“I can’t help myself with you. You make me crazy.”
With a sexy grin, she smiled up at him as she extricated her hands from his grip and placed them on his chest. She had told him on more than one occasion how much she liked him in his navy Carson Fire shirt and that she had vivid fantasies involving him in the shirt and his turnouts.
She didn’t know, but when he returned after his night shift, he planned on gifting her one of his shirts. She hadn’t asked for it, but it was one of his own fantasies. Seeing her wearing his shirt was going to be a dream come true, especially when he imagined the navy hem gliding across the pale, soft skin of her thighs.
He was getting an erection just thinking about it.
“Sorry, big boy. You’re going to have to wait until the morning.”
“It’s a date,” he called out as he turned to leave the kitchen to head for his daughter’s play area in the living room.
It was another slow night – both a blessing and a curse. The only call they’d had was an inquiry from an intoxicated woman requesting a sexy fireman stripper. He had almost sent his partner Conner to answer the woman’s call just for shits and giggles.
Deciding to use his time to catch up on some sleep, Ridge made his way to the small dorm room where the crew members could rest. It took him a while to wind down, but he finally settled into sleep with visions of River wearing his department shirt as she rode his cock in bed.
The alarm sounded in the fire station just as Ridge’s dream went on repeat. A dumpster fire in the small shopping center near the highway.
He and the crew quickly tugged on their turnouts and made their way to the fire truck. It was an easy enough call to answer, but when they arrived at the area that dispatch had located, the dumpster fire had spread from the metal container to the bushes lining the parking lot. It burned dangerously close to the forest and with the fall winds whipping around, they needed to work fast.
Preston had shown up as they had managed to control the fire and he began assessing the situation. From what Ridge could tell, it looked like a smoldering cigarette had ignited the entire thing. It wasn’t the first time he had seen it happen.
“Sorry for calling you out so late, Sheriff,” Ridge told him as they began to pack up their equipment after fully extinguishing the fire.
“No sweat. I needed a little excitement tonight anyway.”
Checking his surroundings, Ridge moved a step closer to Preston, the smoke from the burnt trash lingering around them, secluding them from the view of others.
“Any luck with locating Penny? I was hoping you’d have some tips or something since we haven’t had anything new.”
“Nothing, man. The closest thing we’ve found is a grain video at a gas station two counties over.”
“What about the boyfriend? The one in California?”
“Nothing other than a few drug charges and one for domestic violence. He was seen in California two weeks ago.”
“Damn.”
“I know, man. I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. I just can’t figure out the reason for the letters. At this point, I’m thinking it’s nothing more than a game.”
“It could be. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve seen a case like that. But I can tell by your expression that you’re worried.”
“I am. Penny wasn’t always the most stable.”
“Well, all I can suggest is to continue keeping your eyes peeled. She’s bound to slip up at some point.”
Just as Ridge was going to agree, the alarm on his personal phone went off.
“What is it?” Preston asked as Ridge opened the security app on his phone. It wasn’t uncommon for the alarm to go off for the most random reasons: a moth flying too close to the lens, a small animal running through the yard, a leaf floating through the air.
“Oh, shit!” Ridge shouted as he stared at the image on the screen.
Somewhere beyond the ringing in Ridge’s ear, Preston asked him what was going on, but Ridge’s eyes were glued to the man throwing a brick through the back window of his house, followed by a small item flickering with a flame at the end. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was in the grainy image, but his instinct was on high alert.
Rushing from Preston, Ridge turned to the rest of his crew and yelled, “We need to go. Now!”
***