Line of Fire (Southern Heat Book 5) Read online

  “Maybe.” She was thankful that Shane was no longer giving her shit about Cody’s attentions, but maybe he’d been right. When she’d looked past the jerk part, anyway. It wasn’t a great idea to get so attached to a patient, any patient. She didn’t want to avoid him altogether, but maybe leaving it a couple of days would be wise. At the very least, the hospital might have given him some contacts in case he needed further help. She could be there in an emergency, but helping Cody beyond that wasn’t something she could do.

  “So, the other night,” Shane started. Charlie froze, her burger halfway to her mouth. “Should we talk about it?”

  She took a careful bite, relieved to see her hands were still despite her churning emotions. She pitched her voice carefully. “I thought we did that already.”

  Shane took another sip of his drink. She glanced over. He looked . . . normal. Why the hell wasn’t he affected at all?

  Because it didn’t mean anything to him. A one-night stand. That’s it.

  She had to get that through her head before she ruined their friendship and their working relationship.

  “We did back in the house, where about ten other people might have been listening.” Another gulp, then a fry. “On purpose.” Shane grinned, then turned to her, placing his food down. “Charlie, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “God, that’s the last thing I want, but that night. I hope you know I didn’t take that step lightly.” He held her gaze, heat in his eyes.

  He hadn’t? But this was Shane. Shane, her workmate, her good friend, one of the guys. She opened her mouth and then shut it again when no good reply came to her. What on earth did she say to that?

  Shane’s hand came up to her face, his thumb gently caressing her cheek. Charlie sat on the back of the rig, unmoving—half frozen from the shock of his touch and half reveling in it. When she didn’t move, he leaned in slowly, God, oh so slowly, giving her every chance to back out. She didn’t.

  When his lips touched hers, it was as if a small explosion went off inside her body, and her mind. He was gentle at first, but then her hands moved to his chest and his lips became more demanding, pressing harder against hers. She opened her mouth to him and his tongue swept inside. A mixture of salty and sweet along with Shane’s own masculine taste invaded her senses as his free hand moved to the small of her back, holding her in place as his lips moved against hers. She was close enough that her breasts pressed against the hardness of his chest. Thanks to the other night, she pictured him in his full naked glory, the details no longer left to her imagination. She let out a small groan and Shane pressed her closer to him. Oh, God.

  The sound of a car turning a corner close by jerked Charlie back to the world. Her face burned and she dropped it forward into her hands. At this rate, she was going to end up with a permanent blush staining her cheeks. They were making out in a parking lot like a couple of randy teenagers, and they were both in the rig in full uniform!

  “We can’t do this!” She blurted out. “I can’t do this.”

  Shane pulled back, but his hands stayed where they were, a smile on his face. “It’s okay. I won’t make a habit of molesting you in the burger joint’s parking lot. We can go back to my place after shift, if you like.”

  Charlie extricated herself, hopping off the back of the rig and pacing in front of it. She swept her fingers through her hair—fortunately, most of it was still neat and in place. If they’d gone on much further, that would probably have been the next to go. “No, Shane. I can’t do this. I can’t date, see, kiss . . . hell, I can’t do anything with a coworker.” She looked over at him and her gaze softened. “You’re a great guy, but I can’t risk it.”

  Shane hopped off the rig, bundling their rubbish together, refusing to make eye contact with her. “Okay, Charlie. It’s fine. I understand.”

  Crap. Now she’d been the asshole. She moved over to where he stood, placing a hand on his arm. “Shane, it’s not you. This is on me.”

  He snorted and she had to smile. He finally turned to meet her gaze and, for which she was thankful, he smiled back. “I get it,” he said. “I don’t like it, but I get it. Just don’t pull away from me, okay? That, I won’t let you do.”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  8

  Shane

  Shane pulled into the firehouse and watched as Charlie practically bolted from her seat the minute he turned off the engine. Guess he’d be cleaning and restocking the rig himself this time. He frowned, climbing out of his seat. He didn’t mind, but he didn’t like the idea that once again, he’d upset her. Charlie was a friend—a good friend—but every time he’d brought up the idea that there could be more between them, she’d shut down and run. That night at the bar, he thought that maybe they’d finally broken through whatever inhibitions had been between them, but now in the harsh light of day, everything was back to normal. He gripped the ambulance’s doors, throwing them open more roughly than usual, wincing when one clanged loudly as it bounced off the edge of the rig. Normal sucked ass.

  He’d been attracted to Charlie for years, had noticed how cute she was even on their first shift together. Then, as he’d watched her work and learned what an amazing person she was, too, he was smitten. Fallen. Completely gone. But then she didn’t return any of his early flirtations and so he’d had to let it go—until that one glorious night when she’d been lying underneath him. He’d made her come first, seeking out her pleasure eagerly before finally sinking inside of her. She’d been hot and wet, and fit him like a glove, gripping all around his dick and nearly making him see stars as he’d slid inside her. How was he supposed to experience such perfection and then just walk away?

  Because it’s Charlie.

  The answer was obvious. As much as he was attracted to her, he loved her too—as a friend, coworker, and more, all bundled up. She considered herself a little outside of their group, he knew, “just” a floater. But Shane knew that every one of the guys considered her one of their own. They’d also punch him right in the face if they thought he’d ever hurt her, no matter who he was. Whether she knew it or not, Charlie had a whole squad of big brothers defending her honor.

  Fuck. He didn’t want to let any chance he had with her just slip through his fingers, but she’d made herself pretty damn clear at the burger joint. Not that he necessarily agreed. He couldn’t predict the future, but Shane was pretty damn sure Charlie was what he wanted. Now and for a long time to come. If there was any heat that came back on them for it from the brass, then he’d take the fall. That wasn’t even a question. As much as he loved 81, he’d even transfer to another house if a question ever came up. As the paramedic, he was technically in the senior position when they worked together, but given Charlie worked at several different houses, the dynamic was different. If Chief Stone put in a word for them with HQ . . . No.

  Shane stopped the train of thought before he could get any further along. There wasn’t going to be a fairytale romance. Charlie had said no and she’d meant it. He wasn’t going to creep her out by bringing it up again. He’d honor it. That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to keep an eye on her—in a totally not-stalker kind of way. He was still a little worried about her emotional state after the call with Severs. It was why he’d suggested they drop around the next time they were nearby. If she could see him back on an even keel, then maybe she’d relax a little. Maybe next time things were quiet, he’d talk to Mason about taking a short trip.

  Dispatch came blaring over the radio, followed by Matt’s voice, ringing out from upstairs and amazingly, it was almost as loud. “Who said the fucking Q word?”

  Despite his thoughts, Shane chuckled. At least he’d been down in the engine bay by himself. No one could blame him for this one. He hurriedly packed the rig back up and hopped back behind the wheel, waiting for Charlie to emerge. She appeared a few seconds later, hidden at first in the middle of a throng of firefighters heading to Engine 81. She climbed in on her side and smiled at him, han
ding him a coffee cup with a lid, and a brownie. “Sloane stopped by and brought goodies while we were out on the last call. Figured I’d bring you some as you didn’t make it inside.” Her voice was calm, normal, but Shane could read between the lines. He always could with her. Sorry for bolting on you. Hope things aren’t weird. Have some chocolate.

  He grinned, stowing the cup and pulling out behind the engine. Chocolate was a serious currency for Charlie. If she was willingly giving him some, then they were okay. “You always know just what I need.”

  Charlie slapped him lightly on the shoulder and smiled back. He was forgiven.

  They pulled into the call-out’s location directly behind Engine 81. Mason gestured at him to stick by Charlie’s side and Shane nodded his thanks. If Charlie had been half as upset when she’d barreled into the main area of the firehouse as when she’d flung herself out of the rig, then Mason definitely would have noticed. He was a good captain who kept a close eye on his people and knew when they needed something, even if they didn’t themselves. Mason’s gaze shifted back to Charlie briefly, and Shane could see the concern reflected in his eyes, but Mason didn’t have to worry. Shane was keeping a very close eye on Charlie himself, at least until the whole Severs thing blew over.

  He and Charlie prepped the supplies for any casualties, but this time the warehouse was empty. As the team emerged, he looked over to Charlie with a grin. She didn’t smile back, her face paling as she looked over his shoulder at something. Shane spun around. Matt was walking from the building, a grim look on his face. In his hand was a piece of thin wire, coiled around in a vague circle shape. He held it up, gripped between a pair of pliers. “Found several of these inside, Chief, and the place smells like it’s coated in gasoline. This was not an accident.”

  “Nor is he being subtle about it,” Mason muttered.

  A rock settled in Shane’s stomach. One warehouse fire in a single shift was normal, even perhaps routine. But two? Monroe simply wasn’t that big. Add in that the one that morning had felt hinky and then that this one had incendiary devices, and the burger in Shane’s stomach lurched. The entire station had been involved with a recent brush with arson when Seth’s girl, Maya, had first arrived in town. Her brother Jesse, an FBI agent, had died in a fire of his own making—or so that’s what the FBI was telling everyone, anyway. The full story ended up being just about the craziest thing Shane had ever heard, and that was saying something given some of the calls he’d been on. That fire had happened months before Maya had even been in Monroe, and had been just the one. An active serial arsonist was an entirely different matter.

  Shane prayed he was wrong, but his gut rarely was, and it was screaming at him. His decision to keep a closer watch on Charlie for a while cemented in his mind. He might man the rig most shifts, but he was a trained firefighter, just like the rest of the squad. If Charlie got stuck somewhere on her own with a fire-setting madman? Shane shivered. He’d just have to make sure that never happened.

  The drive back to the house was subdued after Matt’s discovery. Shane tried to keep chatting, exchanging digs with Charlie the way they always did, but he could tell her heart wasn’t in it. She smiled, though, and talked back, and so things were all good between them again, at least. He’d almost managed to get a real smile back on his face when they pulled into the engine bay and he saw the chief, standing at the base of the stairs, his expression grim. Did he already have more news about Matt’s discovery? The chief smiled and greeted everyone as they passed by, but his gaze kept shooting back to Shane. What the hell was going on? Whatever it was, he needed to know. Now.

  “Charlie, I didn’t quite get finished on the log books before the last call-out. How about I finish up here and you go make sure Matt doesn’t start lunch?” He shot her a grin.

  “So I don’t have to do the paperwork and I get to avoid Matt’s cooking? You don’t have to tell me twice.” She climbed out of her seat and made her way up to the break room, nodding at the chief as she passed. He gave her the same greeting as the rest of the squad but stayed put at his place at the base of the stairs. That confirmed it. The chief needed to see him, and whatever it was for, it had to be done in private and without anyone else knowing. That could not be good.

  Shane opened the back doors of the rig and climbed in, picking up his clipboard and grabbing the drug box. If anyone did show up, at least he’d look like he was working.

  “So, how you been, Shane?” Chief Stone asked.

  He looked over at Alex, frowning. “Fine.”

  “Things between you and Charlie, they all good?”

  Had someone actually figured it out and tattled to the chief? Shane forced himself to hold the man’s gaze. After all, it wasn’t a lie, not since their conversation a few hours back, thank God. “Everything’s fine. She’s a great partner.”

  The chief rocked back on his heels, his hands in his pockets, but his act of nonchalance wasn’t fooling Shane for a second. “Chief. What’s going on?”

  Hands came out of pockets. Arms crossed over chest. Alex drew in a deep breath. “I got a call from the hospital. There’s drugs missing from the restock cabinet.”

  Shane’s eyebrows rose. “And?”

  “And so I checked our squad’s supply log, as per their request, and it’s off. Shane, there’s at least four vials of morphine missing. Possibly some fentanyl, too.”

  Shane jerked back, the rock in his stomach from the arson turning into a boulder. “And what? They think one of us took them?”

  Alex’s gaze turned fierce. “I told them there’s absolutely no way any of my crew was involved. They ‘took my opinion under advisement,’ but Shane, the drugs are missing. That much is certain.”

  He shook his head, returning the chief’s glare. It wasn’t really him Shane was mad at, but just how much shit were they going to be expected to take?

  “So Charlie’s doing okay?” the chief asked.

  Okay, now he was mad at him. “She’s exactly the same way she always is; dependable, a brilliant EMT, and honest.” His voice deepened at the last word, his eyes burning. “Charlie blushes when you tease her about wearing her fluffy slippers in the break room, for God’s sake. She’s not stealing schedule-two drugs!”

  “Never thought she was,” Alex said. He turned, hands in pockets again, and headed for the stairs. He turned back to Shane. “You two be careful out there, you hear me?”

  Shane nodded. “Loud and clear.”

  He wasn’t letting Charlie out of his fucking sight.

  9

  Charlie

  Charlie stared back at Shane, her mouth hanging open. He couldn’t be serious. “So someone took restricted drugs from the ER’s stash and HQ thinks someone in our house did it?!”

  Shane’s face was tight, his mouth set in a thin line. He’d invited her down to have lunch with him while he finished up the log books, some “time out” from the loud speculation upstairs about the arsonist. “That’s what Chief said the log books say, but that’s just a record. There’s not a shred of any other evidence.”

  “They’re still going to be looking at us, though.” She slumped down in her seat. Why the hell would Chief think that anyone from their house was capable of stealing drugs? The answer hit her like a fist to the face. Chief Stone hadn’t talked to both of them; he’d talked to Shane. The paramedic, and the permanent member of the house. She was a floater, and could just as easily be gone tomorrow as she was there today. She looked out the front window, but her eyes were unfocused. Why wouldn’t the chief approach both of them with this? The only answer she could think of was that he’d already decided she was guilty. Then why the hell was she still sitting here and not on her way to HQ?

  “Ambulance 32, 901A, attempted suicide. Police are on scene. 105 Charlotte Rowell Boulevard.”

  Charlie scrambled, dumping the rest of her sandwich and slamming her door shut. “That’s Cody’s address!”

  Shane took two seconds to throw her a glance, his face concerned, before
he pulled out of the engine bay, engaging the lights and sirens. The rest of the ride was made in silence. Charlie knotted her fingers together in her lap. Fuck. She had to get the hell out of her head. Cody was the only person who mattered right now. The rest of the shit—and it was complete and utter shit—could wait. It had to.

  Shane pulled the ambulance up outside Cody’s residence, and Charlie barely waited for him to turn off the engine before she was out of her seat and grabbing her bag, sprinting up the front steps. When she cleared the front door, her feet stopped dead, causing Shane to nearly run into the back of her.

  Cody lay still on the floor, a police officer kneeling over him, pressing a towel that was soaked with blood to his head. “Thank God you’re here,” the officer said. “I don’t think he can breathe too well.”

  At her words, Charlie’s feet moved almost of their own volition, her training kicking in and taking over. She moved quickly to Cody’s other side and dropped to her knees, trying desperately to ignore the squelching as his blood soaked into her pants. Her gaze flew to the bloody towel and then moved quickly over the rest of his body. No visible blood. That didn’t mean there wasn’t any other wound for sure, but there were more pressing concerns. His airway was compromised, choked with blood, and with bits of teeth and bone. Shane dropped down at Cody’s head, pulling out the equipment needed for an intubation. Charlie reached over, grabbing for Cody’s wrist to check his pulse. His neck was slick with blood and also had damage from whatever the hell had happened. Her gaze moved fast, assessing the scene. A handgun lay a few feet away. “I kicked that over there when I arrived on scene,” the cop said. “It was lying by the body.”

  The body. Cody. Damn it.