On A Night Like This (Callaways #1)

for the offer. I'll think about it. Right now, I'm going back to the bar."
    Aiden was about to move when his gaze caught on a woman getting out of a cab. There was something familiar about her. As she turned, her face caught the light. "Becky Saunders," he muttered. "What's she doing here?"
    "Becky Saunders?" Burke echoed. "Isn't that Kyle's old girlfriend?"
    "From high school." Something tugged at his memory. Kyle had said something about Becky several weeks earlier. "She called Kyle recently. Damn, what did he say about her?"
    "Does it matter?"
    "Probably not, but something was up with Kyle the last few months."
    "You never said that before, either," Burke said, his gaze narrowing. "Why do I get the feeling there's a lot more you aren't telling me?"
    "I'm going to talk to Becky."
    "I'm right behind you," Burke said. "Believe it or not, I do have your back."
    "Appreciate it, but I want to talk to her alone. You intimidate people so much they can't speak."
    "I don't do that," Burke protested.
    "Are you kidding? You scare the crap out of just about everyone."
    "Except you."
    "Well, I know you better than most people—or at least I used to," Aiden added, knowing that like so many of his relationships, the one with his older brother had been strained for a long time. "If you really want to help, try to get Dad off my case. I need some time to figure things out on my own. I don't need the pressure of clearing the Callaway name right now. If I can do that in the future, I will. If I can't, then you're all free to disown me."

Chapter Twelve

    After leaving Burke on the sidewalk, Aiden entered the bar in search of Becky Saunders. Unfortunately, the first person he ran into was Ray Hawkins.
    "You have a lot of nerve coming here, Callaway," Hawkins said.
    Aiden sighed. He wasn't itching for a fight, but this time he wasn't going to just take a punch. "You've already had your one free swing. Get out of my way."
    The other man stared back at him. "Never thought you'd let down a fellow firefighter."
    The accusation burned through him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a few other firefighters closing ranks behind Ray, and he couldn't count a friend among them.
    "What's going on?" Burke asked, appearing by his side. "Is there a problem, Hawkins?"
    Hawkins stuttered, "Uh, no, Chief. No problem."
    "Good, because this is a fundraiser for Kyle's family. That's why we're all here, right? I'm sure we don't want to do anything to ruin it."
    Hawkins and his buddies muttered words of agreement, then backed away.
    Aiden had to admire Burke's power. A few simple words, and he had his way. "I told you that you scared the crap out of everyone," he said to Burke. "This time it came in handy. Thanks."
    "Like I said, I've got your back, Aiden. You'd know that if you looked behind you once in a while, but you're always in a hurry to get somewhere else."
    "Speaking of which – I see Becky. I'll see you around."
    He moved toward the back of the bar area where Becky was standing alone. He was happy to find her on her own and far enough away from the speakers that he might actually be able to talk to her.
    When he reached her side, she gave him a startled look.
    "Aiden. I didn't expect to see you here." Her gaze darted around the room as if she was worried that other people were watching them.
    "I didn't expect to see you here, either."
    "Kyle and I were in love once."
    "About fourteen years ago," he said, giving her a thoughtful look. "I wasn't aware you'd stayed in touch."
    "We reconnected a few months ago. I couldn’t believe it when I heard Kyle had died. I had just spoken to him three days earlier."
    "I didn't know that. I'm surprised Kyle didn't mention that he was talking to you again."
    "Well, you never liked me. You tried to get Kyle to break up with me in high school."
    "Because you were cheating on him, Becky," he reminded her. Becky had been a wild girl in high school, and Aiden had warned Kyle that she wasn't to be trusted. But Kyle hadn't been able to see past her blonde hair or big breasts. Becky was still attractive, but she was skinnier, and her eyes had the look of someone who'd seen a little too much action.
    "That was a one-time mistake," she said defensively. "I had too much to drink. You didn't have to tell Kyle. It wasn't going to happen again."
    "He was my best friend. Of course I had to tell him. And who's to say it wouldn't have happened again. We both know you were giving it out pretty freely back then."
    She gave