Page 80 of Fire Fight

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And I wanted all of that withher.

With that thought, I punched the bag so hard, my knuckles stung through the tape I’d wrapped them in, and I leaned my forehead against it for a beat. I was breathing so damn hard, my thoughts so loud, I almost missed my phone ringing across the room.

Rushing over, I found Lane’s name on the screen.

“You’re calling awfully late,” I said in lieu of greeting.

“There’s been a fire.”

“What? Where?” I dropped the phone on the bench and put it on speaker, quickly unwinding the tape from my hands.

“Dumpster behind Mozzy’s.”

The pizza place…where Aspen had been earlier, picking up dinner.

“Do you think?—”

“I don’t know,” he said before I could finish. “Ihopeit’s not connected, but I can’t be sure. I wasn’t even going to call you, but?—”

“You knew I’d be pissed if you didn’t. I’m coming down to check it out. Give me ten minutes.”

“You live fifteen miles out of town.”

“And?”

Lane’s sigh echoed through the speaker. “Be careful.”

Then he hung up, and I rushed upstairs.

Aspen was in the office, her laptop on the desk in front of her. The end of a pen was stuck between her teeth, and a notebook balanced on her bent knees as she stared at the murder board.

I could practically hear the gears in her mind turning as she tried to make sense of it all.

Not wanting to scare her, I lightly rapped my knuckles on the open door, and she spun toward me.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” I replied. “So, Lane called.”

She bolted upright, the notebook and pen falling to the ground, instantly forgotten.

“Another fire?”

I nodded. “I’m going to check it out, so I’ll be back lat?—”

“I’m coming with.”

“No.”

So many emotions flashed across her face with the singleword, I couldn’t grasp any to make sense of them. Finally, she settled on annoyance.

“I’m coming with,” she repeated.

I approached her, placing my hands on the back of the chair and ducking until we were eye level.

Too close, my body warned.

Fuck, she smelled good, like some floral shampoo and vanilla. And…mint? Her lips had a slight sheen, and I guessed that was her lip balm.

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