Wrapped in Flame Read Free Page B

the Circle Inn,” Erica said, interrupting Gina’s litany of questions. Typical Gina, always needing to have all the answers now.
    Silence lasted for about ten seconds.
    “If he’s looking to make trouble, he might be out trying to hunt you down,” CJ said.
    Erica closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against her temple. Mike would kill the son of a bitch before he let Keith torment her any longer.
    “She can stay with me.” Mike tucked her under his arm. “I have an extra room. Keith won’t get near her.” He dared someone to raise an eyebrow over the arrangement. No one did. Then he held his breath as he waited for Erica to protest.
    Glancing up, she moved away and lightly touched his arm. “Thank you. I’ll pack some essentials for the evening.” She headed for the bedroom, talking as she left. “You guys want to help tonight? Go grab some pizza and beer and meet us at Mike’s. I’ll call Trish. I don’t want her stewing.”
    No one moved. All looked to Mike for direction.
    “We feel so helpless,” Bub said.
    Mike knew the feeling well. “This has to be on her terms. Understood? I don’t want us to be the reason she doesn’t get the successful and clean break she needs from him.”
    “How can you be so calm?” Gina asked.
    “I’m a fire captain. Calm is my middle name.” Sarcasm dripped with every word, bringing out their snickers. Mike was anything but calm. Grace under pressure was the name of the game. He hated that he was forced to play it now, when all he wanted to do was grab Keith Randall by his scrawny throat and shake him until his eyeballs rattled. Yet everything he wanted depended on him taking this a step at a time, not going all balls-out.
    Cell phones announced texts for all of them. Tension in the room rose. Simultaneous messages weren’t good news. Silent prayers to gods only imagined ran through Mike’s head as he pulled his phone from his jeans pocket. CJ, the fastest cell phone in the West, beat them all.
    “That fucking little bastard.” CJ spat the words out through clenched teeth. “I’m sick of his bullshit.”
    Bullshit, indeed. According to Mike’s text, Keith had filed a harassment suit against the fire department. Tim Delaney had received the papers minutes ago, along with restraining orders for every person on the force to stay at least fifteen hundred yards away from Keith during off-duty hours.
    “How the hell are we supposed to get Erica’s things with this?” Berto waved his phone.
    Bub shrugged. “He’ll be at work. He can’t stop us. We’re supposed to stay away from him. It doesn’t say anything about the house.”
    “I don’t understand.” Gina scowled at her phone. “What could he hope to accomplish?”
    “It’s called divide and conquer.” Erica walked into the room, overnight bag in one hand, phone in the other. “Yeah, I got the text too. He told me you’d choose him over me. I’d bet this is his way of ensuring that. Counsel’s next move will be to order all of you to stay away from me as well. He won’t want the taint of divorce and suggestion of involvement in it by you to screw the department’s case. No blurred lines. It’s Keith’s way of getting even with me, of hurting me. Well, that and money from the lawsuit if he wins.”
    “He expects us to cut you out of our lives?” Gina’s grip on her phone threatened to crush the device.
    Erica nodded. “I realized when I picked up my luggage that it was inevitable. You have to work with Keith. Your safety depends—”
    “No one tells me who to be friends with.” Berto thumped his chest. “Especially not some whiny, sniveling, lazy, cheating bastard like Keith Randall. He couldn’t give a shit about anyone’s safety. I’m surprised he lasted this long. Rumor has it he was on his way out.”
    Rumor was correct. Chief Stanton had spoken to both fire captains about termination last week. Mike was starting to wonder if that action was the catalyst to all this crap now.