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“He’s in his crate, safe and sound.”
“My father still making you take him home?”
Finn turned his attention to Russell and nodded his head. Extending his hand, he said, “Finn Ward. Nice to meet you.”
Russell flashed a huge smile. “Russell McCormick, and the pleasure’s mine.”
Damn it. I’m so bad at introducing people. “Oh, sorry!” I was about to explain who Russell was when Finn spoke first.
“Well, y’all enjoy your date night. I’ve gotta run.”
My mouth dropped open, and got even wider when I saw Russell sit up a bit more and stick out his chest. He made no attempt to make clear to Finn that he was my coworker.
“No…wait. Russell is—”
The radio on Finn’s belt went off with an alarm. I wasn’t sure why he was wearing it if he was off duty.
Glancing over to me, he gave me what appeared to be a forced smile. “See you around, Rory.” Then he quickly headed to the door and left.
“Firefighter friend?”
I’d been staring at the door. I quickly looked at Russell. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“This Finn guy—friend of yours or more?”
With an awkward laugh, I shook my head. “No, we’re just friends.”
“Sounds like he knows your father.”
I nodded. “He works at the same station my father is the captain of.”
“I see.”
Taking a bite of my pizza, I forced myself to chew it and swallow. For some reason I was bothered Finn thought I was on a date. There was no way anything could happen between the two of us. As much as I wanted to feel his lips on mine again. The distraction would not be good at all. Especially starting this new case. But knowing he thought I was seeing someone didn’t sit well with me.
“Wait. Finn Ward. I believe I’ve heard your father mention him and another firefighter from his station.”
Perking up, I leaned in closer. “When did you hear my father mention Finn?”
Russell shook his head and pinched his brows together. “Let me think….His name sounds so familiar.” He snapped his finger and pointed at me, causing me to jump in surprise. “I know! It was at the union meeting. Finn was talking to you, right?”
“For a brief moment.”
“Yes, your dad made an off-the-wall comment about Finn being…well…maybe I shouldn’t repeat what I heard.”
My eyes widened. “Yes, I think you should repeat it. Now that you’ve brought it up and made me curious.”
Russell looked around and leaned in closer. It was like he was about to let me in on some big secret.
“He said Finn was the station player and that he and…I think the other guy’s name was Colton, that they liked their women, that’s all he said.”
Drawing back, I sucked in a breath. “What? Did he say anything else?”
“No. No, that was it. I mean he mumbled something else, but honestly I wasn’t paying attention to his conversation that much.”
Pressing my lips together, I got lost in thought for a moment. Maybe that was why Daddy didn’t like Finn. Why he gave him Flash to take care of. That didn’t make sense, though. My father would never make a comment like that about one of his guys.
“Are you sure he was talking about Finn? That doesn’t sound like my father to gossip about one of his guys.”
Russell shrugged. “I’m simply telling you what I heard. Maybe he didn’t like you talking to him. Who knows. Hey do you want that last piece?”
My eyes drifted down to the slice of pizza. I shook my head. “No. Have at it.”
The way my heart was aching left me confused. Or maybe I was confused at the idea of my father talking like that about one of his guys. I knew for a fact that most single firefighters had healthy dating lives. That never had my father commenting before, so why would he now?
“Rory? Hey, you in there?” Russell snapped his fingers in front of my face.
“Jesus, sorry. I was thinking about…about um…the case.”
“Yeah. Something’s not adding up right. This kid seems like an all-around good guy. Catholic schools growing up. Volunteers once a week. But then again, looks can be deceiving.”
Leaning back against the booth, I sighed. “I think I’m going to go down to the station and talk to his coworkers. If anyone knows him, they will.”
Russell laughed. “Listen, Rory, I know you’re fired up about this case and you have something to prove, but follow my lead on this one. There’s a reason I’m up for junior partner.”
Oh. No. He. Did. Not.
I tilted my head and took Russell in. “Are you worried I’m going to step on your toes, Russell? I thought we working on this together.”
“We are. But I’m lead attorney on this one, and to be honest, people are watching how I handle this case. If I was to let you walk into a fire station all alone, what would your mother or the other partners think? I mean after all, this is a sexual assault case against a firefighter.”
