Sin City Uniform 01 - All Fired Up (16 page)

She’d reminded them both that it would still take time and not to expect miracles. But she’d also given them an outlet if things became too much. Trent knew he had someone to vent to if he got out of control and Shawn knew he could set boundaries with Trent without the fear of losing him.

Now, about that sex thing…

They had another appointment in the morning. They’d have to squeeze it in before

Shawn went back to work. The following day, Trent would be returning to the fire station for the first time since his mandated vacation, so there wouldn’t be any nooky coming their way soon.

He reclined on his sofa, catching up on the news, eating an apple. A breaking news story popped in and he straightened up. The announcer stated that a prostitute had been murdered. That part was unfortunately all too common and rarely hit the airwaves. The other aspect of the story was what had chilled his blood. The same Citizens Against Immorality had claimed responsibility.

His phone went off and he grabbed it, answering even as he brought it to his ear. He heard Trent’s voice.

“Turn on the local news.”

“It’s on.”

Trent stopped talking, no doubt listening to the rest of the report right along with Shawn. As soon as it finished, Shawn pointed the remote at the TV and shut it off.

“Holy shit.”

Trent grunted. “That’s an understatement.”

“God, what’s happening to this town?”

“What’s happening everywhere? People filled with hate, intent on forcing everyone else to follow their agenda, no matter the cost.”

“Obviously they missed the part where hatred, and…uh, murder, is also immoral.”

“Lee told me there haven’t been any fires on the Strip or other attempts since the big hotel one. It looks like they’ve moved on to other more insidious activities.”

“Or they were trying to dodge the extra attention paid to security that their repeated arson attempts had generated. With all agencies remaining hyper-alert to suspicious behavior related to fire prevention, maybe they went another route. I think it stands to reason that if they were willing to set fire to occupied buildings, they’re not squeamish about taking lives.”

“That seems to be a logical conclusion,” Trent agreed. “Perhaps they’d hoped for deaths before this but when it didn’t pan out, they went for a more direct route. It’s chilling.”

“I’m thinking I’ll hear more when I go in tomorrow.”

Trent was silent.

“You still there?”

“Yeah. I’m here…”

He paused and Shawn knew something was bothering him.

“Out with it.”

“We’re still on for tomorrow with Dr Silver?”

“Of course. Why?”

“I…”

Shawn was still getting used to Trent’s less assured manner.

“I’m not someone to be afraid of Trent.”

“Yes you are.”

“Huh?”

“I’m afraid of losing you.”

He sighed. “Trent, that’s not likely to happen, judging by how things are going. I don’t want to lose you either.”

“You seemed okay with the sessions, but I wasn’t sure.”

“You could’ve asked.”

“Working on it.”

“I know. It’s made a big difference already and…”

Should he say the next part?

“The next time we have the same day off, I was thinking…”

God, now who’s having a hard time communicating?

He took a deep breath. “Maybe I could come over. If you want.”

“Shawn.”

He’d said it barely above a whisper and Shawn had a moment of trepidation where he thought he’d be rejected.

“I want that more than anything, Shawn. As long as you’re sure you’re ready. We don’t need to rush anything.”

“I’m ready.”

He was too excited and didn’t want to ruin the moment by saying something goofy.

“So I’ll see you tomorrow, and we can discuss schedules then. Sound good?”

“Sounds perfect. Thank you, Shawn.”

“Thank me when we’re alone. You can make everything up to me then.”

There was a definite groan from Trent. “I will, more than make it up.”

“I’ll be looking forward to that.”

He ended the call with a nice boner for his trouble. Since he wouldn’t be seeing Trent right away, he decided to go ahead and take care of it. He woke up his laptop that was on the coffee table in front of him. He went to his pictures’ folder and brought up the photo of Trent standing by the red ranch house at Spring Mountain. He was looking toward one of the gnarled trees, his body angled in a way that his shorts hugged his glorious ass wonderfully.

Trent’s muscular thighs and calves were showcased below the hiking shorts and he had one hand on his hip that accentuated his biceps. His profile was beautiful and Shawn’s cock was hot and swollen, he balls heavy in his sac. He began to stroke himself slowly, staring at Trent’s picture.

He wouldn’t last long.

* * * *

Stirring his coffee in the break room, Shawn mulled over the session he and Trent had had with Dr Silver earlier. Trent had blurted out that he’d asked to come over and Shawn had been pissed at him. Even though they’d shared the no sex rule at the initial meeting with the therapist, Shawn hadn’t thought it necessary to ask her permission. Trent hadn’t worded it that way, but it was how it’d felt.

Once they’d begun talking about it, Shawn had been glad that Trent had brought it up after all. By bringing their emotions out in the open, it had cleared the way even more for them. Shawn had left the session more convinced than ever that they were ready to be intimate again.

Vicki strolled into the room. “There you are. How’re the meetings going with that person you were telling me about?”

After their lunch meeting that day and Trent’s unexpected visit, he’d called and let her know what was going on. She’d been very encouraging.

“Really well. I think the problem’s been handled and we’re ready to move ahead.”

She raised her eyebrows, sticking her out her bottom lip and nodding. “That so? Glad to hear it.”

Darren stuck his head in the door. “Hey, the Lieutenant has called a meeting in the briefing room before we all head out tonight.”

He and Vicki exchanged glances. There was little doubt that it pertained to the Citizens Against Immorality group. They grabbed their coffees then hurried down the hall to the conference area. When they arrived, the room was full, so they stood at the back, the buzz of voices a bit more excited than normal.

Lieutenant Campos stepped in and walked to the front of the room. He gestured for quiet and finally had everyone’s attention.

“Okay, people, we all know that there’s a group of unknowns in our city that’s been setting fires and has now claimed to be behind last night’s call girl murder. I won’t go into all the details again. I think we’re all aware of the basics. However, we’re going to have to be even more vigilant when it comes to safety on the Boulevard.

“As with the other crimes, the murder came with a warning that more citizens would pay if the city wasn’t cleansed of its evil. So we need you to take note of the people around you. Be aware of more than the ones causing trouble. Look for individuals that seem to always be around that feel out of place. The calls you’re going to, do they seem legit, or are they distractions to keep our attention fixed elsewhere? Are the same people always on our radar? Anything that you can think of would be appreciated no matter how small, how insignificant it might seem. Gut feelings won’t be discounted at this point.”

He exhaled, weariness evident in the sound. “Good luck out there tonight. Carry on.”

He and Vicki ran into Darren on the way to the garage.

“What do you guys think? I was almost wondering if it might not be a copycat.”

Shawn considered Darren’s theory. “Possibly. But if the lieutenant is taking gut instincts into consideration, I think it’s all the same group. They’ve had a consistent pattern of targeting places—and a person—that specifically have a more obviously lurid theme. Burlesque, vampires, a known prostitute.”

Darren nodded. “I can see that. Although, the entire town is referred to as Sin City.

They’ve got a big job ahead of them if they want to stamp out everything they consider immoral.”

Vicki made a very unladylike grunting noise. “No kidding.”

Darren reached his cruiser, his partner Parker already waiting. They said their good-byes and he and Vicki went to their police-issued vehicle.

“Think there’ll be a buttload of tourists filling the sidewalks tonight like usual?”

Vicki unlocked the car, frowning at him as she did. “You were thinking that one dead hooker would clear the streets?” She snorted. “Hardly. These people are here to party. They don’t want any unpleasantness to intrude on their fun.”

Shawn opened his door then got in. He had a sick feeling in his stomach.

“Unpleasantness. I guess it’s no different here than anywhere else.”

Prostitutes were disposable victims. Society rarely worked too hard trying to discover who their killers were. Once in a while if it became known that a serial killer was on the loose, then a task force might be created. In which case, if the Citizens Against Immorality didn’t feel they were getting enough attention or creating the proper fear in people, would they go after someone more likely to garner sympathy?

* * * *

It was almost strange to be back at the station. Other than Lee, he hadn’t spoken to anyone else since he’d left. He dropped off his bag at his usual bunk assignment, then went down the hall to check in with Captain Taylor as he’d requested. He knocked softly on the slightly ajar door.

“Come in.”

The Captain glanced up from his laptop screen and regarded him with an indifferent gaze. Now he knew how others felt when they’d accused him of having a stone face.

“Have a seat, Trent.”

He swallowed hard, almost as if he were back in elementary school after getting caught writing on the walls. Once he’d lowered himself into the chair, he remained perched on the edge of it. The Captain arched one eyebrow.

“Relax. I’m not going to yell at you. Yet.”

Trent nodded. “I appreciate that.”

The Captain eased back in his chair and clasped his hands in front of him. “I gather from our conversation a few days ago that you feel you’re ready to come back and be an effective member of the team?”

“Yes, sir. Like I said, the counseling sessions have been going very well and things with Shawn and I are working out in a way where I don’t see it being an issue out in the field.”

“And he’s in agreement with what we discussed?”

“Yes, sir. He’s agreed that we won’t interact if we’re both called out to the same incident.”

“Good.”

The Captain continued to stare at him as if he were contemplating whether or not to say anything else.

“Before you go, I want to add one more thing.”

“Sir?”

“You’re a good man, Trent—a good firefighter. You’ve built a solid career for yourself in Clark County and we’re proud to have you on our team. It was a horrible thing that happened to Paul. I’m glad you’re finally moving on with your life and you’ve found someone to care about. Don’t fuck it up.”

Trent gave Captain Taylor a tight smile. “Thank you, sir. I won’t.”

“Good. Making any dinner tonight? I don’t think I can handle another vat of spaghetti from your buddy Lee out there.”

“Pick up any chicken or veggies?”

“Both. There’s also some rice, salad fixings and stuff to make turkey burgers.”

“Sounds like we’re set for the next couple days.”

“Thank Christ. I don’t know who’s happier to have you back—me or my stomach.”

This time, Trent couldn’t stop himself from giving the Captain a genuine grin. “I’ll work on keeping you both happy.”

“Glad to hear it.” He looked back down at his computer screen. “Well, get to work then.”

Trent rose from the chair then headed straight for the kitchen. He spotted Lee digging around in the cupboards.

“What’re you looking for?”

Still intent on his search, he answered Trent without turning toward him. “It’s the weirdest thing. I could’ve sworn I had at least four or five jars of spaghetti sauce in here, but they’re all missing.”

Trent felt bubbles of laughter trying to force their way to the surface. He hadn’t experienced such a lighthearted feeling for a while.

“Huh. Imagine that.”

Lee straightened and whipped around to face him. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“What do you know about my spaghetti sauce?”

“Me? I just got here.”

“Mmmm. Something funny’s going on here.”

“Got paranoid since I’ve been gone?”

“I’m not paranoid, I’m just…inquisitive.”

Trent grunted. “As long as you’re sauce-less, why don’t you get out of the way so I can rustle us all up something to eat?”

Lee pressed his lips together. “You know something. It was Jamal, right?”

Trent shook his head the way he always did. Some things hadn’t changed. Lee must have thought he was reacting to his question.

“Okay, it was Ed then. Ben?”

“It was me.”

They both turned to see Captain Taylor standing at the edge of the kitchen, his arms crossed in front of him.

“And for the record, I never want to see those jars of red shit in here ever again.”

Lee scowled at him. “Hey, I didn’t see anyone else volunteering to help in here.”

The squabbling continued and Trent chuckled to himself. He was glad to be back.

Really glad.

* * * *

So far, the evening patrol had been remarkable in its calm. The crowds were slightly less boisterous, somewhat less full. To an outsider, it would’ve appeared overflowing, packed. To someone who saw the same stretch of sidewalk every night, there was a marked difference.

“I never thought I’d say such a thing out here, but I’m actually bored.”

“Yuppers. Me too.”

Vicki ambled along, one hand resting on her duty belt, the other swinging lightly at her side. Regardless of the apparent calm, he knew they would both remain aware of their surroundings, never letting their guard down for a moment. As patrol partners, they were an excellent fit. They had an almost uncanny ability to vibe off one another. He could tell when she was out of sorts or distracted and she seemed to be able to do the same thing with him.