Page 69 of The Firefighter's Fate

“Really?” I ask.

Somehow, I feel like I’ve been used as an unwilling pawn in a much larger scheme conjured up by this man sitting opposite me.

“I didn’t just invite you here just to see how you’re going with the article,” Waylen Penmayne reveals softly.

“Oh, no?”

“No. I want something else,” he continues. “There’s another reason I’ve got you to come all this way to Crystal River to meet and ingratiate yourself with my son.”

I gulp.

Yeah, I really don’t know where this is going.

“What is it?”

“I want you, Ember, to arrange a meeting between Connor and me.”

34

EMBER

I step into the bar and, as always, Connor is waiting for me. Of course he’s the first of us two to arrive - like a gentleman, he doesn’t want me waiting for him. He sits at the counter, looking so adorable patiently anticipating my entrance. He doesn’t even have a drink yet – he’s saving that for me.

The lonely big, burly firefighter sitting on his own...

I saunter up to him, taking my time to approach. It’s fun to play around like this. I’m enjoying seeing him wait.

The moment he finally spots me, his eyes light up. It’s adorable, in a gruff, rough way.

“Hello, Ember.”

Oh, that deep voice of his...

“Hello, Connor. Hope you didn’t wait long for me.”

He pats the bar stool beside him invitingly, and I hop on with a smile.

“No, I didn’t,” he replies.

“Thank you.”

“Want a drink?” he asks me while nodding at the bartender to place an order.

“Sure, I wouldn’t say no to that offer,” I say. “A glass of white wine, please.”

He orders the glass and a beer for himself.

“So, tell me,” the firefighter says, “what else do you need to interrogate me on? Why did you ask me to meet you here? What other material do you need for your article?”

I stare at him.

There is a hell of a lot more to this man than meets the eye. I came to this town expecting to interview some shallow rich boy with father issues, but every interaction with him has only made me more and more interested in finding out everything about him. I’m not ready to not spend time with him just yet. As we sit here, mere inches from each other, I wish that this little meet-up would last forever.

God, what is happening to me?

Yeah, I’ve certainly never felt like this with any of the drug lords I’ve interviewed...

“There’s still a whole load of questions, Connor. I feel like I haven’t scratched the surface.”

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