Against the Fire (28 page)

Soon he would use his newly acquired skills again.

In the meantime, he would watch his quarry and wait.

As the BMW disappeared from sight, Jacob strolled off down the sidewalk. And he smiled.

As an architect, Mattie knew a lot of people in city hall. She started her search with a longtime friend in the permit department who directed her to a colleague who worked with building-code violations and condemnation proceedings. His name was Richard Lopez and he had been with the city for years.

“Sure, I remember that place.” Richard was a competent, attractive Hispanic man with silver beginning to thread through his black hair. “It was called the Harwood Apartments back then. The setting was nice. Lots of trees and shrubs around, but the building itself was in terrible condition. We tried to work with the owner, but he didn’t really have the money to fix things right, so the repairs he made were minimal. Finally, a water leak got so bad it cracked the foundation. The building started to settle, then became dangerously unstable. We condemned the structure for safety reasons.”

“I’m going to be honest with you, Richard. We think one of the tenants who got evicted might be the guy running around Dallas setting fire to Gabriel Raines’s construction projects. I’m sure you’ve heard about that.”

He nodded. “I know Gabe Raines. He’s done a lot for downtown redevelopment.”

“I’m trying to help him. You’re probably going to get a visit from the arson squad asking for the same information on the tenants. But I’d like to take a look at it, too, see if something stands out that might be important.”

“It’s public record. I don’t have a problem with you looking at it. But all the tenants are gone. We don’t have forwarding addresses.”

“I figured you probably wouldn’t. At least we’ll have the names. It’s a place to start.”

Mattie left with a copy of the list that included each person who was on the lease at the time and a copy of the notices of eviction. There was no way to tell who else might have lived in the apartments: children, relatives, friends.

They needed to interview as many of the people on the list as they could find. Hopefully, the police would be involved in the same activity. But even if her theory proved correct, it was going to be nearly impossible to figure out who the arsonist was.

Mattie left city hall and returned to Gabe’s condo. When no one answered the door, she used the key he had given her to let herself in, then walked into the kitchen and left the list on the round oak table.

Her hand trembled as she set the house key down next to the list. The gesture seemed so final, a severing of the bond the two of them had been building.

An unexpected lump rose in her throat. It was ridiculous. She had known from the start she couldn’t get involved with Gabe. She shouldn’t have let things go as far as they had. If she’d been more cautious, she wouldn’t be experiencing this sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She took a steadying breath. She would continue to help him. At the very least, she and Gabe were friends. And she had made a promise to Angel. She wouldn’t give up until the man who had attacked him was caught.

She returned to Gabe’s bedroom and packed the last of the things she’d brought into the suitcase stored in the bottom of his closet. As she started to walk back out, she paused.

His king-size bed was neatly made, covered with a handmade quilt Gabe had said was a gift from a friend, a woman named Livvy Jones, the housekeeper at his brother’s Wyoming ranch. A half-read Elmer Kelton Western novel lay on the nightstand next to his pillow. She took a breath and caught the scent of his cologne and the clean smell of soap and man.

She thought of the pleasure Gabe had shown her since they had met, thought of how empty her life had been before she had met him, how empty it was going to be again, and something squeezed inside her chest.

Her time here with Gabe had been wonderful. She had enjoyed being with him far more than she ever would have guessed. But it was time to leave, to go back to the life she’d lived before.

Mattie steeled herself against the stab of loneliness welling inside her and the ache that throbbed in her heart.

Making her way along the now-familiar corridors to Angel’s semiprivate room, Mattie caught sight of Dr. Burton outside the door. After a quick update on the boy’s condition, which hadn’t really changed, she spent an hour sitting with him, then took Rosa and the kids down to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

“The doctors say he is improving,” the robust, black-haired woman said. “He is getting back some of his strength.”

“Yes, that’s what Dr. Burton told me. It’s wonderful news, Rosa.”

“Sí, it is very good news.” But there was still no certainty that Angel would ever wake up.

Anger slipped through her. What kind of man would brutally assault an innocent teenage boy?

The same kind who had assaulted the night watchman at the Egyptian, the kind who had to be found and arrested.

From the hospital, Mattie went back to her loft apartment. With Gabe’s condo so close by, she had been checking on Tigger at least once a day, but she knew he was lonely. He came racing toward her the minute she opened the door, meowing loudly and begging for her to pick him up.

“My big, beautiful kitty,” she said, lifting him into her arms, hearing the heavy rumble of his purr. “I’ve missed you, too.”

As she stroked his soft fur, the phone started ringing. For an instant, Mattie wondered if it was going to be another hang-up call, but when she lifted the receiver, it was her mother.

“Mom!” It felt good to hear the sound of her voice. Her mom was a small, auburn-haired woman, a little overweight, with the same freckles across her nose and cheeks as Mattie. Cuddling Tigger in her lap, Mattie sat down on a stool at the counter. “I’ve been meaning to call you. Things have just been so crazy lately. How are you doing? How’s Jack?”

Instead of an answer, her mother burst into tears. Worry tightened a knot in Mattie’s stomach.

“What is it, Mom? What’s happened?”

Her mother sniffed, worked to compose herself. “I shouldn’t have done that. It’s really nothing so terrible. It’s just…well, Jack lost his job.”

“Oh, no.”

A sigh whispered thought the phone. “With the economy the way it is, I guess we should have expected it.”

“I can help, Mom. You know I make a very good living.”

“I didn’t call for money. I plan to go back to work.”

“But you don’t have any skills. What would you do?”

“They’re looking for help at Walmart. Jack’s gonna get something temporary until he can get a position with another dealer.”

Mattie’s heart ached. Jack sold cars. He’d earned a good living when he and her mother had met. But dealerships were closing all over the country.

“We’ll make out okay,” her mother said. “I just needed to vent.”

Mattie almost smiled. “Yeah, sometimes we all need to vent. But please let me help. I’ll send the checks to you personally. Jack will never have to know.”

“I don’t think I should.”

“You took care of me, Mom. After Dad died, you took care of both of us.” And now, just when it looked like someone was going to take care of her mother, Margaret Baker Kendall was once more forced to look after herself. “Mom…?”

“All right, but just send a little. I would rather have you putting your money in the bank. You never know when you might need it.”

That was the truth. But Mattie had always been a good saver, a lesson learned from the hardships she and her mother had faced after her father had died.

“I feel better just talking to you,” her mother said.

“Me, too.”

“I’ve got to run. I can hear Jack calling.”

“Okay. I’ll call you in a couple of days.”

Mattie heard the soft click on the opposite end of the line, set the receiver back in its cradle and made a mental note to start sending checks once a week to her mom. It was the least she could do.

And it reminded her again why she couldn’t afford to get more deeply involved with Gabe. She couldn’t afford to do anything that might interfere with her career. She didn’t want to end up like her mother, always pinching pennies, always on the edge, never knowing where the next dollar would come from.

The phone rang again. Still thinking of her mom, Mattie picked up the receiver. “Hello.”

Soft music played in the background but no one said a word.

“Is anyone there?”

No answer.

Uneasiness crept down her spine. “This isn’t funny. Call again and I’m changing my number.” Mattie slammed down the phone, hoping the sharp noise rang in the caller’s ears.

It isn’t the arsonist, she told herself. It’s just some kook.

But the calls were making her more and more nervous and she decided to tell Gabe about them. A familiar rap-tap-tap sounded at the door, Tracy’s special knock. Mattie walked over and peeked through the keyhole just to be sure, opened the door and stepped back to let her in.

“God, I’m glad to see you,” Mattie said. “I’m so glad you came by.”

“It seems like it’s been ages.”

“In a way, it has been.” Mattie closed the door and they hugged, walked arm-in-arm into the kitchen. “You want a Coke or something? I could make us some iced tea.”

“That sounds great.” In low-heeled pumps and an apricot suit, Tracy was dressed for work.

Mattie put a kettle of water on to boil, filled Tigger’s bowl with crunchies and the two of them sat down at the kitchen table.

“How’s Angel?” was the first thing Tracy asked.

“The doctor says he’s improving. They still can’t say when he’ll wake up.” Or if he ever would. “How’s Sam? You’re still seeing him, right?”

A dreamy smile brightened Tracy’s face. “I’m crazy about him, Mattie. I think I’m in love with him.”

“Wow. I never thought I’d hear those words from you.”

“Sam’s the best man I’ve ever known. I don’t have to impress him. I don’t have to pretend to be something I’m not. Sam likes me just the way I am.”

“And you don’t miss all the attention from other men? You’re content to just be with Sam?”

“If you want to know the truth, it’s a relief. Sam’s the only man I want. The only man I need. I never thought I’d feel this way about someone. I never thought I could trust a man this way, but I do.”

Mattie felt a pang of envy. Tracy was working through her problems. She was allowing herself to fall in love. But Mattie couldn’t imagine ever allowing herself to become that vulnerable.

She managed to smile. “That’s really wonderful, Tracy.” And it was. No one deserved to be happy more than her very best friend. Though she wasn’t completely convinced things would work out for Tracy and Sam, Mattie truly hoped they would.

The kettle whistled. She went over and turned it off, poured the steaming water over a couple of tea bags in the bottom of a pitcher and left it to steep.

“Have you told Sam about…your family?”

Tracy’s gaze moved out the window. “I don’t see why I should. It happened a long time ago. Mom and Dad are divorced. I don’t see my dad at all, and I rarely see my mom.”

“The past is important, Tracy. It makes us the people we are today.”

“I don’t think it’s necessary. I don’t like talking about it and I don’t want Sam looking at me differently than he does right now.”

“I know the way you feel, but—”

“So how are things going with Gabe?”

Mattie swallowed. Just thinking of Gabe brought the unexpected sting of tears. She hadn’t realized how much her decision to end their affair was going to hurt.

“We’re slowing things down. I’m moving back in here. We’ll still see each other, just not that often.”

“And Gabe’s okay with that?”

“He wasn’t happy about it.”

“You really seemed to like him. Are you sure this is what you want?”

She looked down and her eyes filled. “I’m not sure of anything right now. I just know I can’t risk everything for Gabe or any other man. I did it before and look what happened. If I married Gabe and it didn’t work out, I couldn’t handle it. I’d rather just not take the risk.”

Tracy’s eyes widened. “Gabe asked you to marry him?”

“No, but…” She wiped away the tears with the tip of her finger. “He mentioned it.”

Tracy studied her so closely Mattie shifted in her seat. “So I guess you told him you weren’t interested.”

Mattie nodded, her chest clamping down, making it hard to breathe.

Tracy got up, walked around to her chair and hugged her. “I’m scared, too,” she admitted. “But I’m more scared of how I would feel if I lost Sam.”

But Mattie was more afraid of coming to trust Gabe the way she had Mark Holloway.

And the pain she would suffer if he broke that trust.

Twenty-Seven

On the terrace four stories below Gabe’s condo, a slight breeze ruffled the canvas umbrellas around the swimming pool. The air was clear and warm, the humidity lessening as September roared toward October.

Gabe checked his watch. Mattie was due any minute. She was coming over to help him and Dev plan their next move. Gabe still didn’t like getting her involved in so dangerous a situation, but she was determined.

And he really wanted to see her.

Last night had been hell, sleeping alone, wishing Mattie was there in his bed. He could kick himself for getting in so deep, but now that he was, he couldn’t figure a way to extricate himself.

And he didn’t really want to.

As he opened his front door and she walked in, a familiar rush of pleasure stirred inside him, followed by a jolt of desire. Bending his head, he lightly kissed her, felt her mouth soften under his an instant before she pulled away.

Gabe sighed, wishing this wasn’t the same place they had been before.

“I’ve got the list over there on the table,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Why don’t we sit down and take a look?”

She glanced around the living room. “Where’s your brother?”

“He had a couple of things to do. He should be back any minute.”

They sat down in the kitchen when what he wanted to do was carry her into his bedroom and start stripping off her clothes. Start kissing her and caressing those lovely breasts. She looked pretty and sexy and he wanted her the way he always did.