by Ashlyn Chase
She grinned. “Thanks. You know how you used to call me ‘princess’?”
“I still do…if I find an occasion to use it.”
Still smiling, she set a hand on her hip, but couldn’t help having a little fun with him. “Well…it’s a better nickname than you think. I really am a princess.”
His brows raised. “Go on…”
“Sure’n you know that Ireland used to be ruled by kings and queens…”
“Sure’n,” he said with a cheeky grin.
She ignored the tease. “So, anyway, long, long ago, me grandparents, King Brian and Queen Luigsech, had three sons: Cathesach, Eogan, and Faelan. Me father, Cathesach, was the eldest of twins. Uncle Eogan believed himself to be the eldest, because it was never exactly clear which was which.
“The king asked the attendants in the birthing room which child was his heir. Their nursemaid swore it was Cathesach who was handed to her as soon as the midwife had delivered him. Then she went back to her work and delivered Eogan. So, everyone went with that…until a few years later when she became a little befuddled and began calling one by the other’s name.
“Eogan was raised as the second son, but when the two were fully grown, he was slightly taller than me father. So some fool friend of Eogan’s saw a chance to elevate his own status and called the birth order into question.”
“Sheesh. My father gets us mixed up all the time, and he’s sharp as a tack.”
She snorted. “It happens to a lot of people.” A tiny wisp of smoke left her nostril and this time she didn’t attempt to cover it.
“By the way, how old does that make you?” Ryan asked. “I thought Ireland recognized Great Britain’s monarchy.”
“I should have mentioned I’m an older woman.” She winked and gave him a sly smile. “About nine hundred and seventy-five years older.”
“Really? Wow. But you’re assuming I’m what? Twenty-five? Thirty?”
Suddenly she wondered how long phoenixes had been around. “Ah, how old are you, then?”
He chuckled. “Oh, you’re older all right. I’m only about forty. I used to be the oldest, but then I screwed up and barbecued myself when I was a kid. Anyway, I reincarnated before I was supposed to and had to grow up all over again. That’s how I wound up as the middle child, instead of the eldest. My brothers know this, but don’t tell them you know. Not yet, anyway.”
“Hell, I don’t know which secrets to keep from whom anymore.”
“Best to keep everything to yourself for now.”
Her posture straightened. “They knew you lived? They knew and they didn’t tell me?” Her voice was raising by the second and Ryan shushed her.
“I will not shush. How dare they let me grieve like that? They hugged me after the funeral and let me cry all over them.”
“Look, princess… They had to go along with it. If they acted like I was alive, someone would have looked into it. Suspicions would have been raised. Hell, your honesty would have been questioned since you were there.”
Her posture deflated. “Ye’re right. But now what will you do? Pretend you’re the second comin’?”
His expression turned serious. “I don’t know yet, Chloe. But whatever plans I make, I want to include you in them.”
She gazed at him. There was nothing but sincerity in his eyes. So what was he saying?
A knock at the door was immediately followed by the door opening. Whoever stood behind it didn’t believe in waiting for an invitation.
“Shite.”
Ryan rolled out of bed and onto the floor in one fluid motion. He had scooted half under her bed by the time she shot to her feet and met the intruder at the door.
“Hey, there, Chloe. We just thought we’d say hello since we’re working here today.”
“Jayce? And Gabe, is it?”
“Yep. Two of the famous Fierros,” Gabe said, trying to sound chipper.
“I think I heard something heavy fall on the floor,” Jayce said. “Is everything all right?”
Well now. These two were among the throng who’d allowed her to think her true love was nothing but ash. There had to be some small amount of revenge she could extract from this situation.
“Oh, quite. I just dropped…me dictionary.”
“I’ll get it,” Jayce said as he started inside.
“Leave it. I’ll get it later.” She opened the door wider. “Come in, come in. I don’t have much room to sit, but there’s a comfortable armchair in the corner for one of you, and I can bring over the desk chair for the other.”
“I’ll get it, Chloe,” Gabe said.
“Don’t be silly. I’m closest to it,” she said. “Besides, I certainly don’t want to be treated any differently. Certainly not because I was in love with your brother, and you think I’m a fragile little girl.”
They laughed.
“No. There’s no danger of anyone thinking that, Chloe,” Jayce said.
She stopped on her way to the chair and turned slowly. “There’s not? Why not? I’m a girl, and I’ve been in a terrible state since your brother died.”
Their faces fell and their expressions became decidedly uncomfortable. Jayce kicked at the old wooden floor. “Of course. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? For what?”
“For not… You know…” He looked to Gabe for help, but his younger brother just shrugged.
She could almost see him trying to gather words back into his mouth and swallow them. “I—I don’t know what to say, Chloe.”
“I think that’s why it took us so long to check on you,” Gabe added. “None of us know what to say.”
“And why is that?”
She had almost had her fun. Pretty soon, she’d let them off the hot seat, but for now…
“I called your mother a couple of times, just to ask how she was doin’. She sounded all right. I figured your mother was gettin’ through it, because she had a lot of support. I would have liked some too.”
“We figured you were getting through it,” Jayce said.
“But you didn’t ask. How could you know?”
Gabe began to fidget. “Yeah, well…”
She tipped her head and waited, but Gabe didn’t finish his thought. He just tried to get past her to the desk. “Let me get that chair.”
She stepped back and when he rounded the end of her bed, he couldn’t help noticing the back half of a naked man trying to jam his big frame under it.
“Oh!” he said. “Oh, I didn’t realize…”
She batted her eyelashes innocently. “Didn’t realize what?”
“That you had company.” He pointed to Ryan’s ass, wiggling out from under the bed.
She crossed to the door and shut it, waiting for the inevitable moment of recognition. As she turned the lock, Jayce got up from his armchair and followed his brother’s gaze. The two of them stared at the form of a man, buck naked, beside Chloe’s bed.
When Ryan rose and turned around, Chloe could see they’d had no idea he was here, and “in the flesh” as he’d earlier put it. She grabbed a bath towel off her dresser and tossed it across the bed to her lover.
Their eyes rounded. Gabe whooped and hugged him, briefly. He backed away and let Jayce shake Ryan’s hand.
Grinning, he set his hands on his towel-covered hips. “Yup. No dust bunnies under there. You passed inspection, Chloe.”
His brothers burst out laughing.
* * *
Mr. and Mrs. Fierro hurried over the wet sidewalk. Antonio Fierro carried a nondescript paper bag filled with clothes for Ryan.
“I didn’t expect him to come back for another week,” Gabriella Fierro said.
“Well, can you blame him? If I knew you were grieving for me, I’d come back as early as possible too. Plus I’d be horny as hell by that time.”
She blu
shed and bumped into him on purpose. “Still, wouldn’t you think he’d shift at home where all his clothes are?”
“You mean, where we are. No. I think he’d shift right where he wanted to shift. So, obviously Chloe means a lot to him. We just don’t know how much he told her.”
When they reached the Back Bay Fire Station, Mr. Fierro held the door open for his wife and she breezed in. This was his old station house. It looked as if nothing much had changed.
“Well, the fact that she was still conscious and able to call us is a good sign,” Gabriella said. “He must have made up a believable story.”
“Quiet now. Let me sense where the boys are.”
He paused just inside, then smiled. “Top floor. Toward the front on the right.
“I wish I could have done that when the boys were young. It would have saved my lungs when I had to call and call for them to come in.”
He strode to the stairs and took them two at a time. His wife hurried after him, trying to keep up, but it was no use.
Mr. Fierro burst through Chloe’s door and dropped the paper bag on her bed. Upon seeing his son, alive and healthy, he sighed with relief. Then he asked him, “How much does she know?”
Ryan smiled at Chloe with pride. “Everything. She knows everything.”
Mr. Fierro whooped. “And she’s still standing!” He grabbed Chloe up in his arms and gave her a huge, impulsive hug. He was impressed when she didn’t cry out or act like he was squeezing her to death. Instead, she simply gave as good as she got.
When he’d put her down, he strode around the bed to his son and shook his hand.
Mrs. Fierro finally appeared in the doorway, huffing and puffing. “Thanks, Antonio.”
“Sorry, love. I couldn’t wait to see our son.”
His wife strode around the bed. “Neither could I. It’s just that some of us don’t have such long, strong legs.” She winked at Chloe, as if she’d understand. Mr. Fierro had his doubts. Ryan had said more than once how impressed he was with her ability to keep up with any man.
Gabriella hugged Ryan hard, and he returned the hug more gently. As they stood there, his towel fell off. Chloe closed the door while everyone laughed.
“I guess I should get dressed.”
His mother glanced at Chloe, who just smiled and shrugged. Antonio couldn’t help but smile.
“I think she’s seen it all before,” Gabriella said.
“I guess so.”
Ryan unrolled the paper bag and slipped on his tighty-whities. Then he pulled the fire department T-shirt over his head. Gabriella Fierro had stacked everything in order of dressing, just like firefighters do. Antonio couldn’t help but be proud of his wonderful wife. He also couldn’t help noticing the loving looks his son was exchanging with Chloe Arish.
They were a match. He’d bet his beak on it.
* * *
The tones rang out.
“Damn,” Mr. Fierro muttered. “Poor timing.”
Chloe couldn’t have disagreed more. This was perfect timing. She needed time to forgive the Fierros for letting her cry herself to sleep almost nightly. When it happened at work, she’d had to cover her face with a pillow, so no one could hear her.
Now, she felt the familiar rush of adrenaline as she took off down the hall to the fire pole.
The warm reunion of phoenix and family had left her with an awkward feeling. Like she hadn’t just witnessed a miracle. To them, it seemed like Tuesday. Well, all right…more like Christmas when it fell on a Tuesday.
Gabe and Jayce were right behind her and followed her down the pole to the garage. The other firefighters were arriving by the stairs. They’d probably been in the kitchen since it was almost lunch time. They’d be fighting this fire on empty stomachs.
Dispatch was announcing a structure fire and gave the Congress Street address for Harrison Hall.
“Shit,” Lieutenant Streeter mumbled.
“What’s the matter?” Chloe asked.
“It’s one of the oldest buildings in the country. Historical landmark.” He turned to the two substitute firefighters. “Jayce, you’re on Ladder 15. Gabe, you’re with us in Engine 33.”
Everyone found their places and the rigs rolled out.
“Is there some kind of special protocol when it comes to historic structures?” Chloe asked the lieutenant.
“Yeah. Put the fire out.”
Gabe laughed. Then he looked at Chloe sympathetically and said, “Sorry.”
“No. It’s perfectly okay,” she said. “Ask a silly question, get a shite answer, right?”
Gabe tipped his head.
“Don’t worry,” the lieutenant said to Gabe. “You get used to it.”
Her face heated. Feckers. I must have screwed up another American saying.
Well, it wouldn’t matter shortly. She’d show the Fierros just how valuable she was in a fire. She was usually the first one in and frequently the last one out.
But so was Ryan. If he took foolish chances, knowing he could always come back if needed to, he tried not to let anyone see it. She realized that now. Knowing how rarely they held empty casket funerals for firefighters who were reduced to ash, she’d guess the phoenixes were usually as careful as any mortal.
But she was special too.
Hmmm… To show off or not to show off? That was the question.
No question about it. She’d excel and show Ryan’s family how well suited she was for the job they all loved—and how well she’d fit in with them at every Sunday dinner.
Chapter 18
The smoke was pouring from windows at the back of the building. At first it seemed as if only the second floor was involved, then Chloe saw flames reflected in the window on the third floor as well.
The District 3 chief had beat everyone to the scene and began barking orders as soon as they jumped out of their vehicles. “We expect more firefighters on the scene, but you’ve gotta get this fire out now. Lieutenant, get your guys on the roof and provide top ventilation to remove toxic gases.”
“Yes, sir.” Lieutenant Streeter pointed to Chloe and Gabe. “You two go to the roof. Be careful. It may be slippery.”
Within minutes, they had two lines working and the aerial hose was laying a master stream on the top floor. Jayce was teamed up with Nagle and another firefighter she didn’t know. Their mission was to bring water to the back left corner of the second floor, which they suspected was the seat of the fire.
As the others charged in the back door, Chloe and Gabe climbed the ladder. With sixty pounds of gear and a pickax, a human could only climb so fast. Chloe didn’t want to delay, knowing the significance of the building and wondering if tourists were stuck inside.
Plus this was a chance to show a Fierro what she was made of. She scrambled up the ladder faster than a man could…only Gabe was keeping up with her. Hmmm… Now she realized the kind of pressure Ryan had been under to keep up the family’s reputation of excellence.
Cops were arriving and keeping people across the street. Farther down they were blocking off traffic altogether. Flames shot out like angry fingertips, attracting a crowd. The roof would be ventilated with a saw, but axes might be needed for shingle removal.
The ladder had been placed with five rungs above the roofline, and tied off to a chimney to keep it in place. Below, someone was laying another ladder off to the right in case the crews needed an alternate escape route. They worked as if they’d been practicing for this for years. Chloe realized they had been. No wonder seasoned firefighters like Haggarty worried about probies making one wrong move and jeopardizing the whole operation.
Two firefighters from District 3 were already on the roof and held the K-12 saw. One had marked the two-foot by four-foot opening. She noticed the other one wore a lieutenant’s insignia.
Even though cold surrounded them, the firefighters
were sweating. Not watching where she was going, she slipped on the roof that was wet from melting ice and fire hoses. Righting herself before she fell, she tried to be more careful as she made her way to the spot that the firefighters were concentrating on.
The private pulled the cord to start the saw, and slipped. As he regained his footing, Chloe stopped just below him to act as a brace if he needed it. He pulled the cord a second time. When nothing happened, he swore.
“Move over, Chloe,” Gabe said. “Let me catch him if he falls.”
“I can do it,” she insisted.
Gabe nodded, grabbed the ax, and had half the shingles off when, thank God, on the third try, the machine roared to life. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing they might have had to waste precious time opening the roof with their axes alone.
Quickly the firefighter made the cut on the short side away from his body, then moved and cut the longer side. Soon the roof hole was done. As debris fell downward, the firefighters stepped back. Fire often burst from the vent hole as superheated gases received oxygen. From behind, Chloe braced the private just as the furious flames shot through the opening.
Gabe shot her a smile. She was relieved to be making a positive impression. From what Ryan had told her, his brother would probably report her abilities at their Sunday dinner.
“Everybody, listen up,” the District 3 lieutenant said. “The roof is getting spongy. I want everybody off.”
Gabe got to the ladder first and as soon as he had his footing, he took the saw from the other firefighter. The private looked at Chloe as if she should be next, but she just said, “Go!” He nodded and preceded her down the ladder.
The lieutenant got a call on his radio and said, “I’ll be right there.” He took the ladder ahead of Chloe and she followed him down. She was just passing a window, which had been blown out by fire, when she heard crying and a woman yelling, “Help.”
“Jaysus. There’s somebody still in there!” She peered around the window casing and saw a mother and child huddled against the far wall—trapped on both sides. Through the smoke she could barely see them and knew they might not see her. “Come to the window,” Chloe shouted.
