“She’s not at the firehouse. She’s at the last site. Wanted to look around and see if she missed anything.”
“Oh fuck,” I hiss and grab my car keys, ripping the door open and jogging down the stairs.
“Wait! What the hell is going on, Reed? You look like you’ve seen a ghost?”
“Frank.” My mother’s face turns white as milk and she stares at me, her hand creeping up to her throat.
“Why?” She whispers.
“He broke out and those fuckers didn’t tell us. I saw him this morning. I almost had him. And he saw her. Saw the way I looked at her.”
“How do you look at her, Reed?”
The car’s running, my heart’s racing but I still, my hand on the wheel. Staring at her out the window. “Like she’s my everything.”
She smiles. “I knew it. I knew you were in love with her.”
“Now is not the time for I told you so, Mother. Frank knows that too.”
“Oh shit,” she whimpers.
“Yeah.” Turning around I whip the wheel around and dust circles me as I slam my foot on the gas and the SUV jerks forward.
Every time I take a corner, every push on the gas and my mind fills with images of her. Her golden-brown curls rioting around her head after we made love. Her full lips red and bruised from our kisses.
Her skin glowing with sweat and love. Her eyes dark blue indigo fire. Her face flushed, her white teeth digging into her lower lip.
Air streams past my window and I fight to keep myself from pushing any harder. I don’t hit the siren because if he’s there, I don’t want him to know I’m coming.
Don’t want him to know that I know what he’s up to.
Fire’s aren’t gonna do it for him anymore. He wants revenge. He wouldn’t be here otherwise.
And now I’ve put a big bullseye on Mercy. The woman who owns all my heart.
CHAPTER 10
Mercy
There has to be something here. Something to get that bastard. If Reed’s right that guy wants to hurt Reed and I cannot let that happen.
My chest tightens and I fight to keep from losing my mind.
I need to find something and make this stick because if something happens to Reed Franklin I’ll definitely lose what’s left of my heart.
Something catches my eye and I squint at eye, squatting down to touch the little piece of metal at the very edge of the clearing. It looks familiar somehow.
I reach into my pocket and pull out a pair of tweezers that I keep there and gently catch the small piece of metal, lifting it to eye level. My breath hisses out and I smile slightly.
It’s one of the firefighter’s pins. I’ve seen them on some of the guys although I’ve yet to see Reed’s. Who knows where he keeps his though.
I pick it up and almost put it in my hand instead of in a baggie but some sense of caution hits me and I pull one out and drop it into it, closing it up tight.
A whistle sounds in the bushes and I turn to it, curious. I’ve never heard a bird make that noise.
Before I can move there, a huge, black SUV pulls up and slams into park, dust flying over the hood and tires.
Reed leaps from the driver’s side door. My brows lift when he runs over to me and grabs me by the arms, shaking me slightly and then pulling me in for a tight hug. I can barely breathe and yet my belly clenches because I can smell him. All manly and beautiful and everything I’ve ever wanted.
