by Starling,Amy
Carter nudged me and grinned. “You'll be one of us soon, married with kids.”
“Ha. Let's not ask too much out of me.”
The clanging alarm made all of us jump. Carter knocked over his milk, sending the white liquid all over the table.
“Something big going down at the police chief's house,” Hank yelled from his office. “Explosions have been reported by multiple callers. The whole place is going up in flames fast.”
Pure rage filled me, and I moved in a way I didn't know that I could. The guys tried to talk to me; I heard none of it.
Get the keys. Get in the truck. Go, go, damn it, why wouldn't this thing move any faster?
“Brett! Calm down,” Jayce told me from the passenger's seat. “You can't do your job if you don't think rationally.”
“Think... rationally?” I glared. “The woman I love is in that building.”
“But maybe she got out.”
Or maybe that Harvey asshole blew her up. He was behind this; who else could it be? That meant he was there with her and Victor.
I swore if I saw his face, I would kill him.
Charlie clung to the back of my seat. “Faster, man. If anything happens to my sister...”
“I know, dang it!”
Victor's house was in the hills, up a mountain through a long, winding road. The big trucks weren't well-equipped to navigate the curves, so I was forced to slow down.
The fire was so big and widespread that it lit the night sky orange. At the top of the hill was Madison's car, but she was nowhere to be seen.
A couple of FBI cars were parked there, too. Several agents canvased the area looking for a way in, but it didn't seem like they'd had much luck.
“There are no hydrant hookups,” Jayce informed me as I parked. “We'll have to use the water from the trucks, but I'm not sure three of 'em will be enough.”
Charlie practically fell over his own two feet as he jumped out of the seat. I had to grab him by the collar before he charged without thinking into the burning house.
“Whoa there. Maybe you ought to stay back. Fire's a dangerous thing, and you're not trained to deal with it.”
“But Madison's in there!”
“I'm going to get her out. I promise,” I assured him. “Trust me, Charlie. I would never let anything happen to her.”
Nearby, FBI guys were running about like headless chickens. Alex was on the phone, yelling over the roar of the fire.
“I'm gonna need backup. Send whoever you have,” he said. “There's a bomber. Got two people trapped in the house, possibly three.”
While the other guys got to work hosing off the building, I began to feverishly look for a way in. Alex called to me.
“All the possible routes inside appear to be blocked,” he said. “The bomber is quite clever. Apparently, he didn't want anyone getting in or out.”
“The bomber? It's that Harvey asshole!” I pushed him aside. “Never mind. If there's no entrance, then we'll make one.”
Our trucks were strong, though, but they couldn't do anything about the debris and rubble blocking all the windows. My heart beat with panic. I couldn't let Madison die in there!
“Hey, what do you think you're doing? Get out of there!”
When I turned around, Charlie was in the driver's seat of engine number twelve. He furrowed his brow and tried to figure out how to work the hefty vehicle – and I was almost certain he'd never driven a firetruck before.
“Charlie,” I shouted. “Stop, you're going to –”
He floored the gas; the engine lurched forward at startling speed. Why was he heading for the house and not stopping?
He covered his face as the truck crashed into the brick wall at probably forty miles an hour. Bricks toppled down in a heap all around him. The windshield shattered, sprinkling him with glass.
Then he pulled back, leaving a hole into the house big enough for us to get through. He stumbled out of the cab, forehead bleeding.
“Go,” he said to me, coughing on the smoke. “Find her. Get her out. I trust you.”
I gave him a grim smile, grabbed an extinguisher, and rushed into the house despite the protests of the FBI men.
The heat instantly made me drip sweat. I called for Madison, but no way could she hear me over all the terrible noise.
There was a loud series of popping sounds – gunfire!
“Shit,” I muttered, running in its direction. “Maddie, hang in there.”
I cut through burning hallways, then the living room, until I could hear yelling nearby, followed by more gunshots.
I didn't even care if I got hit. The only thing that mattered was finding her and keeping her safe.
“You think I'd come without a weapon? You want to play this game? Fine. One way or another, you're not walking out of this house, chief.”
They were in the dining room. Harvey hovered behind a chair, while Victor got a few shots at him from across the room.
I stayed low to the floor and scanned the room for Madison. If I called to her, there was a good chance I'd end up with holes in me. Where could she be?
“Keep this nonsense up and we'll both die, you fool!”
“What alternative have I got? If you get out of this, you'll have me thrown behind bars for life. That, or you'll murder me just like you did Freddy.”
Victor said nothing and stayed still.
“You think I didn't hear what you were talking about? I'm glad you did the job for me, actually. If it weren't for Freddy, my son might still be alive.”
“You know what, Harvey? Your little rampage against druggies was useless.” A few more bullets whizzed by me. “So you disrupted their game for a while. Maybe you even scared some of them straight. But it doesn't matter, because there are always more to replace them. There's big money in drugs, and if you were smart, you'd embrace that.”
Weak coughing caught my attention. There was Madison, lying in the hallway, half-conscious. Oh, no.
I had to reach her, but the quickest way was a path right through the shootout. Maybe if I crawled through the smoke, they wouldn't see me.
Suddenly, Victor turned tail and fled into another room. Harvey was about to follow, when a booming voice commanded him to stop.
“FBI, don't you move!”
Alex and another agent had guns trained on him. Harvey looked like a deer in headlights for a moment before bolting after Victor.
Jayce and Carter came in behind them. I was never more glad to see them.
“Get her,” Jayce said, hosing down the flames. “We're getting this thing under control.”
I went to Madison and scooped her frail body into my arms. Her eyes fluttered open and she struggled to shake off the daze.
“Brett,” she muttered. “What are you doing here?”
“Getting you out.”
“But Victor... and Harvey.”
“Alex and his guys are gonna get them. Don't you worry about a thing, Maddie.”
She wriggled out of my arms. “I can walk, I think. It's just so hard to breathe.”
I gave her my hand as we cut through the building toward the exit. “Duck down. Less smoke lower to the ground.”
“Where are we going to go? Harvey sealed all the doors and windows.”
“Your brother made an entrance just for us. Turns out he's not half bad at driving an engine.”
We were so close. Fresh, cool evening air blew our way through the hole. Just a few more steps, and –
An awful cracking noise sent us jumping backward just in time before the ceiling collapsed. A ton of rocks and rubble fell, blocking off our only way out.
“No!” I cursed and started digging. “Ugh, damn it. The whole wall fell down. If I had brought my ax, maybe...”
“There's no time to worry about it. Let's look for another way.”
“You said there was no other way.”
The volley of gunshots not far off had me worried. Alex's demands for the men to stand down were not working.
Jayce and Carter joined me. Their faces fell when they saw what happened to our exit.
“Now what?” Carter asking, wiping beads of sweat off his face. “I'm running low on spray.”
“Maddie,” I said. “You used to date this jerk. You know his house better than me.”
She thought, then nodded. “The roof, maybe? He has a skylight in one of the bathrooms. But I don't know if it's big enough for you guys, and the fire up there is real bad.”
“Could be safer than hanging around here waiting to get shot,” Jayce said. “Let's try.”
As we climbed the crumbling stairs, the fighting intensified.
“Get down on the ground,” an agent demanded. “We will use force if necessary.”
This was just met by more shooting.
“How do you know I don't have anymore bombs up my sleeve?” Harvey cackled. “Maybe I do. You wouldn't know where they were. Could be one under your feet right now. Don't take that risk, men.”
Victor scrambled for some way to make himself look innocent. Even now, with his home burning down around him, he was a shrewd bastard.
“Get him, boys! That's the arsonist who's been attacking people all over the city,” he said.
Alex wasn't having it. “I said put the gun down or we will shoot.”
I pulled Madison up the steps. “Come on, don't worry about them. Only thing that matters is getting us out.”
She led us to the bathroom. Just as she said, there was a glass skylight about eight feet above.
“I brought an ax,” Carter said. “Hold on...”
He knocked over a vanity, stood on it, and tried to reach the window, but couldn't reach.
“Give me a boost.” Madison took the ax. “I'll do it.”
“Don't drop her, man,” I said as she climbed onto his shoulders.
Madison strained to reach the skylight. She wobbled, a couple of times nearly falling, but Carter had a good grip. With one heavy swing, the blade sliced the glass apart and clean air rushed in.
“Great,” Jayce said. “But how do we get up there now?”
We couldn't reach, nor even fit through that small hole. Madison could, at least. When she managed to get safely outside, I was beyond relieved.
“How you gonna get down?” I asked.
“There's one of your guys with a truck. He's coming this way,” she said. “I'll get down the ladder.”
“What about us?” Jayce wondered.
“Uh... I know! Go to the bottom floor and wait by the pool area.”
“But that part's blocked off.”
“Just trust me.”
None of us wanted to go down there, closer to Victor and the gunfire, but we had no other choice.
“What is she gonna do?” Carter asked. “We're sitting here waiting to die if you ask me.”
“No,” I said. “She's a smart girl. She'll get us out.”
In the other room, Victor screamed at Alex.
“Get these cuffs off me!” he spat. “How dare you! I'm the police chief, and you treat me this way?”
The other agent made a move for Harvey. He held up the detonator and they stepped back.
“Are you really willing to take that risk? Are your lives not more important than letting me go?”
One second later, a firetruck crashed through the wall mere feet from our location. Charlie was the driver, and Madison sat safely beside him.
The distraction was all the agents needed. They jumped on Harvey, wrestled the detonator from him, and had him cuffed in no time.
“No,” he howled. “What are you doing? I was only trying to help. You don't understand...”
We rushed out the hole and gulped down the clean air. Madison jumped out of the truck into my arms.
“It's over,” I said, kissing her. “No more of this. The nightmare stops here.”
Jayce congratulated Charlie for saving us. “You did good, man. I'll put in a word for you when we get back to the station. Hank needs guys like you on the team.”
Madison watched the agents drag the screaming criminals outside and into their cars. She rubbed her eyes and sighed.
“You don't seem very happy,” I said.
“It just doesn't feel real, you know? I'm afraid it won't even matter. With Victor's connections to the mob, he will probably be free in no time.” She clung to my arm. “And then what if he comes after me?”
“Maddie, I won't let anything happen to you.” I walked with her, and we watched the boys put out the remaining flames. “I didn't tell you this before because I was scared, I guess, but... I love you.”
She stopped and gaped at me. “You love me?”
“Well, I'm pretty sure, anyway.”
I thought maybe she'd freak out. Instead, she hugged me.
“Pretty sure I love you too.”
And that was how the worst night of my life, thanks to the sweetest woman on Earth, became the very best.
Epilogue - Madison
“Hey, Mad! It's on again.”
Jenna grinned and waved the remote at the television. The actor playing Victor certainly looked a lot like him.
“A harrowing story of a police chief gone mad with power. Gangs, corruption, a drug empire... Victor Patterson will stop at nothing to keep the city under his thumb,” said the announcer. “But one brave cop dares to speak against him. Based on a true story.”
“Still can't believe they made a freaking movie about it.” I wiped my hands on a towel.
“You're totally famous!” She squealed, throwing popcorn into her mouth. “I could watch this over and over again.”
“I'm just glad Victor and Harvey are locked away where they belong – in a max-security prison.”
After the FBI arrested them both, the story garnered national attention. There was a media frenzy and a lengthy trial that turned into quite the circus.
Not even Victor's expensive lawyer could refute all the evidence against him. Lots of witnesses came forward, and Melody bravely took the stand, detailing the drug empire and partnership he and Freddy had built.
I spoke out, too. When I told the story of how Harvey burned down our house years ago, there was such hatred in his eyes. Once upon a time, I would have been scared of him.
Not anymore.
“You don't think they'll be able to get out,” Jenna murmured, wrapping a blanket around herself. “Do you?”
“No. That won't happen.” I gave her a hug. “It's over. We can go back to living our lives again.”
Outside, Brett was grilling burgers for dinner. He was with Charlie, both of them throwing back beers and laughing over dumb jokes.
“Here's the buns and cheese,” I announced, bringing a tray out to the yard.
Brett beamed when he saw me. “There's my lovely wife, and just in time too. Your brother and I have run out of beer.”
“I'll bring you beer if you give me a foot rub. Deal?”
“Oh, I'll rub more than that.” He curled his arm around my waist.
Charlie stuck out his tongue. “Get a room, you two.”
As Brett flipped the burgers, the orange flames made his wedding band sparkle. I fiddled with my own ring and smiled.
Right after the trial had ended, he asked me to marry him. Said he couldn't imagine living without me. Promised he'd give up partying, bike racing, fighting – because he loved me.
He'd made mistakes, some of them pretty big, but his heart was always in the right place.
When he got down on one knee and gave me that ring, saying “yes” made perfect sense.
Jenna came outside and turned up the stereo. With her eyes full of happiness, she grabbed Charlie by the hand and made him dance with her.
“This song is the best,” she sang, twirling him around despite his protests.
I joined Brett by the grill. He let out a contented sigh.
“She's doing much better now.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “As soon as they declared Harvey guilty, you could see the relief
on her face. She lived in fear for years that the arsonist would come back for us.”
“It must have been awful. Now she knows he's locked up, paying for what he's done, and he can't ever hurt her again.”
Charlie was doing better too. Brett and friends got him a job at the fire department, and he took to it right away. Having a purpose in life, knowing that he made a difference and people needed him, seemed to do him a world of good.
“How about you? Are you happy?” Brett asked.
“You know I am.”
“I just wonder if you should have taken the FBI job. I mean, that's a really big deal.”
I placed the buns on the grill and thought about it. Working for the federal government would have been a huge honor, but this was my city. Here, with my family and friends, was where I belonged.
“Alex said the offer was open if I ever changed my mind. Even so, this is where I want to stay.”
“I'm glad,” he said, pulling me close. “This is home.”
“Yeah. It is.”
Later that evening, Jenna and Charlie went back to their shared apartment. Brett and I were alone at last.
I stroked my belly as I watched him wash the dishes. He'd come so far, changed so much and become a better man. I was proud to have him as the father of my child.
Guess it was time to tell him the news.
He gave me a knowing look when I slid my arms around him at the sink.
“Where should we get it on tonight, hmm? The shower, the back porch, or how about the kitchen table? We haven't done that one yet.”
“As long as I get that mouth of yours, you can have me anywhere you like. And spankings. Extra-hard ones.”
He grinned. “Lady, you got a deal.”
“But first,” I said as he pulled off my shirt, “I have to tell you something.”
His brow creased. “Something good, I hope.”
I placed his warm hands on my stomach. His eyes filled with delight.
“You're pregnant?”
“Yes.”
The last time Brett cried, it was at our wedding. Now, like that wonderful day, joyful tears rolled down his cheeks.
“Before I met you, Maddie, I wasn't sure I wanted kids,” he admitted. “But now that I have you, it makes perfect sense.”
“I am a little worried. How will I balance being a cop with being a mother?”
