Deadly Reunion (The Taci Andrews Deadly Series) Page 3

  Outwardly I remained calm, having perfected the art of hiding my emotions from others long ago. Inwardly I was cussing like a sailor. OK, let’s regroup here. Bryce isn’t purposely set out to ruin your life; he only makes that his part time job. Maybe I heard him wrong.

  “Come on Bryce, you can’t tell me there’s nothing else on the board. What about the nursing home fraud case?” I asked hopefully. It’s not like I couldn’t do the fire safety thing; it was more like I felt it was beneath me. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t often I would forgo the opportunity to stand around and ogle men in uniform but it wasn’t enough enticement to even contemplate this assignment. Ok, so maybe it was worth contemplating a little bit on; we were talking about firemen here.

  Bryce gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry Taci, the fire safety thing is on you. Celeste has the nursing home case and the only other thing upcoming will be the new development project which I’ve already promised to Elliot.”

  I eyed him suspiciously. “Are you serious or are you just messing with me? You can’t tell me the only story left on the board is the fire safety deal.”

  Bryce gave a shrug. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Riverdale’s quiet this time of the year, you should know that. Unless you want to cover the latest bingo scores at St. Matthew’s I would suggest you go for the gusto and do the fire thing.”

  I tilted my head to the side, momentarily considering the possibilities of the bingo scores. St. Matt’s was known for their hot bingo games on Sunday nights and had to close down more than once on account of the seniors getting a bit out of control. If I played my cards right bingo night might turn out better then hanging out at the fire station. Well, almost better anyway.

  Bryce sighed, giving a shake of his head. “You’re pathetic, you know that? And don’t think you have me fooled enough to think you’re actually considering bingo night. Even that’s beneath you, Tace.”

  I blew out a breath of exasperation, throwing my hands in the air. “Apparently not much is beneath me if you’re handing me a fire safety story. Fine, I’ll do the piece but I’m not going to like it.”

  Bryce grinned. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you. Just head down to central fire and check in with Chief Tate. He’ll give you the tour and fill you in.”

  I gave a reluctant nod and stood from my chair, gathering my things. Giving a small wave I turned to head towards the door, pausing when Bryce called out, “Oh, and Taci?”

  Glancing back I eyed him expectantly. “Behave yourself, will you?”

  ***

  Behave yourself. The words rolled around in my head as I sat outside the fire station. Seriously, did he really have to remind me? Ok, so maybe he did but really, of all the things to say…I shook my head, eyeing the outside of the yellow brick building. Things appeared to be quiet today I surmised, noting that the trucks were inside instead of out on the street. That was a good sign, right? Drawing in a breath I reached for the handle to open the door, giving a squeal when someone rapped sharply on the window.

  “I never took you for a loitering kind of person, Taci,” Tony’s amused voice drawled when I opened the door. I scowled in response, tugging my purse onto my shoulder before slamming the shut behind me. “Actually, I’m here to see Chief Tate about fire safety week for the station. Maybe you can pretend to be a good little fireman and point me in his direction.”

  Tony’s grin deepened, showing off his dimples. My stomach did a flip flop and I was pretty sure my body temperature elevated a few degrees.

  “You’re cute, you know that? I’d be more than happy to show you to Chief Tate’s office, but he isn’t here right now. He left about an hour ago, something about a meeting down town,” Tony informed me. I frowned, chewing on my bottom lip thoughtfully. Great, now where did that leave me? My eyes strayed towards Tony and my stomach did a funny flip. Girl, don’t even go there.

  “That’s all right, I’ll just come back another time. Do you know when you expect him back?” I asked briskly. When in doubt stick to being a professional; or at least acting like one.

  Tony shrugged. “I’m not sure but don’t feel the need to rush off just yet. Things are quiet right now and I can show you around the station while you wait.”

  I paused, contemplating the pros and cons. Pros; I could get a head start on the story and be done with it faster. Cons; I’d have to hang out with Tony for awhile and send my hormones into overdrive. Dear lord, I really needed to get a life.

  Drawing in a sigh I gave a slow nod. I really hoped I didn’t regret this. “All right, I’ll stick around for awhile but only because I really need to talk to Chief Tate. I have a schedule to keep and Bryce will want a rough draft by tomorrow.”

  Ok, so that was a lie but it was told in good faith. I needed to at least give the appearance that I was doing this for my job. In truth, Bryce has never given me a fast deadline on a story and he hasn’t demanded to see a rough draft before it was sent to the printers since I started. Guess that comes from being his top reporter for the last five years.

  “Right this way then Miss Andrews, I’d hate to keep your editor waiting,” Tony said with a smile, cupping my elbow in his hand to lead me towards the station. I gritted my teeth at the contact, somehow restraining the urge to jerk my arm free. I allowed him to lead me through the front entrance before I gave my arm a tug, arching an eyebrow when he tightened his hold momentarily before releasing it.

  “So, this is the big bad fire station. It looks different from the outside,” I remarked, turning in a circle while surveying my surroundings.

  Tony folded his arms across his chest, studying me under heavy lidded eyes. Bedroom eyes. Sheesh, the man was sexy without even trying.

  “This is the main room that holds the ladder and basic responding trucks. Over in the next bay you can see one of the three EMS trucks housed here at the station. On the other side of the wall the other two EMS trucks are parked along with the tanker truck and rescue boat,” he remarked. I studied the trucks quietly, getting a feel of my surroundings. One of the bays were empty, the basic fire truck I was assuming as the other one left still had a ladder attached to the top.

  “Aren’t you missing a truck?” I asked warily, suddenly noticing the disturbing quiet surrounding me. Where was everyone?

  Tony smiled. “You don’t miss much, do you? A call went out just before you got here and the basic truck went to the site. They should be returning within the hour. Why, did you want to get an up close and personal look at it? I’d be happy to show you the back seat anytime.”

  I resisted the urge to stick out my tongue, instead turning to give him my back side in the hopes he would miss the sudden flame of color in my cheeks. Infuriating man.

  “Gee, it must suck to have to sit and play babysitter to the fire house while everyone else gets to go out on a call. What’d you do, draw the short straw?” I tossed over my shoulder.

  The hairs stood up on the back of my neck and I knew without turning he was standing behind me.

  “Not such a bad draw since I got stuck here playing with you,” he breathed quietly on my neck. The words floated over my skin and I shuddered, closing my eyes tightly. Seriously, was I really stupid enough to have allowed myself to be alone with this man? The answer yes screamed at me; I contemplated banging my head against a wall.

  Turning I took a step away from him, putting at least a breathable distance between us. “Maybe you should just show me to the Chief’s office; I’m sure he won’t mind if I wait for him there.”

  “Chicken,” Tony replied with a dimpled grin. He had no idea.

  Somehow I half expected him to continue his tour but he surprised me by turning and heading towards the back offices. Having no other option I chose to follow him, though I did have to admit ditching the fire station and running out the front door screaming had its appeal.

  Pausing outside the Chief’s door Tony reached in to flip on the light, motioning towards one of the chairs strewn in the room. “Have a
seat, I’m sure he won’t be more than an hour or two.”

  I eyed the chairs uneasily; an hour or two? Was he really serious? The problem was, I didn’t know how to read Parsons to be able to tell if he was joking or not.

  Tony watched me in amusement while I mulled over my options. “Of course if you don’t want to sit and wait, there are other options you can choose to occupy your time.”

  Oh goodie, I couldn’t wait to hear what those were. “And that would be?”

  “Don’t look so suspicious Taci, I meant you could finish the tour of the fire station. Jeez, you really don’t trust me, do you?” he replied innocently,

  My eyes narrowed and I slapped my hands on my hips. “Coming from your track record you’re a good one to talk, Tony. Have you ever given me a reason to trust you?”

  His eyes softened and he leaned forward, trailing a fingertip down the bridge of my nose, coming to a rest on my lips. “Maybe not, but I’m willing to make up for my past transgressions.”

  I felt myself being pulled towards him, his other hand sliding up my arm to rest at the small of my back. The good side of my brain was still yelling at me to pull back before it was too late; unfortunately my devilish side was telling me to go for it. Sigh. Decisions, decisions…As it turns out the decision was made for me by the sound of a garage door going up, signaling the return of the fire truck and it’s occupants.

  Tony pulled away and smiled down at me in amusement. “Saved by the bell.”

  I watched as he turned and walked away to greet the incoming truck, taking with him the heat of his body. Shakily I slumped into one of the chairs in Chief Tate’s office. Lowering my face into my hands I took a deep breath, willing myself to calmness. Get a grip Taci, just get a grip. Yes it’s been awhile since you’ve been out on a date, let alone been kissed by a guy, but really, Tony Parsons of all people? What the hell are you thinking?! It’s just the hormones I told myself, regaining my composure to sit higher in the chair. When I get out of here I’ll head to the nearest Starbucks and grab a mocha. That always makes it all better.

  A bark of laughter was heard from beyond the office and I glanced up as a crew of firemen walked past the door, all of them smiling at me while they passed. Oh, good grief.

  ***

  By the time I left the fire station my nerves were fried and I was in need of more than just a mocha; unfortunately due to my single status the other thing I was needing wasn’t going to be forthcoming. Instead I resorted to going through Starbucks drive through before heading home. The day had been a bust with no leads on the McAllister case, no Chief Tate to talk to and no dating prospects. Yet again I would be resolved to another evening of Thursday night television alone. It wasn’t all that bad, pizza delivery was usually pretty quick in my neighborhood and I always had beer in my fridge, not to mention being sole proprietor of the remote control. All in all I’d say I didn’t have a terrible life; just a sad and sometimes pathetic one.

  Entering my apartment I checked my machine, tossing my keys in the bowl on the kitchen counter. The red light on my answering machine was blinking furiously and I sighed, pausing to press the play button.

  ”Taci it’s your mother. I just wanted to call and let you know that your father and I will be home Sunday night so I’ll be expecting you for dinner. Did you remember to stop and pick up our mail while we were gone? See you soon, love you honey,” my mother’s cheerful voice spoke through the machine. I did an involuntary shudder while waiting for the next message to play. Don’t get me wrong, I love my meddling mother dearly but it’d been heaven around here while she and Dad went to Texas to visit friends. I knew eventually they would come home; I somehow was hoping they’d stay the winter. Is that such a terrible thing to ask?

  “Hey it’s Tony, call me,” the next message said. I felt an instant flood of heat shoot through me at the sound of his voice. Hmm, not a good sign. The next two messages consisted of telemarketing companies looking to peddle their products off on me. Deleting them I waited for the fifth message. Heavy breathing sounded on the machine before hanging up. Giving a shrug I deleted the last message and headed towards the fridge.

  Tugging the door open I snagged a beer out, picking up my cordless phone to hit speed dial for pizza delivery. The ring of the doorbell made me pause and I scowled. I really hated it when I was interrupted before I could order dinner. Setting my beer on the counter I made my way over to the door, peeking through the peep hole to see who I needed to yell at. Slowly I pulled back, leaning my forehead against the door. This day just kept getting better.

  “Hey Taci, are you home?” my brother’s voice called through the door. I could be a real shit and pretend to not be home but somehow I knew he’d just come back. I loved my younger brother dearly but he and I didn’t always see eye to eye. For instance I preferred to hold down a steady job and he liked to drift in between them; I saved my money carefully and was slowly building up a small nest egg while he was always looking for a hand out; I was consistently falling out of my mother’s good graces while her baby boy was the idea of perfection; You know, typical sibling stuff.

  Drawing in a deep breath I undid the lock on the door, pulling it open with a jerk. “Reese, what brings you by? I wasn’t expecting you.”

  Reese held up a pizza box, giving me a broad grin. Ok, so maybe the kid was good for something. Opening the door wider I motioned for him to come in.

  By the time I gathered paper plates, napkins and some beers he was camped out in the living room, the pizza box resting open on the coffee table in front of the couch. He’d already flipped the T.V. on and was waiting patiently for me to join him before digging in.

  “Sorry to just drop in on you but I figured you’d be home. It’s not often that you miss your Thursday night shows,” he said in between bites. I swallowed the suddenly cardboard tasting piece of pizza in my mouth, wondering when my life had turned out to be so predictable that even my younger brother knew I’d be home on a Thursday night watching television by myself.

  “So what’s up? I haven’t seen you for a few months,” I said casually, taking a deep drink of my beer.

  Reese tossed back his beer before finishing off his third piece of pizza. He was silent while he studied the T.V. screen and a feeling of unease began to wash through me. He’s taking too long to answer; this was never a good sign.

  “Reese?” I finally asked, breaking the silence. Reese tore his eyes away from the T.V. to look at me and I saw I could almost see the question in his eyes before he opened his mouth. I began to shake my head, standing up from the couch to gather the empty paper plates on the table. Reese stood to help me, saying, “Please Taci, it’ll only be for a couple of weeks until I can get back on my feet again. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

  Turning on my heel I strode to the kitchen, dumping the trash into the waste basket under the sink. Rinsing my hands I eyed him over my shoulder. “What about Mom and Dad’s house? They’re gone until Sunday night so that gives you three days to figure something else out. You can’t tell me that I’m your one and only option.”

  Reese sighed, dragging a hand through his dark blonde hair. “You know I wouldn’t even be asking you if I had some other option. Mom and Dad’s house drives me crazy; there’s no way I could stay there, especially after they get home.”

  I dried my hands, staring at him incredulously. “I find it hard to believe that having Mom waiting on you hand and foot would do you in for a few weeks. Get over it and move in with them.”

  “I promise I won’t get in your way and you won’t even notice I’m here. Please Taci, please. Don’t make me move in with Mom and Dad,” he begged. I sighed. I did have to give him some due; I’m pretty sure I would rather stay at a hotel then move in with Mom and Dad, even for a little while. Since I’m pretty sure Reese is out of a job at the moment I guess a hotel would be out of the question.

  Knowing when I was defeated I crossed my arms across my chest, giving him my hardest big sister scowl. “Ok,
here’s the deal. You can stay here for a few weeks, but only a few weeks and no longer. You know the rules; no girls, no parties, clean up after yourself and don’t leave any messes for me to find. Are we clear?”

  Reese ran across the room to give me a hug, nearly choking me in the process. “Thanks Taci, I knew I could count on you!”

  “All right, all right, settle down. Go get your crap and bring it in,” I said, disentangling myself from his grip. I knew I was going to regret this but I couldn’t in good conscious send him to live with Mom and Dad. No matter how much he irritated me the kid just didn’t deserve that. Just look on the positive side; this would be a temporary thing until he got a job and then I could kick him out. Yeah, and maybe there really was an Easter Bunny.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The ringing of a phone slowly crept through my sleep induced haze, bringing me half awake. Groggily I reached a hand over, snatching the receiver from the table next to my bed.

  “Yello..?” I mustered throatily, rubbing a hand wearily over my eyes while trying to read the clock next to my bed. 2:00 AM. This sure as hell had better be good.

  “I didn’t wake you did I?” an amused voice drawled. This brought me fully awake.

  “Parsons, what the hell are you doing calling me at 2:00 in the morning? Are you drunk? Because if you are and you’re in need of a ride you can walk your own happy ass home for all I care,” I snapped out.

  “Tsk, tsk Taci, that’s pretty harsh. Would you really make me walk all the way home at this hour?” he replied.

  I paused to consider this. “Probably not; I’d at least drive alongside you and shine my headlights so you can see where you’re walking.”

  Tony burst out laughing, the sound sending an annoying thrill through me. “Ah, I can see I bring out the maternal side in you at least.”

  I snorted in disbelief. “You bring out something in me Parsons but it’s far from my maternal side. Now tell me what you want so I can get back to bed. Some of us have an actual job to go to tomorrow.”