LITMIR.BIZ

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cover of a romance novel: tall, lean and beyond-belief gorgeous, when in truth he was a small, round man with a cherubic face. Not physically unpleasant, but certainly nothing worth throwing your panties at.

      Andrea had almost laughed out loud at the comical image, until she stretched out on his table and experienced the magic for herself. The man’s hand were like living silk, and as if guided by some inner knowledge he had worked her taut shoulders and lower back until she felt like a ball of pliable rubber. After that first session, Andrea slept better than she had in years. It only took one more session to turn her into a Zack groupie.

      As they followed him to the tables, Andrea found that she was relieved that Zack had arrived when he did. She was starting to regret consulting her opinionated friends; with their conflicting opinions, they’d only left her more confused than she already was. Not that any of it mattered anyway. In the end the decision would have to be hers.

      Across town at the firehouse, Cal was finishing up his daily sixty-minute workout by adding another twenty-pound weight to each end of the pole and securing it in place with the locks. He glanced back at the doorway beside one of the gym equipment cabinets.

      “Something on your mind, Jeff?” he asked, before shaking the light sprinkling of dust from his hands and positioning himself on the bench to lift the one hundred and fifty pounds over his chest.

      Jeff Collins froze in his hiding place behind the large metal cabinet. He glanced at the opposite wall, noticing for the first time the large mirror that revealed his presence. He’d assumed Cal was too involved in his workout routine to notice anything.

      Assuming what he hoped was a casual posture, he stepped out into the open. “No, not really.”

      Cal shrugged and lifted the bar. Pushing up with fairly little exertion, he completed ten repetitions before replacing the bar. Cal glanced at his friend. “Hey, man, I know that the promotion thing—I mean, I don’t want there to be any hard feelings.”

      Jeff stood over the bench. “No hard feelings.”

      Cal glanced at him. Something in Jeff’s voice said otherwise.

      “I’m just here to do a job.”

      Cal sat up, and grabbing a towel off a nearby bench, he wiped his face. “Glad to hear that.” Cal still felt the need to give a warning. He slung the towel around his neck and stood. “After all, a firehouse is no place for a hot dog.”

      “What are you trying to say to me, Cal?”

      Cal shrugged. “Nothing a veteran like you doesn’t already know.” With that statement, he turned and walked out of the gym.

      Jeff’s head swung around and his eyes followed Cal until he disappeared around the corner. Only then did he allow his face to relax. The ugly sneer that seemed to be a part of his permanent expression reappeared, along with the cool, dead look in his hard, dark eyes.

      Cal walked along the hall toward his office, mentally replaying the conversation. There was something not quite right about Jeff Collins since he’d been promoted. It was obvious the man was feeling the sting of being overlooked for a promotion he thought was guaranteed.

      It made no sense, considering Cal was the one to recommend him for the promotion. But ultimately, the decision had been in the hands of the council and they had chosen Cal. But there was something in Jeff’s eyes…the intense hatred he’d seen in the man’s eyes seemed excessive for such a minor offense. Maybe the guy had mental problems that were not listed in his departmental record.

      Cal rubbed his chin thoughtfully—wouldn’t be the first time an unstable person had gotten by the shrink at the academy. But with something like that only time could tell. For now, Cal thought, he would just keep an eye on Jeff, just in case.

      He was almost back to his office when he was approached by Noel, their district chief fire marshal. “Hey, Cal, got a minute?”

      Cal opened the door and motioned his friend inside. “Sure, what’ cha need?”

      Noel handed him a folder. “Need you to sign off on the Hadley building.”

      As the fire team responding to the call, Cal was obligated to verify the information in the report for any potential lawsuits. “Did anything seem strange about that fire?” Cal asked Noel as he scribbled his name across the forms, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

      “Do you mean about the fire or finding the kid inside?”

      Cal frowned. “When I think about it, finding Marco there should not have been that much of a surprise. I’ve been aware for some time that kids like to hang out in there. Everyone from the little bitty ones to the teens seems to be able to find a use for that building. But, no, I was asking about the cause of the fire itself.”

      “Completely accidental.” He motioned to the folder. “Read for yourself.”

      “Yeah, I did. Just was wondering if there was anything outside of the report.”

      Noel tilted his head to study his friend. “What’s this all about, Cal?”

      Cal quickly shook his head trying to deflect his friend’s suspicions. He was hoping he would feel the man out subtly, but Noel was no fool. “Nothing, just wondering. Here you go.” He smiled and handed back the folder.

      “Sure?”

      Cal stood and patted him on the back. “You know how I am, man.”

      Noel smiled. “I forgot how anal you get about stuff. But don’t worry, this was classic by-the-book accidental burning. It seemed to be started by some kind of small explosive, like a firecracker. Probably kids, but since I can’t prove it there is nothing that can be done about it.”

      Cal saw his friend out before returning to the work on his desk, but unable to concentrate he soon found himself standing at the window looking out over the busy avenue below.

      When the dizziness and nightmares had started Cal had brushed them off as being the aftereffects of the fire. But now, several weeks later, he was still experiencing all the same symptoms, but with even more frequency.

      He’d hoped there would be some explanation for all of it when he saw Noel’s write-ups, but he’d known almost the instant he looked at it that it was just a standard investigation report.

      No insidious chemicals were used, no mind-altering drugs were released in the atmosphere. And Cal was forced to accept that whatever was going on with him…was just him.

      Chapter 5

      Two hours after her massage, Andrea pulled into her parents’ driveway. She could feel the effects of Zack’s hard work beginning to wear off. The tension was already returning to her neck and shoulders.

      She glanced at her watch to check the time, and nodded in satisfaction. Her father would not be home from work for another two hours. She planned to be long gone before then.

      She grabbed the bag from the local pharmacy off the passenger seat, hopped out of her little Mercury Mariner and headed for the side door. She walked along the red brick path that led a windy trail through the beautifully manicured garden.

      She looked over the fence that ran the length of the house at the neatly cut lawn and tried to ignore the empty doghouse that sat against the back gate. Her eyes flashed to it anyway. No dog had lived in it for almost twelve years, but Andrea knew her father left it there as a reminder to her, a silent warning not to interfere in his business.

      When Andrea was preparing to leave home for college, she found her days and nights plagued with concern for her mother. Not that her presence in the house had ever hindered Andrew Chenault in any way, but she felt that she’d always served as some kind of buffer.

      She kept having daydreams of coming home for a holiday break and discovering her mother’s lifeless body. A month before she was to leave for school, an idea came to her, and the fact that it was right before Mother’s Day made it perfect. Andrea had asked

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