by Nora Snowdon
As they neared the building Lu’s muscles tightened another notch. Thirty-foot flames were shooting out the roof of the house, and several of the windows at the front had already blown. Obviously, the building couldn’t be saved. She scanned the neighboring houses to see if they were at risk. At first glance they appeared far enough away to be out of immediate danger, but assumptions were a fool’s game. The truck screeched to a halt and the team jumped to the ground.
“Marcus, Ace, set up the deck gun and wait for orders.” Reynolds sprinted around the perimeter of the building to survey the fire’s progression. Lu barely had time to flush the hydrant when her radio squawked to life.
“We got someone trapped inside. Red, Dawson, bring the Halligan Bar to the back ASAP.”
“Roger.” Lu radioed back and they ran to comply. Shit, this was going to be a doozy. The side of the building was clean. It looked like the seat of the fire was in the front. They found Reynolds at a boarded-up door in the back trying to wrench out the slats with one hand as he called for backup. Terrified screams from within confirmed his report.
“Red, get the door.” Reynolds shifted aside to continue his size-up for the second crew responding. “We have trapped victims needing rescue at the rear of the building.” He listened to the answer then looked up from his radio. “Bellevue 2 are at least fifteen minutes away. We’re on our own ’til then.”
“Got it.” Red shouted as the door frame splintered. They crouched to avoid the onslaught of smoke and heat, donned their air packs, and prepared to enter. Reynolds nodded tersely to them as he backed up to give orders to the rest of the crew.
Lu got to her knees to follow Red as he crawled into the building. The hallway was dark. Their flashlights bounced uselessly against the smoke and gray walls. Red opened the door immediately to the right to reveal a bathroom. His flashlight highlighted the filthy floor and wastepaper strewn about the tiny room. The screaming came from further inside the house and they crawled forward.
Lu squinted, willing herself to see further into the hallway as she kept her hand within reach of Red’s back foot. Even as low to the ground as they were, the heat on her ears was fucking scary. Too long in the building would turn anyone into a barbecued crisp.
The narrow walls opened suddenly to a large room in front of them. Higher ceilings lessened the dense smoke at floor level and revealed rows of shelving units bearing the remnants of an in-house marijuana grow-operation. Lu had never seen one before, but from the ghostly glimpses of exposed wiring overhead, the ventilation and watering systems, she recognized it immediately. The plasticized covers on the windows had succumbed to the blistering heat.
Light from the fire provided some visibility, but the smoke was building up too fast. She blinked fiercely trying to clear her vision. A kaleidoscope of noises assaulted her ears. The roar of the fire sounded like a huge vacuum cleaner sucking everything into its path. The creaking and groaning of the building under assault competed with the high-pitched screaming. It sounded like only one woman. A loud cracking noise made her dodge to the right as a shower of embers cascaded from above. They were running out of time.
Red continued along the right wall to a locked door. He raised the Halligan, using the adze side to pry the door open.
Lu sensed the danger a little too late. “No!” she shouted over the splintering of metal and wood. Red half-turned to her with a look of confusion. Lu reached out and yanked him backwards. He lost his balance and crashed to the floor as a fireball barreled past him from the gaping doorway.
The fire was accelerating way too fast.
Lu grabbed his arm to help him scramble to his knees. She could still hear the woman, only she seemed to be in the next room over. Red started back down the hallway, but Lu ignored him, instead crawling toward the woman.
“No. That beam is coming down!” Red grabbed Lu, jerking her back the way they’d come.
“The woman—”
A loud crash cut her off and she turned to see a burning hunk of beam from the ceiling had crashed to the floor where she’d just been. Red pulled her arm again and she followed him. They neared the splintered door. Reynolds’ voice on the radio ordered them to evacuate. As they ran outside Reynolds grabbed her other arm and the two men yanked her clear.
“Open up the deck gun,” Reynolds shouted over the radio.
“Roger.” Ace’s response crackled back. There was the air horn warning blast, immediately followed by a thick stream of water arching onto the top of the building.
“Break open the west windows to vent,” Reynolds pointed to the least damaged side of the house.
That was it then. Lu’s stomach twisted. Once they were blasting the fire with water, there was no way anyone could go back inside to rescue the woman. It’d be too dangerous. And the woman was too far inside for them to cut through from the outside walls to reach her. The wailing of Bellevue 2 truck and the ambulance cut through the cacophony. For a brief moment Lu hoped the second crew could help get them inside. Then she realized that she no longer heard the screams. Shit.
With renewed vigor she smashed through the slats boarding up the window, but all she saw inside was smoke and fire. An unfamiliar voice issued orders over the radio. Obviously Bellevue 2 had a more senior commander on board and Reynolds had relinquished control.
Lu followed the commands and she and the others finally subdued the flames, but it felt odd—like she’d mentally left the scene. She heard herself responding to the radio, saw her body obeying, but her mind had shut down, unable to process the fact that they’d failed the screaming woman inside the building. As she clomped back to the truck she heard the animated chatter and saw the ocean of yellow-clad fire fighters. None of it fully penetrated her numbed brain.
Red was sitting in the back of an ambulance with his leg bared and bandaged, and she trotted over. “What happened?”
“Just a cut,” he reassured her. “Nicked myself with my axe when I went down.”
“Thanks for getting me out. I, uh, freaked when we couldn’t get to the vic.”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “We’ve all done that.”
“Medics taking you in or you coming back with us?”
“I’m good to go. I’m just letting Ace and Marcus pack the truck.” He slowly stood up and tested his leg. They walked back to their truck with weary waves to the guys from Bellevue.
A dull pressure engulfed Lu on the ride back to the hall. She felt the excitement and adrenaline percolating through the sheer fatigue of her coworkers. They’d all been on many calls, but the sense of having vanquished a raging fire never became ordinary. Each fire was different, with its own quirks and personality. And this one had been particularly unusual, from the grow-op equipment to the victim trapped inside. And the spread of the fire had been unpredictable as well.
Another wave of remorse overtook Lu and she tried to forget the woman’s screams of fear and pain. They’d tried their best, but they couldn’t have stayed longer in that inferno. What must that woman have felt when she realized they were deserting her to the flames?
“Man, when that beam came down … I thought the whole damn building was gonna cave.” Red shook his head at the memory.
“Do you think the growers took out supports putting in extra power lines?” Ace asked.
Lu tried to surreptitiously cover her ears. She didn’t want to hear them rehashing the fire. It was over, damn it.
“Could’ve. They did a real hack job on that house, and those rooms in the back—fuck.” Red glanced up at Captain Reynolds in the front, but the curse had gone unnoticed.
“Yeah, that was …” Ace looked uncomfortable as he trailed into silence.
“Do you think that victim was with the grow-op, or was there something else?” Marcus asked from the front seat.
Lu slunk further into her seat trying to mentally block out the discussion. Why couldn’t they just let it go? Jeez maybe she should’ve stayed in Springfield. In her year and a half on that team nobody
had ever died in a fire she attended. She rubbed her eyes. Then again, people there had been getting weird about her “gut feelings.” She’d thought they’d appreciate her extra ability to read fires, but suddenly it felt like they almost blamed her if a call went wrong. Plus it seemed it would be easier to hide from too much scrutiny in a larger city like Seattle.
“Don’t know.” Red scratched his head, making his already disheveled hair resemble that of a well-used troll doll. “Stupid thing is, we’ll never know. You risk your life and sometimes you wonder, what for? A bunch of criminals?” Red added quietly. “What an awful way to go.”
Shut the fuck up! She blankly stared at Red’s gumboot trying to mentally mute the chatter. Her head hurt, probably from the smoke and anxiety. She just needed to relax and re-center herself. Don’t listen to them. Don’t think about that poor woman. Don’t—
“Oh fuck!” Red pulled off his boot, swiped his hand over his pant leg and then stomped on the side of his boot. He shook his head at Reynolds facial reprimand. “Not my fault. I must’ve had an ember stuck in my boot somehow.”
Ace raised his eyebrows. “Really? That’s not possible.”
Red lifted the bottom of his turnout pant leg and pointed to a hole in his pants underneath. “Yeah. Look.”
Ace’s jaw dropped open. “Huh?”
Instinctively Lu licked her teeth then tested her fingertips for heat. Shit. Think of cold things. Ice cubes. Snow. And breathe. Okay, that’s getting better.
The night scenery was calming as they wound their way, slower this time, back to civilization. It was strange how the fire hall seemed to represent normalcy and safety after fires demolished your sense of equilibrium. Her eyes were raw from smoke and the constant effort to hold back tears. Lu tested and relaxed every muscle in her face and counted her breathing. She knew they’d be scheduled for grief counseling tomorrow. It was standard procedure when a life was lost. Damn. Last thing she needed was some touchy-feely whacko making her break down and cry.
Relief flooded her when they pulled into the hall and she had to emotionally check herself to stop the tears threatening to erupt again. Lu wasn’t used to feeling this vulnerable in front of the guys and it sucked royally. Thankfully Ace and Red had finally shut up and they shucked their gear in relative silence. Reynolds was at his taciturn best with a quiet acknowledgment of a job well done before he headed to his room. What she would give tonight for the captain’s perk of his own room.
Lu climbed into her bed and hid with her face to the wall. After the others stilled for the night, she crept downstairs heading for the cavernous garage so she could be alone. On a leather bench, she sat staring at the massive truck, silently reprimanding her. She was not going to cry. People died every day: in car accidents, from horrendous diseases, or in fights. Even kids. She needed to toughen up. Death was part of the job.
A light touch on her shoulder made her jerk up in surprise.
“Sorry.” Captain Reynolds said, sitting down beside her, catlike in his physical containment. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“S’okay.” She turned away to face the truck.
“You alright?” The concern in his voice was her undoing. The most Lu could do was nod her head. But the tears she’d been holding back came coursing down her face. She hoped he wouldn’t see them in the darkness.
“Hey.” He pulled her toward him with her face tucked into his chest. “You’re allowed to feel.” His hand stroking her back only made the fucking tears flow more.
Shit. Now her nose was running. Lu shook her head and pulled away. “I … n-need a Kleenex.” She felt her pocket before remembering she’d used them all earlier.
“Here.” He handed her a small package.
Lu dove into it, trying to catch her runny nose before it became too gross. Then the memory of the screams flooded back into her senses. God, here she was vainly concerned about a little snot. Her shoulders shook as she tried to hold back the sobs.
Again Reynolds hugged her and this time she let him. She felt so safe in his arms, his hands in her hair, his voice murmuring soft encouragement. She tucked herself in tighter to his chest and let his strength and warmth infuse her. He seemed endlessly patient as her wracking sobs dwindled into gulping hiccups. Her hand crept up his chest, feeling his muscles ripple against her fingers.
She looked up at him to apologize, but the look in his eyes froze her. She shouldn’t, but—Lu closed her eyes as his lips brushed against her own. With a moan she pulled his head closer and opened her lips against his. He answered with the same hunger, his tongue sliding in to explore her mouth. His hands became more urgent too, molding her to his body. The frustration, pain and fear all bundled into a massive need, pooling between her legs. She let out a small groan as he shifted to nuzzle her neck, his light stubble scratching her sensitive skin. His breath in her ear while he nibbled her earlobe sent chills of excitement down her spine.
Thunk.
Lu sprang back at the odd sound from above. Was someone else getting up? Her hand unconsciously wiped her lips as if to erase the kisses.
“My God, I’m—” Lu clapped her hand over her mouth. What had she done?
Reynolds jumped up and walked a couple of steps away. His hand raked through his hair. He exhaled loudly.
“I’m sorry, Lu.” His voice was low and precise. “I didn’t mean to—”
At least he sounded as confused as she felt. “Me neither. Um, can we pretend this never happened?”
“I promise you, it won’t happen again.” Reynolds jammed his hands in his pocket giving him an odd boyish look. “I don’t want to lose you. You’re a valuable member of my team, but if you feel uncomfortable … or that you can’t trust me …”
Her stomach roiled at the thought of leaving. “No. I don’t want to transfer out, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Okay. Let’s go to—call it a night, and forget this ever happened.” Reynolds looked at her uncertainly and then turned on his heels and left.
Lu felt the urge to giggle and stifled it. At least I’m not crying anymore. She was an emotional mess. From despair, to lust, to laughter, this was crazy. At least she wasn’t fixating on the poor dead woman. Or setting fires. But what a way to change her mood. And why did it have to be with Reynolds? He was her boss and, fuck, she was way too attracted to him. God, how would she face him again?
She crept upstairs to her bed. At least tomorrow was her last night shift then she was off for four days. And this was Reynolds’ last shift of the week. They wouldn’t be on together again for at least five days. By then everything should be back to normal.
But what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been startled by the noise upstairs? Much as she wanted to deny it, part of her wished she’d found out. It’d been way too long since she’d been with a man and Reynolds was sexy as all hell. But no matter how hot, no sex was worth losing your job.
CHAPTER 4
“Okay, listen up,” Reynolds commanded, cutting through the chatter without bothering to raise his voice.
Lu hadn’t even heard him come in. She’d been dreading seeing him again after “the incident.” Would he start acting weird around her? He didn’t seem to be avoiding her. That was a good sign. And generally you didn’t get any privacy in a fire hall even if you wanted it. Maybe she’d dodged a bullet and her make-out session with Reynolds had been forgotten. Although, man she still wondered what it would’ve been like had they made love. Did he wonder, too?
“I got a phone call from the mayor.” Bill groaned and Reynolds paused to give him a stern look before continuing. “He’s dedicated a full-time police arson inspector to look into the recent spate of grow-op fires. The investigator will be working with our department and Ralph has asked me to ‘donate’ some man hours to help him out.”
Ace interrupted. “Do we get overtime?”
“No. The time donated will be hours that you were already scheduled.”
“So what’s the point?” Bill gr
umbled. “The cops’ll just put us on crap duty and take all the glory.”
“It’ll be up to the individual who is seconded to the police to make sure they aren’t being used as cheap labor.”
“Does this mean the rest of the team has to fight fires shorthanded?” Ace asked.
“We’ll get a temp,” Reynolds explained. “But it will be disruptive.”
“Who goes?” Lu asked. She was pretty sure she knew the answer. But as long as it wasn’t for too long, it’d be good to have a break from Reynolds.
“It’s by seniority, lowest first. So this week it’s you.” He smiled at her. “We’ll play it by ear after that.”
What a surprise. But maybe it wasn’t only because of their indiscretion. After all, it wasn’t just her fault. “Do we know what sort of job I’ll be doing?”
“No, but if you find yourself doing menial tasks that could be filled by an office temp, I want to hear about it ASAP.”
“Sure.”
“Meanwhile, let’s have last night’s report.”
Lu only half listened as the outgoing shift passed along their notes from the evening. She found these morning meetings had become repetitive. If Red was on he could usually spin a good tale, but the others seemed to drone on endlessly. She heard the front door click open and shut and watched the hallway with curiosity. The teams were all accounted for.
A familiar man with an amused curve to his lips appeared silently in the doorway separating the reception from the common room. While Bill explained the intricacies of the 2 a.m. call and his courage under fire, Lu studied the intruder, trying to remember where she’d seen him before. His confidence was the most striking thing about him. He seemed to possess the room as soon as he entered it. And then there was something that kept bringing her back to his sly smile.
Tall, well-built, with interesting features—okay, her friends would suggest his nose was too big—he projected an aura of affability and charm. And his piercing blue eyes were mesmerizing.
