Smoke and Fire (Surrender to Them 1)

“Yeah…” I nodded and sighed.

“Of course, if you don’t want to date him, the three of us could have a little fun before you have to go.” Chase’s playful look returned and he grinned at me.

“What?” I blinked and felt my face blushing immediately.

Is he serious?

“All right, I’m all set.” Trent returned with a pillow and blanket tucked under his arm.

“Goodnight, guys.” I gave Chase a confused stare before I walked down the hallway.

I stripped down to my t-shirt once I was in Trent’s room and climbed into his bed. There was a dip where he slept and it was extremely comfortable. I couldn’t help but imagine him in the bed with me. I hadn’t been with anyone since I moved to Chicago. It was hard to trust people in general, much less a guy. My distrust centered around the guy I was involved with before I left Glendale and the things he did to me. I got tangled in his web and he swore he would find me if I ever left him.

It had been five years, but I still looked over my shoulder occasionally. It was easy to disappear in a city with over two million people, especially after I changed my name, but his threat still lingered. Having my face on the news concerned me, but at least the picture they showed looked nothing like the brunette with honey-colored eyes that left Glendale behind. I hoped Trent and Chase were right and the story would fade fairly quickly. If it didn’t, I would be leaving Chicago as fast as I left Glendale.

That’s another reason to avoid a relationship entirely. I left behind everything I knew when I moved to Chicago.

The next morning was a little chaotic. Luckily, neither of them mentioned our conversation from the night before. We made small talk over breakfast and then Trent offered to call the investigator that was handling the apartment fire. The investigator didn’t normally work on Sunday, but Trent convinced him to at least meet us at my apartment so I could sift through the wreckage under supervision. Chase offered to drive, so the three of us climbed into his Corvette and headed to my apartment. I really hoped the fire didn’t spread further than the living room. My purse was in the kitchen, along with my cell phone. If the kitchen was safe, then I could at least get access to my bank account and get a hotel room so I wasn’t leeching off them for longer than one night.

Not that our time together has been completely boring.

Six

Trent

My thoughts about Kayla were conflicted as we got to her apartment building and met with Investigator Davidson. She definitely wasn’t like the girls Chase usually brought home for us to share, and she seemed interested in me. I could tell there was more to it than she let on. I could tell it wasn’t just the complications surrounding the fire that kept her from agreeing to the date. There was something hidden beneath the surface that caused her to hold back. Chase confessed that he mentioned her having fun with the two of us while I was out of the room. That explained why she was blushing when I returned to the living room after I got my pillow and blanket. I wasn’t angry with him for suggesting it, especially after she turned me down for a date. If she wasn’t interested in something serious, then I was definitely open to pinning her beautiful curves between us for just one night.

“This is the only floor that is completely uninhabitable right now.” Investigator Davidson led us up the stairs and pushed open the door to Kayla’s floor. “We also kept the tenants out of the apartment directly above the fire, just to be safe.”

“At least the fire didn’t put too many people out on the street.” Kayla shook her head sadly as she walked towards her apartment.

“My team worked hard to get early clearance since it was an apartment building. We haven’t done much on this floor other than confirm it wasn’t an electrical issue.” He walked up next to Kayla. “I’ll poke around in the living room while you check on your things.”

“Thank you so much.” Kayla smiled and nodded.

Chase and I pushed away the remnants of her broke

n door so she could enter easily after Investigator Davidson pulled down the yellow tape. She immediately walked to the kitchen where she was able to retrieve her purse and cell phone. Neither of them appeared to have any damage outside of smelling like they had been sitting in a chimney overnight. Most of the apartment had a heavy dusting of ash in the open area, but the bedroom door was closed, so everything in there was fine. The investigator moved several things around, studied the scene, and jotted down a few notes while she packed a bag with a few essentials.

“Might as well do a little work since I came all the way out here.” The investigator moved his hand across a pile of ash. “Maybe it’ll save me a trip tomorrow.”

“That’s an unusual burn pattern, isn’t it?” Chase walked into the living room and squatted.

“Good observation.” Investigator Davidson nodded and pointed at the floor. “The circular pattern here burned more than the area around it, so this is probably where it started.”

“Odd.” I stepped closer. “It looks like it started in the middle of the room.”

“Maybe you two should consider joining my team when you get tired of running into burning buildings.” The investigator chuckled. “Yeah, it’s not common to see a fire just randomly start in the middle of the room. She said she had no idea what could have caused it?”

“That’s what she said.” I nodded and looked towards her bedroom before lowering my voice. “I wonder if she’s telling us the truth.”

“There had to be a source.” The investigator pushed some more ashes away from the spot where the fire appeared to have originated from. “If it was electrical, we would see more damage around the sockets or one of the electronics.”

“Maybe it was a candle.” Chase turned his attention towards a pile of melted wax that was sitting on a shelf.

“Perhaps.” The investigator stood and walked over. “I think that’s too far for one of those to have fallen.”

“Wait a second.” I brushed away some ash with my finger. “Is that a cigarette butt?”