ON Fire (An Ozzie Novak Thriller, Book 5) (Redemption Thriller Series 17)

by John W. Mefford

  She bought the act. I didn’t.

  She continued. “Charlie used to razz me a bit for getting too dressed up for being a cop.” She looked at Nicole with a smile. “Should girls ever have to apologize for wearing heels?”

  “As long as we don’t have to apologize for wearing frumpy sweats,” Nicole said.

  “Amen to that.” They clinked glasses, and we all chuckled.

  Charlie smiled nervously. “Well, I need to run. I’m glad you came tonight, Brook. It was nice talking to you.”

  He nodded at us, scooted off, veering as far away from Noah’s position as possible.

  “Poor guy. He’s just now getting back on his feet,” Brook said to me and Nicole. Noah was casually walking our way.

  “Hey, guys. Thanks for asking us to this event. Great scene.” He nodded and took a swig of his beer. His other hand was stuffed in his front pants pocket.

  “Sure,” I said with little conviction.

  “Dude, what happened to your face? Anything to do with my brother’s investigation?”

  I waved a hand. “It was nothing.” Short and sweet. Then I looked to Brook but could still see Noah out of my peripheral vision. “You were saying about Charlie?”

  “Oh, right, Charlie. He’s such a good guy. We lost touch; I wasn’t sure what had happened until I ran into him tonight. Apparently, he’s had a real bad run of luck. Found out he suffers bipolar disorder. He, along with his family, ended up homeless for a while. Can you believe it?”

  Nicole brought a hand to her mouth. “That is so sad. I feel so badly for him, for his family. So, he has kids?”

  “I think he said they’re four and seven years old.”

  “Poor things. My heart really goes out to them.”

  “He said the Austin Homeless Shelter saved his life. Not only did they provide the basics to live, they also helped him get treatment and counseling. And they helped him and his wife find jobs. They’re just now getting back on their feet. He feels really blessed. It’s just strange to hear about all the crap people go through when you lose touch, and then to see them come out on the other side and see such goodness in their heart…it’s pretty cool.” Brook’s eyes became glassy.

  Noah put a hand on her lower back. “Can I get you anything, sweetie?”

  The ultimate caregiver.

  “No, thanks.” He wrapped her arm around his waist, and she asked, “So, Oz, can you give us any good news about Franklin?”

  I shrugged and tilted my head.

  “I know, I know. We said we can’t get into the details. But just a hint?”

  “I’m making progress.”

  Her face went blank. “That’s it?”

  Before I could say another word, she jumped in. “And you still haven’t told me about…” She swept her hand across her face in some sort of painting motion. “All this. You look like you got in a fight with a hundred razor blades.”

  I snapped out a laugh. Nicole tried to join in, but it fell flat.

  “Look, I think it’s good for you to know that I’ve met with Franklin and Winston on more than one occasion, and we’ve worked through several strategies. I think I can see this wrapping up sooner rather than later.”

  “I know that was a bunch of lawyer mumbo-jumbo, but you think your investigation—this charge against Franklin—could be dismissed soon?”

  She’d taken my purposeful ambiguity and tried to sharpen the edges by using the word “dismissed.” I knew that once Tracy’s story came out tomorrow, connecting Franklin to the Drake-FDA corruption scandal, my official role in the investigation would formally be over. And it couldn’t happen fast enough, as far as I was concerned.

  “I’m not a fortune teller, but I think we’re headed in that direction.”

  Noah jumped in. “That’s surprising. You know, that you could make that kind of progress so quickly. Something big must have come down.”

  Another shrug. “Like I said, I can’t predict the future. But I’m hopeful.”

  Nicole said her stomach was growling, and she left to get us something to eat, after she planted a wet kiss on my cheek, carefully positioned in between my cuts.

  Noah said he had to “hit the john.” That left just me and Brook.

  She said, “You and Nicole look happy together.”

  I tried to act cool, but I could feel a grin coming out.

  “No denials or acting like it’s nothing?”

  “Who, me?” I said with heavy sarcasm. “I know it’s taken me a while. But…what can I say?”

  “You two really were meant to be together all along,” she said, nodding. “It’s just funny how life is so unpredictable. You think you have life figured out, and then it changes. I think it takes a special person to let go of resentment and move forward, you know?”

  I put my arm around her shoulder. “Is that a compliment?”

  She started to respond, but I held up a hand. “Don’t answer that,” I said, “because I’m going to take it as a compliment, no matter which way you meant it. Nicole and I are definitely back on the same page—I’ll say that much.”

  A waiter walked by, and Brook traded her empty wine glass for a full one. It was red. I was guessing a spicy merlot, a bit like her personality.

  I sipped the last bit of my cocktail.

  “You know, I’m beginning to think that Noah and I might actually have something that could last a while.”

  The liquid went down the wrong pipe, and I coughed until my face turned red. She smacked my back a couple of times. Finally, after I’d regained my composure, I said, “You and Noah, huh?”

  “Yeah, I know it seems like we’re opposites and all, but he treats me like such a lady. I just can’t look past that. And we have a good time together.”

  I sucked on some ice, thinking if or how I could tell her about what I’d learned from Elaine, or even Noah’s mother.

  “I get this feeling that you don’t see it…you know, with Noah and me.”

  My face must have let on more than I’d intended. Or she was a mind reader.

  “I don’t know. He just seems different.”

  “Different isn’t bad. Different can be interesting.”

  Her defenses were up, which didn’t surprise me. “I just want you to be happy.” I saw Nicole walking our way with two plates full of food, and I waved at her. “And safe.”

  Nicole handed me a plate.

  “Why did you use the word ‘safe’?” Brook asked, the timbre in her voice shifting toward irritation.

  I looked at Nicole, who had to be wondering what I’d said to lead up to Brook’s question. She stuffed a cracker of some kind in her mouth.

  Back to Brook. “I’m your big brother, so I just want you to be careful, that’s all.”

  “As much as I don’t want to admit it, I’m older than you.”

  “Okay. I’m a younger brother who wants to take care of big sis.” I winked.

  She snatched a piece of fudge off my plate and ate it. “That had my name written all over it,” Brook said.

  I felt a buzz from my pocket. I pulled out my phone and found a text from Franklin.

  I’ve attached the contact list of people at the Four Seasons party, which includes Riya.

  I clutched the phone, knowing I was lucky to have received this list prior to Tracy’s story coming out. Now, I just needed his full client list. As I started to type a response, another text popped up. It was Franklin again.

  Client list is attached. It goes back about five years. Anything before that will take time.

  I typed a quick reply: Thanks.

  “More good news on my brother’s investigation?”

  I looked up and saw Noah taking a swig on fresh brewskie. Damn, he was putting them away like wildfire.

  “Oh, just one of my other cases.”

  He nodded and stared at me an extra second. As Nicole and Brook talked, Noah’s hand moved down Brook’s back, until it was almost palming her butt. It seemed like he was the petulant teenage
r purposely inching up to that line that you just don’t cross in public.

  Thankfully, the moment was interrupted when the curators of the gallery gathered everyone around for a brief auction of three featured paintings. One of those had been created by Tito. When his painting—a cute picture of a little kid and a family cat playing with unwrapped Christmas paper around a decorated tree—sold for just over ten grand, he announced that he’d donate all proceeds of that painting to the shelter. Everyone clapped and hooted, the loudest being Mackenzie and Ariel, and more people opened their checkbooks, including Nicole.

  “That was nice of you,” I said to her, gathering the girls’ coats.

  “That story of Brook’s friend, Charlie, really touched me. The world needs to be kinder, you know. And I figured I shouldn’t just talk about it. I should do a little something.”

  I kissed her on the cheek, and she arched an eyebrow. We said our goodbyes and walked to Nicole’s car, a Lexus sedan. Just as I shut the back door for the girls, I received another text. I pulled out my phone.

  Nicole said from the other side of the car, “You’ve received some text messages tonight. Any good news?”

  “First two were from Franklin. He sent me the list of names from the Four Seasons party and his client list going back five years.”

  “Cool.” She nodded at my phone. “And that one?”

  I looked down and read the text. My shoulders slumped.

  “What is it, Ozzie?”

  “Dammit.”

  “Oz?”

  I placed both hands on top of the car. “It’s Tracy. He said the story is on hold.”

  “What? Why?”

  “He and his editor met with the publisher. She wants another source to corroborate the allegations of Franklin being tied to Drake and this FDA corruption scandal.”

  “But they saw the notes, right? Those were Franklin’s own notes.”

  I nodded. “Either the paper is afraid of the people involved—LEAP is one of the most powerful law firms in the state, and we know Franklin himself has connections—or they’re simply freaked by the magnitude of this story.” I took in a breath of cool air, let the information soak in some more. “If, or when, this shit hits the fan, it may not only impact Franklin and the FDA, but it could have a ripple effect on the whole lobbying profession, maybe even motivate other journalism outlets to press for more transparency. In other words, anyone involved in these types of dealings—government or private—could feel a lot of heat once this story runs.”

  The girls’ nonstop chattering continued on the ride home. But Nicole and I didn’t say a word. We were probably thinking the same thing. Without Tracy’s story, I might never find a way to expose Franklin’s deeds without putting my life in jeopardy.

  25

  Sometimes, I realize, things happen for a reason. Whether it’s out of sheer luck or a confluence of events that occur at just the right time.

  When we reached the apartment complex, it was late, but Ervin, Ariel’s dad, was finishing up a late walk. He said he’d recently started exercising more—a promise he’d made to his wife when she was nearing the end of her life after a brutal battle with cancer.

  He then asked the girls if they wanted some late-night hot chocolate. They jumped at the offer. Within a minute, that offer was extended to Mackenzie spending the night there. I thanked Ervin as I dropped off Mackenzie’s sleeping bag and a backpack of her things, and then I strolled back to the apartment. I stopped halfway up the sidewalk. Nicole, wearing her stylish black all-weather coat, was shutting the door, her purse in hand.

  “You were just going to leave?”

  “I figured I’d run into you on my way to the car.”

  “But…” My arms were splayed, and my mouth hung open. We’d made love recently, but we’d yet to spend a full night together since she kicked me out of the house months earlier. It was a hurdle we’d yet to overcome. I knew the “next step” in our relationship was hanging right there in front of me. Would I take it? Would she?

  She walked toward me, stood on her toes, and kissed me on the lips. “I just need to run to the car for a quick moment. I’ll be right back.”

  I shrugged, went inside, and found an open bottle of wine. I figured we could relax a bit, maybe discuss next steps with all the Franklin-Winston-Drake-FDA-Tracy mess. She walked in and made a beeline toward the back hall.

  “Hey, do you want a glass of wine?”

  “Gotta run to the bathroom…” she said in a bit of a singing voice.

  Call me confused. I poured two glasses of wine and walked into the living room at the same time she came around the corner from the other side. I was pretty sure I had drooled before I breathed. My eyes started at the floor—she was wearing four-inch stilettos—and made my way up. She had on black fishnet stockings attached to a garter belt and something very lacy and sheer. Just above that, the skimpiest white uniform one could possibly imagine.

  I mumbled something indecipherable.

  She giggled. “You haven’t seen my naughty-nurse outfit in a while.” She waggled the stethoscope that was hanging around her neck.

  “Too long,” I said, my entire body on fire for Nicole.

  My mouth became parched, so I sipped wine from the glass in my left hand. She approached me, took both glasses out of my hands, and set them on the table. “You don’t need any more booze tonight. You need to be on your game, mister.” She leaned in, ran her tongue along my neck, and then took a gentle nibble. “I want to make sure you remember every kiss, bite, and…”

  She flipped around and sauntered toward the bedroom. My eyes went straight to her backside. “And what?” I asked, my mind suddenly unable to connect reasonable thoughts.

  She disappeared into the dark bedroom. A second passed, and I realized I was just standing there. Why was I acting like my feet had been encased in cement? Was I nervous about living up to the expectations of her naughty-nurse persona? Or, maybe, deep down, I knew this was the point of leaping in without easily turning back.

  What are you going to do, dude? Sit around and think about being completely vulnerable again with Nicole, or finally do something about it?

  With all sorts of thoughts racing through my mind—not a small percentage being of the erotic variety—I actually felt a wave of calm wash through my body. It was so impactful—it almost seemed like an out-of-body experience, where I was both feeling it and watching myself feel it.

  Strange, I know.

  It was a sense of clarity, of knowing that, by putting one foot in front of the other, I was taking not just the next step in our relationship, but the right step. For me, for us, and even for our family.

  Okay, most of it was for me, but still, it was a big step.

  I walked into the darkness, holding my hands out in front of me. “Nicole?”

  No response.

  The door shut behind me, and I flinched. My eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the lack of light. “Nicole, come on now. I’m in here. How long are you going to play this game?” I asked with my arms still extended.

  Out of nowhere, two hands grabbed my wrist, whipped me around until I fell onto the bed. I was pulled up to a sitting position. Nicole then wrapped her toned legs around me. My hands started moving, but before I could utter a word, she locked my wrists in handcuffs.

  I chuckled. “What are you doing? I thought this was supposed to be the naughty-nurse show.”

  “Shhh,” she said, touching a finger to my lips.

  “But you never told me the third thing that I would remember.” I knew I sounded like a teenage kid getting laid for the first time.

  No response.

  “You know…you said that I’d remember every kiss, bite, and…and what?”

  She’d just begun to move her hips, but then she stopped.

  “Okay, you can pretend I said nothing.”

  But she didn’t move.

  “Hello, is the nurse home?” I asked, laughing.

  “You talk too much,” she s
aid in a sexy whisper.

  “Okay, right. Sorry. I just was wondering what I…you know, what I need to remember. But that’s okay. I’ll just let it all happen.” Call me Mr. Spontaneous. I closed my eyes and waited a good minute. Well, maybe it was less than two seconds.

  “Did I ruin the mood?” I asked with caution in my voice.

  In less time than I could complete a coherent thought, my clothes were ripped off my body—well, my shirt was stuck at my locked wrists—and we found ourselves back in the same position, Nicole on my lap. If my teeth were fluorescent, she would have seen a smile a mile wide. Outside of a few grunts, though, I kept my words inside my head.

  But the stillness had returned.

  “Nicole…uh, are we really going to keep playing this game? I kind of like it and all, but, you know, it’s not like we’re back at Cal-Berkeley.”

  Again, no response. She was now off of me, and I was alone on the bed. Was she just going to leave me here…maybe a little payback for me pushing her away so many times?

  Just as I was about to utter another useless comment, I felt her lips against mine. She kissed me passionately, and I responded in all of the natural ways—outside of my arms being locked above my head. She then moved to my ear and nibbled at my earlobe, and then another nibble at my neck, and then down to my chest and along the lining of each rib of my torso.

  I released a loud breath, and then it stopped again.

  “Ah, Nicole…”

  A moment later, she was back on top of me. I could feel her heat—she’d taken off all her clothes.

  “Thrust,” she said.

  “Yep,” I said, my brain obviously on one particular track.

  Then she rocked my world, all the while saying, “Kiss, bite, and thrust.”

  Damn, if she only knew, she had me at the word “kiss.”

  26

  Nicole inched her derriere back toward me. “I’m cold. Keep me warm.”

  She took my hand and wrapped it around her body until she tucked it against her bosom. We couldn’t get any closer. Or so I thought.

  “Are you shivering?” I said. “After that little game, I figured your temperature would be near boiling.”