by Susan Stoker
“And the anniversary of her friends’ deaths is coming up,” Moose said. “She mentioned it to me once. I know she still feels guilty about White’s and Black’s deaths. Not to mention, that other soldier who was with them, and even that Australian bloke. She puts a ton of pressure on herself.”
“I’ll try to talk to her,” Sledge said again.
“Me too,” Moose agreed.
The sound of the emergency tones ringing out through the station was always startling, but today they seemed even more so in the somber atmosphere.
Everyone jumped up and ran for bays where the trucks were kept, Penelope right on their heels. As they were putting on their bunker gear, the dispatcher’s voice sounded over the speakers in the garage.
* * *
Structure fire. Fully involved.
* * *
She gave the address—and everyone stopped dead in their tracks.
Taco whipped his head around and stared at Moose.
It was his house. Shit.
Shit shit shit!
* * *
Caller states she can see smoke but no flames yet. The fire is coming from a small wooden structure southwest of the house.
* * *
“That’s the barn!” Penelope yelled. “Oh my God! Smokey’s in there!”
The firefighters were already moving quickly, but at her words, they turned it up a notch. Sledge climbed into the driver’s seat of the ladder truck and the others jumped onboard. Sledge didn’t wait for the others to get strapped in, he flicked on the siren and lights and pulled out of the fire station a lot faster than was protocol.
Taco was right behind him, driving the smaller truck. No one said a word as they drove toward Moose’s house. He lived on a couple acres and every single one of the men knew that, considering Penelope’s current fragile state, if something happened to her beloved donkey, she might not recover.
Taco also knew that, in the back of their minds, every single one of them were wondering if this was the work of whoever had set Crash’s car on fire. Was this an escalation of whatever problem the arsonist had with them?
It took an agonizing fifteen minutes to get to Moose’s property. There was black smoke clearly visible as they bounced down his gravel driveway. The second they turned a corner and saw the small barn, Taco swore under his breath.
When he got out of the truck, the most agonizing sound was echoing across the valley.
Smokey.
He was braying as if he was being skinned alive.
It sounded eerily like a woman screaming.
Goose bumps rose on Taco’s arms.
“God!” he said under his breath. For a second all he could do was stand there, dumbstruck and horrified.
“Nooooooooo!” Penelope screeched, snapping Taco out of it. He saw Moose grab Penelope around the waist and physically restrain her from running into the burning barn.
Ignoring the way Penelope was fighting and begging Moose to let go of her, Taco turned and grabbed an ax off the truck. He saw that Squirrel and Driftwood had done the same thing. Crash and Sledge were getting the hose from the pumper truck ready and charged.
Taco ran toward the small barn, trying to figure out where Smokey’s stall was based on the horrendous sounds coming from inside. The smoke was thick, but he didn’t even hesitate. He brought the ax up and began chopping at the side of the wooden barn as fast as he could.
He could hear Penelope wailing and crying behind him, which made him work faster. Squirrel and Driftwood joined him and, between the three of them, a hole quickly formed in the side of the barn. Smoke rolled out, and the three men threw down their axes and started ripping the wood boards off with their bare hands.
When they had enough slats removed, Taco looked inside. They’d made a hole big enough for the donkey to get through, but there was a burning piece of the roof lying in the dirt between them and the terrified animal. “I’ll get him,” he told the others.
Coughing, but knowing he didn’t have enough time to go and grab his hood and oxygen tank, Taco fell onto his knees and frantically threw dirt on top of the burning wood. It was extinguished quickly, and he stood up and reached for Smokey’s halter.
The donkey threw his head back and screamed. Literally screamed. Smoke was rolling off the small animal’s back as the hair on his body began to catch fire from flying sparks.
Knowing he didn’t have time to be gentle with the poor animal, Taco leaned over and simply picked up the miniature donkey. Smokey squirmed in his grasp, but Taco held him tightly. He stepped over the beam in the middle of the stall and hightailed it for the hole. Squirrel and Driftwood were still outside waiting for him.
They each grabbed hold of an elbow, steadying Taco as he stepped up and out of the burning barn. Just as he straightened, the roof on the barn collapsed in a shower of sparks, smoke, and orange flames.
The sound of the collapse startled Smokey, and he reared his head back once more and brayed.
Even with the support of Squirrel and Driftwood, Taco stumbled and went to his knees. Smokey twisted his body and managed to escape Taco’s hold. The donkey, still braying at the top of his lungs, took off running. His back was still smoldering, and Taco swore in frustration.
“Smokey!” Penelope screamed. Moose let go of her and they all watched as she ran after her beloved pet.
For a second, Smokey continued to run. Then, as if Penelope’s voice suddenly registered, he did an about-face and came galloping back toward them.
“Oh, God! Water. I need water!” Penelope yelled as she sank to her knees with her arms outstretched.
Smokey ran right for her, and Taco watched, knowing the animal was going to bowl over the diminutive firefighter. But at the last second, the donkey reined himself in and came to a halt before running over his favorite human.
The sounds Smokey continued to make were horrific. He wasn’t screaming anymore, but braying in a long, continuous stream that was almost unearthly.
Crash ran toward them with one of the hoses connected to the pumper truck. He didn’t hesitate, just turned it on, dousing Smokey—and Penelope, who was holding on to him for dear life.
The sizzling sound of the water as it made contact with the animal’s back was something Taco knew he’d never forget. He hadn’t been there when Penelope had found Smokey in the middle of a forest fire, but he imagined that when she’d doused him back then, it had sounded much the same way.
Smokey finally lay down, putting his head in Penelope’s lap. His brays sounded like moans now rather than the terrified screams he’d been emitting earlier.
Now that Smokey was safe, the firefighters turned their attention to Moose’s barn. Crash brought the hose toward the burning structure, and Sledge brought a second hose over. A few chickens ran out of the hole Taco and the others had made in the side of the barn.
“Any other animals in there?” Chief asked Moose.
“Probably more chickens, but that’s it,” Moose said. “It’s only got two stalls. I was going to tear the thing down, but then we found Smokey.”
Taco understood. He’d kept the barn for Penelope. She needed Smokey almost as much as the donkey needed her.
By the time the sheriff’s deputies arrived, the fire was extinguished. Penelope and Smokey hadn’t moved from their position about a hundred feet off into a small field next to the barn.
The deputies were talking to Crash and Moose about what had transpired.
Taco and the others were walking around what was left of the barn, making sure there weren’t any hot spots that would flare up again.
When they walked to the back side of the structure, all four of them froze in shock.
“Shit!” Sledge said.
“Fucking hell,” Squirrel swore.
“Damn,” Driftwood breathed.
Taco had no words. He could only stare in disbelief.
On the back of the barn were the words, Are you sorry NOW, Hudson?
They were spray painted in red
letters about a quarter of the way up the back wall of the building.
“Don’t touch anything,” Sledge warned.
The others nodded and everyone took a giant step backward.
“Well, at least now we know the other fires weren’t random,” Squirrel said.
“And we know who this person is mad at,” Driftwood pointed out.
Taco could barely think. This was his fault. He had no idea what he was supposed to be sorry about, but right now, he was definitely sorry.
He took another step back, then another, as if backing away from the ugly words could somehow erase them. His chest felt tight and he wanted to throw up. First Chief’s shed, then Crash’s car. Now this. If something had happened to Smokey, he knew without a doubt Penelope wouldn’t have survived it. She was barely hanging on as it was.
Shock swirled through his brain. His fault. This was his fault. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice cracking.
“Fuck that shit!” Squirrel said. “This is not your fault.”
Taco gestured to the side of the barn. “Yeah, it obviously is.”
Sledge crossed over to him and put his hands on his shoulders. “No, man. It’s not. Someone’s fucking with all of us.”
“It has to be Jen,” Taco said, still feeling sick. “I brought her into our fold and I’m still paying for it. Big time.”
“I’m gonna get Beth on this,” Sledge told him. “Jen’s in jail, but if it’s one of her psycho cronies, she’ll find out who and get this shit shut down. Come on, we need to step back and let the detectives do their thing. Penelope needs us right now.”
“Holy cow. Who’s Hudson?” one of the deputies asked as he walked around the corner of the barn.
“Me,” Taco said without emotion. He didn’t know what to feel. At the moment, he was numb.
“Someone really doesn’t like you,” the deputy said, then turned to motion toward his fellow officers to come and take a look.
“I’ll make sure dispatch is sending an arson investigator out,” Sledge said.
Taco nodded, and he turned and woodenly walked back toward their trucks. It didn’t matter what his friends said, this was his fault. Someone hated him enough to target his entire crew. And he only knew one person who had that kind of hate in her heart.
Jennifer Hale.
He watched as Moose examined Smokey. Then when he picked him up and headed for his house, Penelope hot on his heels. The man was madly in love with Penelope…he had to be, in order to not make a fuss about bringing a barn animal inside his home.
Remembering the sounds the donkey had been making while trapped inside the burning barn, Taco shivered. They’d been lucky today. Extremely lucky. Yes, Moose had lost his barn and a few chickens, but he could’ve lost a whole lot more. He couldn’t lose Penelope.
Thinking about Pen brought his thoughts to Koren and the other women. The arsonist had targeted Crash, Chief, and Moose. Who was next? Sledge? Squirrel? Driftwood? Was the person responsible saving him for last? And each fire had escalated. So far they’d only suffered a loss of property, but today had been close. Too close.
“Come on, Taco. We’re out of here. Sledge called the chief, and he’s giving Moose and Penelope the rest of the shift off,” Driftwood told him.
Taco nodded and climbed into the truck, letting Squirrel drive back to the station. He knew the others were talking to their women, but he didn’t make a move for his phone.
He couldn’t. This was all his fault.
There was no way he could drag Koren into this.
The best way to keep her safe was to end things between them.
His heart hurt, but Taco couldn’t think of anything else he could do to make sure his drama didn’t touch her.
Chapter Fourteen
Koren paced back and forth. She’d heard about the fire at Moose’s house from Adeline. She’d texted Taco to make sure he was all right, but hadn’t heard back. That worried her. Taco always texted right back. He never made her wait to hear from him.
The last week had been idyllic. She’d stayed at his house the nights he wasn’t working, and he came over to her condo to hang out while she worked during the day. They made love every night, and each time was better than the last. She’d never felt closer to another person before. It seemed like she’d known him forever.
But at the moment, she didn’t like the ugly feeling growing inside her. She was worried, and he had to know she would be, but he still hadn’t gotten in touch with her.
Koren had talked to each and every one of the other women, and they’d all heard from their men. She’d had to learn about Smokey almost dying from Sophie. Quinn had told her that Moose and Penelope were holed up in his house with the donkey. Blythe had explained that the men were getting off shift early…
And Beth had texted her a picture of the words that had been painted on the back of Moose’s barn.
After seeing that, Koren had immediately tried calling Taco, but it had gone to voice mail. She’d left a message, telling him that she was worried and to please call her as soon as he could, but she still hadn’t heard back.
Koren was now past being worried; she’d moved into pissed-off territory. Oh, she was still concerned about where Taco was and what he was thinking, but she was also upset with him. He had to know she was worried, but he still didn’t call. The others hadn’t said he was hurt, so it wasn’t like he was lying unconscious in a hospital somewhere.
No. For some reason, he was shutting her out.
She wanted to drive over to his house and confront him, but that wasn’t her. She didn’t like confrontation or drama. Didn’t want to have to get all up in his face so he’d realize that he’d hurt her.
And that was the bottom line. She was hurt.
Trying to tamp down her feelings, Koren continued to pace.
It was almost an agonizing hour later when a knock sounded at her door. She looked out the upstairs window and saw Taco’s Silverado in the driveway. For a split second, residual anger made her consider pretending she wasn’t home, but deciding it was better to get any confrontation over with sooner rather than later, she headed for the door.
She opened it, but didn’t step back to let him in. Koren had been prepared to be tough. To let Taco know exactly how much he’d hurt her, but the look on his face immediately had her wavering.
“Can I come in?” he asked.
Even the tone of his voice was off. He seemed…remote. Almost cold.
Shivering, Koren stepped aside. He walked past her and stopped in the middle of her living room. She slowly shut the door and stared at his back. She’d been so angry with him…but now she was afraid. With the way he was acting, it seemed like…
Like this was it. He was going to break up with her.
She had no idea why, or what she’d done to make him act like this. Had she called too much? Pushed too hard? Was it because she’d talked to the other women about what was happening and not to him? Koren had no idea.
She slowly walked into the living room and waited for him to face her.
When he did, her heart started thumping overtime in her chest.
“I guess you heard about what happened today,” he said quietly.
“Yeah. Adeline called me.”
He nodded and pressed his lips together. Then he took a deep breath and said, “I think we should take a break for a while.”
There it was.
Instead of being devastated, anger rose up in Koren like a tsunami. It built slowly but surely until it overcame all her other thoughts.
“You think?”
“Yeah. Not forever. Just…for a while. Things have moved pretty fast between us, and—”
“In all the time I’ve known you, I haven’t thought you were a coward until right this second.”
Taco met her gaze for the first time. She could see the shock at her words, but she didn’t even care. She was pissed.
“We’ve spent every possible moment together for the last week. You’ve m
ade me feel more in those seven days than I have in my entire life. But you were a dick today, Taco.”
He didn’t say anything, just stared at her.
“I had to hear about what happened from Adeline. Crash had called her and let her know. Not only that, but I heard about Smokey from Quinn. Blythe texted me and told me that you guys were getting off work early. And Beth sent me the picture of what was written on the barn. But you know who I didn’t hear from today?” He flinched but Koren didn’t care. “You. I didn’t hear from my boyfriend that there was another arson directed at one of his friends. That this fire was connected to him. You didn’t bother to let me know that you were okay. Nothing!”
“Koren, I—”
“You what? You’re sorry? I’m not sure that’s gonna cut it right now, Taco. How about telling me why? Why you let me worry about you all day? Worry about Moose and Penelope and all the others?”
“I just…this is apparently all happening because of me. I don’t want you in the middle of it. You’ll be safer if we just take a break for a while.”
“Adeline told me that Crash had their neighbors come over to check on her. Chief called his mom on the reservation so she could perform an emergency protection ritual for Sophie. Blythe told me that Squirrel called her friend Hope to have her come over and spend the day with her, so she wouldn’t be alone. Quinn was at work with Sophie, so she had her and their other co-workers to keep them company. Even Moose was with Penelope. But you know who was with me? No one. I was here worrying about you all by myself. It seems to me that if you wanted to keep me safe, you went about it the entirely wrong way. How easy would it have been for someone to knock on my door, pretend he was selling something, and snatch me away? Or set my condo on fire? Shit, Taco, by ignoring me, you actually put me in more danger.”
The only sound after her words faded away were from the ticking of a clock in the other room. Taco just stared at her, his fists clenching.
“But you know what?” Koren went on. “Maybe this is for the best. Why would I want to be with someone who’s so inconsiderate, he doesn’t even take the time to call or send a quick text to let his girlfriend know he’s okay? Especially after I left a message telling you I was worried. My parents have been married a very long time, and I know for a fact my dad would never do that to my mom.”