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  Heart racing, Heather decided to try the door again. She felt like she was in a horror movie as she opened it just an inch. The hallway was filled with smoke, but she didn’t see flames, so she opened the door wider.

  People were screaming and banging on doors up and down the hallway. Heather joined them, rushing into the hall while pulling the front of her T-shirt over her mouth and nose.

  She considered running for the stairs but stopped to bang on the door across the hall. The elderly man who lived there might not have gotten out.

  Someone grabbed her arm. “Let’s go,” they shouted. “Mr. Brigman is already out.”

  Heather ran for the stairs with the rest of the people filing into the hallway. The din of people shouting and crying barely penetrated the loud shrill of the fire alarm.

  Heather held her breath until she shoved through the door on the ground floor and burst into the night air. She sucked in deep breaths, gasping, more from fear than from smoke.

  A fire engine pulled up in front of the building and Heather moved toward the two cop cars in a daze. Sheer chaos kept her from being able to find someone to speak to.

  Finally, she dropped down on the edge of the curb across the street, shaking from the adrenaline rush.

  Someone rushed past her. “Are you okay, ma’am?” the man shouted as he looked over his shoulder.

  She nodded. At least she thought she was okay. She tucked her head between her legs and took long deep breaths, noticing she was clutching her purse in one hand and her phone in the other.

  Trembling, she lifted the phone and called the only person she could think to call.

  Neil answered on the second ring. “Heather?”

  She started crying the moment she heard his voice.

  “Baby? What’s wrong? Talk to me?” His voice rose with every word.

  Heather tried to suck in a breath. “Fire.” That was the only word she could manage.

  “I’m on my way. You’re at your apartment, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you safe?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Don’t move.”

  “’K.” She didn’t even have the wherewithal to hang up.

  “You still there, baby?”

  She nodded.

  “Heather?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  “Good. Stay on the phone with me. Tell me where you are.”

  She glanced around and then behind her. “Across the street in front of the salon. You’ll have trouble getting close. It’s crowded.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll park a few blocks away if I have to. Just stay there. Is it safe enough? Do you need to move farther away from the building?”

  “No. I think I’m okay.” Heather glanced at her apartment building in shock. Flames were coming out of nearly every window on her floor, which meant everything she owned was toast.

  “Hang on, baby. I’m getting out of my car. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  Heather nodded, letting her forehead drop to her knees. This was so surreal. Maybe she was dreaming.

  She nearly jumped out of her skin when a hand landed on her shoulder. She jerked her gaze up to find Neil squatting down in front of her. “I’m here.” He slid his hand down to grab hers. “Let’s move. We’re too close to the building.”

  Heather let him pull her to standing. People were running in every direction, shouting and crying.

  Neil led her several yards farther from the building before facing her, his hands on her shoulders. “Look at me, Heather.”

  She lifted her gaze, blinking.

  “Are you injured in any way?”

  She shook her head.

  “Were you sleeping and woke to the fire alarm?”

  “No.” She jerked her shoulders back, standing taller. “No.” She shook her head again. “My neighbor. I’m sure he started the fire. I also think he killed his girlfriend or whoever she is.”

  Neil frowned. “How do you know this?”

  “He came home drunk and started screaming, which woke me up. I heard everything. He had a knife. I think he stabbed his girlfriend to death and then started the fire to cover it up.” Heather shuddered violently.

  “Okay.” Neil pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back. “We need to find a police officer.”

  “Yes. I was trying to get someone’s attention, but they were all busy.” She grabbed his waist, holding on for dear life. It seemed like her knees weren’t going to support her.

  Heather’s ears were ringing. Every sound seemed distant and foreign. She held Neil’s shirt with a death grip as he flagged down a cop and told them what little he knew.

  The policeman took Heather’s information and told them to stay put. Time stood still. Heather had no idea what time it was or how long she’d been standing there. Leaning really. Neil was practically holding her up.

  Two more officers came over to speak to her a while later. She told them everything she could remember while they took notes. Finally, they thanked her and told her they would need to speak to her again in the morning. Someone would contact her.

  Neil gave them his address and phone number also before finally leading her to his SUV and helping her into the passenger seat.

  She was shaking. Cold. Scared. Shocked. Numb.

  He held her hand tightly as he drove to his house, and then lifted her into his arms to carry her inside. He carried her straight through to his bedroom and into the bathroom.

  “Bath or shower?” He stroked her cheek as he sat her on the toilet seat.

  She glanced around. “Wow, you have jets in the tub,” she commented as if this were important.

  He chuckled. “Did you not even enter my room while you were staying here?”

  She shook her head. “Seemed too personal.”

  He chuckled. “I’ll start the bath.” He tipped her head back. “I’d put you straight in bed except you are covered in soot. Your face is gray.”

  She spun to glance at the mirror and smiled. “Hey, look at that. I had no idea.”

  He lifted her chin, his expression serious. “You okay on your own? I can stay and help if you want.”

  She sobered and shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

  Neil stood, looking uncertain. “I’ll grab you one of my T-shirts to put on after.” He rushed from the room and returned seconds later, setting a white T-shirt on the counter. He was frowning. “You sure you’re okay?”

  She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Thank you.”

  He leaned over, cupped the back of her neck, and kissed her forehead. “You’re welcome.”

  She stared at the closed door for several moments after he left her, struggling to snap out of it. She was damn tired. Her apartment had undoubtedly ceased to exist, and she needed to call her boss asap and let her know she wouldn’t be able to make the next few shifts. She wouldn’t even have a uniform until she could replace it. And where the hell was she going to live?

  She shook the bombardment of unanswerable questions from her head as she stood, removed her clothes, and stepped into the tub. The water felt amazing.

  She quickly washed her hair and face and body with Neil’s soap and shampoo, and then leaned back, breathing deeply. The jets felt amazing.

  A knock on the door jerked her out of her numb state. “You can come in.”

  Neil eased the door open and stepped inside. He smiled. “You’re not gray anymore.”

  “Amazing what a little soap can do.”

  He handed her a bottle of water. “You have to be thirsty.”

  “Yes. Thank you.” She unscrewed the top and downed half of it.

  Neil grabbed a towel from the linen closet and set it on the edge of the vanity where she could reach it. “Take as long as you’d like, baby. You look ten times better already.”

  “The water feels amazing. I should have sat in here every night while I was watching your fresh-cut flowers bloom.”

  He chuckled. “Yo
u must be feeling better if you can make plant jokes.”

  “I’ll get out when either there’s no more hot water or my skin prunes.”

  “Yell if you need me.”

  She watched him slip back out of the bathroom. The man was amazing. He made it very hard to keep him at arm’s length. He never fucked up. It was almost annoying.

  Heather rubbed her temples and sighed, enjoying several more minutes of jets that eased her muscles and calmed her. Finally, she turned them off and released the water.

  She felt heavy and relaxed as she stepped out and dried off. She slid Neil’s T-shirt over her head and then used his comb to work through the tangles in her hair. It would be too much trouble to dry it, plus that would leave it frizzy, so it was going to have to be damp.

  She smiled when she saw the unopened toothbrush on the counter. When had he set that out?

  Again, the man needed a few faults. He was too…nice.

  Exhausted and trying to control her emotional overload, she stepped into his room. He was sitting in bed, leaning against the headboard, sheets pulled up to his waist, no shirt. Even his damn chest was perfection.

  She drew in a breath. “Can I borrow your guest room yet again?”

  He chuckled. “Of course. For as long as you need. Or, you’re welcome to sleep in here. Just so you know. I promise to keep my hands to myself. Unless you need a hug.”

  She stared at the spot next to him for a moment. It was tempting. But it was a horrible idea. She wasn’t ready to take things further with him, and climbing into his bed would end in sex. She didn’t have the strength to fend him off.

  “Thanks, but I think I need to be alone.”

  “I understand.” He slid from the bed, gracing her with a look at his flannel pants, and set a hand on her lower back to lead her to the guest room. He even pulled back the covers.

  She indelicately climbed up and slipped under the cool sheets. It was difficult since she didn’t have panties. She flung her arm over her eyes as he tucked her in. “I now own nothing, including clothes to put on in the morning.” Her voice was dead.

  “On the bright side, it already is morning,” he joked. “And we’ll figure something out, okay? Sleep. As long as you can.”

  She lowered her arm and met his gaze. She was on the edge of tears, mostly from exhaustion and shock, but she wanted to hold them at bay until he left her room. She grabbed his hand. “Thank you again. I mean it.”

  “Anytime, baby.” He leaned over, kissed her gently, and then left the room, shutting off the light and closing the door on the way.

  The room wasn’t entirely dark because, as he’d pointed out, the sun was coming up, but sleeping in the daytime had never been a problem for her.

  She stared at the closed door for a while though, not even close to unaware that he’d added an endearment to their odd relationship today. He’d called her baby about a half a dozen times.

  Equally thought-provoking? She’d liked it. It felt intimate. As if she were special to him. And she knew she was.

  She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. A billion thoughts raced through her head. Tears slid down her cheeks too, but they were gratefully silent. Honestly, she was too tired to sob, and far too exhausted to think about all her problems.

  For now, she needed sleep. When she woke up, she would deal with the disaster that was her life.

  Chapter 8

  Neil couldn’t get back to sleep. Not a chance. He had a mental list running of all the things that needed to get done, and he wasn’t the type to rest with that much running around in his head.

  After lying in bed for about fifteen useless minutes, he got back up and made a list. By the time he gave up entirely and headed for the kitchen to make coffee, the sun was up.

  He started making phone calls. First to Tank to let him know he wouldn’t be in to work today and why. Tank was still at home, which helped because he had Shayla call the airline and let them know Heather would be out of commission for a few days. For one thing, Neil had to presume she had no uniforms to wear. That alone was going to present a hurdle.

  Neil was well aware that Shayla would get a phone tree going and Heather’s entire posse would be completely informed about her night and where she was staying.

  His next call was to his sister for several reasons. Mostly, he needed her help. Heather needed clothes, and he felt more comfortable asking Amy to make that happen this morning than bothering Heather’s friends.

  Heather didn’t need six women coming over and hounding her for details this morning, gushing over her. It would overwhelm her. But Amy could help out and keep things calmer.

  “Hey, Neil,” Amy said as she answered his call. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your time on a workday morning? I wasn’t sure you were talking to me yet after I intruded on your personal life,” she teased.

  “Need your help. You free this morning?”

  “Of course.” Her voice changed immediately. “What’s going on?”

  “Heather’s apartment had a fire last night. To be honest, I’m not sure she’ll be able to salvage a single thing.”

  “Oh shit. God. I’m so sorry. What can I do? Does she need clothes?”

  Neil sighed. “Yes. First and foremost. She’s asleep right now, but when she wakes up, she’s going to want to put on something more than my T-shirt.”

  “I bet. The idea makes me shudder.”

  “Ha-ha. You’re funny.”

  Amy chuckled. “Okay. I’m on it. She’s about my size. I’ll hit a few stores and grab the essentials. Give me a few hours?”

  “I’m sure she’ll sleep longer than that. Can you grab whatever you think of that women might like to have in an emergency too? Shampoo and whatever.”

  “Yep. See you soon.”

  Neil dropped onto the sofa, tipped his head back, and stared at the ceiling. He was grateful for his relationship with his sister. Hell, he was grateful for his parents too. He couldn’t imagine a life with no siblings, a father who did nothing but shout, and a mother who cowered in the corner and ignored her child’s needs.

  It made him angry and sad. He understood Heather much better every day. No wonder she was skittish and had trust issues. Anyone would. And now this. He couldn’t believe how well she’d held it together.

  He’d seen the damage to her building, especially her floor. If the fire really did start next door, her unit was undoubtedly a total loss.

  “Neil?”

  He jerked his head forward and opened his eyes to find Heather shuffling toward him.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” she whispered.

  He reached out a hand. “Not surprising,” he said as she came to him.

  He acted on instinct, stretching out along the back of the couch and then pulling her down next to him, spooning her. He tugged the throw blanket off the back of the couch and tucked it around them both.

  She breathed deeply in his arms. “I need to do about seven hundred things, and I don’t know where to start.”

  “Well, I spoke to Tank to tell him what happened and that I’m not coming in to the office today. He spoke to Shayla. She’s going to call your boss for you, and I’m sure she’s informed all your friends too.”

  Heather turned her face toward him. “Thank you.” Her soft voice was so sincere as if she were shocked anyone would help her out. “I’m going to need to burn the three items I was wearing when I got here, so my entire wardrobe now consists of a borrowed T-shirt.”

  “I hope you don’t think I stepped out of line, but I called my sister and put her on that job. She’s bringing you a few things this morning. Just to tide you over for a few days.” He prayed Heather wouldn’t be offended.

  She smiled. “You thought of everything.”

  “Nope. Just a few immediate issues.”

  “You mean you didn’t call my insurance company yet?” she teased.

  He ran his hand up her arm and gave a lock of her hair a tug. “Not yet. I would have if I’d known w
hat company you use.”

  She groaned. “What a mess. It looked like a total loss, didn’t it?”

  “Yeah. I think so, baby.” He winced for a fraction of a second as he called her baby again. She might not appreciate it. But dammit, he’d gotten incredibly possessive in a hurry when she’d called him in the middle of the night in a crisis.

  She took a deep breath and let it out.

  He stroked her arm, snuggling her closer, hoping if he held her tightly enough, it would ease some of the stress. “I can’t imagine what you’re feeling.”

  “I’m feeling a lot of anxiety, but if you’re talking about my apartment, I didn’t own anything worth crying over.”

  “Nothing?” He hated that.

  She shrugged in his embrace. “Any pictures I have are backed up in a cloud. I moved here at eighteen with the clothes on my back. I’m pretty frugal. I’ve always had to be. I don’t own diamonds or expensive jewelry or anything that can’t be replaced.”

  Neil swallowed around the lump in his throat and kissed her temple.

  “It’s just overwhelming anyway. I barely scrape by. I can’t afford to take a bunch of time off work. Now I don’t have a place to live or a plate or a fork for God’s sake. I know my renter’s insurance will cover everything, but taking the time to find a new apartment and replace my furniture and all the shit that one needs to live is daunting.”

  “Well, for starters, you’ll stay here for a while. There’s no rush. I have plates and forks.”

  He could feel her heart beating faster and knew this was going to be a problem for her.

  “I can’t do that, Neil,” she whispered. “A few days maybe, but not longer.”

  He didn’t want to pressure her and risk stressing her out further, but he needed to be clear about this issue. “A few days is not enough time to sort your life out, Heather. If you put that kind of added pressure on yourself, you’ll be a basket case. Take your time.”

  She didn’t respond for a long time, and he thought maybe she’d fallen asleep. When her soft voice filled the silence again, it broke his heart. “I need my space, Neil. I need to be on my own. I finally got it, and it’s been taken away from me so fast.”