Trial by Fire (Southern Heat Book 4)

by Jamie Garrett

  She squeezed his hand. “If you trust him, that’s all I need.” She stood, brushing off her pants, and he winced at the gravel-rash marks on her palms. “Let’s get gone while we still can.”

  29

  Maya

  Twenty minutes later, Maya was trying to gently push Meg away as she fussed over the scrapes on Maya’s hands. “I’m fine,” she protested, dodging another swipe of the cotton swab Meg was chasing her with. She grabbed a packet of adhesive bandages and slapped them over the last graze. “There, all fixed.” She grinned at Meg, her eyes softening at the look her friend gave her. “We’re all fine, Meg. Really. Go sit down with Liam. I’m sure he’d like a chance to hold you right now.”

  Meg smiled at her but then suddenly pulled her in for a hug. She squeezed Maya hard, reminding her of the first day they’d met, and Maya felt guilty. Meg wore her heart on her sleeve and had helped her from day one. She’d probably been scared half to death, waiting back at the house, especially if she’d heard the news of a shooting downtown before Liam had been able to get away from the crowd the incident had generated and get in touch with her. Meg pulled back, keeping her hands on Maya’s shoulders. “Maya Graves! Don’t you ever do that again!”

  Maya couldn’t help it. The entire insanity of the morning washed over her and she giggled. “What? Don’t chase a corrupt federal agent with a target on his head down the street and narrowly miss a sniper round?”

  Meg’s eyes went wide and glistened with a sheen before she was pulled back into another bone-crunching hug. Well, when she put it that way. “I promise,” she said quietly in Meg’s ear. “Besides, after this morning I’ll be lucky if any of the guys let me out of the house again.” She looked over at the other end of Promise House’s large living room, where the boys had ended up as soon as they’d arrived. It was apparently Seth’s turn to rant, his hands moving animatedly through the air as he talked. She couldn’t hear what he was saying, but his friend Scott did not seem very pleased. Crap. She walked over, wrapping an arm around Seth’s waist, squeezing lightly and getting his attention. She turned to Scott. “Don’t be mad at the guys, please.” She inclined her head toward Jesse. “Well, you can be mad at him. And me. We’re the ones who didn’t want to involve the cops. Let’s just say we both have developed a problem with authority over the last couple of months.”

  Maya braced for a lecture, but to her surprise, Scott’s face broke out in a grin. He rubbed one hand over his goateed chin, chuckling. “Honestly, I can’t say I blame you.” He caught her eye, his face the picture of innocence, but she caught the twinkle in his eye. “Though if you could steer clear of any situations where a federal agent is murdered in the middle of the street, that’d make my life a hell of a lot easier. Or at least give me a heads up.” His face sobered, but his eyes were still warm. “I’ll help you guys however I can, but this can’t stay a secret forever.” Scott looked over at Jesse. “You know that, right? Sooner or later, you’re going to have to let the world know you’re still alive.”

  Jesse shook his head. “No. I’m all for helping take down whoever did this, but only to keep my family safe. I won’t go public. It’s too dangerous for them.”

  Scott shook his head, apparently his turn for the hand gesturing. “Jesse—trust me when I say I’m glad to see you’re still alive. I’m on your side, but Man, that is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. You want to take these guys down, you make yourself a public face. The media would eat this story up, but if you stay in the shadows, then you’re far too easy to eliminate.”

  Jesse shook his head. “Not if they think I’m already dead.”

  Scott pushed off the couch he was leaning against, snorting. “And you think they don’t know already? Whoever ‘they’ are, they clearly knew a hell of a lot more than Special Agent Miller was expecting. How long do you think you can maintain cover, exactly, before someone finds out?”

  “So that’s what we should do?” Maya asked. “Go to the media? We don’t have enough proof yet.”

  Scott ran a hand through his hair. “Then let’s get some.” He nodded to Seth. “Seth filled me in a little on the phone the other day, but if I’m going to help you, I need to know it all. Show me what you’ve got.”

  Fifteen minutes and multiple eyebrow raises and long strings of curses later, Maya handed Scott the last piece of evidence. “I found this in the library archives the other day, just after you finished talking to Seth on the phone by the sounds of it.” She handed him the newspaper printout. “Miller, at a crime scene with involvement from the Dixie Mafia. He had contact with them, all the way back then.”

  Scott nodded, pawing through the paper, then switched to looking up something on his phone. Liam picked up the printout and whistled. “Nice work, Maya.”

  She was about to reply when Scott’s phone call interrupted. “Susan, get me the phone records for this number, will you? Going back a month, at least, if you can get them.”

  He rattled off a phone number and Jesse jumped to his feet, hissing. “That’s Miller’s number. You can’t get that without some serious pull. They’re going to know—there’ll be a flag on his records, guaranteed.”

  Scott just grinned and spoke into his cell again. “And keep this one off the radar, just for me?” A pause. “Thank you, Susie. I’ll owe you.” He punched to end the call. “She’ll fax them over in five minutes.”

  Maya’s fingers were twitching. She needed to do something or she was going to lose her mind waiting. She grabbed Meg’s arm and hauled her into the kitchen, turning on the coffee maker and finding the sweetest, most sugar-laden treat she could find in Meg’s cupboards. Screw the sugar crash later—she needed it. By the time she and Meg returned to the room, the guys were already huddled over a ream of paper. She placed a tray of coffee mugs down on the table then dodged out of the way, nearly spilling the entire lot when Jesse jumped to his feet again. Her brother used to be so cool and collected. Apparently her nerves weren’t the only ones a little raw these days.

  Jesse held up a piece of paper, stabbing at it with his finger. “Eight oh five this morning. The fucker called them at eight a.m. today!” He crumpled the paper in his fist, still swearing loudly.

  Maya reached over and plucked it out of his hand, smoothing it before bringing it up to read. A local number was printed on the readout, but it didn’t mean anything to her. “Jesse, whose number is it?”

  He swore again then turned around and punched at the wall, leaving his knuckles grazed and dripping blood. “Damn it!” At the sight of it, all the fight seemed to drain out of him. He turned, his eyes apologetic. “Meg, I’m sorry, but fuck. That number belongs to my contact.” He took a deep breath and looked straight at Seth. “The sergeant in arms of the motorcycle club I was infiltrating. They’re serious bad news, one percenters, and Miller called them this morning, right before a bullet went through his brain.”

  30

  Seth

  Seth watched as the reality of the situation came over Jesse’s face. “He knew,” Jesse mumbled. “I’d hoped that it had been a last-minute thing, that he’d taken the opportunity to salvage a deal when everything turned to shit.” He looked up, his eyes blazing. “But he sent me there that night to die. That has to be it. He’s in deep with these motherfuckers and today they called in his debt.”

  “Either that or they figured he was talking,” Scott said, shrugging. “Just playing devil’s advocate. We can’t know for sure you were set up from the inside.”

  Jesse looked over at Maya, his gaze hardening. “It doesn’t matter which. I need to fix this.” His gaze shifted to Seth and Jesse handed him a cell phone, an old-style one you could buy at a convenience store. “Give me your cell number and then take my sister back to your place. For God’s sake, don’t leave her alone until you hear this is all over.”

  He started moving out of the room but was stopped in his tracks when Maya flew out of Seth’s arms and rushed to the door, blocking his way. She pushed at his chest and Jesse,
thank God, stopped in place. If he’d kept moving and tried to push Maya out of the way, Seth would have needed to punch him. He was pretty sure that wouldn’t go over well with the in-laws. As far as he was concerned, he was in this for the long haul, and he was pretty sure Maya felt the same way. Introducing him to her parents, however, might take awhile. Mostly due to the six-foot idiot currently standing next to her at the doorway.

  “Get back in there and sit the hell down,” Maya hissed through clenched teeth. Seth moved toward them, but she looked over at him just long enough to tell him to stay put. He’d promised that he’d be by her side the entire way, but this was one battle she needed to fight herself. No matter what his reason, Jesse’s actions had really done a number on her, and she needed to take that control back. “I only just got you back,” she said, her eyes glistening. “There is no way on earth I’m letting you walk out there to face those monsters.” She stood tall, unmoving, and pride filled Seth. Push her around, throw everything you can at her, and his girl was still standing. Still fighting—against enemy and family. If you fucked up, she was going to let you know it. She was strong as hell, feisty, and loyal to the end and he loved that. He loved that about her.

  Shit. He loved her.

  He kept his eyes steady, but inside his heartbeat was thudding loudly in his ears. He loved her, and he was going to help her win this fight, win the whole Goddamned war, and get her life back. From where he stood, there was simply no other option.

  He strode over to Jesse and laid a hand on his shoulder. “She’s right,” he said, his voice calm. “What are you going to do, spend your entire life running? Make your parents go into hiding, too?” Jesse winced, but Seth refused to take it back. It was a low blow for sure, but it was what Jesse needed to pull his head out of his ass and accept the help that was being offered. He forged forward. “Maya and Meg will stay here,” he said, looking over at Liam for the nod of agreement. “I’ll call the rest of the squad and get them to come over. They’ll be safe with them here to keep watch.” Seth saw Maya shift toward him out of the corner of his eye, but Seth’s gaze stayed on Jesse. This was make-or-break time and he wasn’t going to let him squirm out of it. “Then you, me, Liam, and Scott are going to get in that car and drive down to the precinct to make official statements regarding the arson and what you remember that night. We’ll sort this out. Right now.”

  Jesse swallowed hard, his gaze bouncing between Seth and Maya. Whatever he’d seen in his sister’s face must have convinced him, because he held out his hand to Seth. “Okay.”

  Seth took his hand and shook it, before pulling him into a hug. “We’ve got this,” he said, stepping back and taking Maya’s hand. “This is for her. She won’t be truly happy again without her brother in her life. You’ve just gotta trust that we can get the job done together.” Maya’s arms wrapped around his waist and he pulled her down for a hug. Jesse smiled at them both before walking back over to the table and gathering up the papers. Seth bent down, touching his lips to Maya’s softly. That was all he’d do in a room full of people and tensions high, but later, when the job was done, he was going to sit her down, tell her he loved her, and then make love to her until he was calling out his name.

  Things moved quickly once the decision was made. Within fifteen minutes, he was cleaning out the back seat of his truck, getting ready to drive away. Liam checked the front door and security system, even as Meg assured him they were all fine. “Get going,” she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and dropping a kiss on his mouth. By the look on Liam’s face, he didn’t want to leave Meg any more than Seth was looking forward to being away from Maya. But Meg was right. Dean and Mason were on their way over already with their better halves, and the sooner they got moving, the sooner he could be holding Maya again.

  Scott waved, hopping in his own car. He would drive to the precinct ahead of them and then wait for Seth, Liam, and Jesse to arrive in Seth’s truck. Plausible deniability and all that, should Jesse’s worries about the local force being compromised be in any way correct. Seth didn’t believe it, but there was nothing wrong with being cautious.

  “We’ll have to stop by my place first,” Jesse said. “I’ve got some stuff there we’ll need.”

  Seth turned, twisting in his seat to catch his gaze. “You have a place?”

  Jesse shrugged. “Well, more like an abandoned warehouse. But it was somewhere to stay until I was sure Maya was safe.” He grinned. “Besides, you can’t beat the room rate.”

  Seth grinned back. Now that there was a plan in place and they were moving again, Jesse seemed to be in a much better mood. He likely felt in control again, and back on his own familiar turf. Seth could understand that. Not that he went around taking down murderers on a regular basis, but he got the same rush when they headed out to a fire. Sure, it was dangerous, but Seth knew what he was doing and knew he had the rest of Engine 81 at his back. It was the same here. Jesse may have been screwed over by a corrupt SAC, but he had a whole new family to support him now. He belonged to Maya, and Maya was part of them. It was as simple as that.

  Jesse guided them through the back streets and into the parking lot outside the warehouse. Seth stared through the windshield. The place was run-down, and looked to be half burned out. Despite it only being mid-afternoon, the sky was overcast and the building sat in shadows. Far too many chances for someone to be hiding inside. If they’d been following the judge, then who’s to say a member of the club wasn’t waiting inside to take Jesse out, too?

  Seth slid out from behind the wheel. “I’m going inside with you. It’ll be faster that way.” Liam followed suit, and the three of them headed toward the building. Seth paused at the front door and Jesse stood immediately behind him, still glancing out to the parking lot. He gave the surroundings one more glance and then stepped up to the door, swinging it open. “Stay there,” he said. He pulled out a handgun and swept the immediate rooms, then turned around, giving them the all clear. As Seth and Liam stepped into the room, Jesse patted his jacket, his face confused. “I can’t find my cell,” he said. “It must have fallen out somewhere in the parking lot or the car.” He gestured toward a bedroll in the corner. Several milk crates lay stacked around it, one holding an old lantern and the rest covered in papers. Seth grinned. It looked like Maya’s filing habits were hereditary. “I’ll go look for it,” Jesse said. “It’s got some photos on it we’re going to want. Can you guys gather up the papers?”

  Seth nodded and started toward the stack while Liam began to comb the rest of the room. Looking for other evidence or just collecting Jesse’s stuff, either way, Seth left him to it. The man had the best instincts he’d seen at arson scenes. Maybe his skills could transfer to this.

  He’d just picked up the final piece of paper littering the floor when Liam’s head went up. “Hear that?” he asked.

  Seth cocked his head. A quiet thud reached his ears. “I definitely heard that.” The papers fell from his arms and he rushed to the warehouse’s main door in time to see his truck squealing out of the lot, Jesse behind the wheel. “Motherfucker!”

  His phone pinged with a text and Seth pulled it out, still cursing. An unknown number. Tell Maya I’m sorry, and look after her. I have to do this.

  Seth took a step forward, ready to chase the truck down the street if he had to, but Liam’s hand on his arm stopped him. “He’s gone, Seth.”

  He clicked on his phone to bring up the screen again and started dialing. Scott had proven he was on their side. Seth hoped he’d be able to come through one last time and trace the LoJack in Seth’s car. He’d half typed the number when his phone pinged again. Another unknown number. Fuck. He swiped angrily and nearly dropped his phone when the message came up. It wasn’t from Jesse.

  Maya’s face appeared before him, bruised and gagged. Below it, a simple message. “Bring me the FBI brother and I’ll give you back his sister. You choose which one gets to live.”

  31

  Maya

  Maya ri
nsed the mugs from their coffee and set them in the dishwasher as Meg pulled out the crockery for dinner. “Can you grab a couple of sets of cutlery?” she asked. “Though I can’t imagine any of the guys needing them.” Maya reached over to the drawer, grinning at the idea of any of the firefighters eating their pizza with a knife and fork. But hey, maybe one of their girlfriends would want them. She’d met Sloane and Amy at Meg’s barbecue. The two seemed like best friends, but they’d been welcoming toward her. She was looking forward to spending another evening getting to know them better. If things with Seth were going the way she thought they were, she might not be leaving Monroe for a while after all. It would be nice to make some new friends here.

  The doorbell rang as Meg walked into the storeroom she used as a pantry. “Shit, that’ll be the boys.” She called out, “Maya, could you grab the door? I’ve already got down on my hands and knees to dig through the drink storage and I’m not exactly graceful in here.”

  Maya chuckled. “Sure thing. We’ll get set up out in the living room.” She jogged out to the front door, calling out. “I’ll be there in a second! I hope you brought . . .” When she opened the door the words died on her lips. Instead of familiar faces, in front of her stood a man she’d never seen before. She tried to take him in, to remember his features, but she couldn’t move her focus past the barrel of a gun pointed at her head.

  The man spoke. “Move. Get in the car or I’ll kill you.”

  A heat built up inside her and brought with it a rush of courage Maya didn’t know she had. She could do this. She lifted her head up high and spoke loudly—“You won’t kill me. You need me as leverage.” It felt like her entire body was shaking, but her voice was strong, calm. She hoped Meg would hear from the kitchen and call the police.