She pulled away. No, you cant. Roark, you have to promise me you wont try to, you know
Win you over? His sexy mouth cocked into a half smile.
Seduce me.
Roark had the nerve to laugh. You cant tell me youre that vulnerable to my wicked ways.
Actually, yes, damn it, I am. Youre impossible to resist. I cant imagine how youve managed to stay single, but I can only guess its because youre a player, and that is the last type of person I need in my life.
To her surprise, Roark looked contrite. All right. Ill try to behave myself.
You cant touch me.
Arent you trying to convince people were an item?
All I need is a warm, suitably male body at my side. If you give me besotted looks every now and then, so much the better, but no further acting is required.
You mean like this? And he did a pretty good imitation of a basset hound yearning for a bone.
Somehow he made her laugh, and her anxiety receded. Maybe not quite that besotted. They worked out a few more details, and the deal was struck. Roark would provide the services of one fake boyfriend. But Priscilla couldnt help wondering what she would end up giving in return.
IT WAS LUNCHTIME ON the C shift at Fire Station 59, and Priscilla was in charge. She had practiced the vegetable lasagna at home and it had come out tasting really good. So shed asked Captain Campeon to give her another chance in the kitchen.
She wasnt sure why it was so important to her, except that her previous gastronomical disasters were just one more thing that set her apart from the guysall of whom seemed to know their way around a kitchen. Even Ethan and Tony, who hadnt started out particularly gifted, had caught on.
As the guys ambled in to the large eat-in kitchen, grumbling about the possible culinary torture Priscilla would subject them to, she pulled a large casserole dish out of the oven and set it down on the long table.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. The comment came from Otis.
What is that stuff? Tony asked suspiciously. It looks weird. Ethan elbowed him, and Tony quickly added, But it smells good and Im sure its delicious.
She gave him a smile for his loyalty. Tony and Ethan had often been the only ones to take her side during training and those first few weeks here at Station 59, when she was subject to attack from guys who objected to women firefighters in general and her in particular.
Its vegetable lasagna, Priscilla announced with a flourish.
For her trouble, she got groans all around.
God save us from women trying to make us eat healthy, said Bing Tate, who was one of the most annoying men Priscilla had ever known. Though most of the other guys grudgingly had come to accept the rookies, Bing continued to make caustic comments at every opportunityespecially if the captain wasnt within earshot. And he wasnt at the moment.
Wheres the captain? Priscilla asked as she cut the lasagna into large squares so it would cool faster.
Hes got someone in his office.
Priscilla hoped whoever it was wouldnt keep the captain so long that he missed a hot lunch. She liked Captain Campeon. He was stern and humorless, but he kept strict order, and she approved of that. She didnt function well in a chaotic environment.
Priscilla noticed no one was touching the salad shed put out. You can eat the salad while the lasagna cools.
She served some salad for herself. The mixture of field greens topped with fresh garden tomatoes tasted pretty good as far as she was concerned. But her fellow firefighters seemed to thrive on red meat and a variety of breaded, fried foodsalong with a steady diet of action movies on TV, twangy country music on the radio and off-color jokes just about everywhere.
She was adjusting.
The guys went for the whole-wheat rolls and butter shed put out. Only Bing tried a little bit of the salad, making faces as he chewed.
Hey, Priscilla, Bing said. Whered you get these leafy things? Did you pick em from that weedy patch out back?
She just shook her head. The only lettuce most of these guys had ever seen was the soggy iceberg they put on their hamburgers. She started to say something to that effect, but the captain chose that moment to appear with his guest in tow.
Roark.
Priscillas heart thundered so loud she was sure everyone would hear it. Tony and Ethan knew of the deal shed struck with Roark, but no one else did. She hoped he wouldnt say anything. If he did, there would be no end to the teasing she would get, and any credibility shed built up would disintegrate.
The others greeted Roark like an old friendwhich he was by now. Since the men whod died in the warehouse fire had come from this company, Roarks investigation had brought him to their station quite a few times.
Captain Epperson is gonna have some lunch with us, Campeon said. Then he wants to talk to youall of you, one on one.
The solemn note in the captains voice was troubling. Everyone was wondering what this was about. Since this station responded first to the warehouse fire, Roark had no doubt interviewed everyone already, probably more than once. Why do it again?
But Roark reassured them with his easy smile. You guys dont mind if I mooch some lunch, do you? He didnt make eye contact with Priscilla, which was a relief. Perhaps he didnt want to be ribbed any more than she did.
Join us at your own risk, Bing said. Priscilla made lunch. He nodded toward the lasagna pan. We think it might still be moving. A couple of the other guys couldnt help laughing. Even Tony cracked a smile.
She couldnt really blame them. Her previous meals had been pretty awful. But she was sure this would be different. Yes, it was a vegetarian dish, but her father loved it. Even Cory had loved it when Lorraine had served it at a Garner family dinner, and he was a meat-and-potatoes guy all the way.
Still, she didnt like Roark witnessing the guys making fun of her. She didnt like appearing incompetent in front of himor anyone.
Priscilla quickly served the squares of lasagna, oozing with cheese and fragrant with fresh herbs. The men stared at their plates, but no one seemed willing to take that first bite.
Finally Roark took a leap of faith. This looks good. He put a big forkful in his mouth. Others followed suit.
Priscilla took a bite, tooand almost spit it out. Her mouth was on fire. It tasted as if the sauce contained a quart of jalapeño pepper sauce, though shed used only a drop or two.
Horrified, Priscilla looked around the table to see faces turning red, eyes watering, hands grabbing for glasses of tea or milk to try to wash down the offending substance.
Um, interesting, Tony said, barely managing to swallow. Where did you get the recipe, Pris? The Cataclysmic Heartburn Cookbook?
Its my mothers recipe, she said, bewildered. Shed followed the recipe exactly. There was no way.
Then she saw that one man at the table hadnt taken a bite. Bing Tate was trying to hide his mirthand not doing a good job of it.
Suspecting shed been sabotaged, she got up and stalked over to the cabinet were they kept spices and found the bottle of jalapeño sauce shed bought recently. It was nearly empty.
She marched back to the table. Bing Tate, did you dump a whole bottle of jalapeño sauce in my sauce when I wasnt looking? She remembered hed been in the kitchen that morning, getting a refill on his coffee and taking a little too long to do it.
Who, me? he said with feigned innocence. Obviously shed found her culprit. Though what Bing had done was mean, she was relieved the disaster wasnt her fault this time.
She struggled not to react with anger. Practical jokes were a part of life around here, a natural product of boredom and too much testosterone, and anyone who wasnt a good sport only got hit with more foolish mayhem.
But no one else seemed to think Bings joke was funny. Otis put some more salad on his plate and drowned it with ranch dressing. The salads good, anyway, Pris, he said grudgingly, and she could have kissed his shiny bald head.
Anyone want a ham sandwich? Priscilla asked brightly. I cant mess that up.
The guys can make their own sandwiches, Campeon said, clearly irritated by the incident. I think Captain Epperson would like to get on with his interviews. Garner, he can start with you.
Me? The order took her by surprise. I wasnt even at the warehouse fire. Shed still been in training, and up until now Roark hadnt ever included the rookies in his investigation.
You, Roark confirmed. We can talk in the captains office.
Chapter Three
Roarks breath caught in his throat the way it did every time he saw Priscilla. Even in the loose-fitting department uniform of dark pants and a golf shirt, her caramel-brown hair pulled back in a braid, she looked touchable. He stepped around Eric Campeons desk and sat in the captains chair, putting a large amount of polished oak between them.
Is that the kind of crap you have to put up with all the time? Hed been surprised by the protective instincts that had arisen when he realized shed been the victim of a mean joke. And then hed been impressed by the cool, controlled way shed handled the situation.
It used to be worse. She took the chair opposite. I wasnt very popular when I was first assigned here. None of us were, because we were taking over for the three men who died. And, lets face it, its pretty hard to fill the shoes of a martyr.
I can imagine.
But we all just kept our mouths shut and did our jobs, and gradually the others began to accept us. Except maybe for Bing Tate.
The guys an ass. Roark had seen how hard Priscilla was trying, how much she was hoping the guys would like her lasagna. When hed realized what Tate had done, hed wanted to wring the scrawny jerks neck.
Priscilla shrugged. Ill get him back in some passive-aggressive way. Maybe Ill short-sheet his bed.
Roark didnt think she would. She wouldnt stoop to Bings level. He liked that about her. She wasnt vengeful or petty. Hed seen her take a lot of crap during training, and shed always been a good sport.
He suspected sometimes the taunting had hurt more than she let on. She wouldnt show any weakness, though. Not Priscilla.
So whats going on? she asked. Why do you want to talk to me?
Truthfully, he would have invented any excuse to get her alone for a few minutes. Unfortunately he did have a legitimate reason. I think the serial arsonist is someone connected to the fire service.
Priscillas eyes widened. Oh, no. I really hope youre wrong.
It was a sad fact that many arsonists turned out to be firefighters or former firefighters. A person might be drawn to the fire service because he wanted to serve his community or save property or because the lifestyle appealed to him or his father and grandfather were firefighters. But it might just as easily be an unhealthy fascination with fire.
Clearly this particular perpetrator wasnt your average firebuga teenage mischief maker or someone out to collect on insurance. This guy knew a lot about firesand how not to get caught setting them.
We dont know for sure, but the evidence is leaning that way, Roark said. The fires arent set just to watch something burn. The guy is deliberately trying to injure or kill firefighters, which indicates he has some emotional connection. Ive been investigating every firefighter whos left the department under less-than-favorable circumstances in the past ten years, but so far none of them look good as a suspect. Im wondering now if its someone still currently employed, maybe someone who got passed over for promotion.
But surely no one from this shift. I mean, they were all here when the warehouse fire started. They couldnt have started it.
Roark lowered his voice. This isnt common knowledge, but there was a timer on the ignition device. The whole thing could have been set up several hours before.
I dont want to believe this. It cant be any of the guys here.
What about Tate?
Not even him. Every one of those guys out there has grieved for the men who died. Ive watched them.
Its only a possibility at this point. It could be anybody, from any shift, any station.
So why are you talking to me about this? How could I possibly help?
Maybe you werent here for the warehouse fire, but youve been around for several months now. You could see or hear something as easily as anyone. For instance, if theres anyone with an ax to grind with the departmentany scuttlebutt going aroundthats the kind of information I need.
You want me to rat on my brothers?
To stop this guy from killing more firefighters? Yeah. And he will kill again. If he goes unchecked, its only a matter of time. The arsonist often left a little surprise for the firefighters. Once, it was a vicious dog that had bitten Murph McCrae when hed tried to rescue it. Another time, the serial arsonist had left a homemade bomb, though fortunately the thing hadnt detonated.
Priscilla sagged a little in her chair. I know hes got to be stopped.
Anything you tell me is confidential, Roark continued. Im asking everyone the same thing. If theres anyone I should look at more closely
I wish I could help. But Im the last person anyone would trust or confide in, she said a little testily.
Just keep your eyes and ears open.
I dont like this. I dont like it at all.
Believe me, I dont like it either. And I hope Im wrong. But its my responsibility to catch this guy, and Ill do whatever it takes. Even if it ticks people off. He would not allow another person to die on his watch.
Is that all? She stood, preparing to make her escape.
He stood, too, and stepped around the desk. He didnt want to end their meeting on such a negative note. Have you told your mother all about me?
She nodded, inching away from him, putting more distance between them. Mother is thrilled. She got on the Internet so she could read all the newspaper articles youve been quoted in. She printed them off to show my aunt Clara.
Aunt Clara beingthe mother of the bride?
Good guess. She and my mom are sisters and theyre intensely competitive. Its killing Mother that Claras daughter is getting married before hers, especially since
Since what?
Well, since last year Mother thought she heard wedding bells. Turned out to be a funeral dirge.
The guy you were rebounding from?
She nodded. When we broke up, Mother was more disappointed than I was, I think.