Hearts on Fire 9: Her Shadows of Light (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  He began to pour the chemicals in a thin line along the base and down the side wall. Right above from the basement was a fireplace. a gas one. As the flames ignited and the walls burst into orange, red, and black, they would penetrate the flooring, go straight up to the first floor from the basement, and blow sky high, but not until just about that moment when the firefighters arrived. Hopefully both of the ones he wanted dead.

  He spilled the chemicals a little too much and cursed at his mistake. There was nothing to wipe it up with, but that didn’t matter. None of the previous fires exposed the accelerant, a concoction he created himself. He would get away with this, and he would get away with taking Brighid, his angel of fire, and disappear.

  * * * *

  “Monday’s suck,” Brighid said when she got into the office early to start working on more files. It had been a hell of a weekend, and that brought a smile to her face and brightness to her heart. She hadn’t wanted it to end and neither had the guys, but they all had work this morning, and she needed to get back to her place to say goodbye to her friends before they left.

  She missed the guys. That was crazy, but even thinking about them made her aroused and ready for their embraces, their kisses, and even their cocks.

  She chuckled as she took a sip of her coffee and nearly spilled some from her lips. She couldn’t wait to see them again. They were perfect in every aspect of the word. Her friends carried on about how lucky she was and how thrilled they were to finally see her happy. She was happy. She felt as if everything in her life was finally falling into place.

  As she logged into her computer, she saw the little box pop up indicating the time and date of her last log-in. Normally she wouldn’t even pay attention to it, but the date and the time was not correct. She wouldn’t be here at one o’clock in the morning to log in. She felt that uneasy feeling in her gut. Could someone have known her password and gone in there? The only ones who knew her password were Lenny and Ray, but why would they go in there?

  She scrolled into the systems files and, after a bit of clicking, came across the most recent changes to the system. A file for accounting, billing, and a specific account came up. Bricker Daily? That was the man who’d showed up Friday right before she left. He handed her a check for a full year’s payment and said that Lenny told him to drop it off. That he was a friend.

  She scrolled down with her mouse and started clicking on screens. A client since when? she wondered. She took great pride in knowing every account and client. She had a system of remembering them and associating them with different things. Her photographic memory was an added bonus and an asset she didn’t tell people about. Names, faces, lots of useless information was stored in her little brain computer inside her head, and she was able to reference things sometimes word for word after reading about it once. It was a gift and a burden in the same.

  She looked through the files and noted a series of yearly checks, insurance payments that were added in all in the same log-in time frame. Someone had added these to the account. Friday, when he’d dropped off the check right before she was leaving, she’d handed it to accounting for them to process the payment and update the account. She was so busy trying to finish things up and get home to meet her friends that she hadn’t really thought about not knowing this Bricker client. Something wasn’t right. That thought had her thinking about her bosses’ odd behavior lately. She’d thought maybe they were growing too large, too soon, but this was more than that.

  “Good morning, Brighid.”

  She jumped at the sound of Lenny’s voice as he came out of the office smiling. He placed a few folders down on her desk.

  “You look beautiful this morning. Did you have a nice weekend?” he asked, smiling as he looked her over.

  “Oh, yes, it was great.”

  “Your friends enjoy visiting the town?” he asked, and she remembered telling him and Ray about it Friday morning because she had planned to leave thirty minutes earlier than usual.

  “Yes, they loved it.” She wondered if she should ask him about the files. She didn’t like people logging into her computer system. It made her feel violated, as if she didn’t have control over her responsibilities and anything could go wrong. Maybe she should just change the password and then wait for them to notice, and when they asked her, she could say that she’d seen some glitches in the system and was afraid someone could hack in, so every so often, she would change the password. Or she could just come straight out and accuse him of logging in without her permission. But he was the boss. God, she hated confrontations.

  “I placed these files here because they’re new clients to be added to the system. If you could do that for me and then send the information to accounting?”

  “Sure. Oh, and I took the check that Bricker Daily gave me Friday and sent it along to accounting.”

  Lenny’s eyes widened. A flash of something went across his face and eyes, but he quickly recovered and gave a nod.

  “Great. He said he would stop by instead of mailing it. I haven’t seen him in such a long time.” He then looked around them before looking back at her.

  “I never heard of him before. Didn’t even know he was a client.”

  Lenny looked at her and suddenly seemed very serious. Her gut clenched.

  “He’s been a client for several years. Just like a lot of other people this way. It was part of why we wanted to get a more central location to the business. Well, I need to get moving on some work. Glad you had a good weekend.”

  He walked away. Could she have possibly missed the account somehow? she wondered, but she knew that wasn’t the case. She was pretty damn anal about things. What if he was doing something illegal? No. No, he couldn’t be. Why was she thinking this? Why was she being suspicious? God, one night with a detective and a cop, and she thought she was Dick fucking Tracy.

  She took a deep breath and released it as she stared at the screen. Her mind and her suspicion got the best of her as she began to take screen shots of the items and the log-in times. Just in case something was wrong, she wouldn’t get blamed for it. She then went and changed the password and took a screen shot of the time and day she did so. She took those screen shots and added them to a private secure file. Maybe she watched too many mystery movies, but if not, then she had proof she wasn’t responsible.

  She went back to doing her work, never really losing the uneasy feeling until her cell phone went off. She glanced down and saw the text from Reece.

  Miss you already, beautiful. Looking forward to tonight.

  She couldn’t help but to smile and then respond.

  Miss you, too. Have a good day at work. Be safe.

  She sent the message without even thinking first. She was dating two firefighters and two law enforcement officers. They had dangerous jobs. How the hell was she going to not panic and worry about them all the time? That anxious, uneasy feeling hit her gut. She was not prepared for this. Not prepared for a ménage relationship with four individually demanding, large, strong-minded men. Not prepared for the worry, the uneasy feelings that something could happen to any of them at any given time. Jesus. I can feel my heart racing.

  She covered her hand over her heart and felt the pounding. She then felt that queasy unease rattling in her gut and chest. Was she having an anxiety attack over this?

  Always, sweetheart. Gotta go.

  He texted back, and she swallowed hard. The sound of a fire whistle going off in the distance added to her fears. Holy crap. Was she just texting Reece when they got a fire call? He’s leaving for it now maybe? she wondered, and a few moments later the deep, loud honking of fire engines went passing by the front of the office. She stood up and saw the men in the truck as it whizzed by.

  Keep Reece and the others safe, God. Please.

  * * * *

  “Officer McQuinn. Got smoke and individuals inside of The Boardwalk gift shop off of Luana Highway. Getting people out now. Need fire department dispatched. Over.”

  Pat was filter
ing through the main floor and getting people out of there. He’d just happened to stop his patrol car across the way to get a coffee at the bake shop when he saw the smoke and people pointing. He ran across the street as he called it in. As he helped an elderly couple out of the building, along with the owner, he heard the explosion and covered the elderly couple as they fell to the sidewalk. Debris hit them instantly, but he felt as if he’d taken the brunt of it. He couldn’t hear a thing. It was as though the shock of the explosion had damaged his eardrums. But then he heard the large honking of fire engines. He checked the elderly couple.

  “Are you okay?” he asked them, but as he moved, he felt the aches to his back and his legs.

  “Yes, yes, I think so,” the older man said, and then they started getting up as firefighters began pulling out the hose and another started spraying into the fire. It was very hot where they were.

  “You’re hurt. Oh God,” the older lady said, and when he went to move, he felt the pinch to his side.

  “Jesus, Pat, you’re fucking bleeding and covered with glass and debris,” Reece yelled out and knelt down, placing his hand on his shoulder. “Don’t move. The paramedics are just pulling up.”

  “Shit, I’m fine. I just can’t fucking hear shit,” he said, and when he moved his arm, he felt the pain. Other firefighters were preparing to enter the building.

  “I need to go. You’re sure you’re okay?” Reece asked, not wanting to leave him.

  “Yeah, yeah, go do your fucking job,” Pat said, and Reece gave a wink and then stood up.

  Pat could hear his chief giving orders as Mercury approached with other paramedics. It was total chaos. The sound of other engine companies could be heard in the distance as they approached. It was probably his brother Rusty’s Company 20 coming to help Ladder Company 18.

  “Lie still. You’ve got shit sticking out of your arms, shoulder, and legs,” Mercury told him.

  “I can’t hear shit. There was a huge fucking explosion as I just got this couple out of the building,” Pat told Mercury and the other paramedics.

  “He saved us. We could have all been killed, but he got everyone out of there,” the older man said, and then another explosion happened with more screaming as they covered their heads, but nothing fell over them. This time it was inside the building where the firefighters were.

  “Fuck, Reece is in there,” Pat yelled as Mercury stood up and looked back across the way.

  “It looks like it happened farther back. They had just gone through the front entrance. Now the two bordering storefronts are smoking. It’s a fucking mess,” Mercury said to him.

  “Did they get everyone out?” Pat asked.

  “Everyone’s out,” one of the other firefighters told them. “But we’ve got no response from five of our firemen inside the building.”

  “What? Oh God, Reece, Rusty and the others? Who’s in there with them?” Pat asked as he painstakingly stood up on his knees. He felt the pinching, and sure enough, he had glass sticking out of his pants.

  “Pat, lie still. We don’t know how deep those shards of glass are imbedded in your skin. You need to go to the hospital,” Mercury said as he gripped Pat’s shoulder.

  “What the hell is going on? Shit, Pat, are you okay?”

  Pat heard Tobin’s voice as he approached and looked frantic. He bent down next to him.

  “He needs to lie down and be still so we can get him on the gurney and take him to the hospital. We don’t know how deep the wounds are,” Mercury told Tobin.

  “I’m fine. I’m not going anywhere until I know Reece and Rusty and the others are okay.”

  “Reece and Rusty are in there?” Tobin asked.

  “It’s a fucking mess,” one of the firefighters said, and Tobin stood up.

  “I’ll find the chief and get an update,” Tobin said. “Pat, you need medical attention. I’ve got a patrol officer by your vehicle, but it’s all covered in shit, and the glass is broken. Take care of him, Mercury.” Tobin then walked over toward the fire trucks.

  * * * *

  “Son of a bitch. What the fuck was that?” Reece asked as the explosion rocked the building, taking out the entire back entrance from the basement to the first floor. He couldn’t believe they were alive and not buried in concrete and wood.

  “Reece?”

  Reece heard the yelling and then turned to see another firefighter, and he recognized the colored stripe down the side. Ladder 20. Reece was pulling shit off of Corporal and Steve, two firefighters in his company. Brandon Polaski and Jenks St. James came up through the dust and debris, spraying down the fire that was burning in the corner of the room near them, along with Rusty.

  “Are you okay?” Rusty asked them as they helped Reece, Corporal, and Steve get up. Steve was limping, and Reece felt his arm throbbing something terrible.

  “A bit banged up but fucking alive. We need to get the fuck out of here. This isn’t right. Two fucking explosions,” Reece said to him.

  Rusty placed his hand on his shoulder. “You guys head out to the paramedics. We’ve got more men coming in now and around the back, too.” Rusty heard creaking, and everyone stood still.

  “Everyone out!” Rusty yelled, and they dropped the line, and they all ran from the storefront. Rusty grabbed onto Reece, and they were the last ones to exit the doorway when the building began to slowly collapse from the back roof to the front. They all tumbled into the roadway as the sky and area around them filled with gray smoke and debris. It was a fucking mess and a half, and definitely suspicious if Reece knew anything about fire.

  * * * *

  Everyone was talking about the huge fire and the explosions that rocked even their building more than two blocks away. As they headed outside of the insurance office to see, they kept their distance and prayed that everyone was okay. Brighid felt her heart pounding as she worried about the first responders and any customers who could have been in the storefront. Little bits of information, gossip, or hearsay filtered through the crowd of people. They said multiple police and firefighters had been injured and that the building had collapsed and now they were trying to control the damage and fire so the adjacent storefronts wouldn’t go up in flames, too.

  After a while, as she kept glancing at her phone, she saw and heard a series of ambulances go by in the direction of the hospital. She was sick with worry as the office staff headed back inside. When she sat down at her desk, she couldn’t concentrate. She tried being rational and telling herself that she couldn’t react this way every time there was a fire. She would be a constant nervous wreck, and it could piss off her men and make her annoying.

  But then her cell phone rang. She saw that it was Tobin.

  “Hello?” When she answered it, she heard how frantic her voice sounded and how loud she had answered. Everyone in the office nearby looked at her.

  “Brighid, there’s a bad fire going on a few blocks from your office.”

  “I know. We heard the firetrucks and then explosions. Is everyone okay? What the hell is going on?”

  Now the rest of the staff was walking closer. She looked at them and felt the tears in her eyes. It was as if she knew something was wrong.

  “Pat was the first on the scene as he was patrolling by. He got people out, but the first explosion went off, and he got hurt.”

  “No. Oh God, is he okay?” she asked, gripping the phone tighter.

  “He’s at the hospital and so are Reece and Rusty, plus about five other firefighters. It’s a mess.”

  “Reece and Rusty got hurt too? How badly?”

  “They’re okay, Brighid. Just some debris and glass. Pat is cut up a bit, and they need to be careful removing the shards of glass. Reece hurt his arm, and Rusty banged up his knee and leg as they evaded the collapse.”

  “The building nearly collapsed on them? Oh God. What can I do? What do you need from me? Should I go to the hospital?”

  “Sweetie, they’re okay. You can head there. I need to stay on scene.”


  “Is it safe, Tobin? I don’t want you getting hurt, too. This is scary enough.”

  “Brighid, it’s our jobs, baby. I need to go. It’s a fucking mess.”

  “Okay. Be careful. I’ll go to the hospital now.”

  She disconnected the call.

  “Brighid, who was that?” Ray asked her as he joined the other staff near her desk.

  “My friends were hurt in the fire and explosion. I need to go to the hospital.” She felt numb and shaking, and as she grabbed her bag, she knocked over her files.

  Ray gently took her arm. “I’ll drive you. You’re shaking and could have an accident getting there. Come on.”

  They all told her they hoped her friends were okay. Before she walked out the door, saying thank you, she spotted Lenny by the front desk. He looked concerned to say the least, and her gut clenched again, but then Ray was pulling her along with him as he opened the front door and they headed out.

  * * * *

  “Come here, baby,” Rusty said to Brighid as she stood by the doorway afraid to come any closer, arms crossed and looking so fragile and scared. There was a gash to his arm that needed stitches, and they were waiting to hear about Pat and Reece. The nurse gave her a smile.

  “You can come sit right next to him. I’ll go check on your brothers, Rusty,” the nurse, Catalina, told him as Brighid walked closer.

  Rusty pulled her onto his lap instead of onto the chair. When she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, he knew she had been so scared. He had been worried, too. About Pat and Reece and the others. The scent of her shampoo and the feel of her feminine body in his arms and on his lap eased his worry. She healed him, made him feel whole, good, and lucky to have found her. He kissed her neck and chin.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m fine. It’s just a cut.”