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  “Yes, sir. I will.” How she was supposed to keep her mind completely on work with the words from the letter running through her brain she wasn’t sure, but she would try.

  “Good. Now, I think it’s about time you got to the trucks.”

  “Yes, sir.” Cassidy took the clear dismissal and backed out of the office. It had been bad, but not as bad as she’d expected it to be.

  “What happened?” Ivy asked when Cassidy returned to the bunk room. She had cleaned up the pile of mail and cleared the beds. Cassidy wondered briefly what she had done with all the other letters but decided she didn’t care. She wished she could put the whole experience behind her and just forget about it. No, she wished she had never gone on the show in the first place.

  Cassidy sighed as she sank onto her bunk. “He’s going to share it at the next staff meeting.”

  “That’s it?” Ivy’s eyes grew wide with concern and her fingers tugged on a lock of her hair. Either a nervous gesture or a long-ingrained habit, Ivy pulled at her split ends whenever anything bothered her.

  Cassidy shrugged trying to mask the fear she felt inside. “He seemed angry but not especially concerned. Told me to watch out for anything else strange and take it to the cops if anything happened. Then he told me to get to cleaning the trucks.”

  “Well, if he doesn’t think it’s a big deal, then maybe it isn’t. He’s been doing this job a long time, so he probably knows.”

  “Yeah, let’s hope so. Anyway, I better get out there and get to cleaning.” She wanted to clean about as much as she wanted to watch paint dry, but at least it would get her mind off this stalker for a while.

  “Have fun with that. I’d offer to help, but I don’t know the first thing about cleaning fire trucks.”

  “It’s fine. It’s actually a fairly tame penance for as mad as he was.” Cassidy pushed herself off the bed and headed to the truck bay, but before she could even begin gathering the supplies to wash the truck, the alarm sounded.

  “Truck 51, Squad 4, Ambulance 3, 2219 Eastside Street.”

  “You remember how to do this?” Bubba asked Cassidy as he hurried past her to his gear.

  Cassidy shot him a withering look. “I think I can manage it.” She followed him to the hooks that held their gear and pulled on hers. Donning them was like riding a bicycle, but she’d forgotten how heavy the extra equipment was. Still, she was determined not to show it. The boys needed no more ammunition with which to tease her. Hat in hand, she climbed up beside Bubba and took a deep breath to slow her racing heart. Then she closed her eyes and sent up a prayer for their safety.

  “Whoa, hot date last night?” Alayna “Al” Parker asked as Jordan set his extra-large coffee mug down on the desk across from her. Her hazel eyes twinkled mischievously above her petite nose. With perfectly clear skin and long blonde hair, Al looked more like she was eighteen than her actual age of nearly thirty which helped with stings but annoyed her the rest of the time. She got carded everywhere.

  Jordan blew out an exasperated breath as he collapsed into his chair and took a swig of coffee. “I wish. My brother and I inherited an old bar and we were up most of the night tearing off paneling and assessing the damage.”

  Al’s eyebrow shot up. “You’re keeping a bar?” She knew a little about his past and his father and was obviously shocked by this news.

  “No, I’m keeping an old building that used to be a bar. Unfortunately. We’re remodeling it to be a family-friendly restaurant sans bar.” He rolled his eyes and downed another swig. Even this large triple shot coffee wasn’t making him feel more alive. “Graham thinks it will be great.”

  “And what do you think?”

  He shook his head as a frustrated laugh escaped his lips. “I think it’s a money suck and we should sell it. I don’t have time to fix up or run a restaurant. I barely have time to buy groceries for myself.”

  “So, why’d you say yes? Why not just make him buy you out?”

  And there was the million-dollar question. “Because he’s my little brother. Because he had a crappy childhood.” Jordan had told Al most of his past already, so he knew this wouldn’t come as a shock to her. “I’ve spent half my life looking out for him and trying to make him happy. I guess I’m still doing it.”

  “I could help,” Al said with a shrug.

  “You?” Al was tough, probably more than she needed to be, but he still couldn’t see her hauling out old furniture and decorating the interior.

  “Yeah, I grew up with two older brothers. I learned how to swing a hammer.” She leaned closer and glanced around the small room, “and though I don’t do it here, I know how to use a broom.”

  Jordan chuckled at her persistence. Not many of his other friends would volunteer to do dirty work. “All right, I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Where are we on the abduction cases?” Jack Stone asked as he entered immediately shifting the energy in the room. Though Jordan was sure it was his real last name, it was ironic how well it fit him. In his mid-fifties, Jack had a full head of salt and pepper hair that he kept immaculately cut - probably an old habit from the military. His face rarely displayed any emotion and even his voice was deep and gravelly. More importantly, he was good at his job, and he didn’t like to lose.

  Jordan tapped his phone to make sure he hadn’t missed any last-minute messages before giving his report. “I spoke with my criminal informant, but all he could tell me was that he thinks he saw a kid matching our description leave Hyder Park with a man wearing dark clothing.”

  “That isn’t much to go on,” Stone said, disappointment in his voice. “How about you?” He turned his attention to Al whose thin shoulders pulled back as she sat straighter.

  “I found a camera that might have gotten footage near where we think one of the abductions happened. I was planning on going there today to see.”

  “Good, the two of you do that.” Stone walked to the white board where all their evidence hung. Though his gaze traveled over everything, it remained the longest on the pictures of the three kids – one girl and two boys. “Albright and Givens are canvassing the neighborhoods again and doling out advice to keep kids safe, but that’s only going to last so long. This guy will strike again, and we need to find him before he does.”

  “Yes, sir.” Jordan downed the last of his coffee as he stood. No time for more. He would have to hope his adrenaline would kick in and keep him awake. Across from him, Al grabbed her jacket as well and headed for the door. He hurried to catch up with her and followed her down to the car. Generally, he preferred driving but this was her lead, and he would let her run with it.

  “So, your restaurant. Are you going to let me come help?” Al threw the question out nonchalantly as she reached for her seatbelt, but Jordan sensed something deeper behind it. He’d had the feeling she was looking for more than a partnership the last month, but he wasn’t interested. He didn’t have time for a relationship and his mother had always impressed upon him that he should never date where he worked. Plus, his last one had gone up in flames, so he wasn’t looking to jump into the fire again anytime soon.

  “Yeah, maybe. It’s still a mess right now.”

  She flashed a crooked smile at him as she turned the key and fired up the engine. “I don’t mind a little mess.”

  Jordan knew that. While his workspace was always pristine, hers was often overflowing with papers. She called it creative genius, but he just called it a mess, and he had no idea how she found anything she was looking for. “I know you don’t, but I’m not sure what the next step is. I’ll definitely let you know when I have a better idea.” Or not. He didn’t want to do anything that might make her think he wanted more than a partnership. “So, where are we going?”

  She glanced quickly at him before turning her attention back to the road. “A convenience store over on Fifth. It’s near the school where we think one of the boys was grabbed.”

  Jordan could tell she knew he had changed the subject on her, but it was safe
r this way. Dating your partner opened the door for lapses in judgment that could get you killed, and if they broke up, it would make for a very uncomfortable work environment. “Good catch. I hope they have something.”

  Chapter 4

  Fatigue weighed on Cassidy as she walked to her car the next morning. Twenty-four-hour shifts were hard on their own, but add a fire into the mix and they were downright exhausting. Plus, she hadn’t pulled a long shift in over a month. She hadn’t thought her body would become out of sync so quickly, but it had. Normally, she would have three or four of these shifts in a row, but the captain had given her just one to let her ease back into the routine. She had the rest of the day to recoup and then she’d be back on shift tomorrow.

  Cassidy opened the driver side door and threw her bag in before sliding into the seat, but as she shoved the key in the ignition, something caught her eye. Glancing up, she spied something white tucked into her windshield wipers. A ticket? But that made no sense. She was in the firehouse’s parking lot and not parked in a handicapped space. A note? Ice trickled into her veins. Was it another message from the stalker?

  On high alert, her eyes darted around the parking lot for any shadows or unknown strangers. Curiosity chomped at her nerves, but she wasn’t going to get out of the car until she knew it was safe.

  Assured there was no one else in the lot or at least not close enough to nab her in the time it would take her to grab the note, Cassidy opened her door and snatched the paper off the glass. Not wanting to take any chances, she clutched it in her hand until the car door was closed and locked again. Then she summoned her courage and unfolded the paper.

  The handwritten words appeared angry and threatening on the single sheet with a definite hurried slant. Unsure if police would be able to gain much information just from the handwriting, she scanned for anything else that might be usable - an added symbol, a signature, a fingerprint smudge, but there was nothing. Nothing to give any clue who was writing this. However, the wording was consistent with the other letters - “I can show you that we belong together.”

  But it was the final phrase that set her heart thudding in her chest. “I don’t know why you aren’t responding to me, but if you don’t believe me, I’ll find a way to show you.” The words alone held a chill but when added to the rest of the letters, the chill turned into flat out fear. And this hadn’t come in the mail. It had been put on her car which meant that he’d watched her arrive yesterday when she came into shift. And if he knew what she drove, what if he followed her home? As much as she didn’t want to, this was something the captain needed to know. However, as walking the parking lot no longer felt safe, Cassidy drove to as close to the front entrance as possible before hurrying out of the car and inside.

  “Marcel, what is it? I thought I sent you home,” Captain Fitzgerald said as she tapped on his door frame.

  “You did, sir, but before I made it out of the parking lot, I found this.” She held up the paper. “It’s another note, and he left it on my windshield.”

  Captain Fitzgerald’s eyes widened. Only slightly. But it was enough to increase the fear Cassidy was already feeling. If he was reacting, it meant he was worried, and if he was worried, she definitely should be.

  “I’m calling Stone. It’s time you told the police about this.” Stone was the head of the special investigation unit. Cassidy knew little about him other than his fierce reputation implied his name fit him to a tee.

  Captain Fitzgerald picked up the phone and dialed before Cassidy could speak, so she simply nodded and waited.

  “Stone? It’s Fitzgerald. I have a situation occurring over here. One of my firefighters is getting threatening notes, the latest one on her windshield while here on shift. Cassidy Marcel. Yeah, the one who was on the TV show.” He paused and glanced at Cassidy. “Yeah, I can do that. Thank you.”

  He replaced the phone in the cradle. “Stone is sending someone over. You will stay here until he arrives and you will do what he says. Is that understood?”

  Cassidy opened her mouth to protest. The fierce independent part of her wanted to tell Captain Fitzgerald that she didn’t need some cop telling her what to do. However, she had to admit this stalker had her on edge and a part of her was relieved to have the police involved. “Yes, sir. I will.”

  After leaving the office, Cassidy wandered back to the bunk room to wait for whoever Stone was sending over. She knew no one in the special investigation unit, but if they worked for him, they were bound to be good. The man had a reputation for being thorough and hard on anyone who wanted to be in his unit.

  “Marcel? What are you doing back? I thought the Captain sent you home.” Bubba’s voice carried out of the kitchen as she passed the common room.

  She didn’t want to worry him, especially since he acted like a big brother, but he would be more annoyed if she didn’t tell him. With a small sigh, she changed her course and entered the kitchen. “Hey, Bubba. I, um, have to wait to give a statement to one of Stone’s guys.”

  He set the towel down he had been using to dry dishes, crossed his beefy arms, and fixed her with a penetrating gaze that said she better spill all. “Why?”

  Cassidy plopped down in one of the barstools across the counter from him and sighed. Her eyes focused on the Formica counter and the light gold sparkles sprinkled throughout it. “Because someone left a threatening note on my windshield.”

  “And?” Bubba should have been a detective himself. He seemed to have an internal radar that knew when there was more to the story.

  “And since it appears to be from the same person who was sending me stalkerish letters while I was on the show, the captain wants me to report it.” Cassidy spat the words out in a rush and waited for the tongue lashing she was sure he was about to dole out.

  “As he rightly should. Why didn’t you tell me about this earlier?” Though his voice held no anger, there was a clear expression of disapproval on his face at being left out of the loop.

  “Well, to be fair, Captain Fitzgerald said he would mention it at the next staff meeting, and then we kind of got busy with the fire.” Cassidy was making excuses, and she could tell he knew it, but she couldn’t tell him the real truth. She could tell him she hadn’t wanted to worry him which was partly true. She could tell him she hadn’t thought it was a big deal which wasn’t true at all, but neither of those was the real reason. The real reason she hadn’t told him was because she didn’t want him looking at her the way he was now. Like she couldn’t handle herself. Like she needed to be rescued. Like she wasn’t a real firefighter because she was afraid of something.

  That last thought was stupid and she knew it. All firefighters were afraid of something. Besides, he probably wasn’t thinking any of those things, but she was a woman in a man’s field. She had to be better, she had to be stronger, and she hated that she wasn’t.

  “You should have told me, Cass.” Disappointment clouded his voice and filled his stiff posture.

  “I know.” She dropped her eyes to the counter again. “I’m sorry. I thought it was nothing, just some random fan, you know? But when I found the note on my car, I knew it was more serious.”

  “Hey.” He placed a finger under her chin and tilted it up. “I know you think you have to prove yourself here, but you don’t. We know how strong you are. Don’t do something stupid by trying to be a hero when your family is here to support you. Always.”

  Tears sprung to Cassidy’s eyes. He was right of course. They might tease her, but these men put their lives on the line with her every time they went into a fire together. They trusted her inside the burning heat and would support her outside of it. “I won’t. I promise.”

  “Cassidy Marcel, you have a visitor at the front desk.”

  Cassidy looked up at the intercom and shrugged. “Gotta go, but I’ll fill you in later.”

  “You better,” he hollered after her.

  “Jordan, in my office a moment.”

  Jordan’s head snapped up at Stone’s
command. Al shot him a wide-eyed look that held the same question his mind did. What had he done? He shook his head to tell her he didn’t know as he pushed back his chair.

  “Yes, sir?” he asked as he breached the doorway.

  “Come in and shut the door.”

  Jordan pulled the door shut behind him and then sat in one of the chairs across the desk. He shouldn’t be nervous. He’d done nothing wrong, but Stone had the ability to send your heart thudding with just the tone of his voice. “What can I do for you, sir?”

  “Captain Fitzgerald called. Evidently one of his firemen is receiving threatening notes. He wants someone over there to investigate it.” Stone’s steely gaze was meant to keep Jordan from questioning his orders, but Jordan couldn’t help himself.

  “But sir, I’m in the middle of this abduction case, and my CI-”

  “We’re all in the middle of this abduction case, but Fitzgerald is a firefighter and we look after each other. If he says he needs our help then we give our help. Is that understood?”

  Jordan didn’t understand why he had to go. This was probably the case of some lonely woman who’d been rescued and was now suffering from the Florence Nightingale effect. It happened to rescuers all the time. In fact, he’d had a few women express their undying love for him after particularly dangerous cases. Why couldn’t Stone send Al or one of the other less senior members? But it wasn’t his place to question. Stone was in charge. “Yes, sir. I’ll go check it out.”

  “Good. She’s waiting at the firehouse for you.”

  “She?”

  Stone’s brow arched as he regarded Jordan. “Yes, she. It’s Cassidy Marcel.”

  Jordan stifled a groan. “The one who was on the reality dating show?” He never watched it, but Al did and when she found out someone from their city was on it, she had regaled him with a recap of every episode.