by BJ Harvey
Then everything goes black.
An alarm blares in the distance. It’s muted, almost dull, but it’s continuous and doesn’t stop. My head wants me to ignore it, throbbing pain taking up most of my brainpower. My PASS device keeps sounding, droning on and on, just like the shouting voices coming from the radio which is wedged between the floor and my chest. Probably why it hurts like a bitch too.
I open my eyes, trying to get my bearings and work out what the hell happened and where I am.
My ears are ringing and my head kills. My SCBA feels like a dead weight on my back, and my mask is suffocating me. My helmet is gone, obviously knocked away when I fell.
There’s a constant drone coming from my PASS device since I’m not moving, the long drone getting louder then softer, over and over again. “Marco? Motherfucking answer me, Lieutenant?”
I hear shouting coming from the radio but my head is still fuzzy and it’s muffled beneath my chest. It takes everything I’ve got to shrug off the straps on one shoulder. I grunt and use all the energy I have to roll onto my side so I can reach the belt at my waist and jerk that off too, then it’s back to my front, one more shoulder strap off, and my tank is gone, my mask soon following.
The yelling continues, but now that I can lie flat on my back, I can focus a little better. Losing the mask was against SOP, but without air in the tank, the mask was useless anyway.
I focus on the radio, recognizing the voice. It’s familiar, like mine. Maybe my brother?
“Lieutenant Rossi, copy?” I’d recognize that voice anywhere. Rhodes.
“Rhodes.” Cough. “Rossi copy?”
“Marco? Thank fuck,” he replies. “You alright?”
“Head hurts. Air gone too. Was that . . .” Cough. “. . . a backdraft? Came right at me before I could do anything. Need . . .” I cough, my chest getting tighter and tighter. Fuck, it’s hard to breathe. The air is so thick. Smoke fills the room, making it too dark to see much of anything. “Need . . . help,” I croak.
“Where are you?”
“Second floor. End room.”
“Yeah. Pierce called it in just before it happened. Is he with you?”
“Not . . . here,” I say between hacking my lungs out.
“Stairs are out. Stay put, Lieutenant. Cap?” Rhodes says into the radio.
“Copy. What do you need, Rhodes?” our Captain replies.
“Ladder to the window. Send Scotty and Luc up quickly. The vent wasn’t done right the first time.”
“On it,” Luca replies, not waiting for the Captain to confirm the orders. “Coming for you, brother. Stay put and don’t do anything stupid. Mama will kill us otherwise.”
I chuckle but it just makes me cough again.
“I’ll just . . . stay here . . . and . . . wait,” I grind out, trying not to breathe in like my body desperately wants me to do.
“Where’s Pierce?” Rhodes asks. “Is he out?”
I frown as it all comes back to me. “He’s . . . the one . . . who shut the door on me . . .” I rasp. “He . . . screwed me . . . didn’t he?” God. I forgot how much breathing smoke fucking sucks.
“Motherfucker. I’m gonna kill the son of a—” Rhodes shouts down the radio before being cut off—probably by the Captain. He’s not a stickler for proper radio use all the time, but if there’s likely disciplinary action on the horizon, he’ll do what he has to do to make sure our asses are covered.
“Lieutenant, it’s Cap. Standard protocol. Sit tight. Cover your mouth if possible. If not, face down on the ground. Can you move?”
“Yeah, I can . . . a bit . . .” I try to survey my injuries. Working my way through my body, I brace myself up on my elbows and try to lift up into a sitting position, succeeding on the second try.
I pat around the ground. My fingers finding purchase on my discarded mask. I summon everything I’ve got left in me to push myself up so I’m slumped back against a wall. I think it’s near the window, ‘cause there’s a thin sliver of light coming through the dark, smoky haze. I try to use my legs to stand, maybe get air from the window, but my body won’t cooperate. There’s just nothing left in me and my head is so fucking foggy, I’m struggling to think straight.
“Where are you?” Cap asks.
“By the window, I think. I’m not . . . sure,” I croak.
“Sit tight, Rossi. Ladder’s up and we’re almost there,” he replies.
I wrack my brain trying to work out what the hell happened. “Where’s . . . Pierce?”
“He’s just been pulled out by his crew. He got thrown when the stairs went but he’s walking.”
“He’s okay then?”
“He’s masked up. Looks like a gash on his cheek but nothing bad.”
“Call it in, Cap.” Anger and pain course through me in equal measure.
“You saying something happened?” he growls.
“Standard ops not followed . . .” I wheeze. Talking is making it worse, but the more clarity I get as my foggy brain clears, the more obvious the situation is. “Expected him to have my back. Should’ve known.”
“They vented just as the window blew out at your side of the house.”
“He screwed me. Something broke the window, then the door was closed but it blew back open . . .”
“Definitely a backdraft,” Cap says. His tone is so low and menacing it scares me. That says a lot, considering I’m stuck in a room filled with smoke and can’t even pull myself up to my feet.
My throat burns. Every time I swallow it feels like acid is being poured down it. “He wouldn’t . . . listen to fucking reason and wait for the all-clear to go,” I wheeze, the weight on my chest so fucking heavy, talking is impossible.
Then suddenly, the sliver of light turns into a billowing curtain of fresh air as my brother pushes through the window. His head turns my way. I reach up and grunt. His hand grabs my forearm, his eyes locking with mine.
“Got you, brother. Now if Scotty can find his balls and pull us back, we can get you out of here.”
“Hey, I heard that, Luc,” Scotty yells from outside.
Luca smirks at me. “Meant you to.”
I use the last of my energy to roll my eyes. “Can we give him shit . . . after he’s helped saved me?”
Luca grins. “Fine.”
“Then Mama won’t have to kick your ass,” Rhodes says down the radio.
“Cut the crap and get the hell out of there you two,” Cap bellows, silencing the chatter.
I chuckle and start hacking my lungs out again, making Luca’s grin turn into a frown. “Yeah, Cap . . .”
“See you down here, Lieutenant,” Cap replies, signing off.
“Yeah . . . he’ll get right on that, Cap. When he stops trying to win an Oscar,” Luca says, leaning down and hooking his arms under my shoulders. Then I’m being jerked up, Luca taking my weight.
“Fuck. . .you” I whisper roughly.
“You act like you’re dying or something,” Luca says. “Since I know Mama and Renee would ride my ass if that happened, quit trying to get me in trouble like you always fucking do.”
I force out a laugh but it just makes me cough again. “Sure thing, little brother.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Then he’s all business and within moments, I’m out of the window and sucking in mouthfuls of glorious fresh air like my life depends on it.
And there’s only one thing—one person—on my mind. Renee.
Minutes later, Skye and Co hover over me. Skye’s eyes are wet and she’s muttering under her breath about stupid brothers and stupid fires. Cohen is all focus, taking my vitals and hooking up monitors before shoving an oxygen mask over my face.
“Luc?” I say, lifting myself on an elbow and jerking the mask away, locking eyes with my brother. Luca throws his hand out to stop Cohen shutting the bus’s back door.
“Yeah?”
“Call Renee,” I whisper.
He lifts his chin. “Already on it. Gio’s gone to pick her up. We’ll meet you at t
he hospital.”
My eyes drift from Luca to a frowning Rhodes and a concerned Zach, finishing with an angry Captain whose responding nod gives me more reassurance than anyone else.
My body slumps back onto the gurney, any leftover tension leaches out of my body.
I wave my hand in the air half-heartedly and turn my head, giving my baby sister a gentle grin as she jerks the mask back over my face. Skye’s narrowed eyes would make me laugh if it was any other time.
She points a finger at me. “Behave, Lieutenant. Otherwise, I’ll sic Mama on you.”
I close my eyes, the events of the last thirty minutes and what might’ve been finally weighing on me. “Not sure who’s scarier—you, Mama, or Renee.”
“My pick is your woman.”
I snort but groan when pain shoots through my chest. “I think that’s a pretty safe bet.”
19
Renee
My heart is racing, my mind going a million miles an hour as Gio leads me out of the elevator with a gentle hand at the small of my back.
When he knocked on my door an hour ago, I had to lock my knees to stop from falling over.
We walk through the doors and into the waiting area, the room full of Marco’s crew and family. Mrs. Rossi jumps up out of her chair and envelopes me in a huge hug, and I lose the loose control I have on my emotions, burying my face in her shoulder and letting tears fall for the first time.
She rubs my back soothingly. “It’s okay, Renee. He’s just a bit banged up but he’s going to make a full recovery. I promise you. You’re strong enough to handle this. I know you are. My Marco wouldn’t love a woman who wasn’t.”
I nod and she lets me go, leaving her hands on my shoulders and meeting my eyes, her gaze then roaming my face as if to make sure I heard her words.
“I think . . .” I say, sniffing and wiping my eyes, trying to pull myself together. “I think I’m just in shock. The last thing I expected was for him to get hurt. He’s always so strong, so formidable.”
Mama smiles at me, giving me a reassuring squeeze before letting me go. “My Marco is all of those things but he’s still just a man, and I’ll let you in on a secret,” she says, leaning in and bringing her mouth to my ear. “All of the Rossi men are like that, but they also need a powerhouse of a woman at their back and sometimes their front. These things are sent to test us, but they’re also the making of us.”
I nod, biting my lip so I don’t start crying again.
I square my shoulders and pull myself together, feeling the love and support of everyone in the room surrounding me, but also knowing they’re here for Marco; their Lieutenant; their friend; their brother.
“Now, he’s been asking for you, and I know he’ll feel a lot better for seeing you,” Mrs. Rossi says.
I huff out a big breath, desperately needing to see for myself that he’s okay. “Don’t you want to go in and see him first? I’m not family. I’m just his—”
One look at her determined face and I can see the mama bear within shining through. The woman who always had Marco’s back before he met me is just as fierce and determined as the man himself. Then I remember what he told me about his mother being the one to teach the Rossi children how a woman should be treated, and his father being the one to show them. Respect. Honor. Love. The three cornerstones of my relationship with Marco. The three things he’s shown me from the start.
I can do this. I can be the strong one until he’s back on his feet and ready to take the reins again.
“Are you ready?” Gio asks, coming up beside me, Luca flanking my other side. Mrs. Rossi looks between her boys, reaching out to cup both their cheeks, pride shining in her gaze. She locks eyes with me, and I don’t miss the significance of this moment. It’s like she’s handing the baton over, giving me the job of seeing to the man we both love.
I nod, silently promising her that I’m the only other woman for the job.
Gio and Luca walk with me down the corridor, leading me to Marco’s room, nodding to a tall, very handsome doctor standing at the nurses’ station outside, jotting notes down in a folder.
“Cade,” Luca says, reaching out and shaking hands with him, Gio following suit. “This is Renee, Marco’s partner.”
“Hey,” Cade says, holding out his arm to shake my hand. “He’s a little banged up but he’s going to make a full recovery. He’s got a mild concussion and a little smoke inhalation from losing his mask. But he was pulled out as soon as they could get to him and will be able to go home tomorrow after some oxygen and monitoring overnight.”
I don’t know what comes over me, but I step forward and wrap my arms around the doctor’s shoulders, hugging him tightly.
“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll make sure he does everything he’s told to do, even if I have to chain him to my bed to make him rest.”
“Call me Cade, Renee. And he’s lucky to have you. He’s been asking for you ever since he was brought in. I hope he might finally be able to relax now that you’re here.”
“Don’t you worry,” I say, letting myself accept the fact he’s going to be okay. “He knows not to argue with me. In fact, I know he hates it.”
“You remind me of my wife. She’s just as scary as you are,” Cade says with a smile which says he doesn’t mind one bit.
“You’re a lucky man then.”
“Believe me, that is something I do know.” He shakes hands with Gio and Luca again. “I’ll leave you guys to it. Just call out if you need anything.”
“Will do, Doc. Thanks again,” Luca says before turning to look down at me as Cade strolls down the hall.
“You ready?” Gio asks. “We’ll leave you guys to it, okay?”
“You can come in. I’m sure he’ll want to see you as well.”
“Not as much as you, princess,” Gio says, tapping my nose. “We’ll see him after.”
Luca nods in agreement. “Now go. Marco is not the best patient, and right now, he’s downright grumpy.”
“Okay, thank you. For coming to get me, and being here.”
“Renee, you’re family. The only one who doesn’t seem to get that yet is you,” Luca says, his eyes crinkling at the sides. “We’ll be in the waiting room if you need us.”
I don’t wait any longer. I open the door to the room with M. Rossi on the side and step inside, closing it behind me and getting my first look at the battered but well and truly alive love of my life.
He smiles when his eyes meet mine.
“Come here, baby,” he rasps, holding his hand out and I’m at his side before he’s finished talking.
“You’re in so much trouble, Lieutenant,” I say, my voice breaking as I gently run my hands over his arms, shoulders, chest, and then up to his face.
“I’m okay. It got a bit hairy but I’m good now, especially ‘cause you’re here.”
He lifts his arm and I don’t even question him, carefully easing myself into the bed beside him, draping my body over his.
“Feeling a lot better now,” he rumbles, before coughing and trying to clear his throat. I shift to get off him and he grips my hip to hold me in place. “You’re not going anywhere. Need you close.”
Pressing my cheek to the pillow beside his head, I meet his eyes, letting my hand rest over his heart to reassure myself he’s okay.
“So, what happened? Gio wouldn’t tell me much except you got trapped and they had to get the ladder up to pull you out.”
“That’s pretty much it. We got told the vent was done except it was called too early. Then something happened, got caught in a backdraft, lost my helmet and mask, and got a good knock to the back of the head. Came to, found my radio, called out for help, and Luca and Scotty hauled me out the window.”
I lean in and move his mask aside for just long enough to brush my lips against his before putting it back on, loving the soft, lazy look he gives me.
Resting my forehead against his, I take a huge breath, embracing the growing lump in my throat. “I can’t lose you, Marco.
We just found each other; we’ve got a lifetime to make up for.”
“Princess,” he says, his voice thick. “I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not letting anyone or anything keep me from you.” He wraps his arms around me and hugs me tight as I do the same.
“Good to hear.” I sniff, as we sit there in peaceful silence, soaking each other in.
Then all hell breaks loose outside, Luca’s angry growl breaking the tranquility.
“You have some fucking nerve, Pierce. You don’t deserve to wear that uniform.”
I push myself up on an arm in the bed, my eyes going to the door before swinging back to Marco, who eyes me warily. That sets off alarm bells in my head and I quickly think over his explanation, my mind catching on things he didn’t say.
My blood boils, my muscles tensing. Marco’s eyes widen. “Baby, no. Do not—”
Grams warned Marco I was hell on wheels when angry, and something tells me I’m about to hit the stratosphere. “Please tell me that Nick Pierce had nothing to do with this.” My voice is low and rough, my anger reaching a fever pitch when Marco clamps his mouth shut and rubs his hand up and down my arm as if to try soothe me.
“No,” I say, my eyes stinging with tears but for an entirely different reason because there’s a haze clouding my vision now and its color is red.
I scramble off the bed. Marco reaches out to stop me but I’m too fast and too determined to catch.
Marco jerks off his oxygen mask. “Princess, no. He’s not wor—”
With my hand on the door handle, I whirl around to look back at him over my shoulder. “He’s a worthless son of a bitch who almost got you killed. And for what? Because of a bruised ego? Because you punched him when he was an asshole to me? Because he thinks you’re playing with his toys?” I screech. “No. I almost lost you, Marco. He doesn’t get to do that, and he needs to know that.”
