by Lily LaVae
“How do you know?” Alexander’s demeanor changed immediately.
“He called and gave a warning. I need to get to Melody. Her place is getting hit at the same time and if the dryer is in her apartment…” He hadn’t even thought to check. Maybe they would be lucky and the laundry would be in a closed off room at the end of the hall or even the basement, away from people.
The alarm went off and all three guys jumped to their feet and ran. Two more guys would be coming, but they would have to come from home. Chief Hayes came around the corner and slapped his hat on.
“Two calls.”
Gage rushed to the floor by the trucks and whipped his turnouts up his body, then slid on the suspenders. “I already called for backup on the one out of town. I got a threatening call and there wasn’t time to verify.” He’d gone over the chief’s head and that would sting. He’d always tried to respect him in every way.
The chief said nothing, but notched his head a little higher. “Then we head to the apartment fire and try to get that under control. I wasn’t sure how we were going to split up the team to fight both.”
Though the chief only said it to diffuse the situation so they could focus on the fire, there would be a talk later. Their had to be, the whole firehouse system relied on respect.
Gage jumped into the truck and yanked out his phone. He shot a text to Melody.
Gage: Get your ass out of there right now. Find somewhere to be. I’ll find you when this is done.
He waited, staring at his phone as the driver whipped on the sirens. They turned onto the street and people tugged out of the way as they drove past. Getting around in town was always the hardest. As fast as they wanted to go, they were held back by people unwilling to move. Even by slow pedestrians who didn’t give up the right of way.
His phone buzzed and he flipped it over to see if it was her.
Alexander: I’m in Santinas. I’ll meet you at the apartment. Don’t worry about her, just do your job.
Melody hadn’t answered his text when they reached the fire and Gage had to leave his phone on the seat and shove his gloves back on. Smoke poured out of a few first-floor windows already and he counted the windows, trying to see if hers was near any with smoke.
Rabbit slapped him on the back. “Time to get down to business. Get that air turned on and start herding people out of there. Hop to it.”
He had to do his job in an orderly fashion, but that wasn’t what he wanted to do. His instinct was to run up to her place and make certain she wasn’t there first. He took a deep breath, knowing he couldn’t be responsible for the death of others. He’d just have to work fast to get to her and let his buddies put the fire out before it reached her.
Livy stared at the television, a drink held loosely in her hand. After Melody had gotten so completely drunk in front of her friend, she’d stopped arguing about consumption in her apartment. At least Livy was there for her. She had consumed more than usual and looked more like a puddle than a woman.
The television droned and they hadn’t said a word to each other in about an hour. Melody’s phone rang and she picked it up without even thinking about it.
Unknown caller.
Gage had told her to be chill and just answer the phone as if she had no clue who Hulk was or what he was accused of.
“Hello?” Her voice waivered a little. She’d never been a good actress.
Hulk’s voice came over the phone. “Hey, I’ve been thinking about that opinion piece. I think I’ve got a few more things to add to it to give it more punch. Is there still time to get it in? Can we meet right away at the coffee shop?”
His voice raced along, making her nerves tighten. Why did he want to meet, why not just talk by phone? “I don’t know. I’ve got a friend over and it’s evening. My story is already in. I would have to rush it right down to the office to change it and resubmit it at this point. Can’t you just tell me what you’d like to add or change?” She would make him work for it, because despite wanting to help Gage and the whole town, she was not getting paid to get murdered in some dark alley.
“I would really like to meet with you, if you would. I think there are a lot of people in this town that we could help. I have a few things to give you, and this just can’t be done by phone.”
She held the phone away from her mouth and groaned. Leaving Livy in the state that she was in was a bad idea. Livy wasn’t even all that conscious, just staring at the television. She hadn’t even picked up her drink in a while, and that meant she was thoroughly drunk.
“Yeah, I guess, but I can only stay a few minutes. My friend really needs me here.”
He laughed. “Trust me, that’s temporary.”
She tugged the phone from her ear for a moment and glared at it as if it would get through to the man on the other end. “I don’t think you know anything about it. I’ll be there shortly, and I’ll give you fifteen minutes to tell me what you need to. That’s it, then I’m done with you. You will forget my phone number after this.”
“That’s all I’ll need.” She heard his lips stretch over his teeth in the phone to form a smile and she shivered, because she didn’t want him smiling at all.
“Hey, Livy?” She hit end and slid her phone onto the table.
Livy did not respond at all.
“Livy, I need to go and do some work for a few minutes. Just stay right here on this sofa. Don’t move, no matter what. I’ll be back to help you into bed when I get back.”
Livy nodded as if she’d heard, but she continued to stare at the weather channel as if it were the most fascinating show she’d ever seen. There was no question about it, Melody would have to get her friend some help, soon. At least she could tuck her friend in and make sure she didn’t hurt herself or anyone else by trying to get home later.
Her bag from meeting Hulk a few days before still sat by the door where she’d dropped it after he’d followed her, adding to her apartment clutter. She hadn’t written the story and she hadn’t bothered to pick it up since. The weight of it felt just the same as before, psychologically heavier than it should.
The coffee shop was only about four blocks from her apartment and it made no sense to get her car out of the garage when a late-evening walk would do her good. It would give her time to think and calm down, plus she could hide more easily if Axe got out of hand like he did last time. She needed to act like she knew nothing. Now she understood why Gage hadn’t wanted to tell her anything for that reason exactly, so she wouldn’t have to act.
She’d pushed him into telling her and he’d been right. Over the last two days, she’d come to realize she didn’t like the paper in Santinas, didn’t like working against Gage. She didn’t want to work anywhere where she might have to make his job harder. It was hard enough. She’d realized she’d stayed in her journalism major because Professor Leiken had convinced her she needed to. So he could keep his hands on her. She shivered again. That line of thinking was not going to help her calm down.
Hulk sat at a table in the large front window of the coffee shop and just as she gripped the handle of the door and made eye contact with him, an explosion rocked the street around her, the percussion knocking her to the ground.
Chapter 22
Alexander met Gage on the scene, a mask and air tank already on, but no gear.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? I can’t let you in there with just that. You’ll fry,” Gage yelled through his helmet.
Alexander laughed and pulled the breathing apparatus from his mouth. “Just tell me where Melody is and I’ll go in and get her out. You worry about everyone else. I’m the one who put her in this mess, convincing you she had to be part of it.”
Gage let the fury build for a moment, then subside. Alexander only wanted to help, not try to take her away from him. He would get done what Gage couldn’t do. “Fourth floor, fifth door on the left. Get her and get out of there. I don’t want to have to come in and save both of you.”
Over the radio,
Rabbit called, “So far, all we can find is smoke. It’s in the basement, but not like the other two. It’s really thick, hard to see. Looks like the devices were in the storage lockers and just explosive, not incendiary.”
“Careful, there may be other devices.” He’d hardly finished before there were two more muffled explosions from inside. More people screamed and emerged, running from the building. Gage counted as they rushed out. He flipped up his mask. “How many people total have come out?” He thought he’d counted all of them. Chief had told them there were a total of twenty-two current residents, the bomber had been wrong over the phone, but if any of them were at work or if students had friends over, the number could be way off. Melody hadn’t been among those he’d counted.
“I got nineteen. Want me to go check for her?”
He was already suited up. “No, not now. I’ll go and make a sweep of all the rooms.”
“I’ll go interview.” He whipped off his air tank and rested it against the truck.
Gage knew Alexander’s desire to be on the front lines, to help put out the fire and save those inside. It was a drive they all felt and he appreciated that Alexander would understand.
He rushed inside and met Rabbit coming out. He’d been doing a safety check inside to see where the fire was and if it was structurally safe to enter the building. His ankle had healed quickly from the last fire and he was back to doing what he loved. Rabbit gave him the thumbs up and Gage went inside.
Smoke hung thick in the front lobby and the noise of the breathing gear filled his ears. Bottom up. He’d start on the lowest floor where the smoke was worst and work his way in a quick sweep all the way back to the door. Guys with the lines would come in and try to douse the fire, but hopefully he’d have everyone out by the time they were actually battling the blaze.
The mask kept him breathing, but it didn’t stop the smell of the fire from making its way through his suit. It would be on his skin for days, even after showers. It was part of him. As he went up the stairs, the smoke thinned, proving Rabbit was right. The blasts had all occurred in the basement and the secondary ones were the ones that started the fire. Meaning, he’d wanted them to go off when the fire department was already inside.
The first floor was clear and he rushed up the stairs to the second. He found both the second and third floors clear, that left the fourth. Only one door was still closed, Melody’s. He had to break down the locked door, thankful there was no smoke yet. One woman lay sleeping on the couch, her mouth wide open. It wasn’t Melody, though she did look familiar. He had no time to think about where he’d seen her before. He rushed back to Melody’s bedroom and she wasn’t there. She wasn’t anywhere in the apartment.
He sent word over the radio. “I need someone to come in and take my place. Unconscious woman upstairs. Apartment 45.”
He picked up the woman and slung her over his shoulder, trying to avoid hurting her with his gear. Fire departments all over the country had fought the use of the SCBA breathing gear, not only because using anything that didn’t seem necessary made you a pussy, but it made getting people out of fires a lot harder.
He rushed the woman down the stairs and Alexander waited for him outside the door.
“They’re too busy downstairs. You’ll have to go back in. I’ve got her.” He stared down at the woman. “I thought you were in Melody’s apartment? Where is she?”
He wished he knew. He gave an exaggerated shrug as an answer and left the woman with Alexander. The ambulance and his other team would already be on scene and could help her. After a quick search of the remaining apartments, he couldn’t find Melody. His skin prickled even more than the danger of the fire. Where could she be?
“Gage, if you’re done. Get your ass down here. We need another pair of hands,” Kyle said over the radio.
“On it,” he responded and headed to the basement. He’d have to search for Melody when the job was done.
Hulk was to her in three of his long strides. Melody searched the air outside the coffee shop for smoke, but it was obviously too soon with the tall buildings to see anything.
“Come inside, I’ll get you a coffee. That was crazy.” Hulk tugged her up from the ground and dragged her inside.
“Are you insane? I can’t sit here and talk to you when there was an explosion. I’m a reporter!” The more she tugged on her arm, the harder he held on.
He gathered her into the store, his massive arms preventing her from going anywhere but exactly where he wanted her to go. Her heart slammed in her chest. If he was here, with her, he couldn’t have made the explosion, could he? She honestly had no clue, but it seemed unlikely. He'd been looking right at her when it blew.
He waived to Marty, the guy who ran the coffee shop. “Get her a mocha, will you?”
She didn’t even like mochas. “Hey, I can’t stay.”
Hulk shoved her into a seat. “You can’t do anything yet anyway. The firefighters will be there. You promised me fifteen minutes. Be a woman of your word.”
“That was before—”
“Just shut up.” He glared at her and stared out the window as the firetruck drove by.
Gage would be in there, probably wondering where her nosy ass was if she didn’t show up. Would he think she was in on it if she didn’t? She couldn’t have him lose trust in her, not now.
“Your clock is ticking, and if you tell me to shut up again, I’ll shove my phone up your nose,” she seethed.
He rolled his eyes. “I just think you need to consider what could happen to this town without the benefits of the resort. Little stores like this coffee shop won’t last long. Within ten years, this little town will only be a snowbird community. All the families will move away because the school is small and can’t offer much. We need to start building a draw for people to stay.”
She stared at him, sure he had to be taking too many steroids. He’d obviously never even been to a high school football game. The town supported its school and loved the students, she knew that, even despite Livy’s complaints.
“I don’t see it that way. I see a group who wants to keep things just as they are. A small town, with a small-town feel. The resort is going to make big-box stores come and it will put places like this little shop out of business. So, who will really benefit from the resort?” She was sick of playing his game. “I know who you are, James Axe.”
She felt a second small rumble through her chair and Axe chuckled, but she couldn’t tell if it was from the aftershock explosion or her admission. “Well, you are a reporter. I didn’t want to give out my name because for some reason, the police want to talk to me and I’d rather they not until they have a warrant. I haven’t done anything at all.” He raised his eyebrows and shrugged slightly, but he kept his hands under the table.
Her mouth dropped open. He was using her as an alibi. He would claim he couldn’t have started the fire because he was with her. A huge chopper flew over the coffee shop, the vibration visible in his water sitting on the table, and he glanced out the window, following it in the sky.
“Hmm, don’t see one of those every day. Mostly used for fighting wildfires. Wonder why it’s out?” He slowly picked up his water, meeting her eyes and holding them hostage.
Her breath came faster. He knew exactly why it was out. Everything he’d said had been calculated. “What have you done?” The words slipped free before she realized what she was saying.
“Nothing at all.” He sipped his water as Marty placed her drink in front of her.
“Now, sit there and drink your coffee, bitch. It’s time to get the story right.”
Chapter 23
The scene had been cleared after all the onlookers had been catalogued and questioned. Rabbit had helped everyone displaced find housing and sent them on their way, except for Melody, who was still missing. They’d heard from the Blackjack PD that the other fire had completely blown the home to bits. The owners were not there when it blew and were unharmed, but everything they owned except the
truck they were in and the clothes on their backs was a loss.
Gage stood next to the truck, preparing to go in and look for clues. The woman who had been in Melody’s apartment stumbled up to him, followed closely by Alexander.
“Olivia Adams, stop right now.” Alexander tried to usher her away.
Gage hadn’t realized when he’d pulled her out of Melody’s apartment that it was Olivia, the friend who had texted him from Melody’s the night she was drunk. He’d seen her briefly the night he’d seen Melody at The Boot. The contact had been so brief he hadn’t recognized her.
“Gage, where is Melody?” Livy held her head and leaned against the truck, looking pale even with her dark hue.
Alexander grabbed her arm. “You can’t be over here.”
She wrenched her arm free. “I’m looking for my friend, who was with me. At least, she was the last I remember…” Livy was drunk, swaying, her words slurred.
“I don’t know where she is, but she wasn’t in that building. I looked. Why don’t you let Alexander take you home?” He didn’t want to have to worry about her wandering into the building or out into the street. What she needed was her bed. Melody was already distracting him.
She cast the fed a look. “I don’t want him to take me home. He’s grumpy.”
Alexander rested a hand on her back. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be grumpy, but you’ll be safer at home. Why don’t you tell me where you live and I’ll get you there?”
Gage nodded. “When I find Melody, I’ll have her get a hold of you.”
“See?” Alexander tugged her slightly away. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
Livy allowed herself to be led off the scene and the chief came over. “You were in the building longer than anyone else. Your tank is almost empty. I’m sorry. I can’t let you go back in there. The other guys will have to gather the evidence. Luckily, the fire was kept to the basement, but the whole first floor has smoke damage for sure.”