Page 59 of Scorched

Chapter 9

Maggie exited the courtroom, feeling victorious. The prosecutor, Kyle Bancroft, tried his best to paint her client in a poor light, but all her preparations paid off. The judge dropped all the charges against Angie.

“Maggie.”

She turned at the sound of Declan’s voice. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

He walked closer, looking every inch the sexy firefighter in his crisp khaki cargo pants and department polo.

“I came to see how your case went.”

“It went well. Kovac dismissed the charges.”

“That’s great.” His eyes roved the corridor, watching the people milling around them.

She crossed her arms. “You didn’t really come to hear about my case, did you?”

“What? Of course I did.”

She rolled her eyes and dropped her arms. “Yeah, sure.” She walked toward the stairs. “That’s why you’re looking at every person like they’re just waiting to attack me.”

“Well, can you blame me?” He followed her. “Someone sent you those pictures—pictures they took of you here—and you antagonized one of the meanest men I’ve ever known by defending his wife. So, yeah, I’m here to watch your back.”

“And I told you I don’t need you to look out for me. I do fine on my own.”

“And you’ll continue to do so—just with me here now, too.”

“Don’t you have to work?” She stepped off the last riser and trekked across the marble floor, her heels tapping a steady staccato as she walked.

“You’re more important.”

She stopped and turned. “No. Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Put me ahead of your employees. I will not be the reason someone doesn’t get their raise on time.”

“You won’t be. I still have some time. And I plan on bringing the files home to work on.”

“Declan…” Maggie sighed.

He stepped closer, invading her personal space. The scent of him carried toward her on a wave of his body heat. Her eyes wanted to roll up into the back of her head in ecstasy. He smelled wonderful. She loved his woodsy aftershave.

“Humor me, Mags. Please?”

She huffed. “Fine.” Whirling around, she continued her march toward the door, eager to get away from his enticing scent before she did something scandalous in the middle of a public place. “How did you get here, anyway?” she asked as they stepped outside.

“I had one of the guys drop me off. They needed to make a grocery run, so I bummed a ride.”

She stopped at her car, unlocking it. “I need to go to Colorado Springs to get table decorations for Tara’s wedding. Am I dropping you at the fire station, or are you coming with me?”

“I can come with you. With my injuries and the time off I already had scheduled for later this week for the wedding, the captain only wants me to finish the personnel reviews. I have until the end of the day Friday.”

“All right. Hop in.” She opened her door and climbed inside.

He got in, buckling up. She pulled away from the courthouse. They talked about her case and what was next for Angie Tulley and her children as she drove. Maggie hoped Angie didn’t back out of testifying. She’d looked spooked today. Hank was out on bail, and Maggie had a feeling he’d threatened her somehow. Now that she was free, Maggie hoped Angie wouldn’t run in the dead of night. Her husband would get a stiffer sentence, and she could put much more time and distance between them in the end if she stayed and told her side of the story.

She wove through the downtown area of Colorado Springs, eventually pulling into a parking space at a storefront.

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