Page 64 of Flash Freeze

“Something like that. Anyway, everyone said I made the right call, so …”

“Sweetie, I’m so sorry.” Athena cupped Flash’s cheeks, gently turned her head, and kissed her lips. “It’s hard. Being the one in charge doesn’t mean you always make the right call, and it doesn’t mean you can save everyone. But at the end of the day, you kept your people safe and did the best you could. That’s all anyone can do.”

“I think it’s things piling up,” Flash admitted. She reached out and pulled Athena’s hair free from its clip, letting it spill over her shoulders. “Finding the victim at the warehouse, learning Velasquez was on the take, making mistakes, then losing a victim. The Bayou Bistro owner said his manager went inside to check on the smoke, and no one knew where she was when we arrived. We called out and searched, but we had to stop the fire before it spread to the neighboring building. There was no reason for her to be in the upstairs office where we found her afterward.”

“I’ll ask Detective Bach to have someone look into it,” Athena said. She stroked Flash’s arms soothingly. “You protected your team, put the fire out, and located the victim.”

“Yeah, I did my job,” Flash muttered. “But I could have sent someone upstairs first.”

“Was there a reason to?”

“Not that I could determine at the time. The fire was in the kitchen. It hadn’t spread to the rest of the building yet. We needed to knock it out and were more worried about the victim being in there, where the fire was. I don’t know what happened. Maybe she went up to the office to get something important, slipped, hit her head, and breathed in smoke while unconscious. I don’t know.” Flash shook her head. “The office shared a wall with the kitchen and suffered damage.”

“If Captain Jake said you made the right calls, then you did,” Athena declared. “How did you know the roof was about to collapse?”

Flash explained to her about the smoke, the sounds, and her gut feelings. One thing had become increasingly clear to Athena over the past several months: Flash truly knew what she was doing and how to stay safe in dangerous situations. It wasn’t bluster—it was confidence based on knowledge, experience, and intuition. It eased Athena’s fears about Flash being hurt or killed on the job.

Unfortunately, firefighting wasn’t what worried her most.

Athena hadn’t been in a serious relationship since she became an FBI agent more than twenty years ago, so how could she know how her job might affect Flash or put her in danger? She wrestled with herself over bringing up the subject.

“Yeah, I know,” Flash admitted and forced a smile. “It still sucks.” She trailed her fingers through Athena’s hair and along her neck. “That’s why I needed to hear Unlimited, to keep faith and hope alive. Did you ever wish you could fly?”

Athena laughed, sliding her hands to Flash’s waist. “All the time.”

“Me too.” Flash pulled her into a kiss. “The thing is, I believe one day I might really do it.”

“If anyone can defy gravity, Flash, it’ll be you.”

A brush of the lips deepened into a languid kiss, arousing Athena to her core. She forgot about halting relationships for her partner’s safety and leaned into how much she wanted this … before she got too old … before it was too late.

“Arf!” Snuffles began to whine and paw at Flash’s leg. They eased apart, laughing, and Flash acknowledged her.

“What did I say about interrupting smooches?” Flash gave her a stern look and held up a finger.

Snuffles yawned big and flicked her tongue before easing all four paws back to the floor. Relenting, Flash patted her, giving her lots of love.

“How about I throw something together for us to eat, and then we can watch Wonder Woman or a movie with a flying superheroine?” Athena suggested.

A mischievous grin played over Flash’s lips while her eyes danced like candlelight. “Do you know what’s coming up in a couple of days? I’ll give you a hint—hearts and chocolates and declarations of love.”

Athena smirked. “I got you a present, and I’m not telling what it is.”

“I’m working on a plan,” Flash confessed, “though I don’t have every detail in place. It will be epic … or an epic fail. Either way, memorable. I’m so glad you’re here.”

Athena traced Flash’s jawline and chin, soaking in her teasing gaze. She jerked her fingers away just in time as Flash opened her mouth to chomp on one. Flash laughed. That’s all it took to flood Athena with joy. “I love you, Flash Cash. Now, before you start gnawing on my fingers, let me see what’s in the kitchen to eat.” Snuffles trotted after her, ever hopeful a morsel would land on the floor where she could claim it.

Chapter 30

Friday, February 13

Snuffles pounced onto Flash’s shoulder, sniffing in her ear. It was one of her favorite ways to say, “I’ve got to go!” Normally, it would be fine, but Flash now had to disentangle herself from Athena without waking her. She glanced at the clock, let out a little groan, and whispered, “It’s only 5:30. You don’t get up until six.”

The dog whined and dug in the blanket covering Flash’s bare shoulder. When Flash responded with a disapproving look, Snuffles licked her nose.

Flash didn’t want to move. It seemed so incredible that such an extraordinary woman still wanted to share her bed that she could easily remain beneath these covers holding her all day. But here was that adorable, pleading face. An accident always left Snuffles looking ashamed.

“All right,” she whispered, carefully sliding limbs out from under and around the gorgeous special agent in charge of her division. She supposed Athena’s rank roughly equaled the one Velasquez had held in the HFD. Athena would never take a bribe.