Chapter 10

Ellie looked over at the man behind the wheel of his silver Dodge Charger and smiled. “Thank you,” she told Lucky softly.

A slight furrow left his dark brows falling in the center. “For what?”

“Tonight.” She sat back against her seat and sighed. “I haven’t had that much fun in…I don’t even remember the last time I danced like that.”

The club had been small, secluded, and the perfect place to momentarily shut out the rest of the world. Which, she supposed, was the point.

“Trust me…” Lucky sent her a panty-dropping wink before putting his eyes back onto the road before them. “The pleasure was all mine. I mean, who knew lawyers had such awesome moves?”

Laughter filled the car’s interior, and it took her a moment to realize the sound was coming from her. There had been several of those instances throughout the night. Things Ellie would catch herself doing on reflex.

Things like smiling. Laughing. Dancing, for crying out loud.

I can’t believe I went dancing. With Lucky. I can’t believe I went dancing with Lucky.

Even more shocking than that was how much fun she’d had with the sexy former SEAL. They’d talked and danced. Danced and talked some more. And by the time he was escorting her out of the club and back to his car, Ellie had come to the stark realization that there were a lot more layers to Lucky than she ever could have imagined.

So, so much more.

Her lower belly clenched, and her spine began to tingle as memories of Lucky working his hips on that dance floor began playing through her mind.

With moves like that, it’s no wonder he has a different woman every week.

That she was physically attracted to him was nothing new. Even when the man drove her mad with his juvenile jokes and amorous ways, Ellie had still found herself drawn to him in that respect.

But after what he’d done for her tonight—after spending several days and nights with the man being her shadow—she’d begun to see him in a completely different light. One that illuminated Lucky’s true qualities and characteristics, rather than those fitting the player persona he put on for the rest of the world.

Before this week, Ellie had seen him what he’d wanted her to see. A shallow, immature man with nothing but sex on the brain. But now…

Now, Ellie knew better. She knew him better.

Sure, Lucky liked to joke around. And yes, he was a perpetual flirt. But he’d also gone out of his way to give her a tiny respite from the insanity that had become her life. Not because he thought he’d get something out of it but because he’d somehow sensed that was what she needed.

Don’t forget the dodging bullets to save you part.

The truth was, the more time she spent with him, the more Ellie realized who the real Lucky was. At his core, the former SEAL was a brilliant man who used his intelligence and military training to help those in need.

Now that she really thought about it, it did seem as if their end goal was the same. Both she and Lucky spent their days protecting the innocent. They just went about it in two very different ways.

He uses bullets, and I protect them with the law.

Despite the means, the motive behind their chosen careers was the same. Which led her to start thinking maybe she and Lucky weren’t so different, after all.

“I was on the dance team in high school,” she blurted out of nowhere.

Apparently, this new, more positive outlook on the guy came with the compulsion to share random facts about her life.

Lucky’s grin revealed a dimple she felt a strong desire to touch. “I could see that.” He continued smiling as he drove. “What about college?”

Ellie’s lips curved into a bittersweet smile. “I tried out for the team freshman year. Made it after the first round of cuts.”

“Nice.” He lifted his fist and waited for a bump. When she returned the amusing gesture, he nudged for a little more about her time on the team. “Did you dance all throughout your undergrad, or…”

“I wanted to, but no.” She shook off the bittersweet memories. “My pre-law classes were pretty tough, and my assignments were more in-depth than I thought they would be. Plus I had a part-time job as a legal aid at the courthouse, and before long, it all became too much to juggle. Quitting school wasn’t an option, and neither was not working. I knew my courses would only get harder as time passed, and since my goal was to become a lawyer and not a professional dancer, I left the team after that first semester to focus on my studies.”

“That was a very mature, responsible decision to make.”

“That’s me.” Ellie’s lips pursed into a thin smirk. “Always the responsible one.”

“Oh, I don’t know. You seemed awfully carefree out on that dance floor tonight.”

The comment left her mouth stretching into a wider, much more genuine smile. Before even realizing she was moving, Ellie reached across the console and rested her palm over his upper arm. Heat from his bicep radiated into her skin and gave him a friendly squeeze as he continued guiding the car down their lane.

“Thanks again, Lucky. It was really nice letting go like that for a little while.”

Her gorgeous protector turned her way and flashed her a smile that made her heart swell and her insides melt. “Glad you enjoyed it. I have to admit, you’re a pretty fun date.”

“A date, huh?” she let her lips curve into a small, wry smirk.

Now who’s flirting?

Ellie started to let that smirk fall, but then she thought…so what if she was the one flirting this time? It wasn’t as if the guy didn’t corner the market on the ways of seduction.

So now you’ve gone from flirting to seducing? My, my, this is a big night for you.

The man’s handsome face softened with sincerity as his heart-stopping gaze turned to her way. “Best date I’ve had in a long damn time,” he rumbled deep.

Ellie’s heart thumped hard, but she schooled her expression and held that grin steady. She waited, expecting Lucky to come back at her with some sort of off-handed quip or smartass comment.

Instead, those captivating blue eyes slid back to the highway and the traffic around them. With a gentle pat, he removed his hand to regrip the wheel, and still…he said nothing.

He was just teasing. It wasn’t even a real date, for crying out loud. Of course, he didn’t really mean it.

Ellie released the grip she still had on his arm before settling back into her seat and placing her hands in her lap. Over the course of the next several miles, she stared out the window in silence.

Along the way, she stole a few hidden glimpses of the confounding man. Each one bringing her closer to a truth she’d purposely ignored for as long as she’d known him. One that left her feeling both excited and terrified.

A truth she knew in her heart she could no longer deny…

I like him.

She really, really did.

But now that she knew this truth…now that she was finally allowing herself to accept the fact that

…Ellie had no earthly idea what she was going to do about it. Or if there was even anything to do.

Lucky may flash her those sexy little smirks and smoldering winks. And yes, she’d been more than a little aware of his…ahem…excitement while they’d been slow dancing. Not that she’d meant to notice.

But something that hard—and from what she’d felt, impressively proportioned—was pretty impossible to miss. Especially the way their bodies had been pressed tightly together as they’d moved back and forth to the music’s slow, erotic beat.

Ellie shifted in her seat. Crossing one leg over the other’s knee, she gave her thighs a tight squeeze in hopes of easing the rush of arousal that had pooled between them.

It didn’t work.

Not that she really expected it to. It had been that way all night. Whenever Lucky was around, her body ached with need. He touched her, and she’d become flooded with a wave of arousal.

Even something as simple as a pat on the hand, and Ellie was ready to unbuckle her seatbelt, hike up her dress, climb over the leather console, and ride him the rest of the way home.

Whoa there, buckaroo…you may want to ease off the libido train for a minute. Realizing Lucky’s a good guy is one thing. Sex with Lucky…

I can make that happen for you, sweetheart. All you have to do is follow my lead.

She could still hear those tantalizing words being whispered in her ear. Ellie could almost feel the way his luscious lips had feathered across her there as he’d spoken.

Lucky had been referring to them dancing, of course. But as she stared blindly out the window beside her, she couldn’t help but wonder what else he could make happen for her…if she followed him into his bed.

“What the hell?”

The alarm in Lucky’s voice ripped Ellie from her mouthwatering fantasy and into a reality she could only describe as hell.

Ohmygod!

“That’s my building!”

Releasing a string of indiscernible curses, Lucky pressed his foot down hard onto the accelerator. Ellie’s body jolted backward against her seat, but she was in too much shock to really notice.

“My apartment,” she muttered more to herself than him. “It’s…”

It was gone. They were still three blocks away, but even from here, she could see it. The perk of having a corner apartment on the eleventh floor of a twelve-story building.

From here, she could see it all. The flames. The smoke. Every single thing she owned, minus her car and a few personal items in her office…was gone.

“It’s me.” Logan spoke to someone on his phone. “I need you to meet me outside Ellie’s building.” A slight pause and then, “You heard me right. I said outside.” Another pause and then, “Because her apartment building is on fucking fire, that’s why!” Pulling in a deep breath through his nostrils, he sounded slightly less upset when he told his teammate, “Just get here as fast as you can.”

The call ended, but Ellie was still glued to the horrifying scene before her. Her focus lasered in on that floor. Her floor.

My home.

But it wasn’t just hers that had been destroyed. Every window they could see on her floor was filled with brilliant, flickering orange and yellow lights.

Only they weren’t lights. They were flames. Big, angry, destructive flames.

I can’t believe this is happening.

“Get as close as you can,” she instructed Lucky.

Was her voice shaky? It kinda sounded to her like maybe it was.

“Don’t worry.” Lucky reached over and grabbed hold of her hand with his. “I’ve got you.”

Ellie swung her stare up to him, but he was too focused on driving to notice. She noticed him, though. The way he was springing into action as best he could. The way his hand had tightened around hers when he gave that solemn vow.

I’ve got you.

She looked back at the burning building, her fingers curling around his in search of comfort. This was bad. So, so bad. And all she could think at that moment was…

I’m so glad he’s here.

Lucky swerved the car to the right, pulling to a hastened stop next to the curb. They were still a block away, but police and fire had the rest of the street blocked off.

He turned to her, those blue eyes of his dead serious as he ordered, “You stay right next to me. No exceptions. Got it?”

Ellie blinked, not used to this commanding, alpha male side of him. But she could see it now. Just as she did so much more. This was Lucky the operator. Former Navy SEAL and current Eagle’s Nest Security Specialist.

A man on a mission, this version of Lucky was one she did not want to mess with. Plus, there was the whole thing about not having a death wish, so…

“Stay next to you,” she repeated. “Got it.”

She reached for her door handle and started to push it open, but a strong hand to her other arm stopped her in her tracks. Ellie looked back at Lucky from over her shoulder and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“I mean it, El.” His dark brows rose, and his gaze became pointed. “Like. Fucking. Glue.”

“I said I got it, now let’s go while there’s still at least something left of my damn building.” Jerking her arm free from his grasp, she climbed out of the car and slammed the door shut. Behind her. Rushing around the Charger’s front bumper—as best she could in three-inch stilettos—she and Lucky met up and began jogging toward the emergency lights and yellow tape.

As expected, they were met with much resistance by the firefighters and police officers on the other side of the emergency barricade.

“Sorry, guys.” One of the uniformed officers raised his hand to stop them. “This area is closed off until further notice.”

“That’s my building,” Ellie informed him. “I…I live here.”

Not anymore, you don’t.

“I understand, and I’m sorry for what’s happened, but I still can’t let you through. It’s not safe.”

“Please,” she begged. “You don’t understand. My name is Eloise Fisher, and I’m an attorney who’s currently—”

“If you want to know who to sue, you’re gonna have to wait until the Fire Marshall completes his investigation.”

Sue?

“I’m not looking to sue anyone, Officer…” Ellie leaned in and read the man’s shiny gold badge. “Officer Tate.” She flashed him her winning courtroom smile. “Like I was trying to say, my name is Eloise Fisher, and I really need to speak to whoever’s in charge.”

The fire may turn out to be a total coincidence, but she didn’t think it was. And the sooner the cops hear her suspicions…

“Lady, the man in charge is a little busy trying to save the rest of the building so all your neighbors don’t end up out on the streets. I suggest you find somewhere else to stay for the night, and you can call the station tomorrow for an update.”

“But this can’t wait until tomorrow!”

“She’s right.” Lucky joined the conversation. “If you can’t get us the fire chief, then take us to your boss.”

Looking more and more annoyed by the second, the officer shot Lucky an incredulous smirk. “Let me guess. You the boyfriend?”

“No.” Lucky reached back and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. Flipping it open, he held it up for the other man to see. “My name is Jason Lucas, and I’m a private security specialist with Eagle’s Nest Securities.”

Surprise flashed behind the officer’s brown eyes. “Eagle’s Nest?” He studied the official I.D. in Lucky’s wallet closely. “I’ve heard of you guys. You’re the ones who helped take down those two assholes from that avionics company a while back. Former Navy SEALs, right?”

“That’s us.” He slid the wallet back into his jeans. “And we have a standing professional relationship with your department. We’ve worked a couple of cases with Detective Travis Knox. Something your Chief will verify.”

As if it by divine intervention, Detective Knox’s commanding male voice sounded from somewhere behind.

“Lucky?”

Both she and Lucky turned in unison to see a man and a woman marching their way.

“Never mind, Officer.” Lucky shot the cop a quick grin. “There’s the man of the hour now.”

“I thought that was you.” Travis Knox greeted him with half-grin and an inquisitive stare. When the man’s light blue eyes landed on her, they filled with even more confusion. “Ellie? What are you—”

“Hello, Travis,” she greeted the man who’d once tried putting Cassie in prison. “We were just talking about you.”

Knox slid his gaze to Lucky. “You spreading lies about me again?”

“Not yet,” Lucky joked back. “But the night’s still young, so…”

“Detective Brandt,” Ellie forced a smile in the brunette’s direction. “Nice seeing you again.”

It felt very bizarre to be engaging in polite conversation when her home was being turned to ash behind her. But this was new territory for her, and frankly Ellie didn’t have the time or wherewithal to decipher proper etiquette for a situation such as this.

The pretty homicide detective smiled. “Good seeing you again, too,” Detective Hubel Brandt responded in kind. “But, uh…I do have to ask… what the heck are you two doing at an apartment fire this time of night?”

Knox looked up at the blazing inferno and back to Lucky. His expression deadpan as he pleaded, “Please tell me this fire isn’t related to another Eagle’s Nest investigation.”

“Too early to say.” Giving her an unreadable look, Lucky reached down and linked his fingers with hers. “That’s Ellie’s building.” He gave her a comforting squeeze. “We were on our way back there when we saw the flames.”

Actually, he’d been the one to see the flames. Ellie hadn’t noticed them at first because she’d been too busy picturing herself having wild, totally unsafe car sex with the man currently holding her hand.

I’ve got you.

“Damn.” Knox looked down at her. “What floor are you on?”

Her gaze automatically lifted up toward what was left of her home. “The eleventh,” she told him without emotion.

There was no emotion in her voice, because right now Ellie felt nothing. Aside from the small solace Lucky’s hand was providing, the rest of her felt completely and totally numb.

She wasn’t blind, however, so she didn’t miss the look shared between partners when he’d told the man which floor her apartment was on. Apparently, Lucky didn’t miss it, either.

“What is it?” he demanded.

Sympathy fell over both of the detectives’ faces.

“I’m sorry, Eloise,” Detective Knox offered sincerely. “Fire Marshall said we won’t know for sure until the flames are out and they can get inside and take a good look, but…”

“But what?” Lucky pressed.

The other man blew out a breath and shook his head. “They’re pretty sure the fire started on the eleventh floor.”

“Southwest corner,” Detective Brandt clarified.

Lucky’s gaze found hers in an instant. At the same time, Ellie had turned to him as if seeking…something. What, she wasn’t sure.

Comfort? Reassurance? Words of wisdom to help her make sense of what her life had become?

Ellie wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

“What is it?” Knox directed the question to them both. “Do you know something that could help us—”

“My apartment,” Ellie blurted. “It’s…” She paused to correct herself. “It was the southwest corner of the eleventh floor.”

Knox cursed, running a hand over the stubble covering his strong jaw.

“You’re kidding.” Detective Brandt stared back at her with a set of wide, rounded eyes.

Ellie shook her head and sighed. “I wish I was.”

“The fire department is still working on getting an updated tenant list from the building’s owner,” Knox informed them. Shifting his focus solely on her, he asked, “You think this has something to do with the Seattle Stalker?”

“I have no idea.” Ellie answered as honestly as she could. “I was kind of hoping you guys could figure that part out.”

The sooner the better.

“Do you know what started the fire?” Lucky’s question was posed to either of the two.

You should’ve thought to ask that question.

Normally, that would have been the first thing out of Ellie’s mouth. But it was like everything was happening in this slow-motion fog, and it was everything she could do just to keep up.

You’re probably in shock, El. Give yourself a minute to process what’s happening.

“Not until the fire marshal can get in there and take a look.” Regret filtered into Knox’s expression. “But there were reports of residents from that floor complaining of a chemical smell shortly before the fire broke out. My unit’s been taking statements since we got the call.”

“Chemicals smell…” Lucky mused. “Accelerant?”

“Most likely.” Detective Brandt’s long, brown ponytail bounced as the woman nodded.

Someone had purposely burned down her apartment days after she was almost shot and killed? No way those two events were unrelated.

“It’s Harvey.” Fury erupted behind Lucky’s blue stare as it lasered into hers. “It has to be. You said it yourself, the guy’s a genius.”

“So?”

“So, the security system the guys and I installed the other day should have alerted me the second the smoke detectors in your apartment were activated.” A muscle in his jaw twitched. “It didn’t.”

This meant whoever started the fire was smart enough to figure out a way to bypass a system as sophisticated as Lucky’s. No fucking way that shit was done by an amateur.

“Harvey has the intelligence to pull that off.” Ellie nodded. “But so do a lot of other people.”

“Come on, El.” Lucky’s hands went to his hips as he faced her more directly. “Someone takes a shot at you, and then this happens days later?” He motioned to the inferno in the background. “You can’t possibly think those two things aren’t related.”

Had the man just repeated her exact recent thoughts? And why did he look so damn scrumptious doing it?

Not really something you should be aware of at the moment. Not here. Certainly not right now.

But as Ellie stared up at her bolstering bodyguard, she couldn’t help but think he looked like a rich, most decadent dessert. And in spite of where they were and who they were with—and regardless of the craziness surrounding them—Ellie couldn’t have kept the smile from forming on her face if her life depended on it.

She knew what she must’ve looked like to those around her. A woman driven mad by the ghosts of her past. And from having been recently shot at. Oh, and the fact that she was now suddenly homeless.

Is it really any wonder all your marbles have come loose?

Being certifiable would explain a whole lot about how she was feeling at the moment. But scattered emotions and thoughts aside, Ellie was fairly certain her mental faculties were still very much intact.

She was justifiably upset, of course. If she were being honest, Ellie was positively furious at the bastard who’d destroyed not only her home, but so many others. But crazy…

If anything, this felt like something else altogether.

Like maybe instead of losing my mind, I’ve finally fucking found it.

How did that one song go from back in the day? Something about seeing clearly now that the rain was gone? That’s sort of how she felt now.

As she stood there, with her entire world was quite literally burning down around her, Ellie was filled with a sense of clarity she’d forever longed to possess. Everything was far easier to see, now. Including the man still waiting for a response.

“No.” Ellie straightened her spine and met his locked stare. “I don’t believe any of this is a coincidence.” Switching gears, she turned back to Knox and Brandt and asked, “Why are you two here?”

Detective Knox blinked. “Excuse me?”

“I mean no disrespect, it’s just…” Ellie glanced at the scene around them before returning her focus to the shielded man. “You’re homicide detectives. Investigating fires isn’t exactly in your wheelhouse. Not unless…”

Her remaining words were lost as understanding settled like a rock in her gut.

Oh, no. Please don’t let that be why they’re here.

“One of the tenants didn’t make it out of the building in time,” Detective Brandt revealed what Ellie had been praying wasn’t true. “An elderly woman on the tenth floor. She was alive but unresponsive when they found her.”

“Paramedics did what they could,” Knox added grimly. “Unfortunately the woman died on the way to the hospital.”

From beside her, Lucky blew out a breath and ran a hand over his jaw. “And since arson is the fire’s suspected cause—”

“Any death occurring during the commission of a felony is automatically considered a homicide,” Ellie finished for him.

Well, would you look at that?

Not only did they make damn fine dance partners…now they were finishing each other’s sentences, too. What was next…two spoons and an ice cream sundae?

The memory of his warm, undulating body brushing against hers back at the club rushed to the forefront of her mind. And though this was the absolutely wrong time and place, but Ellie couldn’t help but think—

I’d rather forgo the spoons and just lick the ice cream off of him.

The loud peeling of a phone ringing was like a bucket of iced water on her wild—and highly inappropriate—imagination. One she’d desperately needed.

You think you could maybe focus on what’s actually important and not your tempting protector?

“It’s Logan.” Lucky looked up from the phone she hadn’t even seen him retrieve. “Archer must have called him. I need to fill him in.”

“Of course.” She motioned for him to take the call.

While Lucky spoke to Logan, Detectives Knox and Brandt used the interruption as a cue to return to their jobs.

“Don’t worry, Ellie,” Knox told her. “We’re still keeping tabs on the hunt for Harvey. We hear anything new, you’ll be one of the first to know.”

“I appreciate that, Travis.” Ellie shook the man’s offered hand and looked back up at the burning building. “I’m still not convinced any of this is him. But if it is…if Harvey is the shooter and the arsonist…he’s evolved into a killer who’s unpredictable.”

And those were the most dangerous kind.