Igniting his Flame

by Jen Talty

  “So, you have a girlfriend now?” his father said, glancing over his shoulder. “How long?”

  “Since yesterday.” He saw no point in lying to the old man. He’d never done it in the past, not even as a stupid teenager, so why start now. “She’s my next-door neighbor. I’ve kind of had eyes on her for a while, I just didn’t think she had any for me.”

  “Care to tell me how you ended up spending the night here if it’s so new and why they are calling you her boyfriend?” his father’s tone was neither accusatory, nor laced with disappointment, but it did have a certain edge to it.

  “I had enough to drink that driving wouldn’t have been safe. They were kind enough to let me crash here after the party.”

  His father let out a short laugh. “You must have made quite the impression that they allowed you to sleep in the same bedroom with their—”

  “She let them believe we’d been dating longer than we had.”

  His father whipped the chair around.

  “Let me finish.” Gavin held up his hand. “To make a very long story short, her ex-boyfriend married her sister and since then, she’s been withdrawn from her family, and they in turn have been concerned.”

  “Rightfully so.” His father had turned his attention back to the screens, pausing, rewinding, fast-forwarding, searching for what had breached the security area. “So, what you’re telling me is she’s using you to get her family off her back and there is no relationship?”

  “No. We’re dating.” The words rolled off his tongue easily, leaving a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach.

  “Then I can tell your mother you’re bringing your new girlfriend to dinner this week.”

  He was about to balk at the idea when a car rolled to a stop across the road from the main driveway with no lights on. “You see that, Dad?”

  “I do.” His father punched the keyboard, zooming in on the car.

  Gavin inched closer to the screen. “I’ve seen that car before.”

  “Where and when?”

  “Outside my duplex this morning just as Charlotte and I left to come here.”

  “Can you be sure?”

  “The car had an insured by Smith & Wesson bumper sticker on the right fender.” Gavin studied the man, dressed in black, getting out of the car, trying to pull memories of the person he saw this morning from his mind.

  “Looks like we found our guy,” his father said, following the man from one camera to the next until he disappeared near the side of the house.

  “That’s where all the cars are parked.” Gavin tapped the screen. “No idea how many are left, but I know that’s where they put my truck.”

  His father pulled out his cell and called Hayes, asking him to take a look in that area.

  “Dad, look.” Gavin tapped the top screen where the same man he’d seen this morning jumped the back gate to the pool. “I remember that the man I saw this morning had dark rimmed glasses. That’s him. I know it.”

  “Did Charlotte know him?”

  “She said she’d never seen the car before.”

  “I take it you didn’t notice if he followed you or not?” His father pulled out a small notebook and jotted down a few notes.

  “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t.” Gavin watched as the man from the white car bolted back over the fence and across the yard just as sirens echoed in the background.

  “No reason you would.” His father’s phone buzzed. “What’s up, Hayes?”

  “You and Gavin need to come to the detached parking garage.”

  Gavin glanced down at his father.

  “Why does my son need to come?”

  “His truck has been vandalized.”

  Chapter 9

  CHARLOTTE HADN’T ENVISIONED meeting Gavin’s father under the pretense of being questioned, even if only as a witness.

  She sat in the plush leather loveseat in her mother’s office, Gavin leaning against the desk while his father, who had the same probing glare only with a few more wrinkles around the eyes, began his questioning. “You’ve never seen that car or man before?” Gavin’s father Eric asked after showing her all the footage from the security cameras.

  “I remember the car from this morning, but I honestly don’t recognize the guy.” She locked gazes with Gavin.

  “Do you have any ex-boyfriends that might have an axe to grind?” Eric questioned in a kind tone, but it didn’t make this any less awkward.

  “Not that I know of. My last real boyfriend was my sister’s husband. I dated this guy a few months ago, but haven’t heard from him in months and that guy, she pointed to the screen, which had been frozen on the best angle of the man who had been driving the car and had jumped the fence to the pool area, isn’t him.”

  “What about co-workers? Friends? Anyone that might have it in for you?” Eric swiveled in her mother’s chair, rocking back and forth. “Someone you might have brushed off, or who could be jealous of you?”

  She chomped down on the inside of her mouth. The only person that came to mind had been Charlie, from the dating site. Even though she hadn’t give her real name, she had used her personal email to register on the site and no one was completely anonymous no matter how hard they tried. “There is this one guy, but he doesn’t know my address.”

  “What guy?” Gavin asked with an arched brow and a frown.

  “Someone from the dating site.”

  “What dating site?” Gavin’s father asked.

  “You were talking to other men?” Gavin’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits.

  “It was before we met online or went out,” she said, wishing she didn’t have to do this in front of his father.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m confused,” Eric said. “The two of you met on a dating site?”

  “We were talking in a singles chat room, but didn’t know it until, well...” Gavin looked at his watch. “Yesterday.”

  Her stomach pitched. She didn’t feel guilty, but she could see the hurt behind Gavin’s eyes. “I had blocked him, but he posed as you.”

  “As me? How did he do that? And when did he do that?” Gavin folded his arms across his chest.

  “Yesterday morning, a few hours before we left for here. He came on using a different screen name. He said something like, hey, it’s me. I responded with…” she paused, chewing on her fingernail.

  “With my screen name?” Gavin asked, saving her from having to say sexyfirefighter in front of his father, which would probably be as embarrassing to him as it was to her.

  She nodded. “No more than a minute later, you pinged me, so I blocked him again.”

  “What time was that?” Eric asked, scribbling in his notebook.

  “I’d have to look at my history on the site to give you an exact time.”

  Eric raised his eyelids, but not his head. “Can you access the conversations?”

  “Only the ones I’ve saved, and I didn’t save any of his, but I believe when you block someone it’s time stamped.”

  “Mind if we look inside your account?” Eric asked.

  Gavin cocked his head. His chest raised before she heard a long exhale.

  “If you think it will help catch whoever slashed Gavin’s tires and keyed his truck, sure.” She continued to assess Gavin’s expression.

  He’d raised his hands and currently rubbed his temples. “Why’d you block this guy?”

  “He got weird. And possessive.”

  “I wonder if the site archives conversations?” Eric stood, stuffing his notebook in his back pocket. “I’m going to take your mother up on some coffee. Do either of you want some?”

  She nodded.

  “That would be great, thanks, Dad.”

  “I’ll be right back and then we can log into the site and see what we can find out. I’ll get Hayes to call the cyber unit, and see if we can’t get the owner of the dating service to give us access to any archives.” Eric stepped out of the office.

  She leaned back in the chair, closing her eyes.

&nb
sp; “How many men are you talking to?” Gavin’s accusatory tone lingered in the air like a thick layer of smoke in a cigar bar.

  “I was only talking to you. I had talked to a couple other men before that, which I told you about online.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about this guy before?”

  “I told sexyfirefighter and I didn’t think I needed to be worried. My address isn’t associated with the account.”

  “But it’s possible he could have found your real name and looked you up, right?”

  She nodded, lowering her chin and opening her eyes. Gavin had pushed himself from the desk and stood in front of her. “You saved our conversations?”

  “I did, but it’s not like we had internet sex or anything.”

  “You say that as if you’d had it before.” He planted his hands on his hips and glared.

  “If I had, before I went out with you, it would be none of your business. But since this seems to be the Spanish inquisition, I can tell you I’ve never done that.”

  “It’s just that my dad is going to read it and things are already awkward.” He glanced around the room before taking a seat next to her on the loveseat.

  A long silence settled between them. She wanted to break through the tension, but she didn’t know how, much less what to say. Her love life, once again, was on display. It had been hard enough when she’d caught her sister with Ralph, and she had subsequently lied to her family about how she’d found them together so her sister could save face.

  “I’m sorry about your truck,” she whispered, lacking anything better to say.

  “It’s not your fault.”

  “Indirectly, it is if it’s this asshole from the website.”

  “Not even remotely close. He could have latched onto anyone and probably has before.” He shifted his body, tapping his finger on her thigh. “Why is it you come from all this and you live in a duplex across town when you obviously could be living somewhere much nicer?”

  “Why is that obvious?” Another reason never to bring anyone home. Once they know you come from money, they make assumptions about you.

  He let out a curt laugh. “You drive a Hyundai when you could afford a Porsche—”

  “I can’t afford a car like that just because my parents can.” No one in her family ever had a free ride. She knew she had opportunities others never had, and she appreciated that, but she valued the idea that her parents made all their children make it on their own once they flew from the nest.

  “They don’t help you out?”

  She narrowed her eyes and shifted to the side, knocking his hand from her body. “Once I graduated from college, I was on my own. That’s the way it’s been for everyone in my house. My parents paid for our four-year degree. Anything after that, we had to take out loans and pay off with our own money. We are all fully self-sufficient. The only difference between me and my siblings is that I chose a career that doesn’t pay as much.”

  “Well, good for you. But you always have all this to fall back on.”

  “What is wrong with you? None of this bothered you when you climbed into bed with me tonight. Why is it suddenly an issue?”

  Before he had the chance to answer, his father returned, followed by her mother carrying a tray of coffee mugs and a large thermos.

  “Your mother said we could use her computer to log into the dating site,” Eric said, motioning for her to come over toward the desk.

  She tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat, but her muscles didn’t work properly.

  “Gavin,” her mother said, handing him a large mug. “The tow truck is here.”

  “Thanks. I’ll go talk to them now.”

  The last thing Charlotte wanted was to be left alone with Gavin’s father while he looked over her dating profile. She caught Gavin’s gaze and pleaded with him to stay, though she could certainly understand why he wanted to leave and not just because of his truck.

  “I’ll be back shortly.” Gavin squeezed her arm before he waltzed out of the room, leaving her with her mother’s questioning glare and his father’s all-knowing glance.

  Wonderful.

  “Mom, why don’t you go put your feet up.”

  “I have to go start breakfast.” Thankfully, her mother took the hint and left. Not that this would be any less awkward.

  “Let’s get this over with,” she said, taking the seat behind her mother’s desk. As a kid, she used to love to play under it while her mother worked. Then, when her mother finished whatever it was she needed to do, she’d climb under the desk with Charlotte.

  “It’s not going to be a one and done. If the guy who trashed Gavin’s truck is indeed this person you talked to and subsequently blocked, we’ll need all this information.”

  “I understand,” she said with as strong a voice as she could muster. Her mother had warned her about online dating, but Charlotte didn’t listen, believing she understood the net better than her mom.

  Next time, she’d listen to her.

  Mother does always know best.

  Charlotte pulled up the site and logged into her account. Fifteen private messages pinged. Four were from Sexyfirefighter.

  She tapped the screen. “Those can’t be from Gavin.”

  “That’s his screen name?” Eric shook his head. “I can’t wait to tell his mother this one. She’ll be thrilled.”

  “Um, I don’t think he’d want that and why would she be happy?”

  Eric raised his hand and palmed his cheek, drawing his fingers down his jaw line. “I have no idea what he’s told you about his accident or the woman he’d been dating before, but for a long time, Gavin couldn’t even look at himself in the mirror. Even after all the surgeries, he thought he looked hideous and figured no woman would want him. It’s only been in the last six months or so that he’s started to become himself again. So, if he’s viewing himself as sexy, his mother will be doing the happy dance for weeks to come.”

  “His scars aren’t very bad looking at all. I barely notice them.”

  “It’s still the first thing people see, especially women.”

  Charlotte blinked a few times, trying to recall the first time she’d met Gavin. She smiled. It had been a few weeks after she’d moved in and he’d just gotten home from a twenty-four-hour shift. He’d practically walked into her as he walked up the steps, not paying attention to where he was going. He certainly hadn’t expected to run into her considering he had no idea she’d even moved in. Her car had been in the shop, and she’d been knee deep in writing a new systems program, so she barely left the house.

  “The first thing I noticed were his eyes. I don’t remember when I saw the scars, but it wasn’t the first couple times that I talked to him.”

  “You’re a special girl, Charlotte.” Eric patted her shoulder much like a father would do to a daughter he’d been proud of. “I hate to do this, but I need you to open those messages.”

  “Not a problem. None of these names are familiar, except the one Gavin used, but I know that’s not him based on the time-stamps. We were in be…” She chose to not finish the statement and clicked on the first message from Gavin’s screen name.

  Sexyfirefighter: Are you there? We need to talk.

  The next one read: I’d really like to meet.

  The other two were more of the same. Every other message had been identical: Hi Angela. It’s me. Please don’t block me. I just want to talk.

  An instant message popped up from Friends4Ever.

  “The last time I thought this guy Charlie pinged me, he used Afriend.”

  “The other names have either friend in the screen name, or reference being friends with BFF.” Eric took one of the high back chairs her mother had on the side of the desk and pulled it up next to Charlotte. “I need to call cyber and see if they can trace any of this, if that is okay with you.”

  “I can help them with that,” she said, pulling the keyboard closer. “I should have done this sooner, but I can check an IP address and
they can actually use that to ping the location.”

  “Do it.” Eric set his phone on the desk, tapping at the number pad.

  She quickly found the IP address, wrote it on a piece of paper while Eric rattled it off to someone on the phone. Three minutes later, she was told to answer the instant message.

  Friends4Ever: Hi Angela. It’s me. Please don’t block me. I just want to talk.

  “What should I say?”

  “Ask him what he wants to talk about.”

  The door squeaked open and she looked over her shoulder to see Gavin standing in the center of the room.

  “What’s going on?” Gavin asked.

  “I think our asshole has come out to play and we’re going to bait him,” Eric said.

  “I don’t like that idea.” Gavin inched closer, leaning against the desk directly behind her. “It puts her at risk.”

  “We’ve got the video with this guy’s face. His car. Both of you as witnesses as to what happened earlier today. If we can draw him out now, we’ll all sleep better tonight.” Eric tapped the desk. “Our cyber team has hacked in, so they are watching and tracking everything. Answer him.”

  Charlotte’s fingers shook as they hovered over the keyboard.

  Gavin’s strong hands came down on her shoulders, gently massaging. “It’s okay,” he whispered.

  AngelaBennett: Talk about what? Charlie.

  Friends4Ever: You do remember me. I didn’t mean to frighten you away. I’m a nice guy. Probably nicer and better for you than that other guy.”