Bad Boy's Touch (Firemen in Love Book 3)

by Starling,Amy

  He wailed and struggled against the cuffs. “Get these off me! These drugs aren't mine,” he yelled. “None of this is mine.”

  “Of course not. If I had a dollar for every time one of you lowlifes told us that...”

  “I'm telling the truth.” He whipped around, glaring. “It's my brother you want, not me.”

  Harvey's brow furrowed. “Your brother?”

  “Yeah, damn it. My name is James. I'm Freddy's twin brother.”

  We pulled him out of the basement, but left the cuffs on just in case. James explained his side of the story as Harvey dragged him to a cruiser.

  “Freddy and I aren't very close. The asshole borrowed a bunch of money from me to start a business and never paid it back, even when he made it big.” He glared at his feet. “One day, I came to his house and met his girl, Melody. We hit it off; one thing led to another, and –”

  “I don't wanna hear it,” Harvey snapped. “Get to the point.”

  “I started seeing her behind his back. She had no idea the things he'd done, and I would have kept it a secret – but then I fell in love with her. I'd have done anything to make her mine, so I told her the truth about Freddy. I told her he was a murderer.”

  “Why didn't she leave him, then?”

  “She was scared, I think. Told me Freddy hit her before, and she feared what he'd do if she left. But we became close, and that's when she told me he was involved in the drug trade. Like, he's got his fingers in pies all around the country. That little setup you found under the shed? That's just the tip of the iceberg.”

  Harvey gritted his teeth and grabbed James by the collar. “There are more of these things? Tell me where they are, now!”

  “Hey, man, calm down.” Brett tried to pull him back. “Let the guy talk.”

  “Get off me, kid. I'm in no mood.”

  “I have no idea where the others are. There may have been information on it inside the house, but that's gone now.”

  Harvey, crestfallen, let him go. He gazed at the burnt remains with a scowl.

  Brett and I exchanged nervous glances. What had gotten Harvey so worked up? He was normally a calm, level-headed sort who was good at talking sense into people. That outburst just wasn't like him.

  “Melody may know,” James added. “It's her you'd want to question.”

  “Where is Freddy? What are you doing here? And I want the truth.”

  “Hell if I know where he's at. He left town without telling anyone a few days ago; never even told Melody where he was going. Some business thing, no doubt.” He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, she calls and tells me she's lonely, so I decide to come over and keep her company. When I get here, she informs me about his safe. Said she saw him put money in it – lots of money. I figured it belonged to me anyway, so...”

  “You were going to steal it from him? Didn't you think he might blame the loss on his girlfriend? After all, I'm sure very few other people have access to his safe.”

  He hung his head. “We planned to stage a break-in. Make it look like one of his drug buddies decided he needed a bigger cut or something. I promised to split the cash with her.”

  “But before you could pull it off, the fire happened,” I chimed in.

  “Right. Melody tried to call Freddy and tell him about it, but got no answer. We knew the cops would be all over this place after the fire. Keep them away from the shed, she told me. Even now, she still wants to protect him.”

  Having heard enough, Harvey pulled me away from the cruiser while shooting James a don't-move look. Brett stayed near the car, that weird guilty expression on his face again.

  “We gotta take this guy in.”

  “For what?” I glanced at James. “He hasn't really done anything wrong.”

  “He's a suspect. He's the brother of a murderer and drug lord. That means he knows things. He can help us.” Harvey smiled. “And you never know; he may just turn out to be our arsonist.”

  I scoffed. “That guy? You seriously think he would burn down his own brother's house?”

  “Sure. He obviously loathed the man.”

  “That's quite a stretch.”

  “Think, Madison. He wanted to get revenge on Freddy and get his money back. So why not burn the house down while his brother was out of town? Then, once it was over, he'd return to find the safe Melody told him about.”

  Harvey seemed very excited, as if he'd just cracked the case all by himself. Something about the way he was acting – him, and Brett too – really bothered me.

  “I can't believe James would set the house on fire with Melody inside.”

  “Perhaps he was so obsessed with getting even that he didn't care. Or maybe he didn't know she was home. Could have been a crime of opportunity. He saw all that fertilizer and decided it would burn real good.”

  He was grasping at straws now. I knew James wasn't our man, and Harvey couldn't possibly be that stupid. He had to know it, too.

  “Look,” he said, quieting. “Victor's frothing at the mouth, demanding we find whoever's responsible for the fires. This guy has a motive, had opportunity. We haul him in, problem solved.”

  “It doesn't solve anything. You know damn well he isn't the culprit. I mean, what about the other fires? Why would he burn down the trailers?”

  “To sabotage his brother's business, maybe. He's jealous.”

  “And the strip club?”

  He shrugged. “It's a strip club. You know the things that go on there. Drugs go hand-in-hand with booze and loose, topless girls.”

  I had always looked up to Harvey. Ever since I got hired, he'd been something of a mentor to me. It was he who had taught me the ropes, who helped shape me into the officer I was today.

  That's why the things he was saying now made me totally sick.

  “You're telling me you want to frame James.”

  “Of course I don't want to frame him.” He backed away. “I'm only saying he could be the arsonist, that's all. It wouldn't hurt to take every possible precaution, would it? How awful it would be if we let the culprit go free.”

  But was incarcerating the wrong man the best way to go about it?

  Despite my discomfort with the whole thing, Harvey's stubborn mind was made up. He returned to the car and slammed the door shut in James' face.

  “Hey, what do you think you're doing?” James cried. “Let me out of these cuffs this instant.”

  “I'm sorry, sir, but we're taking you downtown for a little chat.”

  Brett watched the nonsense happen with disbelief in his eyes. He gestured for me to explain what the heck was going on. All I could do was shake my head. I didn't believe it, either.

  “You coming, Mad? I'm sure Victor will want to congratulate us both on this thing. I mean, we uncovered a den full of meth, crack, and who knows what else! That'll put a huge damper on the drug trade in this city.”

  “No, I... I'll get a ride back from Brett.” I glanced at him. “If that's okay with you.”

  Because I really did not want to be near Harvey right now. I wanted no part of whatever plan he'd cooked up, not in the least.

  “It's fine. Whatever you need.”

  Brett still had trouble making eye contact with me. He'd lost some of that confidence I secretly found so sexy; I could hear it in his voice.

  Harvey stared at him, jaw clenched. I thought he'd protest – for some reason, he seemed not to like the guy very much – but he shrugged.

  “Suit yourself. I'll be sure to tell Victor you did good here.”

  As he sped away with an innocent man in the backseat, I wondered how much good I'd really done.

  Brett's loudmouthed friends, who were supposed to be inspecting the property, were instead standing around chatting about a soccer game. They paid us no attention. He and I were alone at last.

  “What just happened?”

  “Harvey is going to pin the fires on James.”

  He cocked his head. “With what evidence? He didn't do it. Even I could tell you that, and I'm no
t the sharpest tack in the box.”

  “I don't know, but he seems very confident. It's all just so bizarre. He wants to impress Victor, I think – but what's the good of locking up some guy when the real arsonist is still out there? What is he going to do when the culprit turns up and burns down another building? Then it will be clear he caught the wrong guy.”

  My stomach rumbled with hunger. Brett heard, of course, and draped his arm around my shoulders.

  “You haven't eaten anything today, have you?”

  “I had a pot of coffee for breakfast.”

  He dug around in his truck and produced a protein bar for me. “Take it. I hate the thought of you starving,” he said, thrusting the food into my hand. “Had you spent the night at my place, I'd have cooked you eggs and bacon. Maybe a stack of pancakes, too.”

  I wasn't used to having anyone fret over me. At first, it annoyed me that Brett thought I needed it.

  Now I felt vulnerable, lost and confused. Having him in my corner was a lot more comforting than I ever thought it'd be.

  Maybe he was more than just a pretty face and a smoking-hot lay.

  “Hey,” he said, turning his attention elsewhere. “It's Freddy's safe.”

  As he said, in the rush to get back to the station, Harvey had forgotten the safe completely. It was pretty big and quite heavy, but Brett managed to haul it into the back of his truck.

  “What are you going to do with that? It's police evidence now.”

  He gave me a look. “As if I really trust a bunch of dirty cops; no offense. Your buddy Harvey would probably use it against James somehow.”

  I paused. Maybe he was right. Once upon a time, before the fires began, I would have kicked him for saying such things about Harvey.

  But I got the feeling I didn't know him, or anyone at the station really, as well as I thought.

  “I got the tools to crack this thing open. Don't tell me you're not curious what's inside.”

  “Hopefully something that can put Freddy back in jail for a long time.” I tried to open it. No such luck, of course. “Although with all of his money and connections, I'm sure that will never happen.”

  Brett held open the truck door for me. “C'mon, Maddie. Let's go to my place and see if we can get something for that growling tummy of yours.”

  “I would never drink on the job,” I said, climbing in. “But after today, I think I'm gonna start. Throw in a shot of tequila and you have a deal.”

  “You got it. I knew you had a naughty side.” He kissed my cheek. “All it takes is a bit of coaxing for it to come out.”

  I had resolved to keep this casual, to enjoy the amazing sex and nothing more than that. He and I were polar opposites. We could never work out.

  That's what I told myself, anyway.

  My resolve was wearing down fast.

  Chapter 15 - Brett

  The damn safe must have weighed two hundred pounds. By the time I got it up to the front porch, my arms ached and my shirt was soaked with sweat.

  Not very attractive, but Madison appeared to be pretty impressed.

  “You could have just used a dolly,” she suggested, holding open the door as I hauled the thing inside. “You're going to break your back carrying it like that.”

  “Thanks for the advice,” I grunted, dropping the safe on the living room floor. “Don't you worry; this is nothing. I was lifting way more than this at the gym just the other morning.”

  “You like to brag a lot, don't you?”

  I fell on the couch, panting, and waved her in. “When I'm trying to convince a certain woman I'm worth her time.”

  “I prefer humility – especially after Victor.” She wrinkled her nose. “Never met a man so full of himself.”

  She came in and closed the door. I hadn't planned on having company today, so the place wasn't exactly up to a woman's standards of cleanliness, so to speak.

  “Nice house. I figured it'd be your typical bachelor pad, complete with boxes of stale pizza on the table and laundry piled up in the corners.”

  “Just 'cause I'm single doesn't mean I gotta act like a college frat boy.” I rolled off the couch and rubbed my sore back. “Have a seat and I'll fix you some lunch. I have to get back to work, though, so hope you don't mind leftover chicken thighs and mashed potatoes.”

  Her belly growled again. She, clearly embarrassed of the noise, pressed her hand over it as if to cover it up.

  Made me smile. Good, because I needed something to smile about after what happened at the Ventura place.

  By knocking that tree in front of the firetrucks' path, I could have killed two innocent people, all because I thought I was doing right.

  Jesus, I'd lost my mind.

  How was I supposed to act normal after that? Maybe I was just as much a monster as the arsonist.

  Or as much as my father, for that matter.

  “You don't need to do this,” Madison said as I dug through the fridge. “I feel like you're spoiling me.”

  “I happen to like spoiling you. And what kind of gentleman would I be, letting a woman go hungry?”

  “Mm, that's funny. I never thought of you as a gentleman before.”

  She sat at the kitchen table, and I said a silent thank you that I'd remembered to pick up the dirty dishes off it this morning.

  Then it struck me: I rarely, if ever, had a girl sit at that table with me. I didn't much enjoy having women infiltrate my private spaces, so their time with me was limited to the bedroom or the hot tub, depending on my mood.

  But with Madison, that felt different. I wanted her to stay overnight so I could snuggle up with her under the sheets. I wanted to wake up beside her and cook her breakfast.

  Either I was finally growing up, or Jayce had been right – I was falling in love.

  Funny, wasn't it? Just when I started to care for a woman at last, I did something so stupid and awful, it made me think I didn't deserve love at all.

  She eyed the safe as I stuck our plates in the microwave. “When are you going to get that thing open? I can't hang out here forever. Once Harvey returns, Victor will wonder why I'm not with him. And there won't be anybody to defend James against whatever crazy story he thinks up.”

  “You just eat,” I said, putting the food in front of her. “And I'll worry about the safe.”

  She relaxed a bit and practically inhaled the chicken off its bone. Satisfied that she was at least eating, I went to inspect the safe.

  “Figured a guy like Freddy would have better security than this. A fingerprint lock or something.” I turned the combination dial. “Makes my job easier, anyway.”

  I got my drill from the garage and fired it up. Madison came into the living room with her plate, watching with great interest.

  “You look like you know what you're doing. Done something like this before?”

  “Of course I have. When I'm not busy getting chased by police and beating up punks, I'm robbing folks blind for extra spending money.”

  “I sure hope that was a joke.”

  The spinning drill bit met the dial right in the center. There was a horrific grinding noise that sent Madison scurrying back into the kitchen. Bits of plastic and steel flew everywhere as the bit bore deep inside.

  When the drill started to smoke, I stopped. That had done enough damage. One good blow would have this thing open now.

  “I can't submit this thing as evidence,” she lamented. “And to think, I used to play by the rules. Now I'm hanging out with a criminal and tampering with crime scenes.”

  “I'm like an angel compared to all the other bad guys in this town. Now eat your lunch before it gets cold.”

  Back in the garage, I pulled my best ax off its holder. This would do fine.

  “Stand back,” I told Madison. “We're about to find out what kind of secrets a murderous drug dealer keeps.”

  She jumped as I brought the ax down on the dial. With a loud clang, the blade cleaved the broken dial right off. Slowly, the door swung open.

>   Madison set her plate down and nudged me out of the way to get to it.

  “Hey, a thank you would be nice.”

  But she was too entranced by the safe to even hear me. I got down on my knees with her, admittedly just about as eager to see what waited inside.

  She flipped on her flashlight and opened the door all the way. The first thing that caught our eye was money – a ton of it.

  “There's so much.” She pulled out a yellow envelope thick as a phone book and fanned through the bills. “These are all hundreds. Must be at least twenty thousand dollars in here.”

  “Yeah, and there's way more where that came from.”

  We pulled out each envelope and set them aside, thirty seven of them in all. When we finished, we were surrounded with probably more cash than I'd ever see in my life.

  I glanced at Madison from the corner of my eye. “So... What exactly we gonna do with all this? You did say you couldn't take it to your boss. Hell, guy like him would probably keep it for himself anyway.”

  “It's drug money. What else am I supposed to do with it?” She pushed the envelopes away. “I feel dirty even touching it. God knows how many people's lives were ruined for all this cash.”

  “Think of what you could do with it, though. My truck's been needing expensive repairs, and there's this sweet bike I've had my eye on for months.”

  She glared at me. “You're seriously suggesting we steal this for ourselves? Do you realize how illegal that is – not to mention totally wrong?”

  “It was earned illegally in the first place. We'd sure put the money to better use than Freddy was gonna do. You can donate some to charity if it makes you feel better.”

  Her anger faded into a frown. I'd pissed her off, but so what? If you asked me, she was being way too idealistic about this whole thing.

  Someone was going to get their hands on this cash. Why not us?

  “You deserve it,” I said gently. “Think of all the good things you've done. You work so hard. Put your life on the line every day, but nobody ever really appreciates you for it. I know, because I'm the same way.”

  “No, you're not the same. You're willing to do the wrong thing so long as it benefits you somehow.” She stared at the floor. “You and Victor aren't so very different.”