Presley firefighter Walker McClain did his best to slip back
unnoticed into his firehouse, which was tricky considering
the entire crew was gathered in an empty engine bay. It
helped that everyone in the loose circle had their backs to
him and that all three bay doors were open.
It was straight-up 7:00 a.m. on the first twenty-four hours
of his new shift. He wasn't late, but like the other
firefighters he typically reported for work ten or fifteen
minutes early, and people would notice that today he
hadn't. He'd spent two of his four days off working
on his "obsession," as his brother called it.
Even this early in the morning, September in Oklahoma had
plenty of heat and humidity. Walker moved all the way inside
Station House Three. Thumbing a bead of sweat from his
temple, he eased up next to his buddy, Dylan Shepherd.
He could feel Shep's steely gaze on him and kept his own
attention fixed straight ahead on Captain Yearwood and the
dark-haired woman beside him. He wasn't telling Shep
where he'd been. He didn't want to see the looks or
hear the questions.
"What's going on?" he asked quietly.
Shep inclined his head toward the woman. "Her.
That's what."
And she did have it going on, Walker admitted reluctantly.
Even the PFD's standard uniform of navy blue pants and a
crisp, light blue shirt couldn't conceal her sleek,
tight curves. His gaze skimmed down her body, then took a
much slower trip on the way back up. Long legs, slender
hips, breasts that would just fit his—
"Everybody, meet Jen Lawson," Captain Yearwood
boomed, to be heard over the occasional street noise coming
in through the open bay doors. He gestured to the group of
seven firefighters, indicating the only other female on
their shift, Shelby Fox Jessup. "You've met
Jessup."
The women exchanged smiles.
"Next to her is Farris, then Shepherd and McClain."
The captain, a lean man with gray hair and sharp, dark eyes,
glanced at Walker. "McClain, you'll want to get with
Law-son."
What the hell for?
"She's transferring over from Tulsa," the man
was saying. "Filling the spot Pickett left when he
retired."
His muscles went tight. "So, you're a SWAT medic,
too?"
"Yes. Nice to meet you." Her gaze fully lined up
with his for the first time and Walker went stupid for about
half a second.
Wow. Her eyes were stunning, a pure, hot blue. He had never
seen such an intense shade.
Captain Yearwood, who'd transferred to Station House
Three a little more than three years ago, continued
introductions around the loose circle of firefighters who
made up the blue shift.
Walker didn't have to wait more than two seconds for
Farris, the company Casanova, to chime in. Tall and built
like a brick wall, the burly man kept his voice low, for
Walker's and Shep's ears only. "I gotta have
her."
Ass. "You might want to wait until you see if she can
cover your back at a fire."
"If she can't, I bet she can cover my front just
fine."
Walker didn't waste his breath pointing out that if
overheard, Farris could be reported for sexual harassment.
The muscled-up blond man moved around the circle to get
closer to the brunette.
Shep groaned under his breath. "I think I'm in love.
Did you see those eyes?"
He had.
"That face?"
Yes.
"And did you see her body?"
"No, I've gone blind in the last five seconds,"
Walker drawled. Hell, yes, he'd seen it. And noticing so
much about her irritated him.
"Aren't you interested at all? It's been over
two years, man. You didn't die that night."
No, but Walker wished he had. Ever since Holly had expired
in his arms, he had felt like an empty black pit inside. He
hadn't lost only his wife to that brutal mugging;
he'd lost their unborn daughter, too. Sometimes he felt
every one of those days all over again.
As the captain dismissed them, Walker started past the other
firefighters, heading for the kitchen as he said to Shep,
"It's my turn to cook. I gotta check the
groceries."
Since Holly's murder, he had been trying to find the SOB
who'd done it. Even after two and a half years, all he
had to go on was a vague physical description of a homeless
man with a knife scar across the knuckles of his right hand.
For a while, he'd given up hope of ever getting any
further, but six months ago someone had started killing
homeless men. Burning them. So far, there were three
victims, and they were all repeat offenders of violent
crimes. Scumbags who had been released after serving their
time and had shown no signs of stopping their behavior, who
were past the point of rehabilitation.
On the chance one of the dead men was the man Walker was
searching for, he had been paying close attention to the
recent victims. His brother, Collier, might consider
Walker's investigation an obsession, but Walker
didn't care.
"McClain?"
The slightly husky feminine voice at his back had him
turning to the newest member of their shift.
Jen Lawson's skin was a creamy pink and white. The black
hair she'd pulled back into a braid looked thick, wavy.
Her perfect lips curved. "Where should I leave my
blow-out pack?"
"On your tactical vest. And leave that with your other
gear." The SWAT medics carried their pouch of medical
supplies on every call. They were firefighters first and
SWAT medics when needed. "We may not need our turnout
gear on a SWAT call, but having everything in one place
makes it easier to grab and go, in case we do."
"Thanks."
She stood close enough that he could smell her now—a
musky, floral fragrance that made his body tighten. And his
voice. "Have you checked in with the SWAT team?"
"Earlier this morning, before I reported here."
Her eyes were incredible, emphasized even more by a slight
widow's peak and the delicate arch of dark eyebrows. Her
oval face and defined cheekbones made her appear dainty. She
looked almost too slight to make a difference on the fire
line.
It took a second for Walker to realize she'd walked away
and he was standing there staring stupidly after her, as if
he'd run into a wall. Cursing under his breath, he
stepped into the kitchen and around the long, scratched
dining table. Lawson hadn't done anything except ask him
a question, and his blood was humming. What was that about?
Just as he reached the refrigerator, the alarm sounded. He
bolted to the bay along with everyone else, suited up and
jumped on the engine.
With Captain Yearwood driving, they reached the scene less
than ten minutes later. It was an abandoned house north of
Benson Street, an industrial area of town with several
warehouses. A quick glance around showed there were no
bystanders yet. Orange flames shot into the sky over a
dilapidated white frame house, already partially engulfed.
As a fire engine and a ladder truck from Station Two,
Walker's old firehouse, parked behind them, he and his
crew were off their engine and pulling hose. House fires
typically had two stations responding, along with the
station that housed the rescue truck.
Luckily, the wind wasn't hampering their efforts so far.
He tuned in to the crackling hiss of the fire, the thunk of
the hydrant valve as the main line was attached, the initial
roar of water as it gushed through the hose.
Upon entry, they found no one inside. The crews poured water
on the burning structure. Dark gray smoke turned to white
when the water hit it, all of it mixing into a billowing
gunmetal cloud against the blue sky.
It didn't take long to extinguish the flames, and Walker
had a good guess as to why. The house hadn't been where
the fire started. He would bet his OU season football
tickets the blaze had been caused by the burning of a body,
and the flames had moved from the victim to the wooden
building.
The scenes of the other Payback Killer victims had also been
quickly put out, and a body burned by flashbangs had turned
up at each one.
Once the blaze was doused, they checked for hot spots and
found none. Satisfied the fire was truly out, Walker took
off his helmet and Nomex hood. Around him, the other
firefighters did the same.
Beneath his turnout coat, his navy T-shirt was soaked with
sweat, and the acrid stench of burned wood and chemicals
settled around him. The torched dwelling was the only
remaining house on a street that had been bought by a
commercial developer. With the sun shining down on the
charred and smoldering structure, the place looked desolate.
Gray smoke plumed into the air. Water from the hoses flowed
down the streets and saturated the unkempt brown grass.
Walker trudged to the back of the house through the scraggly
yard now turned to mud. He expected to see a burned body,
and he did. "Body back here, Captain!"
He crouched, his gaze taking in the bubbled flesh on the
side of the victim's face, the heat-bloated skin on his
hands and arms. The bodies were never burned beyond
recognition, just used as a human fuse to send the flames to
the house and trigger a call to 911. Walker had time before
the others joined him to check the dead man's right
hand. No knife scar across his knuckles. This man wasn't
Holly's killer.
Shep and Lawson appeared. Yearwood trotted toward them from
the engine.
Remaining several feet away from the body, Shep glanced at
Walker. "The Payback Killer?"
His gaze landed on the flashbang close to the victim. Jaw
tight, Walker nodded. Only the back half of the house was
burned away, which was in keeping with his theory that the
blaze had spread from the incinerated body. If the house had
been the target, the fire would've been set to do much
more damage.
The remaining frame looked as if it might crumble any
second. The familiar odor of scorched wood and engine fumes
hung heavy in the air. As Walker brushed away the ash that
grazed his cheek, he noticed Lawson staring quietly at their
John Doe. Her gaze shifted to the flashbang and she frowned.
Farris joined them, tossing bottles of cold water to her,
Walker and Shep. "Wanna bet that crispy corpse has a
record?"
"Yeah, just like the other ones." Shep, sans helmet
and hood, dumped his bottle of water over his head to cool
off, then dragged a hand down his face.
Lawson glanced at Walker. "The Payback Killer? What are
y'all talking about? What other ones? How many other
ones?"
In response, he took a long drink of cold water.
But Shep didn't hesitate. "If this body checks out
to be like the others, this will be the fourth murder victim
who's a repeat offender, a violent offender who
served his time or was recently released from prison for
good behavior or some other reason."
"So, the Payback Killer is a vigilante," she said.
"Yeah." Shep pointed toward the street, where
Station Two's engine and the rescue truck were parked.
"There's Marshal Burke."
Walker tracked Tom Burke's progress as the big black man
made his way toward the battalion chief in charge of the
scene.
Lawson's eyebrows rose. "The state fire marshal is
handling this?"
Walker knew she was wondering what the rest of them had
wondered when they'd learned the case had been turned
over from the Presley fire investigators to the state. Was
someone in the fire department a suspect?
The firefighters knew the cops were looking for one suspect
who was believed to be preying on the homeless, but there
was nothing to indicate they or Fire Chief Wheat believed
that suspect was someone in the fire department.
After the second murder, everyone at Walker's station
house had been questioned. Had they noticed anyone hanging
around the neighborhood who looked out of place? Had they
seen anyone harassing the homeless men or paying them an
undue amount of attention? But those were routine questions
that would be asked of anyone located close to the shelter
where all the homeless victims had stayed at least once.
Most likely, the case had been transferred to avoid claims
of prejudice in the investigation. Understandable,
considering Presley's fire investigators had once been
its firefighters—not to mention one of the current FIs
was Walker's brother.
"And there's Jack Spencer." Shep glanced at
Lawson, indicating the tall detective who'd just gotten
out of his car, parked at the curb in front of the rescue
truck. "Procedure between Presley's fire and police
departments dictates the cops have to be called if a body is
found in a fire. We put out the blaze, then call Homicide.
Spencer and one other detective are the ones assigned to the
Payback Killer case. If Jack's here, they must think
this death is related to the others."
Lawson turned to Walker. "Do you think the victim burned
up? Or was he dead before the fire started?"
"That's for the M.E. to figure out." He
didn't know why she was asking him when Shep was
spilling info left and right. Walker poured some water into
his hand and rubbed it across his heat-scalded nape.
Shep continued, "It was determined the other victims
died before the fires. And all of them had traces of
magnesium and ammonium perchlorate on their bodies."
Lawson frowned. "Those chemicals are metal powders found
in flashbangs."
Walker wasn't surprised she knew that. She would've
learned it in her SWAT training.
"So flashbangs are being used as an accelerant?"
"Yeah." Shep went on to explain that six months ago,
a case of the stun grenades had been stolen out of the SWAT
van. A key was required to get into the van, and it had been
kept locked unless a member of the team was inside. Only
certain people had access to the key. All of the SWAT team.
And the SWAT medics.
"Why are you using the word victims for this
scum?" Farris snapped. "These SOBs aren't
victims. Those other three had it coming and this one
probably did, too."
Lawson's eyes widened.
Walker knew how vengeful Farris sounded, but he felt the
same way. As he and the other firefighters returned to the
front of the property, he realized he was staring at Lawson.
Beneath the grime, he could see her skin was as fine-grained
as silk. He dragged his gaze from the streak of soot on her
cheek, the sheen of perspiration on her neck.
He and the others joined Farris and they began to refold the
main hose.
"It's hard to care much about these bastards getting
back some of what they've dished out," Farris bit
out.
"Even though the M.O. is the same as that of the Payback
Killer, we aren't certain yet that this victim is a
violent offender. I guess there's a chance this
could've been done by a copycat. Regardless, we should
stop talking and get this cleaned up," Walker said.
"Monroe's setting up the portable floodlights inside
the house for the fire marshal, and St. George from Station
Two is videotaping the scene."