The Heat Is On (Boston Five Book 1)

by Anderson, Poppy J.

  “How … how are the others?”

  Donning his professional calm, he replied, “We’ll take care of the others once we’ve freed you from all this crap.”

  “Shit … my wife and … and I were fighting this morning. If I die now—”

  “You gotta stop with that nonsense, Mark,” Heath interrupted, simultaneously searching for a vein on the back of his hand. “We’ll have you out of here in no time, and then you can tell your wife you’re sorry.”

  “It was about her mother.” The man uttered a moan. “The old nag wants to move in with us.”

  In spite of everything, Heath had to laugh. He tapped the man’s skin, pulled a little, and stuck the hollow needle into the vein, glad he hit it on his first attempt. It was not an easy feat moving around in the cramped, volatile space, with the stifling air and the striped darkness around them, let alone hitting a vein on the man’s hand in these surroundings.

  “I recommend flowers, all things considered,” Heath said. He performed the routine steps, pressing the IV bag so the liquid would flow evenly, and then placing it carefully on a stable-looking piece of steel scaffolding.

  “Actually, I’m the one who should get the flowers,” the injured man joked, his voice hoarse. “You don’t know my mother-in-law.”

  “I’m sure things will be fine again between you and your wife in no time.” Heath took the man’s pulse again and pulled a blanket closer. He needed to place it over the man’s face and torso, to protect him from the aggressive dust that would surely rise up again once they started to remove pieces of rubble.

  “Listen, Mark,” he said, gingerly tucking the blanket around the man’s body. “This will protect you. Keep it over your face. I’m going to crawl back out now, so we can start removing the beams and boards. I’ll see you in a bit. That’s a promise.”

  “Heath.” The man’s hand pressed his. “If anything happens … my wife …”

  “I know.” He pressed the man’s hand in return. “I know.”

  He moved back out of the pile with caution. The crane operator was already waiting for him, and they quickly discussed further procedures. He ordered the scene to be cordoned off, giving them a wide berth to work in. Then he informed the hospital via headquarters about the injured man’s condition.

  As soon as the crane was in position, things went very fast. He and his team worked to extricate Mark, whose right leg was hopelessly squashed. Luckily, they were able to free him within minutes. They put him in the ambulance, which immediately sped off with Kyle at the wheel and Owen taking care of the patient.

  For an instant, Heath’s eyes followed the speeding ambulance, thanking the Almighty with a beating heart that Kyle would not be there for the recovery of the four corpses.

  Chapter 7

  As Hayden and Kayleigh arrived at the fire department’s annual family picnic, Hayden immediately spotted Heath behind the grill, a beer bottle in hand, talking and laughing with a blond woman. In that instant, she knew it had been a horrible idea to come here today. It took all her strength not to push her bread pudding into Kayleigh’s hands and turn around. Instead, she squared her shoulders, slapped a fake smile on her face, and greeted the congregation of firemen and their families, all of whom she had known for years.

  Along with the Christmas party, the annual summer picnic was a fixture within the department, and every fireman and every family took part in both. Apart from Shane, who had been called in to the station, all the Fitzpatricks were there, just like when Joseph had still been alive. Hayden couldn’t remember missing even one picnic in the past twenty-three years. After her dad had been fatally injured on active duty, her mom hadn’t wanted to come anymore, but Joe had convinced her that they were still part of the department family and needed to be there. That year, nine-year old Hayden hadn’t felt as out of place as she did today. Granted, her presence didn’t seem to have surprised anyone, but she just didn’t feel as at home as before, when her membership in the department family had been a matter of course.

  “Oh, there’s Mom.” Kayleigh pointed to one of the picnic tables, where the rest of the Fitzpatrick clan had already gathered, eagerly munching on some of the many potluck dishes.

  Kayleigh ran merrily over the lawn, patting various shoulders and laughing good-naturedly whenever someone patted her back. After depositing her dish on the potluck table, Hayden followed her friend, markedly less cheerful. She had to concentrate on ignoring Heath, which wasn’t easy considering that his booming laugh was echoing across the lawn.

  Before she could flee, Ellen grabbed her hand, as if she had sensed Hayden was considering making a run for it.

  “Hey, honey. Come sit with me.”

  Hayden suddenly realized how tough it must’ve been for Ellen, who had come here without Joe for the first time. She pressed the older woman’s hand reassuringly, leaned down and kissed her cheek, and then climbed over the bench to sit next to her. She felt a little sheepish, admitting to herself that her own problems were rather laughable compared to Ellen’s situation. Her conscience pricked her.

  With a sigh, she scooted closer to the woman who should have become her mother-in-law and was now pouring her a cup of iced tea. Then she put a plate in front of Hayden.

  “Have you been here long?” Hayden asked.

  Ellen shook her head in an amused fashion and took a sip from her drink. “We only just arrived. We had to wait for Ryan. He had a date with a coworker. They had brunch together.”

  Bruch sounded serious, Hayden thought as she studied Ryan, who had just nabbed an ear of corn from his sister’s plate and was now grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Ryan had a carefree air about him, and at twenty-three, he didn’t strike her as someone ready for anything steady, so she wondered whether he’d lied to his mom so she wouldn’t worry. After all, Ellen was inclined to follow the love lives of her children with suspicion. Hayden thought of the countless instances when she’d complained to her openly about Kayleigh’s levity, lamenting that her daughter refused to enter a committed relationship.

  “Why didn’t Ryan bring this girl?” Hayden asked.

  “Well”—Ellen practically beamed at her—“he told me he considers this a family affair, so he didn’t want to bring anyone new. Isn’t that charming?”

  “Very charming,” Hayden replied with feigned adoration for Ryan, certain her dishonesty would land her in hell some day. She was now certain Ryan had lied to his mother. Instead of meeting someone for brunch, he’d definitely spent an early-morning tête-à-tête with one of the countless women he kept picking up. And then he’d fabricated a real date for his mom, so he’d look like the exemplary son she expected to have.

  She squinted at his cheerful profile and suppressed a snort.

  Then Ellen caught her by surprise, leaning closer, patting her thigh, and whispering, “I’m very glad you came.”

  Hayden had to swallow against a lump in her throat as she nodded with a sad smile. Then she leaned her head against Ellen’s shoulder. “I’m awfully sad Joe can’t be here,” she admitted quietly.

  “Me, too, honey. It’s nice of you to say that.”

  From the corner of her eye, Hayden saw Kayleigh and Ryan playfully fighting over the larger of two pieces of cake, and she registered the merriment all around her. She couldn’t help comparing this year with the last, feeling wistful and heavy.

  “Hey!” Kyle sat down across from them, placing a fully laden plate in front of him. “There you are, Hayden. Did you bring your bread pudding?”

  “How nice of you to ask. You only like having me around when I bring food.” She rolled her eyes, and it made her happy to hear Ellen giggle.

  “Not just any food, though,” Kyle corrected with a stern expression. “It has to be your pudding. That makes all the difference.”

  “Then don’t worry.” She pointed to the table behind her, which literally sagged under the weight of the dishes and bowls people had put there. “I’d never forget the pudding. I don’t want you to
starve.”

  “The idea isn’t as far-fetched as you might think,” Kyle said, picking up a chicken wing. “The shifts are murderous—really exhausting. I bet I’ve already lost four or five pounds.”

  Hayden looked at Ellen, whose turn it was to roll her eyes. She chuckled softly.

  “Tell me, Kyle,” Hayden asked in mock seriousness. “How long have you been working here? Three days, maybe four?”

  “Four days. Four entire days!”

  “Well, then,” she acknowledged with an exaggerated nod. “It’s no wonder you’ve become so haggard from all the hard work.”

  “Are you pulling my leg?”

  “Of course, Mr. Slow-on-the-uptake.” She giggled. “How is life as a paramedic, though?”

  “Not as exciting as in the movies.” Kyle shrugged, the pragmatist that he was. “But it isn’t as if I didn’t know that before. Most the alarms in the last three days were for dehydrated old people, but on my very first day, we had to deal with a really bad accident.”

  Ellen had flinched next to Hayden. “Kyle, I don’t know if I want to hear about that again.”

  “Mom, you know I was completely safe. There was no hazard for me.”

  “And I want it to stay that way.” She shook her head. “Your dad never told me any details about his work, and neither did Heath. I can’t sleep anymore now that you keep coming home with detailed stories about the stunts my oldest son is pulling at the scenes of grisly accidents.”

  Hayden cringed and threw a covert glance at the grill, where Heath was now standing alone. Staring in her direction.

  He abruptly lowered his eyes and focused on the meat on the grill, which confirmed he’d been watching her. She didn’t know how to feel about that.

  She took in his casual jeans and the shapeless t-shirt he was wearing, as well as the hair falling into his face. He obviously hadn’t seen a barber in a long time.

  Then Kyle’s voice interrupted her musings on her former fiancé. “He’s fine, Mom. Nothing happened, because he knows what he’s doing. If you want me to, I’ll keep my trap shut from now on and won’t tell you anything.”

  Hayden turned and watched Ellen, who was pressing her lips together, her cheeks pale. Hayden couldn’t believe Kyle was chewing away on a drumstick, oblivious to his mother’s genuine distress.

  “Of course that would be easier for me.” Ellen shook her head and got up. “Would you excuse me?”

  As soon as she was out of earshot, Hayden pursed her lips and socked Kyle in the shoulder. “Don’t tell her things like that, Kyle! Your mom shouldn’t have to worry all the time.”

  He snorted. “Do you really think she would stop worrying, just like that, if I didn’t tell her stuff anymore?”

  “Of course not, but you don’t have to upset her any more than she already is without your gory stories.” She swallowed her own concern and grabbed a few crackers. Munching on them, she prodded, “But now that she’s gone, tell me. What happened?”

  “What?” Kyle blinked at her in confusion.

  She wet her chapped lips and narrowed her eyes at him. “You know full well what I’m talking about … Heath—what did he do? At the site of that accident?”

  “It was no big deal …”

  “If it wasn’t a big deal, then why are you wearing this awestruck expression? That look makes my stomach churn.”

  “Do you really want to talk about Heath?” He wrinkled his nose in disbelief. “You’re no longer together.”

  “Thanks for the update,” she hissed at him. “And for Heaven’s sake, can you speak more quietly? I don’t want everyone to stare.”

  The young paramedic dropped the bare chicken bone on his plate. “And here I was thinking Heath was a red flag. Why do you think I haven’t mentioned him in months?”

  She swallowed hard. “Kyle, even though Heath and I broke up, we can still talk about him. Despite everything that happened, I’m worried about him.”

  “You don’t have to be. He takes care of himself, Hayden.” His boyish face lit up again. “On my first day, he wormed his way into a giant pile of debris to help an injured man buried underneath all these steel beams. The man survived and sent him a giant bouquet of flowers. Sent it to the department, I mean.”

  Suddenly, Hayden understood Ellen leaving the table so she wouldn’t have to listen to things like that.

  Kyle started to go on gushing about his big brother’s heroics, getting carried away like the young man he was, so Hayden interrupted. “Luckily everything ended well, then.”

  With a serious but eager face, Kyle shook his head. “That wasn’t luck. Heath knows what he’s doing.”

  Hayden doubted he had enough experience to judge that objectively, but she didn’t disagree. She leaned back and stared at her ring finger for a moment, where a strip of pale skin showed that she’d worn her engagement ring for over a year.

  “Kyle,” she whispered, after making sure nobody was listening to their conversation. “Does he ever talk about me at all?”

  She must’ve really been a miserable spectacle, because Kyle’s expression became panicked. “Um … Hayden, I … well …”

  “It’s okay, forget it.” She could just about manage to blink away tears, but she couldn’t help a sniffle. “I know he wants nothing to do with me anymore.”

  “Well,” Kyle grumbled, lowering his voice. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that since I’ve been watching him stare in your direction for a while now.”

  She shrugged in a depressed fashion. “He’s probably annoyed that I’m here.”

  “I’d say he’s annoyed with himself, because he can’t stop staring at you.”

  She gave him a rather tortured smile. Kyle had always been like a little brother to her. She leaned back again and took a deep breath. “Would you do me a favor?”

  “As long as it doesn’t involve sharing my pudding with anyone.”

  “No, not that.” Hayden nibbled her lower lip nervously. “Could you keep an eye on him? Your mom isn’t the only one who’s concerned. But he doesn’t need to know I asked you.”

  Kyle looked as if he wanted to hit the wooden table with his forehead. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”

  She nodded meaningfully in the direction of her bread pudding, which Kayleigh had just placed on their picnic table.

  “Okay,” he finally sighed.

  It was painfully obvious that Heath was avoiding her.

  It pained Hayden that she was the reason he stayed away from his family and instead sat at a table with several coworkers. Of course she could only guess the reason, but she was pretty sure it was because he didn’t want to be near her, preferring to devour his food anywhere but at her table.

  When Chief Brody began to give a brief speech in memory of Joe, Hayden sat next to Ellen and held her hand, while Ryan put an arm around his mom’s shoulders. She wanted to kick Heath when he suddenly got up and walked away to stoke the embers in the grill. How could he be that insensitive and cold? Here everyone was, commemorating his dad, and he had to behave like a giant oaf, like someone who didn’t give a damn about what was happening around him. He should have been at his mom’s side, comforting her, at a moment like this, but he seemed to think it was more important to put more coal on the grill.

  As soon as the chief finished his touching speech, she excused herself from the table. She went over to where Heath was sitting with Sam, Jesse, and Collum, staring at the bottle of beer in his hand with a stubborn expression.

  “I need to talk to you,” she said without preliminaries.

  “I’m not interested.”

  She let out an angry snort. “I don’t care. You’re coming with me now, or I …” She couldn’t think of an effective threat, so she broke off.

  “Or what?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered honestly, meeting his green eyes with hers. At least she could discern a tiny spark of humor in them, as he raised the bottle to his lips and took a gulp. Mustering a sickly sweet smi
le, she tapped her forefinger against her lips. “I could threaten to throw out your record collection, which is still sitting in the hallway of our house, where it has been for three months now. But I guess, considering that fact, you don’t seem to miss it much. So that might be an idle threat.”

  His three friends chuckled furtively, but Heath glowered at her. “Hayden—”

  “I could also haul all your underwear over here, so your friends can see which brand you prefer.” She turned to the chuckling firefighters. “He’s a Hanes man, did you know? Briefs.” Turning back to Heath, she added, “Or you could just move your ass and talk to me.”

  He stood and grabbed her by the arm to lead her away from the table, or rather, to drag her away. He stopped in the shade of a cluster of trees, towering over her, which didn’t intimidate her in the least.

  “What do you want?”

  “Thanks for asking, I’m fine,” she said in an acidic tone, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

  “Stop playing games.”

  “Then stop acting like an asshole,” she spat back. “It doesn’t suit you.”

  “Oh, and you know what suits me, do you?”

  Hayden rolled her eyes, jutting out her chin. “You forget who you’re talking to. Just because you hit on some blond right under my eyes doesn’t mean I suddenly don’t know who you are anymore.”

  “Jealous?”

  “What if I am?” She frowned at him. “Wasn’t that the purpose of your little show?”

  “What show?”

  With a snide glance, she nodded in the direction of the blond woman, who was now standing with Marty, joking with him. “Don’t take me for a fool, Heath. Staging a little flirtation in public to demonstrate you don’t love me anymore. That’s pretty cheap. But thank you for putting so much effort into showing me over and over again just how unwanted I am in your life. For your information: I came here for Ellen today, not for you!”

  “Hayden—”

  She was so angry she couldn’t let him get a word in now. Instead, she poked her finger into his hard-as-steel abs. “I have no clue whether you think you have to catch up on some quota just because we’ve been together since elementary school, and if maybe that’s the reason you feel the need to sleep with as many women as possible now, but you should know that you are hurting me.”