Free Against the Fire by Kat Martin

investments around, and she made it a point to convince her clients she was right.
    Everything about Tracy Spencer spoke of confidence and success, an image Tracy went out of her way to project. It was her way of keeping the awful memories of her childhood at bay. Mattie believed Tracy’s outgoing personality masked a deep insecurity that stemmed from the violence she had suffered as a child.
    Though Tracy dated a lot, she had never been married, never even had a serious relationship. Since neither of them were particularly good with men, they considered themselves lucky to have each other.
    “Okay, come on.” Tracy caught Mattie’s arm as she returned to the living room and hauled her toward the door. “Got your purse? Let’s rock and roll!”
    Mattie laughed, eager for the one night out a week she allowed herself, and headed for the car.

    Gabe finished his meeting and drove home. After a discussion of the pros and cons of various downtown improvement projects, a battle that had dragged on for hours, he deserved a little relaxation. He changed out of his sport coat and slacks into a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. A few minutes later, he was on his way to the Hammerfield building and his rendezvous with Sam, more than ready for an ice-cold beer.
    And he was curious to see how the remodel had turned out. He always liked seeing historic places renovated and brought back to life, and the Hammerfield building had been around for a hundred years.
    Gabe parked in the lot and made his way to the front of the three-story brick structure that had been refitted and repainted. From what he could tell, the upper floors had been converted into offices. A neon sign above the entrance to the first floor read, Club Rio.
    An unusual name, Gabe thought, but as he walked in, he understood why. Karaoke had gotten its start in Brazil. Apparently, the popular amateur singing went on three nights a week at the club. And the menu posted beside the door featured a number of Brazilian dishes including churrasco, Brazilian barbecued meat, and cocktails like a ciparina, a very strong sugar cane drink. The owner had gone for something out of the ordinary, and from the sound of the noisy crowd inside it was working.
    Gabe made a quick perusal of the interior. The walls were painted with brightly colored parrots and huge banana plants. He smiled his approval and made his way to the bar.
    Sam stood in front of the long, sweeping, black granite counter, sipping from a bottle of Lone Star Beer. “You made it.”
    “You didn’t think I would?” Gabe caught the bartender’s eye and pointed to Sam’s brew, ordering one for himself.
    “I wasn’t completely sure. You’ve seemed a little distracted lately.”
    He thought of the fire, of Angel and Mattie. “Yeah, I guess I have been.”
    “You talk to Parsons about rebuilding the lobby?”
    He nodded, picked up the icy brown bottle the bartender set in front of him. “He wants us to start again yesterday.”
    Sam chuckled. “Don’t they all?”
    Gabe took a swallow of his beer. From where they stood, he had a clear view of the stage where the karaoke singers performed. A high-tech projector hidden overhead allowed the amateur entertainers to belt out the words to whatever song was playing at the moment. Currently, a dark-haired guy in skinny black jeans and a T-shirt with a dragon on the front sang the words to an old Beatles tune, an incongruous picture to say the least. Paul McCartney he wasn’t.
    Still, the crowd appeared to be entertained, giving the singer a hearty round of applause when he finished.
    “Fun place,” Gabe said.
    “You ever try it?”
    Gabe grunted. “I’ve got a voice like a bullfrog.”
    “Mine’s no good, either. Besides, I’d rather listen. Believe it or not, some of the singers are pretty good.”
    Gabe wasn’t sure he believed it. So far, the best of them had only been mediocre. He guessed it didn’t matter as long as everyone was having a good time.
    He