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Yet as Bri flipped off the light and hurried toward the kitchen to join her sister, she couldn’t help wishing she was meeting a handsome ATF agent instead.
Because much as she’d welcome Alison’s input, Marc’s steady presence and mellow baritone voice would be even more reassuring than the Sig she would continue tucking into her concealed carry holster until whatever latent threat she might be facing was neutralized.
FOURTEEN
THIS WAS NOT HOW HE’D PLANNEDto spend his Saturday.
From fifty feet inside the police tape cordoning off the scene, Marc surveyed the popular mid-county restaurant crawling with law enforcement personnel from various jurisdictions. Typical when a fire resulted in multiple deaths, involved more than a million dollars in losses, and had potentially been caused by explosives.
While County was in charge, the request for ATF assistance wasn’t surprising for a blaze of this magnitude.
“I’m gonna run out for a burger. You want to come?” The second ATF agent who’d been dispatched to the scene joined him, keeping his back to the crowd gathered on the other side of the tape.
“No thanks. I don’t want to have a microphone shoved in my face.” Marc hooked a thumb toward the large media contingent milling about, jostling for the primo filming position and waiting to pounce on anyone who ventured within badgering range.
His colleague grinned. “I hear you, but hunger is a powerful motivator. I’m going to try to sneak out the back. You want me to bring you anything?”
Marc surveyed the scene again. Could be a long day. “Yeah. Whatever you’re having is fine with me. I’m not picky.”
“You got it. I’ll be back in thirty minutes.” The other man began stripping off his gear as he walked away.
Marc turned back to the restaurant—or what was left of it. Now that the fire was out, the bodies of the two victims had been removed, and the injured were being transported to hospitals, the investigative work could begin.
It was a shame Bri hadn’t been called in for this one. Not that she didn’t deserve a day off after the week she’d had. But it would be far more pleasant to work with her on this case than the two older guys who’d shown up from the Regional Bomb and Arson Unit.
Oh well. It was what it was.
Hard hat under his arm, he struck off toward the remains of the building, where his County fire investigation counterparts were continuing to do a preliminary walk-through of the scene, trying to nail down the point of origin. Once they had that, it would be—
“Marc Davis?”
He stopped and swiveled back. A sandy-haired thirtysomething guy, almost as tall as he was, stood a few feet away.
“Yes.”
“Our arson guys pointed you out.” After motioning toward the two men Marc had been working with for the past hour, he moved closer and extended his hand. “Jack Tucker. Homicide.”
It took a few seconds for the name to click into place.
Bri’s overprotective brother.
Why had the man sought him out?
Marc returned his firm clasp. “Nice to meet you. I know we haven’t met, but your sister told me you were with County.”
“That’s why I wanted to introduce myself. Bri’s mentioned you to me too.”
Mentioned?
Considering how her brother was sizing him up, she’d done more than that. Like, given him the impression she was interested in a certain ATF agent on more than a professional level, perhaps?
That was encouraging. Assuming he was interested too, of course.
Give it a break, Davis. You’re interested.
Okay. Fine. He’d admit that—even if their meeting hadn’t fallen within his timetable for reentering the dating world. And starting today, he was going to begin actively exploring that interest.
But what exactly had Bri said to her brother?
