Rising from the Ashes Read online

  The captain set a pile of papers, with sticky notes sticking out of them, on the corner of my desk. It looked like a big, hot mess, but I was determined to make him proud and tackle the job with gusto. I had no idea what those papers were, but they were going to be organized and filed by lunch, if not sooner. He’d taken a chance, offering me an office position when I’d only waited tables before, and I wasn’t going to let him down. Granted, I’d taken technology and business courses in high school, so I kind of knew what I was doing—in theory.

  “These are from three fires we’ve fought this week. You’ll find investigation notes, a report from me, some pictures, and little odds and ends in there. I tried to group everything together by case, but you’ll want to read over the papers carefully in case they’re a little out of order.” The captain tapped the pile. “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to come ask me. I don’t expect you to hit the ground running. It’s going to take some time for you to learn the ropes around here and get used to all of us, so don’t feel rushed to be one hundred percent right away. I’m sure you’ll make mistakes, and we’ll fix them.”

  “Thank you, Captain. Where do you want them filed when I’m finished, or do you want to see them first?”

  “Let me take a look this first week, just until I know you have the hang of things, and after that, you can take them straight to the file room.” He pointed down the hall to the left of my desk. “It’s all the way down on the right. I’ll have to show you the filing system when it’s time to put these away.”

  I nodded and turned my attention to the task at hand as he walked back down the hall, presumably toward his office. I set two of the files in the tray on my desk labeled “inbox” and started rifling through the third. Skimming over the notes and contents, I tried to make sense of everything, so I’d know how best to organize the file. It would have helped if he’d given me one to use as a sample, but I didn’t want to chase after him and ask now. Maybe I could come up with a new way to organize the files, something he might like better than the way things had been done to date.

  It took me the better part of an hour to get a handle on what the captain had given me, and another half hour to get it organized into a folder. Then came the fun task of imputing the data into Access. I’d used the program before, and the fields were self-explanatory. By the time I’d finished, I had a crick in my neck and an ache forming between my shoulders. Tension radiated from the base of my skull to the middle of my back and across my shoulders from hunching over the computer. I realized I was practically sticking my nose to the monitor, so I reached into my purse and pulled out my glasses. They were only for reading, but it seemed I needed them for work as well.

  The clock on my screen said it was nearing ten o’clock, which meant I still had some time until lunch. But after dealing with one file for so long, it was now apparent I wasn’t going to get all three finished before noon. Just as I was marveling at how quiet the place seemed, especially since there hadn’t been any calls or fires, loud music blared from the direction of the common room. My coffee was long gone, and I had to admit that my curiosity got the better of me. Under the guise of refilling the mug Zarek had loaned me, I made my way down the hall toward the sound of Iggy Azalea blasting from the speakers.

  The sight that greeted me had me halting in the door. My jaw dropped, and the mug in my hand nearly hit the floor. Two of the guys were up on the counter, dancing like a couple of loons, and the other guys were egging them on. Zarek caught my attention as he crooked a finger toward me. I stepped further into the room and squealed in surprise when he pulled me into his arms with a wicked gleam in his eye. The enthusiasm of the room was catching, and soon I was throwing my head back and laughing as I danced with Zarek, moving as if we were meant to be together.

  When the song ended, we were panting for breath, but I couldn’t contain my smile. It was the most fun I’d had in a long while, and if every day was like this, I was going to love my new job. Zarek winked at me before taking my mug from my hand and refilling it. He even added sugar for me, gave it a stir, and then handed the mug back. My cheeks were warm as I accepted it, but I blamed the dancing.

  “Thank you,” I said, still smiling like a crazy person.

  “You’re welcome. We keep the coffee hot and fresh all day, so have as much as you want. The captain pays for it, but we sometimes chip in by bringing in a special blend, or we put money in the community jar,” he said, pointing out an old Folgers container with a slit in the top.

  “I’ll remember that. I guess I’d better get back to work, or I’ll be working on the same three files all day.”

  “Captain probably gave you the three hardest cases he had, just so you’d have something to do all day. It’s really quiet around here most of the time. You’re welcome to go out to lunch, of course, but if you’d like to join us, we’re ordering pizza. Just tell me what kind you like, and I’ll make sure it’s on the list.”

  “Pizza would be great.”

  “Any preference?” he asked.

  “I eat anything but mushrooms, olives, and anchovies. Just order the usual and I’ll find something.”

  His lips tipped up on the corner, and my knees went a little weak. With the mug clutched in my hands, I went back to my desk.

  By the time I’d finished the second file, a young guy was doing his best, trying to hold a stack of pizzas while struggling to open the glass doors. I rushed to his aid and asked him to follow me to the common area. I had no idea who was paying for all of the food and didn’t have the funds to cover the expense myself. I’d dipped into the savings my grandparents had set aside for me just to get my apartment and survive the last few weeks. If I wasn’t careful, I’d deplete the account and be completely screwed if anything bad happened that required a chunk of change.

  “Zarek,” I called out as I entered the common room. “The pizza’s here.”

  Zarek stuck his fingers in his mouth and let out a long, shrill whistle. Every eye in the room turned his way.

  “Food’s here. Everyone pay up.”

  I watched as a stack of cash formed on the kitchen counter, and I started to head back to my desk for my purse, but a hand on my arm stopped me. I think it was Oliver who grabbed me, but he was shaking his head.

  “You’re not buying lunch on your first day here. It’s our treat, as a welcome to the family.”

  “Oliver, right?” I asked.

  He smiled and nodded.

  “Well, thank you. I should probably take it to my desk, though, in case someone calls or stops by.”

  “They didn’t show you how to turn on the out-of-office message on your phone? Our last admin set up the message so people would know to call back or leave a voicemail while she was out to lunch. No one expects you to work from the moment you walk through the door until you leave at night.”

  “The IT guy didn’t cover setting up an out-of-office message on the phone. He just showed me the basics of how the system worked.”

  Oliver slung an arm around my shoulders and herded me back toward my desk. “I’ll show you how it works, and then you can come join us.”

  He walked me through the steps of setting up the message, and then showed me how to disengage it when I got back from lunch. I tried to do it on my own, and finally got the hang of it on the third try. By the time we made it back to the common room, everyone was stuffing their faces with pizza, and some of the boxes were already empty. I grabbed slices of Hawaiian, supreme, and a grilled chicken. It was more than I normally ate, but I was starving after missing breakfast. I’d have to store some breakfast bars in my desk drawer for mornings when I was running behind.

  The guys were a friendly bunch, and I felt at ease around them, even around the flirty Nix. I wanted to tell him he was wasting his time. The only guy in the room I thought of in that way was Zarek, and if the heated looks he kept casting my way were anything to go by, then he felt the same way. I wondered if he would ever ask me out. Once upon a time, I’d hav
e been bold enough to make the first move, but not so much now. And the more I thought about it, the more I wasn’t sure dating was such a great idea. I had secrets not everyone would accept.

  The pizza suddenly felt rather heavy in my stomach, and I excused myself back to my desk. Maybe it was better if I didn’t get too close to anyone, at least until I had a chance to feel them out a bit more. There was a cloud hanging over my head, and I was getting really tired of the storms pouring down on me. It was time for the sun to shine, in all areas of my life, and I was determined to make it happen. But for now … baby steps.

  Chapter Two

  I was exhausted by the time 4:30 came. I’d sat hunched over my desk for most of the day, first working on the files the captain had given me, and later, playing with the different programs I’d need to use every day, in order to familiarize myself with them. After I logged out of the computer and gathered my purse, I stood and stretched before letting the captain know I was heading out for the night. He was on the phone when I approached his open door, and once I had his attention, I waved and pointed toward the door. He nodded and waved me away.

  With my keys clutched in my hand, I went out to my car and nearly groaned when I got closer to the vehicle. The front driver-side tire was most definitely flat. A quick glance showed that all of my tires were flat. Unease filled me, a tingling sensation creeping from my spine up to the back of my neck. There was no way all of my tires had gone flat by themselves, at the same exact time. They might not have been very good tires, but even I knew the odds weren’t in my favor right now. The only way they all went flat was with a little assistance, of the human variety. I couldn’t think of anyone in town who would want to harm me, which only meant one thing. Price had found me.

  A sob welled in my throat as I backed up a step, colliding with a hard body. I screamed and lashed out, but strong arms came around me, and soft voice crooned in my ear.

  “Easy, Kaycee. It’s just me.”

  I looked up at Zarek as tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, and I clung to him. I couldn’t tell him why I was so scared, not without divulging parts of my past that were better left buried. Zarek glanced from me to my car, a frown pulling the corners of his mouth down. His grip tightened on me a moment.

  “I think you need to wait inside, Kaycee,” he said as he nudged me toward the station.

  “Please. Come with me.” I could see the indecision in his eyes. “I don’t want to be alone.”

  Zarek relented and walked back to the station with me, his arm around my waist. He ushered me inside and then twisted the lock. I didn’t know what to do, or how I would get home. I couldn’t afford four new tires, and my car was only insured by liability insurance. My knees felt weak, and I locked them to keep from sliding to the floor. It was going to start all over again. The car was just the beginning. And if Price knew where I worked, chances were good he knew where I lived, too. Suddenly, returning to my apartment didn’t seem like such a good idea. I wasn’t exactly in a neighborhood where people cared if I screamed in the night.

  Zarek reached for the phone on my desk.

  “Who are you calling?” I asked.

  “The police. We need to report the vandalism.”

  I was shaking my head before he’d even finished talking. There was no way I wanted to get the police involved. I just wanted the problem to quietly go away. Maybe if I didn’t do anything to draw attention, then Price would leave me alone. I’d received the notice in the mail last week that he’d been released. A quick call to the detective in charge of the case hadn’t settled my nerves any. If anything, my flat tires proved Price was still bat-shit crazy.

  “Why don’t you want to call the police?” Zarek asked, suspicion burning in his eyes. “You know who did this, don’t you?”

  “Please, Zarek. I just … can we pretend like nothing happened? I’ll find a way to get the car towed. I can walk home today.”

  “Some asshole slashed your tires, and you want to walk home? Jesus, Kaycee. That’s just asking for trouble. Someone doesn’t like you very much, and I don’t think you want to be out there on the street, in the open, where anyone can snatch you.”

  He made a good point, but how else was I supposed to get home, or even back to work the next day?

  “I’m taking you home,” Zarek said, his tone brooking no argument. “And I guess you’ll need a ride in the morning, so I’ll pick you up at 7:30. I’m sure the station can spare me that long.”

  “You stay here at night?” I asked.

  “All of us do, except the captain. I work two on and two off. I’ll leave at 7:00 AM Wednesday morning, and I’ll be off until 7:00 in the morning Friday.”

  “You won’t get into trouble for dropping me off and picking me up?”

  “If the captain were here, he’d take you home himself. We want you to be safe, Kaycee. Trust me. The captain would much rather hear that I took off long enough to take you home, or pick you up, than find out you were abducted off the street by whoever slashed your tires.”

  I bit my lip and hesitantly nodded. If he wanted to take me home, I wouldn’t argue the point. I felt safe with Zarek. He grasped my hand and led me back out to the parking lot and to a big, shiny black truck. He waited for me to get in before closing the passenger door and walking around to the driver’s side. He paused long enough to study the tires on my car and was shaking his head as he slid into the truck.

  “Where do you live?” he asked as he started the engine.

  “River Bend Apartments.”

  His hands clutched the steering wheel as he turned that chocolate gaze my way again.

  “You live where?”

  “River Bend Apartments,” I said again.

  “Jesus. You’re just asking for trouble, aren’t you? First, you drive that death trap of a car, and now you tell me you live in the worst part of town. I’m guessing you don’t even have adequate locks on your door.”

  “I’ve been there a few weeks, and I’m doing just fine, thank you. Not all of us can afford nice apartments or homes. At least I’m not living out of my car, or in back alleys.”

  “Have you?” he asked.

  “No. I lived in a trailer before I moved here.”

  He muttered something under his breath as he put the truck into gear and pulled out of the parking space. He didn’t seem to need directions to my side of town, and we were at the apartment complex before I was ready. Despite the silence on the drive over, I’d felt comfortable and safe with Zarek. I wasn’t looking forward to a night alone, now knowing that Price was out there somewhere. Watching. Waiting.

  “I’m in building C apartment two.”

  He drove around and pulled into a space in front of my building. I could see a lamp burning in my apartment, and my heart nearly stopped in my chest. I hadn’t left a light on when I’d left, knowing I’d return before it got dark out. My hands shook as I gripped my purse tight and stared at my apartment. Zarek gave me a curious look.

  “Everything okay, Kaycee? This is the right place, isn’t it?”

  I nodded and reached for the door handle. As the truck door swung open and my feet touched the ground, I felt like I might either throw up or pee my pants at any moment. If I hadn’t left that light burning, who had? My keys were in my hand as I approached my door. A sliver of light shown through the crack in the door and I pushed it open with my foot. Nothing looked out of place, which meant Price wanted to leave me guessing as to whether or not he’d been here.

  A hand against my back made me jump.

  “Did you leave your door unlocked?” Zarek asked.

  “No.” I never left it unlocked, not after everything I’d been through already.

  “Get in the truck and lock the doors. I’m going to call the police. And no arguments this time.”

  I hurried back to his truck and jumped inside, pushing the door lock button. Zarek stood in front of my open apartment door with his cell phone pressed to his ear. He didn’t turn his back on the apartme
nt, not even after he ended the call and then called someone else. Waiting was torture, not knowing what would happen. Was the apartment vacant, or did someone still wait inside for me? A chill overtook me as I thought about being alone tonight. I hadn’t made friends in town yet, so there were no girlfriends to call for backup. It was just me.

  The police pulled in a short while later and Zarek met with them. After a few minutes, he came over to the truck and tapped on the window. I unlocked the door and opened it.

  “They need to speak with you.” Zarek held out his hand and I slid my fingers across his palm before getting out of the truck. He held on tight as we approached the police officers.

  “Miss Witherspoon, Mr. O’Donnell claims you found your door unlocked when you came home today,” the portly officer said.

  “It wasn’t just unlocked. It was partially open. I was able to nudge the door open using my foot, without even touching the knob. And I didn’t leave that lamp on in the living room. All of the lights in the apartment were out when I left for work this morning.”

  “Anything unusual happen today, or in recent days? Notice anyone following you?” the officer asked.

  “Someone slashed her tires at work today,” Zarek said.

  The cop made some notes. “And you didn’t call it in?”

  “I have a restraining order against my ex-boyfriend,” I said, not wanting to say any more on the subject. “I don’t think he knows where I am though. I’ve only lived here a few weeks.”

  “What’s your ex’s name?” the officer asked.

  “Price Masters. The restraining order was filed with the Glen Oak Police Department.” I tightened my hold on Zarek’s hand. “He was recently released from prison.”