Men of Station 23 [Uniform Fetish 1] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) (13 page)

After suiting up in the garage, he found Tammy with her hands over her ears in the hallway leading to the kitchen. It took a while before a person could get used to the sharp trill of the alarm. Darius was already down the pole, starting up one of the trucks. Conall and Aaron were suiting up.

Jake trapped Tammy against the wall between his arms. “Wait here for us. Don’t answer the phone. We’ll be back as soon as we can.”

“Why can’t I come along? What about the article?”

“Next time. Trust me, and just stay here tonight.” He leaned down and brushed his cheek to hers, taking in her scent.

He started to walk backwards down the hall, capturing her face to memory.

“Be careful,” she said.

“Never leave anyone behind.” He winked and then ran the rest of the way to the truck.

They arrived on the scene of another garage fire, so similar to the others during the past week. Within an hour they had the fire out. These pointless calls were starting to piss him off. Jake didn’t sign on for this bullshit. The police needed to do their job so they could focus on true emergencies where people’s lives were at stake.

Today a couple news crews showed up on the scene, which was always unwelcome. Once they caught whiff of a potential city arsonist, they’d have a field day blowing it out of proportion. Reporters would bombard the station and not give them a minute’s peace. In the back of Jake’s mind, he wondered if Brian Oxford was indeed the man setting these blazes. Or were his crank calls to Tammy just a coincidence?

An unmarked police car showed up to help handle the crowds. Two police cars and the fire chief were already on the scene. As the group of spectators grew, Jake couldn’t help but glance around, wondering if one of the faces was Tammy’s stalker. She’d already been through too much in her life. First losing her parents to a fire, and now having to deal with a man who didn’t take no for an answer.

Brad joined them at the truck as they prepared to take off. “Chief says it’s the same MO. Looks like we have a problem on our hands.” He plucked off his police hat and ran his forearm across his brow.

Conall finished coiling the fire hoses back in place. He rested one foot up on the running board of the truck as he appraised the scene. “The journalist staying on with us has been getting crank calls from an ex. They started the same time as they fires. We left her at the station just in case he was luring her out to the scenes.”

“We’ll follow up on it, but have you ever thought that he could have been luring you guys away?”

* * * *

Tammy called her friend Steph, feeling the urge to talk with her friend. It was the first time she’d been alone since coming to the station. She enjoyed riding in the truck with her men, but for some reason Jake wanted her to stay behind today. Maybe she was in the way during the calls. There was only one more day on their extended shift. Then she’d be staying at their house by the beach for the weekend. They were excited about introducing her to a slice of their private life. The thought of being alone with all four firefighters, with no disruptions, sent a whirl of mixed emotions through her. What would happen when the weekend was over?

There was no answer at Steph’s place. She set the phone back in the cradle and wandered around the station. It was so quiet when all alone. Tammy ran her fingertips along the shiny red surface of one of the parked trucks. Everything in the station was immaculately kept.

She began to wonder why she pushed Jake, Darius, and Conall away when they appeared genuinely interested. It’s what she’d always dreamed of—belonging, security, real love. If she kept hiding from possibilities, she’d be alone forever. But could a serious relationship with multiple men work? They were all best friends, living and working together like a single entity. If ever a ménage relationship was warranted, it was with these four men. But Aaron had told her flat out he didn’t want a commitment with her. If she agreed to give things a chance with the other three, would that affect their friendship with Aaron? Tammy didn’t want to put a kink in an already unique camaraderie.

Where was Steph when she needed her? Her friend may have been younger and wilder, but when Tammy really needed advice or a listening ear, Steph would pull through for her. Perhaps she just needed to hear someone say, “go for it,” to give her the verbal permission her heart required.

Although she was used to living alone, she suddenly felt a bit nervous in the big, open garage. Night had claimed the world outside. The florescent lighting high above flickered, and the multitude of small glass windowpanes on the garage doors reflected obscure images. She decided she’d be more comfortable waiting in the smaller bedroom upstairs until the guys returned. As she walked to the stairs she heard sounds outside one of the bay doors. Her heart raced.

Since it was night out, any person outside the station would be able to see inside with perfect clarity, while she could see nothing but a black void beyond the glass. It put her at unease. Right now she wanted to be home in her safe haven or at least not to be alone in the unfamiliar station. It was the presence of Darius and his crew that made her feel protected, not the place. When the sound continued, she rushed to the stairs and dashed up.

Tammy had taken for granted the many months of peace she had since moving to her new apartment. What if Brian had found her again? He always seemed to find her eventually, but how long could one man persist? If he saw her with any one of the strapping firefighters, he’d be burning with jealousy, fuel for his insanity. She pushed her unpleasant thoughts away. Brian hadn’t found her. It was just her irrational fears surfacing.

She lay down on Aaron’s bed, his spicy cologne lingering on the sheets. They would probably be back in an hour or so if the call wasn’t too serious. Surely she could keep herself sane that long. The sound of a door being forced open stole her breath. She sat up in a rush, her heart racing as she froze in place. Tammy listened for another sound, but when she heard the heavy sound of careful footfalls approaching, she swore she died a thousand deaths. Where should she go? What should she do? Her brain screamed for her to get up and hide, but she was paralyzed in place, too terrified to move a muscle.

The door to the bedroom creaked open, revealing the silhouette of a large-framed man. It couldn’t be Brian. It was more likely one of her lovers, but where was the fire truck?

“Tammy Palmer?” The stranger stepped into the room, allowing her to see him clearly. It was a police officer in full uniform. He had a strong build with broad shoulders and a fit body. Her shoulders slunk in sudden relief.

“Yes?”

“Glad to see you’re okay. Conall sent me back to check on you. They’re just finishing up their call but wanted me to come on ahead.”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“I’ll just do a quick perimeter check before I head out then. You have yourself a good night.” He tilted his hat before leaving. She listened to the sound of his shoes until the door downstairs closed behind him. Tammy dropped down to her back and laughed quietly to herself. She’d been scared over nothing again. Everything was fine, nothing to worry about.

She decided to get up and stop hiding, maybe make herself a cup of coffee. Who in their right mind would break into a fire hall, anyway?

Tammy leaned against the kitchen counter while the coffee percolated. The familiar smell comforted her, as did the sounds of the machine. The telephone ringing startled her. She ignored the call, not sure if she had the right to answer it. What if it was an emergency? She wouldn’t have a clue what to do or say. The ringing stopped, but then started up again less than a minute later, so she braved answering it. It could have been one of the men checking up on her.

“Hello?”

“Tammy.”

“Who is this?”

Silence. She thought she knew the voice but didn’t dare make assumptions.

“Hello?”

“Seeking refuge in a fire hall? Did you think you could hide from me forever?” He chuckled, the dark sound hollowing her insides. “But it looks like your boyfriends are occupied at the moment.”

“I’ll call the cops. They’ll be here in two minutes.”

“But what about dear Stephanie? Don’t you care about her life?”

She had a sudden surge of confidence. “What about her?”

“I know everything about you—where you live, work, who your friends are, who you’re fucking.”

“What about Stephanie?” She hadn’t been able to reach her friend on the phone. Fear began to fester inside her, much worse since it involved a friend.

“She’s okay. For now. I thought we’d start with her, then move onto your lovers if your friendship with Stephanie wasn’t as strong as I anticipated.”

“What do you want?”

“You.”

She wanted to cry, to break down completely. She wanted to tell him to fuck off and go to hell but had to think of her friend first. “Where’s Stephanie?”

“She’s keeping me company in this quaint little garage. They don’t make ’em like they used to, do they? I assure you it’s far from where your firefighters are. If you checked, you’d see the other station is busy, too.”

“So it was you,” she said, barely above a whisper. Was he crazy enough to kill for her? She couldn’t take that risk.

“I suggest you come meet your friend before there’s another unfortunate garage fire. I have a feeling this one won’t be as easy to extinguish, and by the time help arrives, it’ll be too late for Stephanie. She is cute, though. Unfortunately, I’ve already given my heart to you. Unlike you, Ms. Palmer, I’m faithful until the end.”

She wanted to argue, to tell him she wasn’t his, that they weren’t even a couple. But Tammy feared that anything she said could get Stephanie into more trouble.

“I’ll come. Just give me the address.”

The drive back to the station was relatively stress-free once they got the call from Brad saying Tammy was safe and sound, waiting for them in their bedroom. Aaron may have tried to fight his feelings for the journalist, but the truth was he wanted to keep her. The thought of her walking out of the station and never returning put him in a black mood. He needed to get over his issues with commitment before it was too late or his friends killed him for ruining their chance with the little beauty.

“So you do care about her after all,” said Conall with sarcasm in his tone.

“Why wouldn’t I? I’d care about anyone in trouble. Why do you think I took this job?”

Jake laughed beside him. “Good one. Don’t try out for being an actor, cowboy. You like her the same as us, but for some fool reason you have Tammy believing you want nothing to do with her.”

He took a breath. What was the point of lying to his best friends? Some days he swore they knew him better than he did himself. “You know how it is.”

“For fuck’s sake, Aaron, you’re only thirty-eight. Tammy’s a good woman. She’s not your—”

“Don’t,” he warned.

The truck silenced. They should know better than to bring up his mother. He’d lost her, the one woman besides his sisters that he truly loved. Once she died, he’d been unable to commit to any woman, too terrified to experience a loss again—whether by death or breakup. In his opinion, it was better to not love at all than to feel the kind of pain he knew too well. His mother’s death had been the main reason he left the family ranch, his father, and three sisters, to move in with his friends and devote his life to Station 23. There were too many memories back home to deal with.

He knew what he had to do without being told. There was little time for him to make amends. He needed to apologize for pushing Tammy away. Explain why he’d kept distant. The ring on his gold chain was a constant reminder of the woman who’d inadvertently hardened him, but he couldn’t live in the past forever. His mother would want to see him happy.

Back at the station, he hung up his gear before his friends and he hurried up to the room. Tammy wasn’t there. In fact, she wasn’t anywhere in the station. He’d gone from room to room, calling her name, to no avail.

“Where the fuck is she?” he muttered, breathless. They regrouped near the entryway of the station. “It’s too late for a walk. Besides, Brad said she was here twenty minutes ago. She can’t be far.”

“Check ’round back for her car,” said Aaron.

Conall took off down the hallway.

“I don’t like this,” said Jake, his green eyes lethal as a panther’s. He paced the open area like a wildcat behind bars, desperate to act.

They all turned when Conall’s blond head bobbed back down the hall. “It’s gone,” he shouted.

“Fuck.” Aaron felt useless. She could be anywhere. An errand to the store, picking up something at her apartment. Or she could be in trouble. There’d been two garage fires tonight at opposite ends of the city. With her ex-boyfriend calling the station, his hackles were raised. “We should call the department and get them to trace the calls from the last hour in and out.” Jake nodded and headed to the control room.

“I knew we should have kept her with us,” Darius blurted, slapping the side of the truck with a heavy palm.

“Relax. She’s probably fine,” said Conall. “Jake’s checking the calls now.”

It felt as if several lifetimes came and went while they waited for more news. It wasn’t just him, either. All his friends appeared as distraught as he was, which surprised him. They’d never all fallen for the same woman before. It was always fast women to fill a temporary void.

Since Tammy hadn’t brought her cell phone, they had no way to reach her. Aaron sat on the stoop around one of the support pillars and scrubbed his face with his hand.

“You care about her, don’t you?” asked Conall. His friend stood next to him, looking down. Aaron shrugged. It felt foreign to admit to feeling emotion. Usually, his friends didn’t pester him since Jake was even more of a hard ass. At least Aaron didn’t stifle his sexuality, he just didn’t commit emotionally...until now.

“Is that surprising?”

“Not really. I never thought I’d find a woman I didn’t scare off. But that little thing is fearless. If she can affect me this fast, I suspect she could cast her spell on you, too.”