Val stood there a moment as everything sank in. He ran a hand over his face. Holy shit. When he’d first met Saint, he might have wished for a relationship, but he never thought it possible. He certainly hadn’t expected Saint to be the one to pursue him. It should have felt like things were moving too fast, but it didn’t. Damn it, Frank had been right. When it worked, it worked.

  Almost an hour later, he’d just about finished when his phone rang. Maybe Saint was on his way to pick up dinner. With a smile, Val removed his phone. He frowned at the “Unknown Caller” message on his screen. Maybe it was Ryden. Val needed to add him to his contacts list. He was shit at doing that. Then he’d end up scrolling a bunch of texts trying to find the person and number he was looking for when with the click of a button he could just add them to his contacts. Saint would tease the shit out of him if he knew.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Chief.”

  Val frowned at the familiar voice he hadn’t heard in years, and for good reason. “Adrian?”

  “So you haven’t forgotten me.”

  How could he? After what Adrian had put him through? No. Val wouldn’t forget him. Ever. Unfortunately.

  “Why are you calling me?”

  “Why? Thought I’d forget about you ruining my life?”

  “Are you kidding me? I ruined your life? You accused me of sexual assault to get me fired! You took me to court and tried to get me sent to prison.” What the hell? Val might not have forgotten Adrian, but he’d put the whole ordeal behind him. This had been years ago. Why the hell was Adrian harassing him now?

  “You deserve to rot in jail, you son of a bitch.”

  “For being gay? Are you for fucking real? What the hell do you want, Adrian.” Val hadn’t heard from this asshole in years, and suddenly…. It struck him then, and Val froze. “Oh shit.”

  “There it is. You must be slowing down in your old age.”

  “Adrian, tell me you’re not the one behind all this.”

  “You took everything from me. Now I’m going to do the same for you. See you soon, Chief.”

  “Wait! Adrian, what did you do? Adrian!”

  Adrian hung up, and Val couldn’t believe this was happening. That mess had happened so long ago. Val might have put it behind him, but obviously, Adrian hadn’t. But why now? Shit, okay. Adrian was planning something, and considering what he’d already done, it could be anything. Val should call—His phone rang. It was Ryden. Val quickly picked up.

  “Hey, is everything okay?” Val asked, his heart in his throat.

  “Is Saint there with you? I’ve been trying to call him but can’t reach him. Please tell me he’s with you.”

  “Ryden, what’s going on? Saint’s not here. His neighbor called him about a leak in his apartment.”

  “Oh fuck.”

  An icy shiver went up Val’s spine. “Ryden, talk to me.”

  “Saint’s apartment building is on fire.”

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Forty-five minutes earlier.

  Saint was flying high, and his heart was about to burst from his happiness. Man, he never thought he’d meet someone who made him feel like this. He turned up his music as he sang along at the top of his lungs and drummed his hands on the steering wheel. He was giddy and didn’t even care.

  Holy shit, he’d just sucked Val’s dick.

  How had he gone from denying his attraction to a man to getting on his knees for one? Then again, Val wasn’t just any man. He was sexy as fuck, funny, sweet, and refreshingly honest. Saint didn’t have to worry or wonder what Val was thinking because Val just told him. No secrets, no lies, no pretending, no games. Saint hated mind games. If Val was mad at him for something, he would say it.

  Val also looked after him, which was nice. Saint never knew he needed that sometimes, to be taken care of, have someone looking out for his needs. And the sex….

  When Val had turned around, his cock thick, the rosy tip leaking with precome…Saint had never wanted to taste something so badly in his life. He hadn’t even stopped to think about it, just dropped to his knees and swallowed him. Admittedly, it had been a little strange at first. The feel, the taste, the unfamiliarity, but Val turned Saint on so completely that Saint was ready for round two a heartbeat later.

  The more sounds Val made, the more he moaned, gasped, sucked in his breath, and panted, the more Saint wanted from him. He wanted to see Val’s gorgeous naked body, muscles twitching and moving, as Val begged him for more. The way his lips parted as he made those sinful sounds.

  “Woah, easy there, stud.” Saint had to adjust himself and calm down. He was not going to see Mrs. Alvarez with a damned boner. His phone rang, and he hit the button on his steering wheel to answer. “Hey there, Marine.”

  “Well, someone sounds chipper,” Ryden said, then gasped. “Ooh, did you diddle the fire chief?”

  Saint barked out a laugh. “What? What does that even mean?”

  “Oh, you know what it means, Sailor. Did you slide down his pole, or did he slide down yours?”

  “I’m not answering that.”

  “But there was pole sliding going on.”

  “You’re ridiculous.”

  “Doesn’t mean I’m wrong. So, everything is good between you two, then?”

  “Yeah, it is. It’s more than good.” All he could think about was getting home to Val, jumping into bed, and having as much sex as possible.

  “Hello? Earth to Saint.”

  “What?”

  Ryden broke into laughter. “Oh my god, you were thinking about sex, weren’t you? Hot, sweaty man sex.”

  “Is this really happening?” Saint asked, shaking his head as he turned onto the road that led to his apartment building. “I mean, it feels like we were just at his retirement party, and I was still straight.”

  “Oh, sweet summer child. You were never straight. You’re about as straight as a Slinky. You ever have one of those growing up?”

  “I had several. Couldn’t keep them from getting tangled.”

  “You were one of those kids who took their toys apart to see how they worked, weren’t you?”

  “Guilty as charged. And I bet you were one of those kids who stuck firecrackers in their toys to see how high they could fly.”

  Ryden laughed. “Oh shit! How did you know?”

  “Lucky guess.”

  “Anyway, I was calling because the word is you’ll be returning soon. Heard King talking to Mason. It looks like you’ll get to enjoy my glorious company in person.”

  “I don’t know about ‘glorious,’ but sure. Let’s go with that.”

  “Dick.”

  Saint chuckled. “I’m glad King made me take some vacation time. Didn’t even know I needed it.”

  “That’s why he’s King. I guess you can thank him for your new boyfriend. Oh shit, King Cupid strikes again!” Ryden laughed loudly. “This is amazing!”

  “Please call him that to his face.”

  “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, it ain’t gonna fuckin’ happen. I’ll tell you that much.”

  Saint had to laugh. Hearing Ryden scream and take off running from King’s office like a bat out of hell had been the funniest shit Saint had ever seen. Then he’d made the mistake of hiding behind Mason’s desk, while Mason sat there. Seconds later, Ryden fell out from behind the desk. Well, more like he was pushed out.

  “I gotta go,” Saint said. “Picking some stuff up at my apartment and checking in on a possible leak.”

  “Cool. Talk to you later.”

  Saint hung up just as he pulled into the parking lot. He sighed. “Really?”

  The damned streetlamp was out again. He’d lost count of the times the electric company had been out to repair it. Why wouldn’t they replace the thing? It was older than dirt, the wood cracked, and full of holes everywhere, and every year, it leaned a little more to the right.

  Shaking his head, he parked in his spot and turned the engine off. He’d call later. Getting out of his truck, he set the alarm and headed inside the building with a bit of a skip in his step. Maybe he’d swing by the shop that had those mint chocolate chip cookies Val loved so much. He took the stairs two at a time to his apartment while thinking about Val and how freaking sexy his man was. He stilled.

  His man.

  A dopey grin came onto his face as he hurried the rest of the way up. Good grief, he was like some lovesick teenager. With a shrug, he took his keys out and entered his apartment. The sound of running water got him moving.

  “What the hell?” Saint’s bathroom door was closed. He opened it, cursing as he stepped into about an inch of water. He hurried over to the tub and shut the water off. He never would have left the bathtub running or plugged up. Especially since he didn’t use his tub, only the shower. What the hell was going in? “What a fucking mess.” As the water drained from the tub, he went into the small closet in the kitchen to grab the mop and bucket. He’d soak up as much as possible before throwing towels on the floor. The bedroom carpet just outside the door was soaked. His landlord was not going to be happy about this.

  Saint walked back to the bathroom when his phone rang. It was probably Mrs. Alvarez to check in on him. He tapped the screen and held the phone to his ear.

  “Hey, Mrs. Alvarez. I’m here, and the water’s off. I’m so sorry, I didn’t—”

  “Hello, Saint.”

  “Who is this?” Definitely not Mrs. Alvarez.

  “This is the guy who’s going to kill your boyfriend.”

  Saint’s blood turned to ice. It was him. “You stay the fuck away from Val. Do you hear me, you son of a bitch!”

  “Valentino Serrano ruined my life, so I’m going to take his. But first, I’m going to let him watch you burn.”

  “What?”

  Saint’s heart leaped in his throat when the call hung up. Fuck. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and something told him to get the fuck out of there now. Listening to his instincts, Saint took off, throwing open the apartment door and darting through it. He’d just made it out into the hall when an explosion rocked the building, sending Saint stumbling forward. He hit the floor and covered his head as heat and fire whooshed over him. Debris and burnt pieces of his belongings rained down, along with chunks of wall and ceiling.

  Something landed next to him, and he lifted his head. One of Fitz’s throw pillows was singed and on fire. Shaking his head, he quickly got moving, scrambling to his feet. The explosion might have been contained to his apartment, but who knew how many more bombs that psychopath had planted in the building? He had to get everyone to safety.

  The shrilling sound of fire alarms filled the air, and to his relief, people were leaving their apartments with children, pets, and family members in tow. Saint went to each door on his floor, checking that everyone had vacated. He knocked loud and shouted to make sure he could be heard.

  His apartment building was the smaller of two buildings, each with only three floors and not many apartments. When he’d first moved in, he made sure to introduce himself to everyone so he knew who lived where, and so they knew who he was, so that in case of emergencies just like this, they’d be more open to listening to him.

  Moving onto the second floor, he was glad to see the familiar faces of the tenants as they hurried toward the stairs.

  “Everyone out! It’s not safe,” He ushered a couple toward the stairs and continued to check inside open doors, knocking hard on closed ones. It was just past seven in the evening, the sun had recently set, and many of the tenants in his building were retirees. Once the second floor was clear, he moved onto the ground floor. He helped Mr. Philips, an Army veteran from the Vietnam War who walked with a cane. “I got you, Mr. Philips.”

  The good news was that everyone was out. The bad news was that they were all hanging around right outside the building.

  “Okay, we need to move away from the building,” he said, motioning across the lot.

  “Santos!” Mrs. Alvarez cried when she saw him. “¡Ay dios mío! ¿Que está pasando?”

  “There’s been an explosion, Mrs. Alvarez.” He addressed the crowd of confused tenants again. “Everyone, there’s been an explosion. The building is on fire. We need to move as far away from the building as possible.”

  That sure as hell got everyone moving.

  Saint helped those with mobility issues and directed others to assist. They quickly got everyone across the lot near the apartment building across from them.

  In the distance, Saint could hear fire engines and police vehicles approaching. Now that everyone was safe, it sank in. The fucker had blown up his apartment! And he assumed the intent had been for him to be in it. Now, more than ever, he was grateful that he’d listened to King when his boss had advised him to get a safety deposit box for all his important documents, including his passport. Everything else in his apartment was just things. Anything of sentimental value was at his mom’s.

  But he couldn’t say the same about his poor neighbors. If the fire department didn’t put the flames out, all these people would lose everything. This bastard had to be stopped. Another explosion went off, but this one was different. It was related to the fire. Wait. The fire was spreading fast. Way faster than normal. Fuck. That bastard had used an accelerant.

  What could have happened between this guy and Val to make the guy commit murder? And why hadn’t Val mentioned him? Or had he? Could it be one of the firefighters who’d been fired back then? It made sense. He turned around and spotted a dark figure beside the burning building near the pond.

  No way. That son of a bitch!

  Had he waited around to make sure Saint had been caught in the explosion? To watch his handywork?

  “Wait for the police,” Saint told the others before he took off. Whoever the bastard was, he wouldn’t wait for Saint to get to him. The moment Saint bolted in his direction, the guy darted off.

  Saint broke into a full run, surprised that the guy was fast. Really fast. When the guy got to the fence behind the building, he jumped over it. Saint cursed under his breath and did the same. He landed on the grass on the other side and took off again. They sped down Clipper Street, weaving between houses and through people’s backyards before the guy cut through someone’s lawn to get to Schooner Court. Where the hell was he going?

  It soon became clear. Saint knew the area well; although most of it was residential houses and apartment buildings, there were also businesses. The guy was heading toward the inn. Around the small inn were several small businesses, including a self-storage place, which meant lots of places for him to hide.

  As Saint suspected, the guy disappeared into the shadows in the self-storage lot. Saint slowed down. He needed to be careful, especially since he was unarmed. Damn, his gun. Good thing his safe was fireproof. Though he wasn’t sure how well it held up against explosions.

  Some of the lampposts and lights were out, and Saint was sure that wasn’t a coincidence. He slipped into the shadows, making his steps as light as he could as he moved. The guy was close. Saint could feel it. He couldn’t underestimate his opponent. This man’s grudge was so fierce he’d planted explosive devices and shot at innocent people. He had no problem with killing and couldn’t care less who got in the way.

  Saint considered turning location tracking on in his phone, but if he did, his phone would light up and tell this guy exactly where Saint was. Speaking of giving his position away, he reached into his pocket and flicked the button to silence his phone. It wasn’t ideal, facing this guy without using his phone, but if the guy couldn’t see him, Saint had a better chance of getting to him first.

  I know you’re there. Saint crouched between the fence and the self-storage facility’s back wall. He listened intently, hearing sirens in the distance, the traffic on A1A, and the usual sounds of frogs and crickets. Val had mentioned having several altercations, two of which had been with firefighters who’d lost their jobs. It made sense that one of them could be behind this, considering how quickly his apartment building had caught fire. What didn’t make sense was how Jack hadn’t found anything about this guy returning to Florida. There had to be more to this.

  Saint moved closer to the end of the self-storage unit and peaked out. He could see the inn’s parking lot from here, but there was no movement. Scanning the area, he saw nothing. Was the guy hiding, or had he run off? Saint had just rounded the corner when a bright light burst on, hitting him in the face and blinding him.

  “Fuck!” He threw his left hand over his eyes and quickly stepped back, swinging when he felt someone near him. Blinking repeatedly didn’t help. All he saw was white. So he closed his eyes and backed up, his fists in front of him, not that it would help if he was shot at.

  Feeling someone moving in behind him, he whirled around and swung, satisfied when his fist connected with a body.

  “You cocksucker!”

  Well, guess it was obvious who’d sent those thugs after Val. Although his vision was bright and blurry, Saint could see movement and jumped out of the way when something came toward him.

  “Okay, enough!” The guy shouted, and the distinct sound of a gun cocking had Saint going still. “Move, and I’ll shoot you. Do you think I’m going to fight you?” He snorted. “Please. I know you were a SEAL. Now turn around. Or this time, I won’t miss.”

  Smart. The guy stayed far enough away so Saint couldn’t grab the gun.

  “Turn around.”

  Saint turned, his hands up at his sides. His vision was starting to return to normal. “What now? Have you even thought this far ahead? I assume you were expecting me to die in my apartment.”

  “I didn’t assume anything. Like I said, I knew you were a SEAL. Now move.” He shoved the gun into Saint’s back.

  “I heard you,” Saint growled. “Where exactly am I moving to?” He walked into the lot and paused again. This time when he stopped, he whirled around and grabbed the gun with his right, twisted it, and swung with his left. The guy went reeling back. It had been easy, which should have been his first warning.

  Something sharp struck Saint in the arm, and he cursed, his hand automatically going to the source of the pain. He glared down at the object sticking out of him.