Arson & Ache (Surrender to Them 8)

“Who knows…” I sighed and shook my head. “Does she do this often? Just pop up in the middle of the night and take off the next morning?”

“Sometimes.” He nodded quickly. “She’s always kind of done her own thing.”

“That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t worry about her.” I looked back towards the door. “You know how bad it was a few years ago.”

“Yeah.” He nodded again. “But she seemed to be past all of that and the doctor got her on some new meds last year.”

“Hopefully she comes back before I have to go. I hate that we’ve drifted so far apart.” I dropped my head and rubbed my forehead.

“You’ve got your own life now. You’ll always be her big brother, but you can’t control her. Lord knows I lost that fight a long time ago.” He picked up the remote and turned the television back on.

Maybe one of us should have tried a little harder…

Kincaid

The next day

I woke up next to a beautiful sight—and I was fucking exhausted, despite spending all night in bed. Marissa was exactly what I needed to take my mind off the Fireball case. I hoped that I hadn’t been too rough with her. She didn’t seem to mind me being a little more dominant in bed than I was the first time we were together. I was looking forward to exploring more of that with her

. She very well could be my perfect match—the one that transcended all of the failed relationships I watched crumble due to my own mistakes. If that was the case, then I didn’t mind sharing her with Donovan. I could quell the beast until she allowed him to come bursting out of the cage when the time was right. It would be more than worth it when we had an opportunity to explore the fantasy. Donovan definitely couldn’t say much about it either, because that crazy fucker broke the bed the first night we spent with Marissa.

“I have to get up.” Marissa groaned and stared at the ceiling. “I need to go home and shower before work—plus I can’t really wear the same thing two days in a row.”

“Yeah, I know.” I leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Thank you for last night.”

“You’re thanking me?” She chuckled and slid closer to me. “You’re the one that kept making me come.”

“I didn’t hear any complaining.” I grinned and kissed her forehead again. “Plus, you got your revenge.”

“Yeah…” She giggled and traced my stomach until her hand was next to my cock. “I’m going to be back for more after work too, so make sure you’re ready.”

“I will be.” I nodded quickly. “I think we’ll have another night alone. Donovan said he might spend a couple of days with his Dad.”

“Then I might have to be a bad girl again.” She giggled and leaned up, lightly grazing my cock before she crawled off the bed.

“I think you like being a bad girl.” I leaned across the bed and gave her a firm smack on her ass.

“Yeah—maybe.” She rubbed the spot where my hand landed and started picking up the trail of clothes that led back to the couch.

I kissed Marissa goodbye once she was dressed and then headed for the shower. My cock was already demanding attention again after being teased, but I could wait until I had her in my arms again. I wasn’t looking forward to work, but I had to go. I knew the station would still be buzzing with excitement over Fireball’s arrest. I got dressed after my shower and walked into the living room to look for my phone. It was on the table next to the chair I fell asleep in before Marissa arrived, and I clicked the screen as soon as I picked it up. I was surprised to find a message from Chief Vance asking me to come into the station as soon as I got his message. It was already forty-five minutes old, so I rushed to the door. I assumed another big case had come in and my services were needed immediately. I drove a little faster than normal, and as soon as I walked into the fire station, I was surprised to find that everyone was somber instead of excited. Chief Vance walked out of his office as soon as I arrived and motioned for me.

“What’s going on, Chief?” I walked towards him as fast I could without breaking into a run.

“There’s another letter.” He waved me into his office.

“What?” I blinked in surprise. “Another letter from Fireball?”

“Yes.” He grabbed a piece of paper off his desk and handed it to me. “The press is going to sit on this one for a few hours and let us try to make sense of it, but it’ll be online after lunch.”

“How the hell is he sending a letter from jail?” I grabbed the paper and stared at it.

Dear New York,

Incompetence is your latest sin. You smile, celebrate, and worship those that deserve nothing. Did you think it would be that easy? Did you think I was going to go away because you wanted me to? The innocent rot while I laugh. Let those who are without sin cast the first stone and listen to the silence as they face their guilt. Prepare yourselves. You’ve given me a name, but I refuse to answer to it. You’ve given me a face, but it is a mask for your own ignorance. My message was clear. Now, it’s time for me to expose your lies. Tonight, you will see my face. Enjoy your humiliation.

-Fireball

“Holy shit!” I looked up from the paper and my jaw fell open in surprise. “Those mother fuckers arrested the wrong man!”