All Consuming

by Jaci Burton

  “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop by to check out your place.”

  “You’re on duty?”

  He nodded. “On a supply run. There’s a shop just a block from here, so I thought I’d take a minute to drop in and say hello.” He looked around her. “Are you with a client?”

  “Not at the moment.” She felt every set of eyes in the place trained on her—well, not on her, on Kal. She should probably introduce him. “Hey, everyone. This is Kal Donovan. He’s a firefighter and a friend of mine. Kal, you remember Delilah from high school?”

  “Oh yeah. Hey, Delilah.”

  “And this is Marguerite, and over there is Josephine.”

  “Hey, Kal,” Marguerite said, sporting a wide grin. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Hi, Kal,” Delilah said. “Hannah said you two were dating again.”

  “She did, huh?”

  “And she’s said good things about you,” Marguerite added.

  “Really.”

  “Oh yes,” she said. “Very good things.”

  He looked over at Hannah. “You’ve been talking about me, huh?”

  “Oh, she talks about you all the time,” Delilah said with a grin.

  “I do not. Not a word.” She shot a look over at Delilah, who laughed.

  “Honestly,” Hannah said to Kal. “Nothing.”

  Now Kal laughed. “I don’t mind, as long as it’s all good.”

  “I haven’t said a word to anyone.”

  “Oh, so now I’m your dirty secret.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Kal.”

  “Come on. I’m teasing. Show me your place. I can’t stay long.”

  The man was exasperating. “Fine. This is it.” She held her hands out wide.

  He slanted a look at her. “You can do better than that.” He walked over to her station. “So this is where you work?”

  She sighed. “Yes. This is my station.”

  “Nice.” He leaned down to inspect the corner of the mirror where she had a picture of her son. “This is Oliver?”

  “Yes.”

  He lifted, giving her a warm smile. “He’s cute. He looks a lot like you.”

  “Thank you for saying that.”

  “It’s true.”

  She could get lost in Kal’s eyes, the smoothness of his skin and his mouth—just remembering what it had been like to kiss him the other night . . .

  She cleared those thoughts from her head and walked him toward the lunchroom. “Anyway, this way is the break room where we can put our feet up and eat.”

  He peeked his head in the door, leaning his body against hers so he could see. Her body reacted by quivering all over.

  “Sizable enough and you have a microwave and fridge. That’s nice.”

  “Yes.” She straightened and moved away. “Here are the washing stations, and our washer/dryer and storage.”

  “This place is bigger than I thought.”

  She shrugged. “It’s not huge, but it’s enough space.”

  “It’s nice, Hannah.”

  “Thank you.” Standing this close to him in the small washing area was sending her pulse racing. Especially since her mind had to go to that place where she remembered kissing him the other night. Clearly a huge mistake.

  “Anyway, I came by to ask what you’re doing tomorrow.”

  She frowned. “Why?”

  “It’s Friday. I’m off shift. I thought maybe you might want to go out.”

  “I promised Oliver I’d take him to the new movie.”

  “The one with the fire truck? Come on, I’m dying to see that one.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “It’s an animated movie, Kal.”

  “And?”

  She walked out of the laundry area, and Kal followed.

  “You want to see a kid movie. With a seven-year-old.”

  “Well, yeah. Doesn’t everyone love animated movies?”

  “I do.”

  Hannah swiveled toward Delilah, who shrugged. “Well, I do.”

  “So do I,” Delilah’s client said. “My husband and I don’t even have kids and we love animated movies.”

  “See?” Kal said. “Let’s go see the movie.”

  She shook her head. “Fine.”

  “Great. We’ll go get pizza first. I assume you have no objection to pizza.”

  “Oliver loves pizza.”

  “Who doesn’t?” Marguerite said, grinning.

  “Great,” Kal said. “I gotta go. I’ll text you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Kal,” Delilah said.

  Kal grinned and waved, and Hannah waved as well.

  Once he left, Delilah said, “He is so damn hot.”

  “I didn’t tell you I was seeing him.”

  “I know that, but it was kinda obvious the minute he walked in the door. And why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because there’s nothing going on. We’re just friends from high school, and we reconnected at the reunion. Nothing’s going on between us.”

  “She lies,” Marguerite said. “Tension was thick in here.”

  “So thick,” Marguerite’s client said. “Like, we-need-to-turn-the-AC-down-in-here thick.”

  Delilah laughed. “They’re right. He’s hot for you. And you’re hot for him. Face it, girl, there’s some boiling chemistry going on between the two of you.”

  Delilah wasn’t lying about that. The whole salon had gotten steamy when he’d walked in. The man took up space with his presence. And that space ignited whenever he walked into the salon.

  Whew. She was perspiring now.

  The problem was, how was she going to keep her very astute seven-year-old son from noticing her interest in Kal?

  Because just being next to Kal had a polarizing effect on her. Which meant she was going to have to work very hard to mentally and physically put Kal in the friend zone tomorrow night to avoid confusing Oliver. The last thing her son needed was to see her reaction whenever she was around Kal. And right now that reaction was chemical.

  Baby steps. She liked Kal, and if she wanted things to progress with him, she had to take it slow.

  With Kal. And with her son.

  CHAPTER 8

  Kal brought the supplies back to the station, dodging the rain that was coming down harder now. He didn’t even mind. Not after his successful visit to see Hannah.

  She’d looked so pretty with her hair piled on top of her head, that businesslike focus she’d given him as she showed him around her shop. She was so obviously proud of what she’d created there, as she should be. He’d been impressed.

  She had a nice shop, and she worked with good people. He could see she was happy.

  And, he had a date with her and with Oliver tomorrow night. It had all worked out, and he couldn’t wait to meet her son.

  But now it was back to work, so he had to focus.

  As one of the junior firefighters on the roster, it often fell to him to do the drudge work like supply runs and inventory. He put the supplies away, updated the inventory and took the report in to his lieutenant. Then he headed to the kitchen to grab some lunch—or what was left of lunch, anyway. They’d had tacos, and it looked as if a plague of locusts had run over the kitchen. Irish was just about to put the leftovers away when Kal walked in.

  “You’re lucky anything is left,” Irish said. “But I managed to set a few aside for you.”

  “Thanks, Irish.”

  “Also, you’re on dishes.”

  He shook his head. “Of course I am.”

  He shoveled the tacos and rice into his mouth, then cleaned the kitchen, listening to the wind and rain pelt against the windows.

  It had been pouring outside since he showed up for duty this morning, and it hadn’t let up yet. Station 38 had already been on t
hree calls for car wrecks since shift started, one with some fairly bad injuries. It was going to be a hot mess today.

  He’d checked in with Jackson and Rafe, and they said it was just as bad at Station 6. They’d no more get back from one call before they had to go out on another.

  It wasn’t like rain was unheard of in Ft. Lauderdale, but since it was hurricane season, the rain could really perform, and roads became dangerous.

  He went to the open doors of the bay and hung out there with a few of the other members of the team, watching how hard the rain was sheeting.

  “Forecast calls for this nasty weather all night,” Andy said.

  “I’m glad I’m here today,” Wes Macintosh said, his dog, Winnie, sitting by his side.

  “We are, too,” Lieutenant Anderson said.

  They were lucky to have search and rescue firefighter Wes Macintosh with them today, along with his specially trained dog, Winnie. Wes wasn’t assigned to a specific fire station but tended to float wherever he was needed.

  Kal hoped they didn’t need Wes or Winnie today. But the way it was looking outside, and with the sun going down, they just might.

  They all went inside and worked on rope drills. True to form, Starling and Beckwith were hypercritical of his every move, even though he knew he was doing everything right. Kal wasn’t in the mood for it today, so he did his best and chose to ignore them.

  They had just put the last of the ropes away when the alarm sounded for the TRT. The team ran for the bay to climb into gear and get into the truck.

  “Station 6 is on location at the scene of a two-car accident,” Lieutenant Anderson informed them as they made their way to the scene. “Car one rear-ended the second, causing the second to slide down an embankment. Because of all the rain and subsequent mud, Station 6 hasn’t been able to get down and rescue the occupants of car two. That’s our job.”

  Kal got his mind into work mode. They talked out the potential scenario, who would do what and the type of equipment they’d need at the scene, including ropes and pulleys, rappelling equipment as well as rescue buckets. Fortunately, Station 6 was on the scene, so they’d have extra rescue gear available as well.

  They arrived on scene, and as Kal and the team got out of the truck, they were pelted by the rain. Visualization was gonna be hard if not damn near impossible.

  Lieutenant Anderson got the sitrep from Jackson, since he was lieutenant for Station 6, while the TRT gathered their gear from the truck.

  “Okay, everyone,” Anderson said. “Station 6 tried to get to the vehicle that slid down the embankment, but it’s too slick with mud, and the last thing we need is to lose a firefighter team along with whoever is down there. So we’re going to rappel down with a team at the top to provide balance and safety.”

  The lieutenant started barking out assignments. Kal, Phil Beckwith and Micah Brown would be rappelling down, and Meg, Dean and Andy would provide support.

  Kal felt good about being called on for this job. Despite what Phil and Dean thought about him, obviously his lieutenant was fine with his skill set, because this wasn’t going to be easy.

  “Wes, I want you and Winnie to stand in wait to see if we need any search and rescue assistance,” the lieutenant said. “I’m hoping everyone is still buckled tight in the vehicle.”

  “You got it,” Wes said.

  Kal hoped everyone was still inside the vehicle as well. The last thing they wanted was someone ejected. At high speeds and in a rolling vehicle, that could be trouble—and potential for serious injury.

  Everyone harnessed up, and the ropes were dropped.

  Micah looked over at Kal. “You ready for this?”

  He nodded. “I’ve got it.”

  Micah gave a quick nod, and they started rappelling down.

  Kal focused on his own rope, his feet sinking into the thick mud. His only objective was to make his way down to that vehicle without slipping and becoming another casualty. The last thing the team needed was for one of their own to fall. He looked down to see Micah below him, and Phil was above him, the three of them taking the same route through this blistering rain and in this sucking mud.

  “I’ve got lights,” Micah said into his com, letting them know that he’d spotted the vehicle.

  That was good. It wasn’t as far down as Kal thought it might have been. About fifty feet. Which meant they’d be able to get survivors up with buckets.

  First they’d have to assess the victims, determine what they were dealing with.

  Micah reached the car first, but waited for Kal and Phil to touch down.

  As soon as they did, Micah radioed to the team above that they’d reached the vehicle.

  Damn, it was difficult to see, hard to maneuver as they detached, wound their ropes around a nearby tree and drove a spike into the carabiners to hold them in place. The wind was howling, making getting around in the thick muck even more difficult. They grabbed their supplies and made their way to the vehicle, a dark four-door sedan that was sitting right side up—thankfully. It was nestled against a group of trees. Likely, the trees were what had halted its continued slide down the embankment. But the top was smashed in, so clearly a rollover.

  They cleared the windows of mud as best they could, but it was still tough to see inside. And the doors were smashed and locked. At least they could get to one side of the vehicle. Since no one inside was trying to get out or making any noise, their only recourse was to break the windows.

  Micah was the senior of their group, so Phil and Kal looked to him.

  “Break ’em,” he said.

  Kal was on the passenger side back seat window, Phil on the front seat. He got out his punch and broke the window. He didn’t hear any screams or noises. Phil shook his head. They cleared through the glass and shined lights inside.

  No one was inside the back seat, so he went to assist Phil, who was checking vitals on the guy strapped into the passenger side.

  “Unconscious. Pulse weak. But alive. Assessing for injuries.”

  “I’ll climb in the back window to check on the driver,” Kal said.

  “No,” Phil said. “Let me do that.”

  “You’ve got a patient already. I’ll get in this way to check on the driver.”

  Phil paused, then nodded. “Fine. Do it.”

  He forced the back seat door open and scooted over between the two front seats.

  The driver was female. Late twenties was Kal’s guess. Her long blond hair was matted and covered in blood. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn’t moving. He pressed his fingers to her neck.

  Nothing.

  Not about to give up, he kept searching, pressing harder.

  Come on. Don’t give up.

  Finally, he felt a faint beat.

  “I’ve got a pulse,” he said. “Very weak.”

  “We’ve got to get these people out of here,” Phil said. “This guy has a leg and arm fracture and possibly spinal. Can’t be certain until he’s fully assessed.”

  Micah stuck his head in the window. “I’ve radioed up to let them know we need advance life support and medical and buckets. Help is on the way.”

  “They’d better hurry,” Kal said as he constantly monitored the vital signs of the driver. They weren’t improving, but they weren’t getting worse, either, so that was good.

  The passenger, on the other hand, had started to regain consciousness and was fighting Phil. Micah had to help restrain him.

  “Laura,” the guy said. “My . . . my wife.”

  “We’re taking care of her,” Phil said. “But you can’t move.”

  “What about Danny?”

  Phil’s gaze shot to Micah’s, then back to the patient. “Who is Danny?”

  “Our son. He’s in the back seat.”

  “How old is Danny?” Micah asked.

  “Ten.” />
  Oh, shit, Kal thought. There was a kid out there somewhere in this mess of mud and rain. And he was all alone. Maybe hurt or scared.

  “Okay, sir,” Phil said. “You hang on. It’s important that you not move.”

  “I’ll get Wes down here with Winnie,” Micah said to Kal and Phil.

  The kid had to have been ejected through one of the windows that were now crushed against the tree. But they didn’t see anyone on the way down. The problem was, he could be anywhere.

  The good news was that the rain was starting to lighten up, which would make search and rescue easier. As would getting these people out of the vehicle and up that damn muddy slope.

  Wes made his way down with Winnie, along with several of the other firefighters who brought extrication equipment.

  Micah filled Wes in on the missing kid, and Wes and Winnie went right to work on search and rescue. Hopefully, it would be a rescue. Kal’s stomach filled with dread. They needed to get that kid back. But Kal had to focus on getting the people out of the vehicle.

  Kal prepared the wife for extrication, cutting her seat belt and making sure she was secure at the neck and back.

  “Your hands are shaking, kid,” Phil said, casting a glare at him. “You need me to call for help for you?”

  “No. I’ve got this.”

  “And you’ve got a life hanging in the balance in your hands. If you can’t handle it, we’ll replace you with someone who can.”

  The last thing he needed right now was Phil telling him he couldn’t do the job. “I said I’ve got it.”

  “Concentrate on your own patient, Beckwith,” Micah said. “We’re on a time crunch here.”

  “You got it,” Phil said.

  With a bigger team down to help, they extricated both victims from the vehicle and secured them, using buckets to pull them up the hill to waiting ambulances. It was backbreaking, slippery work, but they got it done, keeping their patients stable on the way up. By the time they got the woman to the ambulance, her vitals had perked up. Kal was relieved about that. He really hoped she was going to make it.

  Wes and Winnie located Danny about twenty feet from the vehicle, conscious but with a broken leg and a possible concussion. He started fully coming around when the team got to him, thankfully. Considering how badly it could have gone for the kid, they were all relieved when the rescue team brought him up. Kal hoped he was going to be okay. It was a terrible accident, so it was amazing the whole family had come through this. At least they were all alive. Since they wouldn’t be following to the hospital, he’d have no way of knowing if they survived. He just had to hope.