Up in Flames [The Heroes of Silver Springs 10] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) by Tonya Ramagos Page A

haunted and underlined with dark half-circles, and her usually well-groomed hair was all over the place.
    “Looks like you’ve had a rougher start than me.”
    Regina grimaced. “Do I look that bad?”
    Dean dropped his voice, though he doubted anyone standing close enough would hear him anyway with everyone’s attention focused on the building. “What you look like, Regina, is a woman who had one hell of a sleepless night. I’m guessing you still haven’t made your decision?”
    Regina sighed and looked away. “More like I still haven’t come to terms with the decision I have to make.”
    Dean let a few seconds pass as he studied her. Every day, she was looking less and less like the spitfire investigator she’d been when he first met her. God, he hated seeing her this way.
    He hooked a finger beneath her chin and pulled her face back to his, forcing her to meet his gaze. “The decision you feel obligated to make,” he corrected. “It’s not your only option, you know?”
    She shook her head, sending her short red strands flying. “I did sleep last night. I passed out, if you want to know the truth. So, I’m a little slow on the up-fire this morning.” She shot a pointed look at the garage. “Dispatch relayed the message you requested an investigator on the scene. Is everything under control in there?”
    “Seems like. Graham and Houston have backed their way out of the building there.” Dean pointed to the west end of the building where the customer service area had been. “Shannon and Karlston took care of the roof. Magee, Barrett, and Jasper handled the garages.”
    “I see Magee and Barrett rolling up the hoses.” She shifted her attention back to Dean. “Where’s Jasper?”
    “Still inside.”
    Her shoulders stiffened, and a muscle ticked in the smooth line of her jaw. “Sticking that nose of his in my job again, I assume.”
    Dean bit back a smile, relieved to see a glimpse of the spitfire investigator he enjoyed so much. “That nose of his has picked up on something he thinks you’re going to find interesting.”
    “I bet it has,” she muttered. “Am I clear to go inside?”
    Dean shook his head. “Not even close. We’ll be on the scene for a while, checking for hot spots and watching the stability of the structure. With the amount of fire that shot through that roof, I’m surprised it hasn’t collapsed.”
    “What was it like when you arrived on the scene?”
    “Blowing and going. Flames shooting through the roof there”—Dean sidestepped slightly to point to the back of the east side of the building—“extending down to a barrage of them that spread through the dividing wall and into the garages. The front doors were closed to the customer area. All that broken glass would be our doing. The door to that first garage was standing wide open.”
    Surprise flickered over Regina’s face. “How far into the garages did it get?”
    “Jasper, Barrett, and Magee cut it off before it stretched past the first bay.”
    “Anyone here when you got here? Any witnesses?”
    “Just Mr. G himself as far as I know.” Dean shot a glance over his shoulder. “SSPD’s got him over there now. Unless he’s telling them more than he did me, he doesn’t have a clue what or who started it. He said the garage was open when he got here. He saw the flames, rushed inside, couldn’t get further than that first garage, and came back out to call 9-1-1 when he heard us pulling up.”
    Regina lifted a brow. “Are you doing my job for me now, too, Dean? Interviewing my witnesses and potential suspects and letting your firefighters snoop around my scene after their job is done?”
    Because Dean saw the hint of a smile playing around her lips, he didn’t bother to bristle at her scolding tone. “Seeing as there is still a possibility of there being hazardous chemicals in those garages that could’ve overheated, the lieutenant’s job is definitely not done.” He glanced over his shoulder at Reuben