Face the Flames Page 4

  “I’m sure. This one is distinctive because of the Celtic knot design. He’s also got a reddish scar on his neck underneath it right at the collar.”

  Pressing the intercom, she told the officer they were done, and the men started to file out. “That’s it. You picked him out.”

  “What’ll happen now?”

  “He’ll be bound over for trial, which may take a while to happen, but he won’t see the light of day again. He has a long list of priors for burglary, robbery, and the like. But the attempted murder charge made it a whole new ball game. He’s out of here.”

  “Good.” He scowled. “I just wish Drew didn’t have to face the scumbag in court.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.”

  Clay hesitated. “I was going to head to the hospital and check on him. Would you like to go with me?”

  “That’s very thoughtful of you,” she said softly. “Yes, I’d like that.”

  “I’m not cleared to drive yet, so we’ll have to take a cab or your car.”

  “I’ll drive,” she said. “If you can fold that tall frame into my little beer can again.”

  His laugh mesmerized her. “I can manage.”

  “I’ll follow you guys,” Tonio put in. “I’d like to check on Shane and Daisy, too.”

  Melissa collected her purse and keys from her desk, and they left the station. On the way across town, she glanced at her handsome passenger. “I didn’t think you knew Drew or his family very well.”

  “I don’t, but I feel the need to make sure he’s really okay. As a paramedic, it’s not often that I’m able to find out later how a patient is doing, and I happened to have a connection to this one.”

  She already thought he was pretty cool, and her estimation of him rose. “I feel the same.”

  They arrived at the hospital and the three of them walked inside together, then took the elevator up to the ICU. Once there, a nurse directed them to a waiting area, where they found Daisy curled in a chair staring at the muted TV on the wall.

  Melissa liked the tall blond juvenile officer. Though Melissa hadn’t worked with her much yet, she was normally all smiles at the station, so cordial to everyone she met. One look at the other woman, however, and Melissa could see she’d been crying. Her hair was disheveled, eyes red and swollen. There was a box of tissue on the table beside her, one clenched in her hand. She turned as she heard their group approach.

  “Oh,” she said thickly, standing. “Thank you all for coming.”

  Quickly, Melissa pulled her into a hug. Clay and Tonio followed suit. Once they let her go, Melissa spoke up.

  “I heard Drew is going to recover. I’m so glad.”

  Daisy’s eyes filled with fresh tears. “Thank you. We were so terrified, I can’t even tell you. They said he could’ve bled out if a paramedic hadn’t been walking by and put pressure on his wound until an ambulance could get there.”

  Clay looked at her and his lips curved up. “That would be me. I believe we’ve met before, but you may not remember me. I’m Clay Montana, and I’m happy I was in the right place at the right time.”

  Daisy blinked at Clay as though really seeing him for the first time. Then she cried out and the firefighter had an armful of sobbing woman. He patted her back, trying to comfort her, and gazed at Melissa and Tonio helplessly over her head.

  “Shh,” he said. “He’s okay now.”

  “Oh my God! Did something happen?”

  Melissa turned toward the entrance to the waiting room, where a striking, slender young man with long brown hair had halted, two Styrofoam cups in his hand. He appeared to be about nineteen or twenty, and his expression was one of pure fear. It was clear he’d misread the situation with Daisy crying.

  The other woman quickly pulled away from Clay and hurried to him. “Blake, honey, no! Everything’s fine. I was just thanking this man for saving Drew’s life.” She introduced the two. “Blake, this is Clay Montana. He’s the paramedic who kept Drew from bleeding out before help arrived. Clay, this is Blake Roberts.”

  Blake set the cups on a table and strode over, holding out his hand. “Thank you for what you did, sir. Drew’s my best friend, and I can’t imagine life without him.”

  The older man shook his hand. “Call me Clay, and I’m glad I could help. Especially since I’ve been out of commission for a while.” He gestured to his cane.

  “I heard about the accident,” the boy said. “Damn, that’s some tough crap.”

  “Yes, it was. But I’m doing much better.”

  “Dude, that’s great. Heard from Shane that it was a bad wreck.”

  “It was.”

  Melissa was glad he didn’t go into detail—especially since it was her own worthless cousin who’d hit him and Julian that day.

  Tonio looked around. “Where are Shane, Taylor, and Chris?”

  “Oh, Taylor and Chris went to get a bite to eat,” Blake said. “Shane is in with Drew since they’ll only let one of us in at a time for ten minutes. The rest of us didn’t want to leave, so they’re bringing back food for us, too.”

  “Any chance we can visit Drew?” Melissa asked.

  Daisy sighed. “Tomorrow would be better, when they move him to a regular room. Right now the ICU staff is keeping it to me, Shane, and Blake. We can only see him in shifts.”

  “No problem,” Melissa said. “We just wanted to come by and let you all know we’re thinking about you and pulling for him.”

  “That’s incredibly sweet. When Drew wakes up, I’ll let him know you were here.”

  “Let me know if I can do anything at all to help when Drew’s released,” Melissa said.

  “Oh, you already have.” Daisy’s expression grew fierce. “You caught the bastard who shot him, and I couldn’t ask for more.”

  “Believe me, it was my pleasure.” Melissa hugged the other woman again.

  Tonio stayed behind to talk with Shane, so Melissa and Clay took their leave. There wasn’t much else they could do here, but the visit had seemed to mean a lot to Daisy.

  Back at Melissa’s car, she couldn’t help but smile at Clay’s struggle to fold his long frame into the front again. “If you ride with me more often, I guess I’ll have to shop for a bigger car.”

  “I’ll be driving soon, so you can ride in my car,” he said, giving her a meaningful look.

  Her heart sped up at the implication that he wanted to spend more time with her. Was that what he meant? “What kind of car do you drive? I figured you as more of a truck guy.”

  “A vintage Challenger. Gives me something to tinker with.”

  I’ll give you something to tinker with. “Sounds cool. I’d love a ride sometime.”

  “You’re on. You’ll be my first passenger, soon as I get my license back.” He fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Are you hungry? Can you take a dinner break?”

  “Getting there. And yes, because I’m off duty now. What do you have in mind?” He wants to spend time with me? She felt like a giddy teenager, but pushed down her excitement.

  “How about Italian? There’s a nice little place close to downtown that has great food.”

  “I know the one. Sounds great.”

  A few minutes later, she parked on the street in front of the restaurant. She’d been here before, a hole in the wall that was cozy inside, not too fancy, with a fantastic menu. Her stomach growled in agreement.

  They went inside, Clay leaning on his cane. He’d been on his leg a lot today, and a pang of sympathy washed through her. She didn’t show it, though, sensing he wouldn’t appreciate it. He didn’t seem like a man to dwell on what he’d lost, but had his mind set on what would be again. She admired that more than he could know.

  A hostess showed them to a booth in a quiet corner, and they took seats opposite each other. A waiter appeared, handing them both menus and promising
to bring them each a glass of water while they decided, then he left them.

  They both started to talk at the same time, and Clay laughed good-naturedly. “You go ahead,” he said.

  She smiled. “So, you’ve lived here all your life?”

  “I have. My mother, Charlene, still lives in town, too. If it wasn’t for her, I’d be in much worse shape than I am right now. She really went to bat for me after the wreck, took care of my bills and things so I didn’t lose my house and car.”

  “She sounds wonderful,” Melissa said wistfully.

  “She’s the best. A bit smothering at times, but a great mom.”

  “At least you have a mom.”

  He winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories for you.”

  “No, no,” she assured him. “I had wonderful parents, but they were killed during a home invasion when I was about six. I was in the house, but I don’t remember anything about it, thank God.”

  “That’s horrible. I’m sorry.”

  “It was a lifetime ago. My uncle took me in, but that wasn’t the best place for me to be, so my aunt finally managed to wrest custody away from him when I was about ten. He made things so difficult for my aunt, harassing her, that she finally took me and moved away from Sugarland when I was thirteen.”

  “Your uncle sounds like a piece of crap, if you don’t mind my saying.”

  “I don’t mind at all because it’s the truth. Uncle James is a violent man, a career criminal, and an all-around terrible person. The best thing that ever happened to me was when my aunt drove me away from his compound for the last time.”

  “Compound?” He brows rose in curiosity.

  Just then, the waiter appeared with two glasses of water garnished with lemon wedges. “Are you ready to order?”

  “Another minute?” Clay asked.

  “Sure thing. Be back in a few.” The waiter vanished again.

  Damn. Maybe she’d said too much. Then again, might was well lay it on the table right off the bat. Let him decide if he could handle being around Melissa knowing her only family in town was a bunch of criminals led by a crazy asshole.

  She continued their conversation. “Yes, a compound. Uncle James runs an illegal moonshine distillery. Quite a large and lucrative one, in fact, with a high-dollar facility. The Feds have been trying to crack the operation for years.”

  His eyes widened. “Moonshiners in the Tennessee hills? That shit’s for real?”

  “As real as that documentary on the History Channel. Watch it sometime. I did, even though I didn’t need to—I lived it. This is not your stereotypical shack with a bunch of drunk, bearded men sitting around with brown jugs of shine that they make for their friends. This is a serious million-dollar business. Of course, I was so young when I went to live there, I didn’t really know what they were doing was wrong. Not until much later.”

  “Why haven’t the Feds been able to arrest them?” he asked, clearly baffled. “If it’s so big, it’s clearly not well hidden.”

  “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. It’s very well hidden deep in the hills, covered by trees, and surrounded by armed guards. You think I’m shitting you?” She shook her head. “My uncle allows few people onto the property, and only when it suits him. I heard a couple of years ago that an agent tried to crack my uncle’s operation from the inside and met with a grisly fate. When I used my status as a detective to check it out, I found out it was true. Many of the ones he can’t kill, he buys off with bribes.”

  “Jesus, what a family.”

  “Trust me, he’s not on my Christmas card list.”

  He chuckled. “Well, at least you’re not the only one with crappy family—my dad isn’t on my list, either. He left me and my mom when I was about thirteen. Just packed up and ran off with another woman one day, and never looked back. I don’t even know if he’s alive. Don’t care.”

  The pain in his voice told her otherwise, but she didn’t pursue the subject. “You and I, we’re fortunate that we each had one great relative to care for us. My Aunt Jennie was that person for me. If it hadn’t been for her intervention, there’s no telling how I would’ve turned out.”

  “Was?”

  “She passed away last year,” Melissa told him sadly. “She had kept her house and some acreage here in Sugarland, rented it out for years. She said she wanted me to have a place to come home to, should I ever want to return. For years, I couldn’t imagine ever coming back.”

  “But you did.”

  “Yeah, a few months ago. I moved in first, cleaned up the house and property. There’s a small barn out back, so I fixed it up and bought a couple of horses. They’re fun, and riding is an escape for me when I need it. Then I found the job at the Sugarland PD and took some shit for getting the position over them hiring someone internally. But I kept my chin up because I know I’m a good cop.”

  “That’s awesome. You took a leap of faith then, moving home without a job.”

  “And then some. I just knew I had to come.”

  Clay studied her for a long moment, his blue gaze piercing all the way to her soul. It was like he could see inside her to the heart of her motives. “You want to bring down your uncle.”

  She took a deep breath. “So bad I can taste it. I don’t know what I can do that the FBI can’t, but I have an in they don’t—Uncle James is family.”

  Looking worried, Clay laid a hand over the top of hers on the table. “Please, don’t mess with him, or any of that. If he’s as ruthless as you say, it won’t matter now that you’re his niece, especially when he finds out you’ve come home wearing a badge.”

  She nodded, a chill going through her. “He probably knows already. I’ve been a cop for years.”

  “All the more reason to give him a wide berth and let the government handle proving his crimes.”

  “I know you’re right, but it’s hard to let go of the idea. You have no clue how miserable I was living with him and his men.”

  “He didn’t . . . hurt you, did he? Or did any of his men?” he asked cautiously.

  “No, not like that. My uncle is mean, but his abuse towards me was mostly verbal. He’d hit me sometimes, which was bad enough. But none of them ever touched me sexually. Honestly, I think he would’ve killed anyone who tried that. Probably the only good thing I can say about him.”

  “Well, at least there’s one thing,” he muttered.

  They finally studied their menus and the waiter returned to take their orders. Once they’d related their selections to him, she turned the topic toward a lighter subject.

  “So, how long have you been a firefighter?”

  “Nine years—well, technically eight if you count the year I’ve lost. I joined the fire department when I was twenty-one.”

  “I don’t have to ask whether you love your job. You’re working so hard to get back to it.”

  “You’re right about that. I never wanted to be anything else. My lieutenant, Zack Knight, tells people he started playing with fire trucks as a little kid and never grew out of it. It was the same for me.”

  She grinned. “I can picture you as a little boy, zooming your fire truck all over the driveway and dreaming big dreams of driving it one day.”

  That got a chuckle from him. “That’s pretty accurate.”

  Their food came eventually, and they continued to make small talk, learning about each other’s likes and dislikes. They found they both loved movies, especially action-packed ones with lots of bullets and explosions. They both loved to hike, try different restaurants, and their quest for the perfect beer was a shared one.

  This man is too perfect. He’s so easy to talk to, and he listens.

  “So, what’s your worst fault?” she asked curiously. “You don’t seem to have any.”

  “Are you kidding?” He nearly choked on his ice water. “I ha
ve plenty. I’m a bachelor, right? I leave the toilet seat up. I snore. I let my dog sleep on the couch, not that I have one right now.”

  “That’s not a fault, that’s being an animal lover,” she pointed out. “That’s another positive.”

  “Okay.” He thought about it. “I procrastinate. Not at work, but at home. I forget to do laundry until I realize all my clean boxer briefs are in the hamper. So then I just go commando.”

  It was her turn to nearly choke. She could imagine him in a sexy pair of briefs. Even more so without them. “I don’t think that counts as a fault, either. The commando part.”

  He laughed out loud, showing off that brilliant smile. “I’ll file that for future reference.”

  “You do that.”

  His eyes locked with hers, and ooh, the heat. It was enough to start a fire right in the middle of the table. The connection was definitely there. The spark.

  He was like a deep pool of warm water she wanted to wade into, and didn’t care if she drowned. Had a man ever looked at her with such intensity? Like he wanted to learn all her secrets, peel them back one layer at a time?

  “Have you ever been in a serious relationship?” he asked in a low voice.

  “A couple. Neither one worked out, for different reasons. I haven’t found the right person. How about you?”

  “I’ve dated, but nothing serious,” he told her.

  No serious relationship in all his thirty years? She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

  “Uh-oh.” He grinned. “You got that look on your face. I’ll admit, I’ve been a player, and maybe a woman would view that as another fault. But a casual roll in the sheets is not what I’m looking for anymore.”

  “You get those points back, then,” she teased. Silently, though, she knew that would be a deal breaker. She wouldn’t put up with a man who had a revolving door on his bedroom.

  Finishing their meal, they lingered for a while longer. When the waiter brought the bill, she tried to pick it up, or at least split it with Clay, but he was having none of it.

  “This was my suggestion,” he said firmly. “The woman does not pay the check for dinner. If that makes me old-fashioned, I won’t apologize.”