Smoke

I WATCHED LEIGH climb through the rubble. Acrid smoke curled in tendrils from various points around the scene. Not much left of the building. Which was good because the authorities wouldn’t know what had been stored there. Bad because the place had been full of contraband and someone had gone to a lot of trouble to make it look like it belonged to the Nightriders. Except it wasn’t ours, despite all the clues linking the local club to that shit.

Ignoring the cop glaring at me, his hand cocked on his sidearm, I leaned against a fire engine waiting for Leigh to finish her preliminary investigation. She was nothing if not thorough. Almost an hour later, she approached two of the firefighters.

“Captain Slattery,” she greeted and nodded at the older guy. Whipcord lean, I figured he didn’t take shit from anyone. Good to know.

With in-born stealth, I shifted a little closer to hear their conversation.

“…multiple ignition points, and in places that guaranteed complete collapse.” Leigh shoved her hands into the hip pockets of her coveralls. Frustration, as bitter and sulfurous as a striking match, rolled off her. My palms itched. Damn but I wanted to do the same fucking thing as her hands, cupping that sweet ass. Business first though. I’d made sure the contraband was ash but I needed to stick close to the investigation. My wolf just laughed his ass off. He knew it was Leigh that interested me.

“Place has been empty for years,” a guy wearing lieutenant’s rank and a name tag that read “Wills” said. “There’s been a few attempts at renovation in the last couple of years and a work crew was out here a few weeks ago.”

Leigh shook her head and opened her mouth but Slattery spoke first. “You don’t believe this could have been an accident?”

“No, sir. It wasn’t. I’ll need to collect samples and send them to the state lab, but in my opinion, this is arson. And a professional job. The warehouse wasn’t empty.”

Fuck. Leigh Daniels was a damn good arson investigator. She was also damn sexy, as my dick reminded me with a hard twitch. As if she knew I was thinking about her, she sought me out with a narrowed glare.

“Why are you still here?” she yelled.

Yeah, sexy as hell. And mean too. My kind of woman. I offered her a sardonic grin designed to piss her off. “I figured you needed a ride home,” I called back.

“Get lost! I’ll catch a ride with the captain.”

“Nope. I brought you to this dance, I’ll be the one taking you home.”

Her upper lip curled and I swore I could hear her teeth grind just beneath the sound of the guttural snarl she favored me with. I laughed, which only pissed her off even more. Yeah, chasing and catching Leigh Daniels was going to be a lot fun. Ironic that she’d be hunting me at the same time. Fun times.

 

Leigh

Trying to concentrate with the sexy biker hanging around was frustration squared. It didn’t help that my guys kept giving him the fish eye and the cops looked like they wanted to take him down to the ground and handcuff him.

Someone yelled and a moment later, what was left of the front exterior wall collapsed. Slattery took off to assess the situation and Wills nudged me. His gaze was pinned on the biker as he said, “Bad news walkin’, sugar.”

“Don’t need to tell me twice, Willsy.” We’d gone through the academy together so I’d let his name-calling slip. This once at least.

“So what’re you doing with him, Leigh? I mean, seriously.”

I was embarrassed about wrecking my department sedan but I needed to ’fess up so we could move on. “Dog ran across the road. Like an idiot, I put my department ride in the ditch. He showed up, offered me a lift. I knew y’all were sitting on your thumbs waiting for me to get here.”

He waggled his finger at me. “Didn’t we teach you better? No riding with strangers.”

I heartily agreed but… I watched Smoke over Wills’ shoulder. I didn’t know the guy…but I did. Getting on that bike? Putting my hands on his waist? It was like déjà vu all over again. Touching him made me think of hot, sweaty nights and naked skin. I’d never reacted to any man that way. Was I freaked out by it? Totally!

Wills had continued talking but I didn’t tune back in until I heard him say, “I’ll have the cops run him off.”

Wait, what? I tilted my head, speculating about the possibilities. Yeah, no. Smoke was dangerous and I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I did my best to pretend that the police could take him but I had a deep-seated feeling that wasn’t the case. The freaking man exuded power and menace—at least toward every man on scene. Me? I’d never felt safer and wasn’t that the craziest thought ever.

“No.”

Eying me with concern, Wills tried again. “Look, if he’s bothering—”

“He’s not.”

“Don’t you dare say he’s harmless.”

I almost doubled over laughing. “He’s about as harmless as a pit full of pissed off rattlesnakes.” Or a rabid wolf. I sucked in air. Stopped breathing for a few seconds. Yeah. A wolf. That’s what Smoke reminded me of. I shook myself mentally and physically.

“Look, y’all still have to finish off the hot spots and break down equipment. I need to check on the wrecker and head to the office to write my report. I have my radio with me. I’ll be fine.”

“Leigh,” Wills cautioned, but I ignored him. I strode towards Smoke, watching him, weighing his reactions. I was a trained investigator. And this guy was full of secrets.

“I need five minutes,” I told Smoke when I stopped in front of him. His smile was full of conceit—and knowledge, like he’d been positive I’d acquiesce to his wishes. Heck, who was I kidding. Wishes had nothing to do with it. He’d commanded me and here I was.

“Long as it takes, babe.” He smirked at Wills and the cops.

I rolled my eyes and headed toward the captain. “At ease, boy,” I called over my shoulder. His velvet-rough chuckle made things heat up low in my center.

Giving a brief verbal report to Captain Slattery, with assurances that I’d copy him on the report, took about five minutes. Smoke was already on his Harley when I got back. Nobody on the inside of the crime scene tape seemed happy to see me duck under and climb on the back.

Smoke took off as my hands gripped his sides. A few minutes later, we passed the spot where I’d wrecked. The sedan was gone. More paperwork. I leaned forward and yelled above the wind. “I need to go—”

Smoke cut me off. “I know where you need to go.”