Caught in Flames Read online

  She twisted the cap off the beer as she settled onto the couch. The TV remote lay on the coffee table and she flicked on the TV, turning the channel to the local news. She drank the beer and yawned. It wasn’t late but the long drive, work and chaos, plus the beer and monotone voice of the reporter helped her relax. She pulled a soft blanket from the arm of the couch and dragged it into her lap.

  Setting the empty bottle on the table, she curled up on the couch and listened as the reporter covered several related stories on locations throughout Phoenix involving arsons with unknown origins. Becca made a mental note to ask Sam about it when he got back. She flipped to the Animal Planet channel, and let her head fall against the soft cushions. Sam had great taste in furniture. As she drifted off, she swore the couch was more comfortable than her own bed.

  Chapter 5

  Becca woke with a start, hearing someone rattling the doorknob and shoving something into the lock. Half dazed, she glanced around wildly for a moment, trying to remember where she was.

  She remembered when Sam entered the apartment.

  “Oh shit, did I wake you again?” He gave her an apologetic smile.

  “It’s fine. I must have dozed off on the couch.”

  “Well, I brought food.” He held up a paper bag. “Does that earn me some amount of forgiveness?”

  “Always. What’s for dinner?” She sniffed, and melted cheese and pepperoni filled her nostrils.

  “Pizza and wings.”

  “That earns you more than just forgiveness, that earns you a beer.”

  Becca unwrapped her legs from the blanket and lifted herself up off the couch. She headed toward the kitchen. She discarded her empty beer bottle beside the sink and opened the fridge to grab two more beers. She popped them both open and slid one over to Sam. She leaned on the island counter while he set down the pizza and flipped open the lid, filling the apartment with the cheesy aroma of the best pizza in Phoenix. He popped open the container with the wings, and a hot wing sauce teased her as well. Her stomach growled in appreciation. “What’s the flavor tonight?”

  “Tonight’s pizza is called the Becca special. All of the toppings you like and none that you don’t.”

  “How do you know which toppings I like?”

  “I spent countless years watching you pick off almost every topping your brother and me would order, and harass us to remember the ones you did like. Eventually you just got your own pizza whenever we ordered.”

  Becca laughed, leaning in to the pizza box and inhaling the sweet aroma of food, then slipping her hand into the box and pulling out a large slice. She dangled it above her mouth, taking a bite and letting the cheese melt against her tongue. “Oh, so freakin’ good. I missed Phoenix pizza.”

  “And it missed you.” Sam grabbed the open beer on the counter and took a long sip, pulling out his own piece of pizza and inhaling half of it before looking at Becca.

  She grinned and grabbed a wing. She then leaned over the counter for the roll of paper towels to catch the sauce.

  “So, how do you like the room?”

  She held back a giggle and finished her bite. “I think it’ll be great, once we go shopping.”

  “What do you mean?” Sam’s eyebrows shot up and he glanced across the living room to her bedroom.

  Becca slid Sam the note Mike had left on the bed. When he picked it up and read it, he had the same reaction as Becca, bursting out laughing. He crumpled up the small note and tossed it into the waste can beside the counter, shaking his head and leaning against the island while he finished his first slice of pizza.

  “Did he actually leave twenty bucks?”

  “Yeah, it was tucked under the beer we’re drinking right now.”

  Sam laughed even harder, clinking the neck of his beer bottle against Becca’s, toasting Mike for his good taste in beer, and humor that never ceased to bring Sam a smile and a laugh. “That’s Mike for ya, that guy’s crazy.”

  “I’ll have to meet him sometime.”

  “I’m sure you will, he’s always around somewhere.”

  Becca smiled, clinking her bottle against Sam’s again before grabbing another piece of pizza, devouring it faster than her first.

  “Hungry?”

  Becca nodded. “Starving. Haven’t eaten since that breakfast this morning.” She grinned and stuffed a huge bite in her mouth. “Does it bother you to see a woman pig out on food?” She swallowed and grabbed a pepperoni and popped that in her mouth, too.

  “Not at all. I prefer it.” He grinned. “Though I’m not sure where you put it. There’s nothing but a fine ass and muscle on you.” He winked at her, obviously happy to try and shock her back. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you fed.”

  “Best roommate ever!” she said, her tummy tingly and warm. She blamed it on the food, not the compliment Sam had just tossed at her.

  “So I’ve been told.” Sam smiled and winked, eating a third slice of pizza. Tossing the uneaten crust back into the box and sitting back in his chair, he sipped his beer slowly and watched Becca eat. Letting out a laugh when she had cheese stringing from her chin, he leaned forward to wipe it off for her with a paper towel.

  “Thanks.” She checked her chin to make sure sauce hadn’t been left as well. Becca smiled, finishing off her piece of pizza and leaning back to mimic Sam, feeling full and satisfied. She decided it was time to harass Sam about all he strange things she noticed. “So, I ran into Trevor earlier today.”

  Sam just snorted, taking another swig of his beer. “Yeah? How’d that go?”

  “I thought for a moment he might stalk me to your front door. Slightly overly-friendly, a little creepy. How does that guy know everything about you?”

  “I’m not really sure. He’s just an observant guy, I guess. He lives in the apartment about two floors down.”

  “Do you two ever hang out?”

  “No, but I think he hung out with Mike a few times.”

  “He acted like he was one of your best friends.”

  “Creepy.”

  “No kidding, that’s why I ran and hid under the blanket on the couch.”

  They both laughed, taking sips of their beer and enjoying the silence of being in comfortable company.

  Becca wasn’t sure she wanted to ruin the silence with work, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. “So I was watching the news earlier...”

  “Why? That show’s always depressing.”

  “Yeah, it is. I noticed there is a lot of arson going on here in Phoenix.”

  “Petty arson, nothing major.”

  “So far.”

  “What do you mean, so far?”

  “Seems like they are getting bolder. I don’t know the timeline, though.”

  “It isn’t.” He looked like he wanted to add something but held back. “It’s nothing the police can’t handle. Chief’s helping them out.”

  “So, no idea who it is?”

  “None, but nobody has gotten hurt, so they aren’t making it a priority. It’s okay, Becca. It’s being taken care of.”

  “Maybe they should make it a priority, before someone does get hurt.”

  “It won’t happen.”

  “It’s possible. I wouldn’t brush it off as nothing.”

  “It’s not being brushed off, Becca.” He stared at her, his gorgeous eyes clear and bright. “Why so interested? Aren’t you just the gadgets girl?”

  “I’m a firefighter first.” Becca glared playfully at Sam, tossing a napkin at his face and laughing when it smacked him square in the forehead.

  “Ok, ok. My bad, you’re a firefighter first, gadget girl second?” Sam laughed, and despite trying not to, she joined him, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

  “I’m just saying, that I think those arsons might be just the beginning.”

  “Maybe. You can always ask the Chief tomorrow.”

  “Right, training you boys on how to use your new toys.”

  “Already forget you actually have to work while in P
hoenix?”

  “No, I was just distracted with having to do your job.” Becca stuck her tongue out at Sam, gazing into his eyes for much longer than she had intended, bringing a blush across her cheeks.

  Sam continued to smile at her, reaching his hand out to caress his knuckles against her cheek, leaning in to Becca from across the island. She turned her head and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening her eyes and giving him a soft smile of comfort in his direction. She wished she could remove the confused look from his face.

  “It’s late, I should get to bed,” she said finally, cleaning up her empty bottle and the garbage left over from the late night dinner.

  “Yeah... Sorry the bed isn’t set up.”

  “That’s ok; I can use the couch for tonight. I can grab sheets in the morning.”

  “You don’t have to pay for sheets, I’ll get them.”

  “No way, with my savings of staying here instead of the house, I can get very amazing Egyptian cotton sheets with the insane thread count. In my favorite color no less.”

  “Alright, I surrender to the fact I’ve saved you money.”

  “Good. All I need is a pillow for the couch.”

  Sam nodded, getting up from his seat and wandering over to a small closet. He continued to chat up Becca. “Are you really going to talk to Chief about those arson reports?”

  “I’ve been told my hunch is usually right.”

  “That’s true. I’ve heard Chief raving about you and your hunches.”

  “They have kept me out of a lot of trouble over the years.”

  “Shouldn’t the police be handling things, though?”

  “They never shy away from help.” Becca grinned at Sam as he tossed her a pillow; they both knew that the police didn’t want any help from the fire department. They always hated working arson cases because they were forced to invite the station into the investigation. Well, at least invite the Chief, anyway. “Thanks for the pillow.”

  “No problem. Just let me know if you need anything. I’ll be right in there.”

  “Will do.”

  Becca saluted Sam and smiled as he walked off into his bedroom and closed the door. She watched as the small crack of light at the bottom of the door flashed off. Becca sighed to herself and wandered over to the couch. It had been one hell of a long day, a long drive, and emotional coming back home. She sat down and tugged off her jeans. She folded them neatly and placed them on top of Sam’s coffee table, followed by her T-shirt, placing it neatly folded on top of her jeans. She leaned under the table and pulled a long tee shirt from her bag, setting it aside while she removed her bra, folding it neatly with the rest of her clothes. She pulled the tee over her head, curling up on the soft cushions of the couch and pulling the blanket to cover the lower half of her body.

  She let out a long sigh. “Corey, I wish you were here. You could tell me how silly I’m being. Tell me that Sam didn’t try to kiss me. You always knew how to make everything simple and easy.”

  Becca closed her eyes and thought about her brother, missing him and feeling strangely at home in Sam’s place.

  Chapter 6

  Next morning Becca woke feeling sore. Every bone in her body ached. The couch had not been good to her while she tossed and turned. At some point, she had even considered sleeping on the sheet-less bed, but didn’t want to risk getting Mike germs on her. That had made her giggle in the night but she had quickly covered her mouth, not wanting to wake Sam. Stretching out her sore limbs, she took a deep inhale and was pleasantly surprised by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and bacon cooking. How had she missed that?

  She wandered over to the kitchen wearing her favorite oversized shirt, pulling it down to ensure Sam didn’t catch any sights of her striped panties, blushing when she noticed that he caught her tugging on the fabric.

  “I promise I won’t peek.” He grinned, looking adorable with his bed-head hair.

  “It’s too early to be teased.” She hid behind her hand as she yawned. “Is that decaf or regular coffee?”

  “No decaf here.” Sam slid over a mug filled with coffee and a spoon, smiling softly at Becca as she tried to force her mind to wake up. “Two sugars, no cream.”

  “How did you know how I took my coffee?”

  “You’ve been drinking it that way since you were fourteen.”

  “Right. Sometimes I forget you were there.”

  “You forget about me?” Sam pretended to be hurt, holding a pair of metal tongs in his oven mitted hand against his chest, covering his heart from the pain he was faking.

  “No, just how much you were around.”

  “I practically lived with you and Corey.”

  “Yeah, filling our house with coffee and pizza.”

  “In exchange for something...” Sam grinned and nudged his head toward a bag of flour and a bag of sugar, winking at Becca as he pulled out a pair of small mixing bowls.

  “Pancakes?”

  “Pancakes.”

  Becca laughed and sipped her coffee, pointing to the bags still sitting there from last night. “I picked up the ingredients yesterday as well.”

  “Cool, then you can make ‘em every morning.”

  She laughed as she moved to the inside of the counter where Sam had set up her pancake station. Tossing together ingredients, she enjoyed how comfortable she felt with him in his house. She looked over her shoulder every once in a while to steal glances at Sam while he worked on the eggs and bacon that would accompany her masterpiece pancakes.

  “You excited for today?” He pretended to wear a pan as a hat as he reached for a cover for the eggs in the frying pan.

  “Am I excited? I’ve already gotten to play with the new helmets. The better question would be, are you excited?”

  “Hell, yeah I am! Wireless helmet with clear reception? I’m going to be super disappointed if it doesn’t work.” He knocked on the stainless steel pot still on his head. “All I hear is an echo.”

  She laughed. “It’s all that space in your brain.” She turned, semi-serious. “Don’t worry, they’ll work near perfectly. As long as you guys don’t mess with them, like you always do.”

  “We do not!” He straightened indignantly.

  “Really? Never?” She pointed the spatula at him. “You saying no fireman tries to take stuff apart to see how it works?”

  Sam shook his head. “Not at this station.”

  “Then why are the corners of your mouth turning upward while you’re pressing your lips so tight together?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He turned his back so Becca couldn’t see his face.

  She finished making the pancake batter, adding in her secret ingredient, sprinkles, and turned to join Sam in front of the stove.

  He slid a pan over the large element and turned it on, moving the pan back and forth against the warming glass to help the pan warm up faster.

  “There, should be good to go for you now.”

  “Well aren’t you a gentleman, warming my pan for me.” She stood on her tippy toes to take the pan off his head and brushed a dark lock that had managed to fall over his eye as she took it off. She held his gaze a moment, suddenly longing to run her fingers through his thick locks. She set the pan on the counter instead, and teasingly bumped him with her hip playfully before pouring a scoop of batter onto the warm pan. “Do you want special shapes or just circles?”

  “Chef’s choice.”

  “Special shapes it is.” She smiled at Sam, flipping her circle pancake over and letting it cook while she searched Sam’s kitchen for something she could use as a pancake pan. Her head was ducked into a cupboard when there was a knock at the front door.

  “Might be some of the guys, I told them we were going to be doing pancakes today.”

  “Of course you did.” Becca mumbled from within the cupboard, climbing out and rising back up to her feet. “Think I’d better do circles if I’m feeding the whole crew.” She laughed again and glanced down, realiz
ing she was only wearing the long top.

  Sam moved toward the front door before she could stop him. He opened it up and Trevor stood in the entryway with a larger-than-life smile on his face, hands hidden behind his back. “Gooooood morning, neighbors!”

  “Hey, Trevor, what brings you here so early?”

  “I smelled pancakes.”

  “From two floors down?”

  “Three, actually. Gotta love our ventilation system.”

  “Yeah...”

  Becca watched the guys interact at the front door, wondering if Sam was crazy enough to let him in, but Trevor didn’t let Sam make that decision, he pushed right past Sam, through the front door, and headed toward Becca in the kitchen.

  “Morning, Becca!” He glanced appreciatively down her legs.

  “Nice to see you again, Trevor.” She pulled on her shirt, wishing it was longer. Had Sam looked when her back was turned? That thought warmed her in a way she hadn’t realized it would. She pushed it away, focusing on trying to find a way to step out and put a pair of jeans and a bra on.

  “This is for you.” Trevor pulled his hands from behind his back and presented Becca with a single white rose.

  Becca backed up quickly and banged against the stove as she stared down into the petals of the rose.

  Sam joined them in the kitchen, putting his hand on Becca’s lower back and motioned her away from the heat. He glanced down at the flower. “You ok, Becks?”

  Becca’s breathing grew heavy, fear running through her mind as she recalled the burning white rose on her brother’s grave the previous morning. She began to whisper quietly to herself, lost in the images of flames and burnt pedals against the tombstone. “You were there...you were there...”

  “Where?”

  Both men looked at her confused, Trevor shrugging at Sam as he backed away toward the door. “Perhaps I should get going. Sounds like coming home is a bit tougher on Becca than I figured.” He nodded at Sam. “Catch you later.” Trevor was out the door before Sam or Becca could stop him.