The Fire Inside Read online

  “I’m so sorry and I don’t even know what else to say.” Jack was beside himself and the promise that he had just made to Kenneth as he died was something that he wasn’t going to take lightly.

  “You told me that you would never let anything to happen to him. I took you at your word and you let me down. I believed you and you failed him. I want to know what happened. I don’t care how painful it is to hear.” Being a professor of psychology had given her a keen insight into those who tried to lie to her. She could read the unvarnished truth on their lips and in their facial micro-expressions.

  “We got the call and we arrived to see the fire spreading quickly. There had to be some sort of accelerant. Nobody was going to go in until we heard the cry of a woman and her baby. We couldn’t see where they were. Kenneth wasn’t even thinking about his own safety. We got the mother and child out through a window. The avenue of escape collapsed in front of us. I don’t know what happened. He was behind me one second and then the floor gave way where he was standing. He didn’t even scream as he plummeted into the flames down below. I got out to get some air and then I went right back in to find him. I wasn’t leaving until I got him out of there.” Jessica could hear that there was something left out of the story.

  There was no way for her to know what that could be. The tears stained his eyes and streaked down his cheek. It showed just what kind of bond the two men had with one another. Jessica found herself pounding on his chest again, crying and weeping uncontrollably.

  The paramedics led Jack over to one of the trucks for some much-needed oxygen. They had him stripped down to his waist with his fireman’s jacket lying behind him.

  Jessica wasn’t about to let it go. She stormed over ready to confront whatever he wasn’t saying. “I know that there’s something you’re not telling me. Don’t treat me with kid gloves, Jack!” She waited impatiently and was very close to striking him. Jack had gone above and beyond the call of duty. “Don’t lie to me. You know as well as anyone that I can see through any kind of subterfuge. Give me the courtesy of telling me the rest of the story.” She stood there defiantly with her arms crossed and glaring.

  “I… I didn’t want to tell you this, but you leave me no choice. I found him clinging to life and with his last breath he told me that I had to take care of you. I promised him I would. Your brother was many things and not one of them was a coward. He was a brave soul and he deserved better than this. I feel responsible for convincing him to join the cause…um… to become a firefighter.” Jack was stumbling over his words like there was a hidden meaning behind what he had just said.

  Jessica walked back to where her brother’s body was lying on the sidewalk. She bent and retrieved the scorched cross around his neck. She placed it over her head and now both crosses were united as one. It made her feel closer to him.

  The fire captain approached Jessica slowly. “I know that this is a difficult time for you, Jessica, but we need to talk about the arrangements. He died of not only smoke inhalation but of his injuries from the fall. They will do a detailed autopsy and then release the body to the family. Your parents are going to need you at a time like this. They considered the both of you the light of their lives and this is going to break them. I’m going over there and I think that it would be a good idea for you to join me. It’ll be easier coming from you.” Jessica could hear the Capitan but the only thing that she could think about was never seeing her brother again. Those moments of looking down at her phone at Kenneth’s silly videos were gone forever. Every future moment with him was gone forever and she could hardly believe it through her shock.

  “I don’t know what you want me to say. The wound is still fresh.” She felt that Jack was not being completely honest. She wanted to believe him, but her training in psychology let her see the telltale signs. He wasn’t being completely truthful. “I can’t even think about arrangements. I need to clear my head.” Jessica looked one last time at her brother’s body.

  It was a senseless act. This was not a natural occurrence. She’d overheard the fire inspector talking about arson. Somebody had set this fire and that they were responsible for her brother’s demise. She swore to herself that she wouldn’t rest until the person was brought to justice.

  Her anger needed more than just lip service. She turned to find Jack getting onto a Harley Davidson at the curb. She moved through the throngs of people, pushing her way through until she was in a position to see a black leather jacket on the back of the bike with her brother’s name underneath that of a flaming dragon’s skull.

  CHAPTER THREE

  J essica stood there looking at the jacket with her brother’s name on it. It finally dawned on her that she didn’t know her brother as well as she thought she did. It was in her hand one second and the next she was putting it on. She felt this intense closeness to her brother that made her never want to take it off. She saw the second helmet and she put it on. Jessica tucked her hair underneath with the mirrored visor hiding her expression from the rest of the world. She hopped on the back of Jack’s bike before he could stop her.

  “What the hell do you think you are doing?” Tony stood there looking at her on the motorcycle and felt this desperate need to grab her and bring her back to reality. “This is no time for a joy ride, Jessica. I know it hurts, but you can’t hide from the pain for long before it becomes more than you can bear. You’re going to need the people you love to give you a shoulder to lean on.”

  “You should go with Tony, your brother’s memory deserves more than you running away.” Jack felt her fingers holding him tightly just below his waist and he prayed to the gods above that her hands didn’t move any lower. Those fingers were no more than a few inches from touching him in a profound way.

  “I’m a big girl and I can make my own decisions. I’m going with you and you can either fight me or accept it. There’s something that you’re keeping from me and I’m not letting you out of my sight until I find out what it is.” Jessica had a purpose and she had buried her feelings of her brother’s loss deep down where it hopefully wouldn’t see the light of day.

  “I’ve learned not to argue with her when she gets like this. If you want to keep your friendship, I suggest you take your hand off the bike. She is not going to be deterred. We may not agree with what she has decided, but we have to stand by her.” Jessica heard what Jack was saying and was quite surprised. He was willing to fall on his sword.

  “I’m just going to go on the record to say that it’s a bad idea. When you’re ready to face this, I will be there for you. Don’t take too long. I’m sure your parents will need you at some point. You know they won’t understand why you’re not there. I get that you think you need to do this and I won’t stand in your way.” Tony backed away and Jessica looked at him through the mirrored visor with tears in her eyes.

  The engine of the Harley roared to life beneath her and she felt bad for feeling so good. The vibration along her lower extremities was like a well-placed toy in her collection. This was a powerful aphrodisiac that had her grabbing onto Jack even tighter than before.

  “I hope for your sake that you know what you’re doing, Jessica.” Jack drove with his palms sweating inside the gloves. He was biting his bottom lip against the fire. It made him want to have his way with her. There was steam coming out of his nose and it was fogging up his vision. He took a deep breath and tried to get a handle on his physical reaction to her.

  “I don’t know what this is about, but I’m not going to rest until I uncover the truth. You can be the calm in the storm. I won’t turn a blind eye to what my brother has been up to. I’m the one in control.” Jessica was trying to keep her emotions in check, but her overwhelming need to express herself physically was getting stronger by the second. It was a combination of the motorcycle and the strong and confident man. She had her arms wrapped around him. It brought forth impulsive and raunchy thoughts.

  She felt guilty about getting that worked up especially when she had her brother on
her mind. She wanted to take off her clothes, turn on the radio and dance to the beat of her own drum. She clung desperately to him like a life preserver, trying to keep herself from drowning in the grief, her emotions running wild.

  The landscape flew by and she couldn’t help but notice that there was not even an inch of fat on Jack’s body. Her body was more rounded like an hourglass with a little bit more on top and a little bit more on the bottom. She was not blind to how Jack looked at her when she was cooking in the kitchen. She thought it was just her imagination, but the way he would brush up against her every so often was a telling sign that their attraction was mutual. She had kept her distance because of her brother, she didn’t want to do anything to make things awkward.

  Seeing Jack with other women had bothered her. It made her pine for something that she couldn’t have. She had tried to be interested in other men, but they were a pale comparison to the real thing. Holding onto him now was the only thing that gave her a semblance of what she was missing.

  Jack came to a stop at a local dive bar. There was a raucous sound of a crowd inside enjoying several libations. He walked towards the place with his helmet firmly secured on the bike and glanced behind to see where his shadow was. Jessica was not sitting idly by.

  “I called them and this is our way to celebrate your brother’s life. He was well loved and people respected him. His membership into this club was honorary and given because of his need to do the right thing.” Jessica followed him into the roadhouse and was stunned to see all the bikers dressed in their customary leather. Most were either long-haired or wearing bushy beards to signify their rejection of polite society.

  There was a chorus of applause when they realized that Jessica had come in quite unexpectedly. They offered her a drink and she took it even though she had never found a taste for beer. Each one stood to give a solemn toast as a sign of respect.

  “My name is Dexter and I am the leader of this chapter. I’m sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances. Dexter was a long-haired middle-aged man of about forty. He had a leather belt around his waist and the insignia of the same flaming dragon skull etched on his belt buckle.

  “I’ve heard all about you, Jessica. What your brother said doesn’t do you justice. Stick around and hear what Kenneth meant to all of us. You’ll find the stories quite illuminating.” There were snickers from those who understood the underlying meaning behind their leader’s words.

  Jessica sat with Jack and watched his reaction as they began to tell stories about Kenneth. They didn’t make any sense. They talked about something called the hunt and how he was instrumental in bringing a new dynamic to it.

  “I wouldn’t take what they say too seriously. They have been drinking all day and they like to spout off to hear themselves talk.” Jack was doing everything to prevent her from learning the truth, but it wasn’t easy when the liquor was loosening everybody’s lips.

  “I want to raise a glass to Kenneth and his undying loyalty to the cause. This man was not one of us, but he took it upon himself to make the world a better place. We can’t fault him for standing strong with his beliefs. I warned him that it was dangerous, but he practically laughed in my face. He told me that if he could walk through the flames, then he could do anything. He made me believe it, but this hunt was only meant for us. It’s our burden to bear and we were foolish to think that we could keep him safe. We admire his tenacity and his will to fight on. Let this be a testament to his true character and a reminder to all of us. Our lives should never be shared with others. I’m making a proclamation to never allow this to happen again.” Dexter was trying to be respectful of Jessica, but his words betrayed the very idea of keeping her in the dark.

  “I was one of his biggest supporters and I will not let his death go unanswered. We claimed him as one of ours and he deserves a proper send-off. The vengeance that we feel will burn until somebody else does.” Stephen looked towards Jack. He was directing his comments to him specifically. “Kenneth will be missed. I got to know him and we shared a few laughs. This world did not deserve to lose a bright light like his. The person responsible will find a revenge that is swift and conclusive.” Stephen was ready to recruit those who were willing to stand with him against the enemy. His blonde locks were a contrast to those with dark hair.

  She didn’t know what this hunt was, but she suspected that it wasn’t about killing innocent animals. Kenneth was opposed to killing anything. He always felt that he was hypocritical for eating a hamburger when he couldn’t bear to put the hammer between their eyes. Cows were not the smartest beast, but to Kenneth, they were a species that deserved just as much respect as a beautiful deer in the forest.

  Jack could sense the tension in the air. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I am more than willing to tell you what you want to know, but be sure that you really wanna go down that road. Your brother was a firefighter, but he was also a good friend. He saw the injustice and he wanted to do his part. Don’t think for a second that he wasn’t afraid, and going into that fire was nothing compared to the hunt.” Jack felt like he had to keep his mouth shut, but he owed it to Kenneth to show the same kind of respect for Jessica as he had for Kenneth.

  Jessica couldn’t even imagine him stepping into a place like this and feeling comfortable. “I’m not sure that I want to pull back the shroud. It might be better to stay in the dark. I do vividly recall injuries with lame explanations. He tried to say it was from firefighting, but I was skeptical and I had every reason to be. He lived with me and I could see the pain in his face every time he tried to move. He convinced me it was nothing.” Jessica took another slug from the beer bottle and felt the warm liquid soothing her need to cry uncontrollably.

  “There’s no reason for you to be a part of this. You can get out before it’s too late. I will give you the keys to my motorcycle. You can drive away and never look back. I’ll even sweeten the pot by giving you my motorcycle free and clear.” Jack wanted Jessica out of the line of fire before things turned considerably ugly.

  “It must be pretty damn serious for you to offer me your bike. I’m guessing that my brother had one of his own. As his sister, I believe it is my right to take ownership of his motorcycle.” Jessica remembered how Kenneth had restricted her from going into the garage. He wasn’t around anymore to stand in her way.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  J essica sat wondering how her brother had gotten caught up in something like this. It was hard for her to understand why this part of him was secret. He hadn’t told her anything about what he was doing. It made her angry and with each sip of her drink, that anger began to drive her curiosity.

  Dexter and Jack were speaking in hushed tones in the corner, spittle flying from their mouths. Jessica could tell that they were talking about something that concerned Kenneth.

  If they didn’t think that this was personal for her, then they really didn’t understand their relationship.

  “Your brother was a force to be reckoned with. He never gave up and he proved himself to be a warrior among us. The hunt is our legacy and we take it seriously. Having an outsider take an interest in what we do has never been something that we allowed. He gave us a reason to believe that we didn’t have to do this alone. His death will echo across the land. We will pick up arms against those responsible. That is a vow I make to you.” Stephen was swaying on his feet and slurring his words.

  “He must have believed in what you were doing to take on the hunt.” Jessica was purposely baiting Stephen and hoping the liquor consumed was going to make him susceptible to her subtle questions. “My brother was always a fighter, but he wouldn’t have taken up your cause if he didn’t think it was important.” Jessica waited with bated breath for more information on the hunt.

  “The hunt could’ve been avoided had we all been able to get along. The mouth breathers have other ideas.” Stephen had lost any semblance of what he was saying and was just spewing with no filter. “I was very fond of your brother. I admit
that I wasn’t exactly on board with him working alongside us. He changed my opinion when he saved my life for the third time. He really was fearless and had ice water running through his veins. You should be very proud of him. He died a warrior’s death.” Stephen felt somebody pulling him away from the table. Jack had taken exception to him telling stories out of school.

  “You’ve had more than enough. You should leave and walk it off. Find some ditch to lie down in and sleep until morning.” Jack was in no mood to play referee, but he felt like he owed a debt to Kenneth to keep his sister out of this.

  Jack watched as Stephen singled out a young woman of questionable morals. They had history together which he was going to capitalize on for the night. Stephen kept looking back at Jack until his attention was wanted elsewhere.

  Jack went outside for a breath of fresh air and Jessica decided to follow, thinking he needed somebody to talk to. “I’ve been selfish. This has to be hard on you. I was only thinking about my feelings.” She wasn’t expecting him to turn and grab her by the hand like he suddenly did. They went out of sight of those who might judge them for their actions.

  “I’ve been trying to keep things neutral, but it’s not easy. You standing there looking so damn good and smelling like wildflowers is not helping anything. It was not a good idea for you to follow me.” Jack pushed her up against the wall, inhaling the scent of her hair and moving his hands down along the contours of her shapely body. He could feel the heat penetrating his palm through her clothing.

  Jessica felt the long and unyielding presence of his manhood. It was quite the specimen and something that she was anticipating getting her hands and her mouth on. She frantically unzipped him, snapping his button open and then reaching in to grab onto the heated flesh of his manly column. It felt too good to be true. Feeling it was not the same as tasting it.