddenly became aware of the fact that he was stroking Misty’s arm from her elbow up to her shoulder and down. She sighed and sagged against him. The impulse to enclose her in his arms and hold her close was something he had been battling since this all started.

  The dust was almost overwhelming. Misty’s voice was muffled when she asked, “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re trying to breathe through a leather jacket. I have the only handkerchief. Maybe we could share it.”

  He almost snorted. “Yeah, right.”

  “Gabe!” She kicked him.

  “Oww.”

  “Am I that hideous that you don’t want to look at my face up close?”

  “Of course not. It’s just that… Well, it’s the opposite.”

  She seemed to take a deeper breath and relax into him a little more “Oh. Well then, here.” She slapped her hand behind his head and pulled him down to her face, then dragged the handkerchief over their eyes, noses, and mouths. They were not only sharing a cloth; their mouths were inches from each other. Not even inches. He suddenly felt her lip touch his, and without even thinking, he leaned in and increased the pressure.

  It started as a chaste kiss, but soon grew in intensity. She opened her mouth, and their tongues found each other. She cupped the nape of his neck. This girl could kiss! Before he realized it, his hands were pulling her closer and wandering over the dip in her lower back. Trying to stop at her hip was killing him. He wanted to squeeze her delectable buttocks.

  He didn’t know how long they stood there kissing, because his brain had left the building. At one point, he realized what he was doing and knew he should pull away. But another big part of him—growing bigger by the second—thought, that ship has sailed, and it won’t be turning around.

  A loud crash startled him out of his altered state.

  Pulling away a few inches, he lowered the handkerchief enough to squint and see what was going on. A huge chunk of cement had hit the floor. Light flooded the small chamber.

  “Hey, Captain, we’re in!” were the first words Gabe heard clearly. If he wasn’t mistaken, that was his brother Noah’s voice.

  Relief swept over him. He turned to Misty and cupped her jaw. “We’re almost out, babe.”

  She sighed. It was hard to tell if that was a sigh of relief or resignation. He’d just assume it had to be relief. Now that he could see her, her dark hair was almost white with cement dust. He grinned, realizing he must look similar.

  She smiled up at him. “Now I know what you’ll look like when you’re old.”

  He laughed out loud. The dust didn’t choke him this time. It was beginning to dissipate. A few more chunks of concrete fell, and Gabe quickly pulled the handkerchief over both their faces again as a new wave of cement dust hit them.

  “Let me go in, Cap’n. That’s my brother down there.”

  Yup. Noah’s voice.

  Gabe heard the captain give his okay, and moments later, a ladder was lowered into the hole. The long legs and wiry frame that descended the ladder did indeed belong to his brother Noah. When he turned around, he found them with his flashlight.

  “Nice of you to drop in,” Gabe said casually.

  Noah laughed. “Are you sure about that? You two look pretty cozy. Am I interrupting something?”

  Gabe sprang a few inches away from Misty but kept a hand on her shoulder. “This is Misty Carlisle, Noah.” As if that would explain everything. He hoped it would at least justify his reason for having his arms around her.

  “The little girl from down the street?”

  “I’m not a little girl anymore.”

  Noah aimed the flashlight on her, sliding the beam down slowly and then back up. “No, you are not. Hey, there’s a light switch behind you.” He shone the flashlight on a spot on the wall next to the door.

  Shit. Talk about feeling like a complete idiot… Gabe flipped the switch, and both he and Misty blinked away the blinding light that invaded their cozy darkness.

  Noah looked her up and down again, and a slow smile spread across his face. “Yup. You are not a little girl anymore.”

  Gabe wanted to punch his younger brother, because he looked like he was salivating. That wouldn’t give away his feelings at all.

  An authoritative voice called down, “Fierro. Are they all right?”

  “Oh, yeah. They’re just fine and dandy.” Noah snickered.

  “Well, get them up here.”

  “I guess I can’t tease you right now, Bro. It’ll have to wait until Sunday dinner. Don’t worry. That’ll give me and Dante plenty of time to come up with some zingers.”

  Gabe put his hand on the small of Misty’s back and gently led her toward safety. “You go first, Misty. I’ll be right behind you.” He shot his brother a glare, daring him to challenge his elder authority.

  Misty gingerly stepped over pieces of concrete in her high heels. At last, she had safely made it to the ladder. As she climbed up, her tight ass hugged by her pencil skirt was all too apparent. Gabe glanced over at his brother. Noah was grinning but quickly shifted his gaze back to Gabe’s and waggled his eyebrows.

  Gabe stared at the bottom of the ladder and shook his head.

  As soon as she’d made it up and out, Noah lowered his voice and asked, “How the hell did you get stuck in a bank vault in the first place?”

  “I promised Parker I’d look after Misty. I’d just opened an account here when the bank was robbed.”

  “And you dove into the safe to protect your money?” Noah asked with a smirk.

  “Of course not. They were making Misty do their dirty work. Opening the safe, going in and filling the bags… They had guns and fired one to prove it was loaded. I waited for a distraction and reacted.”

  “And you thought locking the two of you in the vault would keep her safe.”

  “I never said I was thinking straight at the time, but yeah.”

  Noah scratched his head. “I guess it worked. Not what I would have done, but it was…effective.” He leered again.

  “Knock it off, Noah. Or I’ll knock it off for you.”

  “Oh, tough guy.” He slapped Gabe on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry. I won’t say a word…until Sunday dinner when I have the whole family to protect me.”

  * * *

  A cheer went up when Misty emerged.

  “Thanks, guys.”

  Someone helped her off the ladder, and someone else handed her a bottle of water. Before she opened it, she asked, “Are my coworkers all right?”

  A few firefighters glanced at each other, and one of them said, “Yeah. I think so. The cops took their statements, and they all went home a couple of hours ago.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “All of them? Even the manager?”

  A familiar-looking guy shrugged. “Yeah. He said he had an appointment or som
ething.”

  One of the other firefighters grinned. “I think he shit his pants and had an appointment with his closet, Dante.”

  “Dante?” she said to the first guy. “Dante Fierro? Is that you?”

  He stared at her a moment. Then his eyes widened in recognition. “Misty?”

  She nodded. “I think you’re the only one who’s recognized me since I returned to Boston.”

  He crossed his arms. “I’ll be damned. You look…different.”

  She grinned. “I got rid of the braces. And, well, I’m covered in cement dust.”

  “Yeah, there’s that.”

  “You look about three feet taller.”

  He grinned and kicked at the floor. “Yeah, I was a little runt for a while there. You were a couple years younger than me but about a foot taller. All the girls were.”

  One of the firefighters came over with a blanket and draped it around her shoulders.

  “Thanks.” She glanced over at the hole in the floor and asked, “Where’s Gabe?”

  “Good question…” Dante wandered over to the hole with the ladder sticking out of it. “Hey, Noah. Is Gabe alive, or did he die of starvation? He probably hasn’t eaten for at least three hours.”

  “He’s fine. We’re just having a little chat,” Noah called up.

  The captain huffed. “Stop cramming cash in your pockets and get up here.”

  Seconds later, the ladder vibrated with heavy footsteps, and Gabe emerged. Dante grabbed his hand and helped haul him up and out.

  Firefighters who apparently knew him were slapping him on the back, and clouds of dust rose from his jacket. He grinned and greeted them, then walked right over to Misty.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah. I guess all my coworkers have deserted the place, but at least they’re okay. If they’re all okay, then I’m all right.”

  “They’re just a little poorer,” the captain said. “The criminals didn’t want to leave with nothing for their trouble, so they made the employees empty their purses and pockets. Plus, the manager had to give them the cash from the drawers without slipping a dye pack in.”

  “Oh no.” Misty excused herself and ran down the stairs as fast as she could in high heels, straight to where she’d left her purse in the back room. All the cubbies were empty—and so was her purse. “Oh, shi…shoot.”

  “What’s wrong?” Gabe must have followed close on her heels.

  “They emptied my wallet too. That had my CharlieCard in it.” Her shoulders slumped. “Damn. Now I’ll have to walk home.”

  “We’ll take you home in the truck,” Dante said. Apparently, he had followed Gabe. “That is, if you don’t live far from here. We’ve got room for one more, but if we get another call, you’ll have to wait until we’ve handled it.”

  More firefighters filed down the stairs, carrying the equipment they’d brought in.

  “No need to drive her home,” Gabe said. “I was going to take her out for a drink after this anyway.” Gabe gazed at her with some kind of intense expression on his face.

  “Yes,” she said. “But thank you, Dante, for the offer.”

  Dante clapped his brother on the back. “Okay, Bro. You win. Just don’t forget to call your station. We went on duty a couple hours ago, and since you’re on the same rotation, your captain must be wondering where the hell you are.”

  “Actually, I switched with someone. He needed tomorrow off. But thanks for worrying about me, Mom.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I was just trying to save your job. Next time, I’ll let you get fired.”

  Gabe chuckled. “Nah. You’re right. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Misty had always enjoyed the insults and banter the Fierro boys heaped on each other. Gabe had been the quietest, but it looked as if he could dish it out when he wanted to.

  The captain joined them. “So, another Fierro. Gabe, is it?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  They shook hands, and the older man smiled pleasantly.

  “You and the young lady will have to give statements to the police. They’re waiting outside.”

  “Oh joy,” Gabe muttered.

  Chapter 4

  It was about ten o’clock when they finally finished talking to the police. The clear, crisp night air and stars twinkling overhead would have been romantic, if not for the bank robbery. Misty walked next to Gabe with her hands in her coat pockets.

  Something made him want to put his arm around her shoulder and pull her closer. He told himself it was just his protective instincts, but another part of him was calling bullshit. The kiss they’d shared in the vault was more than just a reaction to being in danger. It wasn’t impulsive. And it sure as hell wasn’t protective. He had been thinking about it long before they were stuck in there.

  He looked up the street and spotted a club. “Maybe we could get a drink there.” He tipped up his chin in the bar’s direction.

  Misty wrinkled her nose. “I don’t really like that place. I’ve only been in it once, but it was really loud. To be honest, I just feel like going home.”

  “Sure. Of course. You’ve probably had enough excitement for one night.” She looked tired, or maybe it was just what was left of the cement dust making her look like she’d aged about a decade.

  “Yeah. I feel like I’ve had enough excitement for a month, at least. If you want a drink, you don’t have to walk me all the way home.”

  “I want to,” he said without hesitation.

  “More than you want a drink right now?”

  “Yeah.” He surprised himself, but being with her really was nice. Of course, he wanted to be sure she got home okay too. Naturally.

  She smiled up at him. “Thanks.”

  They walked on in silence for a few minutes. “So, you live in the North End?” Gabe asked, feeling like a lame conversationalist.

  “Yeah. It’s a decent one-bedroom apartment. Nothing fancy. You can come up and see it, if you’d like. I can even offer you that drink.”

  Was she inviting him up for a nightcap? Gabe wasn’t sure what that meant. Maybe nothing. He really would like to see her place and make sure everything was secure.

  “I’ll come up for a minute.”

  “If you like wine, I can offer you a glass of red before you go.”

  “I don’t know an Italian who doesn’t like wine—especially red.”

  She smiled at him, and those pretty lips sent a message straight to his groin. He mentally chastised himself for reacting like a randy teenager. She’s my friend’s little sister, for God’s sake! Stick to the mission, Fierro. He had thought of this “favor” as Operation Protect Misty, but he was no longer sure from whom he was protecting her.

  Soon they were walking up her driveway to a side door. She slipped a key in the lock, and after opening that one, she used a different key in a different lock to open the door.

  Good. A dead bolt.

  Once inside, there was a stairway next to a door. Misty walked up the stairs, and Gabe was relieved again. She was on the second floor behind a double-locked outside door and probably another dead-bolted inside door. Smart girl.

  She opened the upstairs door with one key, which made him slightly nervous. If someone who lived here wanted in, a credit card would probably open that door.

  “Do the landlords live downstairs?” he asked as he followed her inside. The layout was that of a traditional older home. They stood in a short hallway, but he could see a living room. No kitchen or dining area shared the space. They must be separated by the yellowed, wallpapered walls.

  “Just one landlord. She’s an older lady and lives alone. She likes having someone else in the house.”

  “That’s probably a good idea. It might even be better if she rented to a male.”

  Misty removed her coat and was abou
t to hang it in the closet when she stopped. “What are you saying?”

  Had he blown it? “Nothing. I just mean, you know… I’ve seen a lot of crap go down in the city. Two women alone are only slightly less vulnerable than one woman alone.”

  Misty laughed. “You might not feel that way if you met her. She likes being a badass. She has tattoos and a bunch of piercings. Three days after I moved in, I heard a downstairs window fly open, and she was yelling her head off. When I looked out my window, I saw her shaking a baseball bat at some young guy who was running down the street. He looked like he was running for his life.”

  Misty reached for his coat.

  “Did she ever tell you what that was about?”

  “Yeah. Some high school kid was looking for contributions for school uniforms or something. She said it sounded suspicious, so she ran him off.”

  “With a baseball bat?”

  “I’m just glad Massachusetts has tough gun laws. Otherwise, the kid would probably be full of buckshot.”

  Gabe felt slightly better about her situation, despite her landlord sounding somewhat unhinged. Maybe she just had something against guys. That might keep Misty single.

  As soon as both coats had been put away in the closet, Misty gestured to the living room. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back with our wine.”

  A comfortable grouping of furniture surrounded a giant ottoman. He wondered how she had gotten something that big up those stairs. Oh, right. Parker could have carried that thing. There was a wood-burning fireplace between two small chairs. Even though snow hadn’t fallen yet, a nice roaring fire sounded comforting.

  “Hey, Misty,” Gabe called out. “Would you like me to build a fire?”

  A moment later, she returned with two glasses and a bottle of red wine on a tray. “You don’t get enough fire on the job?”

  He rolled his eyes. “I know some guys who don’t allow fires in their homes unless it’s for cooking and want it watched constantly. But I grew up differently. Maybe because we always had plenty of people around to keep an eye on things, a nice crackling fire limited to a safe chimney wasn’t something to be afraid of.”