On A Night Like This (Callaways #1)

to the limit, and the sense of satisfaction that comes when we beat down a fire. But even the wins come with losses, not just people but also land. The fire dies, but the devastation can last for years."
    "Still, you make a difference, so why would you quit?"
    "I'm not sure they want me back."
    "They can't fire you for no reason and you said that the incident reports were vague, that people thought things could have been done differently, but nobody was sure you made a definitive mistake."
    He cast her a quick smile. "That's a lawyer talking. The real issue is whether anyone could ever trust me again. You can't work a fire with people who can't trust you with their life."
    "Is it really about their trust, or about whether or not you can trust yourself?" she challenged.
    "That, too," he admitted.
    "Well, I hope we can get you the answers you need. I'm sure your family would help, too, if you asked them."
    "I don't want anyone in the family, especially those members who work in the fire department, to be put in the position of defending me. I won't take down the family."
    She admired his loyalty. It was actually one of the traits she'd first noticed about him. "Do you know when you first changed from being Emma's annoying big brother, to being kind of cool?" she asked.
    He shook his head, giving her a quick smile. "I have no idea what I ever did to impress you."
    "I was a freshman in high school at the time, and you were a senior. One day at lunch, a bunch of bullies tackled Joey Randall and tried to stuff him in the garbage can. You stopped them. You stood up for him while everyone else was just watching."
    "I couldn't stand those assholes."
    "But no one else acted, only you. You're loyal and courageous, Aiden. I don't believe you were responsible for Kyle's death. There's no way on earth that you would have let him die if you could have saved him." She said the words with conviction, realizing how true they were. "What amazes me is that anyone who knows you could believe otherwise."
    "I appreciate the vote of confidence, Sara, but you haven't been around me in a long time. You don't know what kind of man I am anymore."
    "People don't change the core of who they are."
    "I don't know about that. I have a feeling Kyle changed right in front of my eyes, and I didn't even see it."
    "You don't know that yet, Aiden."
    He shrugged. "We'll see."
    She glanced out the window, noticing that they were going in the opposite direction of their neighborhood. "So how long do we just pick random streets to drive down?"
    "Don't worry, I've come up with a destination, Sara."
    "Care to enlighten me?"
    "Sometimes surprise is good, Sara."
    "I said that to my dad, right before the house caught fire."
    He laughed. "This surprise will be better."
    "It probably couldn't be worse."
    She settled back in her seat, watching the city go by. In San Francisco the neighborhoods had distinct personalities and changed every few blocks. Haight Ashbury was still considered hip after being the mecca for the hippie and flower child peace movement in the sixties. The Sunset was more for families and young couples. Russian Hill was filled with singles looking for action at the local bars. Then there was Chinatown, the south of Market area that was coming alive with restaurants and clubs since the building of the new baseball park, and downtown where the skyscrapers housed the hustle and bustle of the business world.
    Ten minutes later, Aiden turned toward the water, weaving his way down Union Street and into the Marina, the upscale neighborhood where houses and apartment buildings looked out on the Bay. They left the main road and drove along the outskirts of the Presidio, an old army base. The property had a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
    A few minutes later, Aiden pulled into a deserted parking lot. Nearby was a paved path that ran along the beach and was popular in the daytime for walkers and joggers. Tonight the area was quiet and dark, most of the illumination coming from the lights on the bridge and a few passing ships making their way from the Pacific Ocean into the bay.
    "Feel like taking a walk?" Aiden asked, as he shut off the engine.
    "It's kind of cold."
    "You can wear my jacket."
    "Then you'll be cold."
    "I have a sweatshirt somewhere," he said, reaching into the back of the cab. "Here it is."
    "I'll just wear that," she said.
    "Are you sure? It's not stylish."
    "I don't care about that. It looks warm." She stepped out of the truck