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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The clock on the wall reads eight-thirty. It might as well be screaming, “ You’re late.”

Not that I have to punch a clock now that I’m Chief, but I never arrive this late.

Thank god, the station is quiet when I pull into the lot. Shit, we’re like two sneaky teenagers. I can’t exactly be hard on Lincoln when I’m acting like a fool myself.

No one intercepts me and I’m inside my office, glued to the window, when Avery crosses the parking lot and enters the side door of the fire station. She glances my way, a full blush on her cheeks, but quickly ducks her head.

Fuck. I’ve really done it now .

I’ve gotten a taste of her sweet body and I’m dying to have more.

A few seconds later, her sandals click past my open door as she heads toward the bunk room where she’s staying. Yeah, we’ve got to do something about that fast, before I really fuck up and have to take her like an animal in one of those bunkbeds.

She needs to get her own place, fast.

I’m staring at paperwork, not seeing a damn word on the paper, when there’s a knock on my door.

I know it’s her before I look up. Her scent, the one that is solely hers, is tattooed on my brain. Forever.

I put on my professional voice when what I really want to do is growl her name and jerk her inside the office just like I did in the shower. “Ellis, what do you need?”

Dressed in county issued cargo pants and T-shirt now, she glances around my space. Nervousness is simmering around her like a cloud as she steps inside the doorway. “Can we talk about the case?”

Code speak? I’m not sure, but I nod toward the chair in front of my desk.

“Fire away.”

She flips open a notepad, when her eyes rise to mine, there’s a warmth to her cheeks that wasn’t there before last night.

Avery looks different after spending the night with me.

My ego balloons. Yep. I put that little smile on her lips and the color on her cheeks.

She gulps, tries to get her composure. “I, um… I have some questions.”

Yeah, I fucking feel ya. My gut’s clenched in a knot. My testosterone is pumping. I’m not sure I’m the guy with answers. Obviously, my judgment is seriously in question here.

“Sure,” I grumble, annoyed at my lack of control. “What’s on your mind?”

She licks across her lips. The lips I can’t wait to get my mouth on. A hundred times last night I almost kissed her. Fuck, how I want to own that mouth, run my tongue deep, just like I did her delicious, hot pussy.

The air around me sizzles. I can hear it crackling in my ears. She clears her throat as her color brightens even more. Somehow managing to sound half normal, she asks, “Do the three arson locations have anything in common?”

Once again my cock has consumed more than its fair share of blood. My brain feels dim. I lean back in the chair, trying to get my bigger head in the game. “Well…” I chuckle. “Seems I’m not the only one that’s off to a slow start this morning.”

Blushing, she glances over her shoulder. “Can I shut the door?”

I rise and do it for her. “Best damned idea I’ve heard all day.”

Once we’re sealed in, she sighs and straightens her notepad. “Okay, that’s better. I’m not sure why, but I was afraid I’d slip and say something really incriminating.”

“Like?”

“I have no clue. But it could happen, Chief Cunnilinguist.”

We grin at each other, then we both laugh. Hard. The energy in the room eases, just enough for me to breathe. She wipes at her eyes when she catches her breath. “Okay, I feel better now.”

“Me too.” I grab two bottles of water from the fridge. “Here, your voice is a little rough. ”

“Thanks, someone had me yodeling last night.”

I’m shaking my head when I take my seat and lean back in my chair. “Back to the case. Or we might end up in the shower again.”

Dropping her pretty brows, she says, “Oh no, Chief. I’ve got work to do.”

I let my voice drop. “Dirty work.”

She scoffs, shakes a finger at me. “Bad.”

“I don’t know. That was pretty funny.”

She straightens her ponytail. “Okay, so back to the case. What do the three businesses have in common?”

Sipping the cold water, I enjoy the way her expression shifts and becomes sharper. Genius Avery is checking in for duty now.

I say, “Bookstore. Antique store. Warehouse.”

“Hm. What was in the warehouse?”

“Files.”

“Modern files? Document storage?”

“Yes, one of those off-site storage places that businesses use.”

“Weird.”

I nod. “I know. They don’t seem to be interconnected.”

“Who owns them?”

I flip open my laptop. After a few seconds, the screen lights up and lets me in. Clicking through my files, I say, “The 101 Bookstore was owned by Agatha Martin. The document storage place is owned by a company called Austin Industries. The Antique store is owned by Ronald Wilson.”

“No connection, huh?” She taps her pen on her notepad.

“Not at first glance. But I would think the police investigator looked more closely. ”

Making a note, she twists her mouth to the right. “Why would someone want to burn buildings here in Lynn’s Cove?”

“The million dollar question.”

When my phone rings, I push aside some papers until the screen is visible. “Excuse me, this is my son.”

“I can leave.”

I shake my head.

“Hey, bud. How’s it going?”

I swivel my chair until I’m facing the windows that overlook the ocean. The more I listen, the angrier I get. I practically shout, “Come on, Linc, you’ve got to be joking.”

He assures me he’s not. That he wouldn’t pull this kind of joke.

My teeth are in serious danger of snapping. “Put the officer on,” I growl. When the man takes over the call, I say, “This is Brock Mitchell.”

With fire burning in my veins, I listen to the officer recount my son’s arrest. He finishes with, “He’s being held until you come pick him up.”

“Copy that. I’ll be there in an hour.”

The cop disconnects. I close my eyes and try to loosen the clench I have on my phone.

Avery’s watching me intently. “That sounded bad.”

Rolling my neck, I say, “Lincoln got arrested for trespassing in San Diego.”

“San Diego? That’s an hour away. I thought he was fifteen.”

“He is. He hitchhiked. On the highway.”

“Oooo… no.”

“He also snuck out of his friend’s house in the middle of the night to do it. ”

She scrunches her nose. “Ouch. That’s a pretty big screw up.”

“Tell me about it. That fucking kid. I’m one second away from sending him off to boarding school.”

Shoving off my office chair, I snatch up my keys.

There’s suddenly some kind of crackling emotion in Avery’s eyes. “Wait, Brock. That’s really drastic. Sending a teenager off to a boarding school is not as simple as it sounds.”

Through gritted teeth, I say, “Well, if you have a better idea how to deal with my son, please tell me.”

She stares at me, her eyes full of fight. “Talk to him. Talk to him, Brock. Don’t just?—”

Her words end so abruptly that I know something’s hanging between us. Finally, I prompt her, “What? Don’t just what?”

“Throw him away.”

That fucking stings. Fully irritated, I say, “I’m not throwing him away. And I’ve tried talking to him, it’s like yelling into a hurricane. I’ve tried and I’m not getting through. It’s one issue after another. The last three months have been hell. I'm out of patience. I can’t follow him around all the time to keep him safe from his stupid fucking decisions.”

I feel like I age a hundred years in ten seconds.

Growling, I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I’ve tried. I’m done. I need to go.”

She grabs my hand when I walk by her, “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

For a loaded minute, we stare at each other.

I’m kicking myself hard. As amazing as last night was, I should have been looking out for Lincoln. I thought he was in a safe place at his friend Matthew’s house. Under the watchful eye of his parents.

Wrong again. Fucking wrong.

He’s got to be my focus until we make it through this rough patch.

If we make it through this rough patch.

Ice settles in my chest, extinguishing the banked coals that have been glowing there since last night.

“I’ll be gone for a few hours. Find Frank if you need anything. And do not go on any fire calls. I mean that. Don’t fucking press this, Avery.” I drop my voice so only she can hear, “Just because we fucked doesn’t mean I’m backing down from this.”

She drops my hand like it’s a white hot coal. The color that had been so warm on her cheeks leaks completely from her skin.

Way to go, Brock. I feel like a giant ass. But I’m dead serious. She’s not going to get hurt because of me. I might not be able to keep Linc out of trouble, but I sure as hell will do my best to keep her safe. “I won’t back down, Avery. I’m the boss.”

Narrowing her eyes, voice full of venom, she says, “Understood.”