Free A Hell Hound's Fire by Siobhan Muir

 
    Chapter One

    Alex MacLaren dreaded the coming night as
much as the storm rolling in from the west. Eight long years hadn’t
dimmed the pain of Lisa’s disappearance, but he continued to honor
her memory. Rain, wind, and cold threatened, the gray sky matching
his lingering sorrow.
    Dammit . Lisa had left him, running
into the darkness of another storm to pass away on her own terms.
He’d wanted to be with her, hold her, comfort her in her final
hours, but she’d insisted on doing it her way.
    She always had.
    All he had left of her was this simple
marker he’d erected at the point of the island in the river she’d
loved. He smoothed his hand over the cold stone and whispered a
prayer to Lisa’s continued peace. Or his own, he wasn’t sure
which.
    The 1812 Overture interrupted his solemn
thoughts and he swore softly before digging into his jacket pocket
for his phone. Only one person had that ringtone and Alex never
failed to answer.
    “What can I do for the Cloudburst PD,
Lieutenant Fitzroy?”
    “I need a favor, MacLaren. Can you come down
to the station?”
    “Yeah, I’ll be there in twenty.”
    Alex hung up and trotted into the house he’d
built with Lisa, trying to take comfort in the warm, ruddy glow
coming from the large windows. The light gilded the ground and
trees around the house, but it didn’t bring the solace he sought.
Not bothering to turn off the lights, he locked up and headed for
his Jeep.
    If Fitzroy called, there had to be something
interesting going on, and Alex sorely needed a distraction from
this painful anniversary.
     
    ****
     
    “Oh, what places you’ll go.”
    A woman’s lilting voice caressed Alex’s ears
and drew him deeper into the police station. He glanced around the
squad room, searching for the source of the sweetness, but his gaze
hit Lt. Henry Fitzroy first and the grim expression he wore behind
his glasses. Chewed bones, this can’t be good.
    “Thanks for coming, MacLaren. Got an odd
assignment for you.”
    “Isn’t that why you have me on retainer,
Fitzroy?”
    “Yeah, but this one is odder than usual.”
The older man ran his hand over his balding head, lifting his
glasses and scrubbing his eyes. “Come into my office and I’ll tell
you more.”
    Again, the lilting voice tugged at Alex’s
attention. “You’ll be best here and there, topping the others with
style and flare.”
    Her words curled through Alex’s chest and
latched onto his heart, making it squeeze with tenderness for the
first time in years. He wanted to stay in the squad room and listen
to her reading…what was it? Some kid’s book. He remembered some of
the words from his youth and how they’d filled him with a sense of
hope.
    Until Lisa left. Of course, no one
had read it to him then.
    He followed Lt. Fitzroy to his office and
closed the door behind him. A magnificent feminine scent filled his
nose and drew him to another door, stirring a yearning he’d long
forgotten. The woman read to someone in the auxiliary room attached
to the office. He tried to steal a look, but he only caught a
glimpse of glorious straight red hair pulled into a silken ponytail
and a tailored leather jacket before the Lieutenant closed the
adjoining door.
    Please leave it cracked. Please leave it
cracked.
    As if he’d heard Alex’s plea, Fitzroy
stopped the door before it latched. Over the years Alex had worked
with the Cloudburst PD, Fitzroy had never seemed concerned about
sound escaping his office. Maybe he has some sort of
noise-canceling device . Alex thanked the Goddess for it now. He
could listen to the woman’s voice all day. Get a hold of
yourself. It’s just a kiddie story. Or maybe her beguiling
scent tickling his nose.
    Fitzroy settled behind the desk. “I’ve got a
problem.”
    “Yeah, so you said. What kind of problem?”
Alex dropped his butt into a chair and hooked his thumbs into the
belt loops of his jeans.
    “See the woman in there with the kid?”
    Alex snorted. How could he miss