Page 52 of Raging Inferno

Then he closed the distance between them and kissed her again. He packed a massive punch into the contact. Presleysighed into the embrace and almost stumbled when he pulled back. It had been brief but equally mind-blowing.

“To be continued.”

She watched as he grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

“Be careful,” she called out.

He gifted her with a wicked smile. “I will.”

Then he was gone.

#

What the hell was Dominic doing practically attacking Presley in his house, with his daughter only steps away? The thing was, he wasn’t thinking. When he was around Presley, his brain short-circuited. All he knew was that he had to kiss her. It’d become almost an obsession.

The more time he spent in her presence, the more he liked her. The more he wanted her. Now, he was about to send his daughter away, leaving them alone in the house together. His heart beat faster with excitement. Judging by her reaction to the earlier kiss, she wouldn’t object if he tried again. And he would.

Traffic was light as he made his way to the fire. He checked for any tails and was happy to see there were none. It was easier to monitor when there were no other cars around. He supposed they could be driving a phantom vehicle, meaning no lights, so he stayed vigilant.

Smoke filled the sky as he neared the address where a blaze was raging. There had been more fires in Serenity Shores in the past few days than in the last five years. It’d been over a decade since one resulted in a fatality. Now they had two, possibly three. He didn’t tell Presley about a potential victim. That was the reason he was headed to the scene. If it were only an abandoned building fire, his team was more than capable of handling it. Dom wanted to make sure it had nothing to do with Margy Binder and Nancy Baker Babcock’s deaths.

Several fire trucks, including units from neighboring cities, were pumping thick ropes of water on the flames. The cavernous warehouse had been abandoned for years. Thankfully, a parking lot surrounded the structure, so no other buildings were affected.

Dom parked behind a police car on the street and grabbed the extra gear he carried in his SUV. He found Charlie Gardner, one of his lieutenants, overseeing operations.

“Hey, Charlie, what do we have?”

“Hey, Cap. One fatality. They’re bringing the body out now.”

Dom walked with Charlie to where a crew pushed out a stretcher with a black body bag.

“Any identification?” Dom asked.

“No, but he didn’t die in the fire.”

“You’re sure?” Dom asked.

The woman unzipped the bag to show the neat round hole in the center of the forehead. That wasn’t what drew Dom’s gaze. It was his Fu Manchu mustache and the scar bisecting the side of his face. He took out his phone and snapped a picture.

It was up to the medical examiner to decide if the deceased had perished in the warehouse or if the body had been dumped. The fire was already categorized as arson, started with gasoline, most likely to cover the murder.

Once the blaze was under control, Dom left his crew to deal with the cleanup. Reggie Branch arrived on the scene to investigate. Dom pulled him aside to let him know his suspicions that it was the same man who had been asking around town about Presley.

“I hadn’t heard about that.”

“He approached Jessie King and Tamera Wells.”

“What did he want?”

“He told them he was researching his family tree and Presley was on it.”

“Seems suspicious,” Reggie said. “I’ll look into it.”

On the way home, Dom glanced in his rear-view mirror to see a pair of headlights gaining on him. He sat up straighter and tightened his grip on the wheel as his heartrate accelerated. He let out a sigh of relief when the car flipped on a signal and turned. At one time, he’d have thought he was being paranoid. Not anymore.

There were no more close calls as Dom arrived home and parked in the garage. When he entered the house, Presley jumped to her feet. He had a feeling she never slept deeply. Maybe he could wear her out enough—

“Hey. How’d it go?”

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