Page 27 of Control Line

There was a bite to his voice, directed at Zee, that caught even him off guard. Hell, he didn’t realize his concern over his stolen identity had risen to the surface.

Certified mail had arrived for him earlier with some information on the bastard who’d stolen his identity. Not enough but something.

Olathe, Kansas. That’s where the bastard lived. Car accident heading west on 70, just outside of Lawrence. Car versus nature. He left the highway at speeds in excess of ninety miles per hour. He had to be cremated because he was basically hamburger.

Good. Barney had memorized the information in the letter. He had zero sympathy for the bastard. He’d ruined Barney’s life.

Barney was so close to finding the man. His lawyer was working on proving him alive so Barney could obsess over answers. As soon as the funeral home sent the paperwork, he’d know who signed for his cremains and it would be on.

Once he found that person, surely that would help prove he wasn’t dead. If they didn’t know, would he be fucked? He didn’t know, but either way, they had some questions to answer. If they did, that would be the proof he needed. If the bastard owned anything there, Barney was taking it. He had no qualms about putting them on the street. Whoever the dead bastard was put him on the street so turnabout and all that.

The voice of his captain came creeping into his head. Could he make a family pay for the sins of the dead bastard? Ten days ago, the answer was a solid, fuck yeah. Now, well, he wasn’t sure.

Movement from beside him caught his attention. Zamantha stood, dusted off her cargo shorts, and stomped back to her hikers. Of course, by the time she got there, she was all professional and cheery. But he could read the set of her spine and she was pissed.

Fuck.

He hadn’t meant to take his frustration out on her.

He approached from behind as the hikers geared back up. “Zee—”

She cut him off. “Everyone, can we give Fireman Barnes a huge thank you for our fire safety lesson and for joining us for lunch? He has very important things to do so he can’t hike back with us.”

Oh, she was dismissing him? That wouldn’t do at all. She knew he was hiking back with them, but she was hurt and trying to push him away.

“That’s not how this works. We don’t push when we’re hurt, we pull,” he hissed in her ear before returning to his full height and addressing the crowd of five hikers.

“Actually, I would love to join you for the hike down. My schedule has just been cleared.”

This time, the smile she gifted him hit him just as hard, but not in the same way. Not the same at all. This smile was as fake as a three-dollar bill. Was it wrong that her anger turned him on just as much as every other emotion she radiated, if not more?

Nah? Wrong is a matter of opinion and he damn sure liked it. Turning, he adjusted his cock and started down the trail only steps ahead of Zee.

There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she would catch up and give him what for. But in Zee fashion, she’d do it with a smile and the people behind them would be clueless.

The angry bite to her voice made his cock even harder.Shit. He may have to explore this further once he got her into his bed.

“What is your major malfunction?”

“You forgot soldier, or rather, fireman.”

Even her confusion at his words was sexy. Shit was he in trouble.

“What?”

“You know.” Barney adopted an authoritarian voice. “What’s your major malfunction, soldier?” When she did little more than stare slack-jawed at him, he continued, “You sounded so much like a drill sergeant, I expected a soldier at the end. I’m not you inferior, Zee. There’s no reason to go all Army mode when you need a shield. Just say what’s what and if the other person is wrong, they apologize, or you kick them in the nuts and walk away. But don’t close off like that. Not with me.”

Now he was being the superior, so he added a, “Please?”

The last word seemed to penetrate her anger.

“I do that, don’t I?” He knew she knew it on some level because she had all but admitted it to him last night. But catching it in hindsight is easy, present tense a little harder to see.

“Yep, but you’re not alone. We all distance in some way or another.”

“Sorry, Barney. But you got angry about something back there and I didn’t know what. I like to fix things. I couldn’t fix it without knowing so I just let it make me angry.”

“And I’m sorry, too. I am angry over shit in my life, and I shouldn’t have brought that out on you. Maybe you can help me fix something, actually.”

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