by Lisa Kessler
Ted bit the inside of his cheek. “If they push their enlightened agenda—”
“If the police come sniffing around anymore, we’ll be in jail, and that won’t serve our mission, either.” Mikolas crossed his arms. “You are welcome to accept a severance package and leave the city and the Order, instead, of course. Your choice.”
Shit. The bastard knew Ted wouldn’t walk away. Not when his father’s legacy was so close to completion. Ted swallowed his pride and forced the words from his lips. “As long as the end result is a new Golden Age of Man, I don’t care what method we use to get there.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you at the gathering tonight.”
Reed stood in the captain’s office while Captain Mitchell laid all the evidence they’d collected so far on the table. They had determined that the fire had been ignited using a homemade Molotov cocktail. The suspect had tossed it through one of the opened windows in the back storeroom near the parking lot.
The captain glanced up at Reed. “I’ve got a list of employees for us to question about enemies or threats.” He paused. “What? You think we’re missing something?”
Reed shrugged, meeting the captain’s eyes. “There’s no way a guy came on base in broad daylight with bolt cutters and turned off the sprinklers while the employees were inside.”
His boss frowned. “If he turned them off while it was dark, why wait to start the fire?”
“Maybe he didn’t want to risk any people dying in the blaze. He could’ve cut the lock and killed the water to the sprinklers last night. He probably didn’t know the employees were already there this morning. The front doors were still locked.”
Captain Mitchell leaned back in his chair. “You know how these guys work. They either get off on watching it burn or…”
Reed tapped a finger on a picture of the spray-painted wall. “Or it’s a message.”
The captain raised a brow. “You think it’s a jealous boyfriend?”
“Or a former one. We need to talk to everyone at that cantina last night.” Reed ran a hand through his hair. “Which includes me.”
“You were there last night?”
Reed nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t stay long, but I was.”
“You didn’t see anything suspicious?”
Once he’d locked eyes with Erica, he wouldn’t have noticed if an elephant had wandered into the bar. He cleared his throat. “Not that I saw. There was a singer there, and the place was packed.”
“All right.” He jotted a couple of notes, then looked in Reed’s direction again. “Tomorrow, we start talking to all the employees and the entertainment, and if we still don’t have a lead, we’ll try to track down the patrons. We can cross that bridge when we get there.”
“Sounds good.” Reed got up and went out back to the basketball hoop. The half court was empty. But he didn’t come to play, anyway. He fired off a text to Callie. He’d watched over her for Hunter during his final mission with the SEALs, and her number was still in his contacts. He couldn’t say the same for Erica.:
Hey, Callie. There was a fire at the cantina on base this morning. It might be arson. I need Erica’s number.
Instead of getting a return text, his phone rang.
“Erica did not burn down the cantina.” Callie was maybe five foot, but she was all spunk.
He chuckled. “Ease up. I don’t think she’s the arsonist, but we’re going to need to interview everyone who was at the bar last night.”
Callie’s voice softened. “Hunter told me you met up with her.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t get her number.”
“She’s not big on giving men her phone number.” She paused. “How about I text her yours and ask her to call you?”
Reed frowned. Erica took this no-strings thing pretty seriously. “All right. Tell her it’s about the fire.”
“Will do.” She cleared her throat and added, “Hunter told me you’re coming by after your shift is over, right?”
“Yeah. I was planning on it.” He glanced at his ankle. It wasn’t burning at the moment. Maybe it would heal up on its own.
“Good.” Callie cleared her throat and added, “We’ll explain more when you come over. Until then, be careful, Reed.”
She ended the call, leaving him even more confused than he already was.
Erica stared at Callie’s text. The cantina had caught fire this morning, and Reed needed to ask her some questions. Callie had followed it up with his phone number.
Ugh. She’d have to talk to him again. And she should not be looking forward to it.
Erica tossed her phone onto the bed and ran a hand down her face. Reed had been on her mind all day. Having his number was too much temptation. Even if she told herself it was to help solve a case, it would be another connection.
That couldn’t lead to anything good.
But he’d be knocking on her door sooner or later anyway to investigate this fire. Her skin warmed just thinking about the flames he had kindled in her the previous night.
Trin tapped on her bedroom door. “I’m running to the gym and then meeting Polly at the theater to talk budget for the new stage curtains and flooring.”
“All right. See you later tonight.” Erica was grateful she hadn’t been roped onto the budget committee for the renovations. Math had never been her strong suit.
The front door closed and the dead bolt turned, leaving Erica alone with her phone and Reed’s number. She worried her lower lip. He had said he wasn’t looking for a relationship, either. Maybe they could keep it physical. No emotional attachments.
God, she shouldn’t even be considering it.
But she was.
She swiped her phone from the comforter and dialed his number.
“This is Reed,” he answered.
His deep voice warmed her insides. This was a very bad idea. “Hey, it’s Erica.”
“Good to hear your voice.”
“Likewise.” She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining his hands on her body.
He cleared his throat. “Did Callie tell you about the fire?”
“Yeah… Was anyone hurt?”
“One employee was trapped, but I got her out. She was shaken up and swallowed some smoke, but the paramedics said she’ll be all right. We got lucky. They weren’t open yet.”
He’d been inside the burning building.
Her eyes widened, surprised at her concern. “Are you all right?”
He paused. “I’m fine.”
“Good.” She sighed. “Callie said you needed to ask me some questions?”
“Yeah. Someone turned off the fire sprinklers for the building. So we’re looking at arson.”
A chill slid down her back like a cold finger. “Hey, I was with you all night.”
He started to chuckle. “I’m not saying you’re a suspect, but we have to ask everyone in the bar if there’s anyone who has threatened them in the past.”
Her free hand brushed over the scar on her shoulder, her stomach tying in a knot. “Not recently.”
“Someone threatened you?” Aggression tinged his voice.
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Nothing a restraining order couldn’t fix.”
He huffed out a breath. “I’m going to need all this asshole’s information.”
“I can bring you what I have, but since the restraining order, I haven’t heard from him. I don’t know if any of it is still current, either. It may not turn out to be much help.”
“If we have a name, we can find him. I’m going to Callie’s for a barbecue after my shift. Can you meet me there?”
Another bad idea. Just hearing his voice had her fantasizing about him. She wasn’t sure she was strong enough to see him again so soon and keep away from him.
“Erica?”
“I’m still here.” She rubbed her hands on her jeans. “Can’t I just e-mail or text you?”
“Did I do something wrong last night?”
“Far from it, but…I’d just like to mak
e sure it stays that way,” she admitted.
“What if I promise to keep my pants on?” The smile in his voice had butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
She stared up at the ceiling. “Fine. But you’ll have to leave mine on, too.”
“Well, shit.” His laughter warmed her all over. “You drive a hard bargain.”
“I’m all about hard things.” She ran her tongue along her teeth.
“You do have that effect on me.”
Her clothes were suddenly too constricting. “I’m not sorry.”
His voice became husky. “I’m only sorry we can’t enjoy each other again.”
The flirtation and double entendres were like breathing, feeding the yearnings of her muse. And although her head was screaming to hang up the phone, the muse kept teasing, stoking the fire.
And after dredging up Jack and the restraining order, she was eager for a distraction.
“Dangerous.” She pulled off her top and put the phone to her ear again. “But you’re all about danger, right?”
His heavy breathing teased her ear, his voice dropping to a throaty whisper. “If I weren’t on duty right now, I’d be inviting you to my place.”
She tugged her pants off and laid back on the bed in her bra and panties. “And what would we do once we got there?”
She heard footsteps on the other end of the line. When he finally spoke again, his voice was a caress. “Then I’d run my hand over your body.” He paused. “Are you alone?”
She closed her eyes. “Yes. In my bed. You?”
“Yeah. I’m out back on the empty basketball court. Wish I was with you.” He groaned, the hungry sound making it easier to imagine his hand running up her rib cage.
“Your touch feels good,” she murmured. “Then what?”
“I’d cup your breast and lick the tip while I watch your face.”
She slid her fingers inside her bra, pinching her nipple. Her breath caught.
“That’s it.” He growled. “You’re so sexy. I’d move my other hand lower.”
She followed his lead, sliding hers down, her voice becoming a more of a gasp. “Panties on or off?”
“Off,” he whispered.
She wedged the phone between her ear and her shoulder, then lifted her hips to pull her underwear free. “They’re gone.”
“I’d slide my hand to your inner thigh and push your legs apart.”
She parted her thighs. “Gods, I wish I could touch you.”
“Fuck, so do I,” he murmured. “Then I’d move my fingers higher, to see if you’re wet for me.”
She moaned in answer. “Oh yeah. Very.”
“Mmm, good.” Hearing the desire in his voice had her so turned on, she was already on the edge. “Now I’d slide them farther up, until I find the spot that makes you gasp my name.”
She found it instantly. “Oh, Reed.”
“Yeah, baby. Right there…” His breathing began to quicken. “Now I’d rub and tease you, watching the pleasure on your face, your hot lips moaning. I want to see that moment when you surrender.”
Her hips bucked into her fingers as she followed his directions. “Feels so good…”
“Now come for me,” he growled into the phone. “Come for me, Erica.”
Every muscle in her body contracted as she peaked, crying out his name. Trembling, she whispered, “This is why seeing you again would be a bad idea.”
“Nothing about sex with you is bad, even when I only get to enjoy hearing it.”
She smiled, slowly opening her eyes to the reality of her empty bed. “Are all firefighters as hot as you?”
He scoffed teasingly. “Hell no.”
A giggle bubbled from her parched throat. “Okay, you win. I’ll see you at Callie’s. With my pants on.”
“I’ll wear mine, too.”
She grinned. “Deal.”
She ended the call and dropped her phone on the bed. Now that the bliss of her orgasm was fading and blood was returning to her brain, she sat up with a groan. What the hell was she doing?
Crossing to the mirror over her dresser, she stared at the burn on her shoulder, forcing herself to remember that night. She’d broken up with Jack, and he’d seemed to take it well. They’d agreed to still be in touch as friends. But on the drive back to her place, he’d pressed the cigarette lighter while she was looking out her window. And when he leaned in for a good-bye kiss on the cheek, he’d slammed the red-hot lighter into her shoulder, pinning her to the seat, grinning as she screamed.
That sick smile still haunted her dreams.
The lighter had melted through her shirt, into her skin, until the scent of cooked flesh made her gag. When the heat had faded, he whispered, “You’re mine, Erica. Branded like the cow you are.”
She stared at her reflection as a single tear slid down her cheek.
This was where a relationship with her would lead.
Into madness.
CHAPTER 4
Ted stepped out of the car and lifted the hood on his black robe. He grabbed the gold mask of Kronos from his trunk and ground his teeth. He’d see this through for his father. Even though Ted Belkin, Sr. was dead, he was still trying to win his approval.
Pathetic.
But dammit, he couldn’t help it.
“Ready, Boss?” Bryce asked.
He glanced over at his Order’s enforcer. “I need to talk to you first.” He shook his head. “Take the damned mask off.”
Bryce complied. He’d been conditioned to be loyal to the Order and to hate the muses. In fact, he’d nearly killed Callie O’Connor for the cause.
But nearly wasn’t close enough.
“Mikolas is the leader of the Order now,” Ted grumbled, “and he’s not on board with eliminating the muses.”
Bryce frowned. “How will we stop them?”
“We’ll have to be careful,” he said, lowering his voice. “Do you understand?”
Bryce raised a brow. “I’ll still be the enforcer.”
“Only between us.” Ted waited for Bryce to nod his understanding, then continued. “Once Mikolas lays out his plan, their deaths will have to look like accidents.”
“I’m with you.”
“This has to stay off the radar.” Ted narrowed his eyes. “No one else in the Order can know.”
“I got it, Boss. I can do this.”
Ted put the mask of Kronos over his face. “Good. Let’s go.”
By the time they reached the rest of the group, the platform was already set up, but Mikolas was on the ground shaking hands with the other members.
Ted approached, and they backed away. He turned to Mikolas. “Your mask…?”
Mikolas held it up. “I have it.”
Ted frowned behind his. “I don’t know how the Order does things where you come from, but here, you don’t enter the circle without it on.”
Mikolas donned his mask without argument. “Let’s get started, then,” he said, his deep voice muffled.
Ted stepped onto the platform, and Mikolas followed. He raised his arms to the others. “Light the fire,” he commanded.
The pit came alive with flames, smoke swirling up into the starry sky. “Some of you have already met our new leader. He will take up my father’s torch, and together, we will see the new Golden Age of Man!”
Mikolas stepped forward to the cheers. He lifted his hand up toward the heavens. “From Mother Earth, Gaia, we send our praise up to our Father Sky, Uranus. Your children will be free from their prison soon. Bless the Order in our mission. Kronos will rule this world once again. Wars will cease, and man will live in peace and prosperity. The Golden Age of Man will return!”
More cheering followed as he lowered his arms before addressing the Order again. “We are all saddened by the loss of Ted Belkin, Sr. His commitment to our mission has brought us closer to success than we have ever been before. If the Oceanus rig keeps drilling at its current rate, we should reach the Earth’s core before the end of the year, and Kronos a
nd his Titan brothers and sisters will reward us.”
He waited for the crowd to quiet again. “There will be some changes under my leadership, however. We will keep watch over the progress of the muses and their Les Neufs Soeurs theater. We will make sure their inspiration doesn’t touch the thinkers and dreamers of mankind until it is too late, but we will no longer hunt them. Murder was never part of our mission. If anyone has a problem with this, you can bring it directly to me.”
Ted scanned the crowd. Not one of them spoke up.
Spineless sheep, all of them.
He glanced at Bryce and gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Together, they would avenge his father’s death. The muses would pay.
Reed and the captain finished their interviews with the cantina’s employees. One of the bartenders had a bad roommate who had tossed threats his way, but given the painted message, they doubted his roommate was their perp. Either way, the captain was going to follow up, and Reed would be getting the information from Erica about her ex with the restraining order.
But if she hadn’t heard from the guy for a few months, it probably wasn’t him. Or he could still be stalking her without her knowledge…
What if the asshole had been at the cantina that night? Did he watch them kiss and drive away together in Erica’s car? If so, it was plausible that, depending on the strength of his obsession, seeing her with another guy had pushed him to want to send her a message.
But a threatening anonymous e-mail would be much less work and not nearly as risky.
Unless this guy was obsessed with Erica and fire. Profilers had documented plenty of cases tying arson and sex together. Watching something burn turned arsonists on.
A sharp pain shot through his ankle, breaking his concentration. He jammed his fingers under his sock. The skin was hot. Didn’t itch, though.
“McIntosh! Dude, you stole my fire.”
He grinned as Jones, another firefighter in his station, approached the lockers. “Not my fault you were off camping with the family.”
Jones shook his head. “Structure fires and a rescue, too, and I missed it.”
“That’s not all,” Reed said. Jones was hired a few months after Reed, and they needled each other like brothers. “This was arson, not an accident.”
