Jesus, we were all morbid.

The cops followed us to the hospital, and made a note of our concerns before following up with the man and his heart-eating bugs.

"Do you think it was because they were playing some sort of kink games in their s.e.xcapades?" I grinned devilishly at my partner.

Winter snorted. "I really don't want to know. Now let's get our a.s.ses back to the station. We get off in five."

Miraculously, we made it back to the station and our vehicles without being called back.

Which was freaking awesome since I had plans with a certain man and his son.

Johnny was a bundle of energy if I'd ever seen one. The boy was just nuts. He barely ever slowed down, and when he finally did, it was because he was sleeping.

The boy slept in the weirdest of places too. It's like the need for sleep caught him during a weak moment, slowing him down long enough for him to realize his exhaustion, which, inevitably, left him sleeping the weirdest of places.

Which was why when I found the young boy sleeping on the trampoline in Sebastian's backyard, I wasn't surprised. Someone, most likely Sebastian, covered him up with a beach towel, and zipped up the safety nets so he didn't roll off in his sleep.

I found my man down at the dock with a Cane fishing pole at his feet, and a beer in his hand.

"How are they biting tonight?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around his neck from behind, giving his neck a kiss.

His free hand came up and wrapped around my bicep. "Pretty good, actually. The mosquitoes, too. Spray some bug spray on real quick." He said, pointing at the can of spray on the dock beside him.

I was like a honing beacon to all mosquitoes. I'd be outside for all of seven seconds before I sported no less than twenty bites. Which was why I'd doused myself in the car before I'd even gotten out.

"Already ahead of you." I said, circling his chair and sitting down on his lap.

His arms lifted as I sat gingerly on his lap, and then leaned back, letting my head fall to his shoulder.

His face turned, and he ran his bearded face along my hair before kissing my temple.

"How was work?" He asked conversationally.

"f.u.c.king awesome." I quipped.

"Anymore fires?" He asked, tensing slightly.

He'd shared with me that he thought those fires weren't quite what they seemed to be, and that he thought that it may be a serial arsonist.

"No. Just a guy that zip tied his b.a.l.l.s and d.i.c.k." I confirmed.

Sebastian snorted, but it didn't really surprise him. He was a firefighter, he'd seen just as much, if not more, than I had.

"Jesus. People these days. I got a bite. Bring him in for me." Sebastian said, tapping my thigh urgently.

I leaned forward, and d.a.m.n near did a header into the lake. I would have, too, if it weren't for Sebastian grabbing my blue jean's waistband before I could go over.

Then whatever was on the pole started pulling extremely hard, and I had to hold on with both hands. "Oh, my G.o.d. Take this thing from me before whatever it is pulls me down below the water and kills me." I shrieked.

Sebastian chuckled before standing, grabbing the pole, and then setting it off to the side.

I relinquished the pole readily, and looped my arms around the beam at the end of the pier, watching in fascination as Sebastian's muscled arms tightened as the force of the fish on his pole snapped the cane pole in half.

His quick reflexes reared their head, and Sebastian grabbed a hold on the line with his bare hand, and turned it, wrapping the line around his fist, and efficiently reeling the fish in at the same time.

It didn't take long until he had the fish up and out of the water with the help of the net that was hanging on the beam beside my head.

He scooped the ugly monster up and grinned triumphantly.

"What the f.u.c.k is that?" I gasped when I got my first good look at the ugly thing.

"This," he said as he held it up for my examination, "is an alligator gar."

"Those things are in the lake I swim in?" I gulped.

"Oh, yeah." He said, cutting the line so it wouldn't bite his hand off at the wrist.

It fell back into the water with a large splash, and swam away into the murky depths of the water.

"How big was that thing?" I asked eyes wide.

"Three feet or so. You about ready to hit the BBQ joint I told you about?" He asked as he collapsed the rest of the cane pole and leaned it up against a tree at the end of the dock.

"Yep. Who are we meeting?" I asked as I walked with Sebastian up the sloped yard.

"Kettle and his date. We'd planned to go just the two of us last week, but the girl he wants told him the only way she'd meet him for dinner was if it was a group setting at a quiet place, and it just deteriorated from there when I had to bring y'all." Sebastian replied grimly.

I burst out laughing, waking the sleeping Johnny with the echoes.

His little head popped up from the mat of the trampoline, and started back at his mile a minute antics.

We both watched as he started jumping, using the blanket that had been covering him as a cape, shouting to the world that he was Superman.

"Are you trying to say that bringing your girlfriend and kid with you deteriorated things?" I asked as I smiled up at him.

His mouth was set in a teasing grin as he looked down at her. "Yeah, it started out as beer and barbeque. Now it's going to be my kid going all Joker from Batman in the place and me chasing after him...not having a beer."

I snorted. "That's just the price you pay when you have children. I always tell my brother that, too. What exactly did you boys think would happen when you had s.e.x? There's always that possibility, that's the risk you take."

"If I could f.u.c.k you every day, I wouldn't complain about any kids. As long as you were there to help. This single parent thing is no joke. Even with all the help I get from the club and Lindsey's mother. And now you. I never realized it would be this hard. When he was a baby he was much easier. Now I have to watch him constantly. Or he'll...oomph."

The breath hissed out of Sebastian's lungs as Johnny tried to launch himself out of the trampoline without any thought to the fact that he wasn't actually Superman, and he couldn't fly. Sebastian had to dive forward to catch the boy before he did a belly flop on the hard, unforgiving ground.

"Jesus." He growled, tossing Superman over his shoulder and stalking back to the house.

I followed, laughing at him as he stomped up the porch steps, into the kitchen, and set Jonny down on his feet.

"Go take a p.i.s.s, boy." Sebastian ordered.

Johnny followed his orders. Only he turned around and went back outside, and was peeing off the back porch before Sebastian, nor I, could object.

When I looked back at Sebastian, his hand was covering his eyes in exasperation.

"You know you love him." I goaded.

"I love the f.u.c.k out of him. But sometimes it's...stop p.i.s.sing on my tomatoes you little s.h.i.t!" Sebastian bellowed.

Johnny turned his urine stream back towards the gra.s.s as ordered.

In only a few more moments, Johnny was finished and they headed to Sebastian's truck.

They were situated and backing out of the driveway when Sebastian cursed.

"s.h.i.t. Be right back." Sebastian said as he threw the truck in park and released his seatbelt.

He returned moments later with his leather cut over his shoulders, and the Dixie Wardens symbol dominating his back.

I stayed silent as Sebastian got back in and drove to the restaurant. I really wanted to ask about a million questions about his club, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the answers. Not to mention I didn't want to be told I couldn't have those answers.

Kettle met us at the door wearing his own Dixie Wardens cut, looking intimidating as h.e.l.l, despite his beauty.

He was tall, nearly 6'5, according to Sebastian, and built to kick a.s.s. His hair was styled into a Mohawk of rich chocolate brown, and his skin was a smooth golden brown. I guessed that he was of Italian descent with the patrician features. His face was eloquent, sharp lines, and a strong jaw. His nose was perfectly straight, and not a blemish was in sight. He looked like a bada.s.s to the extreme, even in his perfectly creased jeans and dark grey V-neck shirt.

And his name was the s.h.i.t.

That'd been one of the only things that Sebastian had told me about one of the club members.

He'd explained that despite his size, Kettle was a levelheaded man. He was easy to get along with, didn't find much fault in anybody. One second he'd be perfectly happy, then something, or someone, would disrupt his calm, and he'd just snap.

Like the whistle of a teakettle. One moment all was quiet, the next, the whistle of the teakettle would sound, and Kettle would ignite.

Sebastian's phone rang, and he cursed.

"Will you get Johnny out?" Sebastian asked, not waiting for an answer before stepping out of the truck and slamming the door.

"Of course." I muttered.

Johnny watched me with his father's eyes as I unbuckled him from his seat, and then gathered him in my arms. He wrapped his hands around my neck, pulled me closer, and kissed my cheek.

"I love you."

My heart warmed. "I love you too, Sweet Pea."

He was so sweet. He'd been telling me that for weeks now, whenever he saw me. He'd tell me over the phone, and as the weeks pa.s.sed by, I fell more and more in love with the little boy.

As we reached the entrance, I finally caught the tail end of the phone conversation Sebastian was having.

"...are you sure? Is there a gas can and a grill? Yeah? f.u.c.k. I'll be there in five." Sebastian growled as he punched the off b.u.t.ton and barreled back to the truck.

"I'm sorry, baby. I have to go. There's been another arson. Kettle, can I borrow your truck?" He asked urgently.

In answer, Kettle removed his keys from his pocket, tossed them towards Sebastian's waiting hand, and caught Sebastian's in return.

"Give 'em a ride home for me. We'll switch back trucks later. Thanks." He said rushing towards me, giving me and his son a quick kiss, and then taking off at a dead run towards Kettle's truck.

We all watched in silence as he pulled out of the parking lot, and sped in the general direction of downtown.

Turning my eyes to Kettle, I smiled uncertainly.

Kettle wrapped his arm around my shoulders and walked us inside, leading us to a seat where a very pretty woman sat.

The woman was about my age, twenty-seven or so. She was Hispanic with hard brown eyes. She looked like she took s.h.i.t from no one and ate nails for breakfast.

And I loved the shirt she was wearing, and told her so as soon as I made it up to the table.

She smiled shyly before glancing at Kettle at my side, and then coming back to rest on me. "Thank you."

Kettle held my hand out for Johnny, who went willingly.

Johnny and Kettle had a relationship like no other. It was like Kettle understood the three year olds every word, despite the fact that the majority of the time it sounded like gibberish.

Now that my hands were free, I held them out to the woman. "I'm Baylee Roberts. That's Johnny. Sebastian, his dad, had to leave. He was called to the scene of a fire." I said by way of greeting.

"I'm Annalise. It's nice to meet you." I said politely.

It didn't go unnoticed that she failed to mention her last name, which I felt had more to do with the fact that Kettle was watching and listening to her intently.

I enjoyed dinner with them, but felt horrible that Kettle had to drive me home, and Annalise had refused to go with us, citing work in the morning.

Kettle agreed, albeit reluctantly, to let her go. However, he'd made her promise to call him.

I knew she wouldn't, and Kettle did too by the hardness to his jaw.

I sensed more to this story, but since this wasn't my friend, nor someone I knew all that well, I didn't feel like it was my right to ask him what was going on.

Kettle was a nice man, and I appreciated him taking me home, even though he'd really, really wanted to stay with the woman.

Being the nosy woman I was, and searching for something neutral to talk about, I asked. "Why weren't you called out to that fire?"

He grimaced. "You heard that Sebastian was demoted when he'd been arrested, right?"

Sebastian had told my about his demotion a few weeks ago when he'd been released from wearing the ankle monitor that tracked his movements. He'd told me exactly why he was wearing it, and what had happened at the station in the aftermath.

"Yes, he told me he used to be Lieutenant. Why?" I asked him.

Kettle's jaw tightened and I admired how handsome he was, yet again.