Page 21 of Sizzling Desire

Moe nods, his fingers tightening around his beer bottle. “Sure… sure, whatever you need.”

Chance pulls out a chair, and I take a seat across from Moe, trying to gauge his level of nervousness. The guy’s definitely skittish, but that could just be the thought of talking to two investigators about a fire that cost him his job. Can’t clean a place that has burnt to the ground.

“You said you saw something the night the warehouse went up,” I start, my voice calm but firm. “We need you to walk us through what happened.”

Moe takes a long swig of his beer, his gaze shifting around the bar before finally landing on the table. “Yeah, I saw something,” he mutters. “But I don’t know if it’s gonna help.”

Chance leans in, his voice smooth. “Everything helps, Moe. Just tell us what you saw.”

Moe fidgets with the label on his bottle. “It was late… like, way past when I should’ve been there. I had to lock up, but as I was heading out, I saw this guy hanging around near the back entrance. He wasn’t supposed to be there, you know? Didn’t look like anyone I’d seen before either.”

My attention sharpens. “What did he look like?”

“Tall,” Moe says, his brow furrowed like he’s trying to picture the guy in his mind. “Real tall. And he had this… jacket. A dark one. Maybe leather. He kept looking around, real shifty and having a heavy jacket like that on in Florida just hit me as odd.”

Chance takes a few notes, his pen scratching across the paper. “Did you get a look at his face?”

Moe shakes his head. “Nah, it was too dark. He was wearing a baseball cap; kept it pulled low. I didn’t want him to see me, so I slipped out the other way. Next thing I know, the whole place is up in flames.”

I exchange a glance with Chance. This lines up with what we’ve suspected…whoever’s behind these fires is careful and deliberate. They know how to stay out of sight. But this… this is the first real lead we’ve had.

“Anything else?” I ask, trying to coax more out of him. “Anything you can remember about the guy? The way he moved, the car he drove, anything?”

Moe squints, as if he’s digging through his memory. “I don’t know… he walked kinda fast, like he didn’t want to be seen, but then, when the fire started, I saw him again. From a distance. I think he was watching.”

Watching. That sends a chill down my spine. Whoever this guy is, he’s not just setting fires…he’s sticking around to see his handiwork.

“We’ll need you to come down to the police station,” Chance says, his voice steady. “Make an official statement.”

“Yeah, sure,” Moe nods, but his unease is still there, thick in the air. “I’ll do whatever you need.”

Just as I’m about to press him for more, my attention is pulled to the bar area, and then I see her. Gracie. She’s sitting at the counter, her back to me, but I’d recognize that silhouette anywhere. Her blonde hair cascades down her back, and even in the dim light of the bar, she radiates this effortless beauty that’s impossible to ignore.

Then, I see him. The guy next to her…sitting too close. Handsome. Confident. Laughing at something she said, his hand casually resting on the bar, a little too close to hers. I grit my teeth, my pulse kicking up a notch as I watch them interact. Gracie smiles—one of those genuine, radiant smiles that lights up her whole face—and for some reason, it stirs something in me that I can’t quite shake.

“Hey, Kane,” Chance snaps his fingers in front of my face, pulling me back to the present. “You still with us?”

I blink, refocusing on Moe. “Yeah, sorry. Just… distracted.”

Chance gives me a look, but he doesn’t press the issue. Moe continues talking, going on about some other details, but my attention keeps flicking back to Gracie. She hasn’t noticed me yet, which is both a relief and an annoyance. I can’t help the way my eyes keep drifting over to her, watching as she leans in closer to the guy at the bar.

Who the hell is he, anyway? A friend? A date? Does it matter?

Of course, it matters.

I try to focus on Moe’s words, but they’re drowned out by the steady thrum of irritation building inside me. Every time I look at Gracie, I remember the way she feels, the way her lips taste, and the way she’s been avoiding me like the plague ever since that night. And now, seeing her here, looking all casual and happy with some guy who isn’t me… well, it’s making it damn hard to concentrate.

Gracie suddenly laughs, her voice carries over the noise of the bar, and I feel my jaw clench. The guy says something else, and she leans in even closer. The way he’s looking at her… it’s too familiar. Too comfortable.

And it’s pissing me off.

“Kane,” Chance says again, this time with more emphasis. “You good, man?”

I drag my gaze away from Gracie, forcing myself to focus on the job. “Yeah,” I mutter. “Let’s wrap this up.”

Chance nods and finishes up with Moe, schedulinga time for him to come in for his official statement. But as we stand to leave, my eyes can’t help but find Gracie again. This time, she glances in my direction, and for a split second, our gazes lock as if we are remembering together what happened just in the other room.

Her smile falters, just for a moment, then, as if she’s decided to ignore my existence altogether, she turns back to her conversation with Mr. Perfect.

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