by Susan Stoker
Even though Nadine had done it maliciously, she’d actually done Koren a favor. Telling Taco that she loved him took a huge burden off her shoulders. If she did die, at least he’d know.
“I love you, Rob,” Koren whispered, as she sank back against the wall between the toilet and the tub. She grabbed the bloody towel and held it up to her face. She tried to slow her breathing. The longer she could stay calm, the better the chance that Taco could get to her in time.
Taco’s phone rang. He picked it up and saw the call was from an unknown number. He put it down and turned his attention back to the football game on the television. He never answered phone calls from numbers he didn’t recognize. There were just too many scammers out there nowadays. If he didn’t have a number programmed into his contacts, he didn’t want to talk to whoever was on the other end.
As soon as his phone stopped ringing, it started up again.
The same unknown number appeared. Taco hesitated that time. What were the odds that someone he didn’t know or a scammer would call, not wait for voice mail, and call right back?
He hesitated, and the ringing stopped.
Just when he’d brought his eyes back to the game, his phone rang for the third time.
“You gonna answer that or just stare at it?” Sledge asked with a chuckle.
Taco clicked on the green answer button and brought it up to his ear. “Hello?”
“Hello, Hudson,” a husky voice said.
“Who is this?” Taco barked.
“Tsk, tsk. I can’t believe you don’t know. But you will soon.”
“What does that mean?” he asked, the hair on the back of his neck standing straight up.
By this time, the rest of his friends were on alert and staring at him in concern.
“You don’t want to be late,” the woman said in disdain. “If I were you, I’d start rolling now.”
Taco was standing already, as were the others. “Where? What have you done?”
“There may or may not be a fire at your girlfriend’s condo. You should probably go check.”
He was moving even as he said, “If you’ve hurt her, I’m going to kill you!”
“I’m counting on it,” the woman said, then cut their connection.
Taco was running by this time.
“What’s up?” Sledge asked as he stuffed his feet into his boots and bunker pants.
“Koren. That was…I’m guessing Nadine. She said something about a fire at Koren’s condo.”
The others were all suiting up in their gear as well. “I’ll call Dax,” Chief said.
“And I’ll call dispatch and see if they’ve heard anything,” Penelope called.
“I’ll get ahold of Cruz and Quint and get them rolling too,” Squirrel added.
Taco couldn’t even thank them. All he could do was jump into the back of the fire truck and pray. As they pulled out of the station, he looked down at the phone in his hand. He clicked on the text icon and brought up the last conversation he’d had with Koren.
Reading it again, he couldn’t decide if he’d actually been talking to her or not.
But her words were like a brand on his brain regardless.
* * *
I love you.
* * *
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. “Please,” he muttered, knowing his words wouldn’t be heard above the sound of the siren. “Let her be alive when I get there.”
Taco had no idea what Nadine, or whoever was behind this, had done to her. It was entirely possible Koren was already dead, but he was going to hold out hope until the very end that she wasn’t.
It was the only thing keeping him from completely losing it.
Chapter Eighteen
Sledge must’ve broken every traffic law getting to Koren’s condo, because they arrived in record time. Taco leaped out of the back of the truck and made sure his SCBA tank was secure on his back. He was pulling his mask over his face when a voice rang out across the yard.
“You sure made good time, Hudson.”
Turning, he noticed a woman he hadn’t seen in the chaos of the flashing lights and his concern about getting inside Koren’s condo.
Smoke was pouring out of the open window next to her front door. He couldn’t see any flames yet, which was a good sign. Of course, as they all knew, smoke could be just as deadly, or more so, than actual flames.
The woman was standing on Koren’s front porch, visible in the lights on either side of the door. She was extremely skinny and her hair had been cut short, but Taco instantly recognized her from another fire scene not so long ago.
“Nadine Patterson,” he said in a voice that was way too calm for how he was feeling inside.
“The one and the same. As I said, you sure made it here quickly. It’s different when it’s someone you care about, isn’t it?”
“Step aside, ma’am,” Crash said, moving toward her.
Her hands moved out from behind her back—and all of the firefighters stopped in their tracks. She was holding a pistol in one hand and a wicked-looking butcher knife in the other.
“Not so fast. Me and Hudson need to have a little talk first.”
“Where are the cops?” Taco hissed to Squirrel.
“On their way. I talked to Quint directly and he said he was getting everyone rolling,” Squirrel said, voice low.
“Dispatch said they hadn’t gotten any calls about a fire yet,” Penelope muttered from his other side. “But that they’d send a unit to investigate.”
“Hey! Pay attention to me!” Nadine screeched. After Taco looked back at her, she said a little more calmly, “If you prefer to shoot the shit with your friends while your girlfriend is fighting for air inside, be my guest.”
Taco took a step toward her again, and Nadine raised the gun to point at his chest.
For a second, Taco didn’t care if she did shoot him. It would give the others time to bum rush her and get to Koren.
“Are you sorry now, Hudson?”
“Yes,” he said immediately, not even caring what he was apologizing for. If it got him to Koren faster, he’d admit to just about anything.
“For what? What are you sorry for?” she yelled.
Shit. He took a wild stab. “For your son dying.”
“For killing my son, you mean!” Nadine screamed. “You said it yourself! You were too late! You should’ve gotten there faster!”
Taco didn’t remember what he’d said at that fire. He’d been to so many other calls since then, there was no way to remember specifics. He did remember Nadine being out of control at that scene. That she’d been drunk or high or something.
Speaking of which…
He took a harder look at the crazed woman on Koren’s porch. She was blinking rapidly and her gun hand shook. She was most definitely on something right now.
“I’m sorry we weren’t able to save him,” Taco tried again. “By the time we got there, he was already gone.”
“I know, you asshole!” Nadine spat. “That’s what I’m saying. You took too long to get there! If you’d tried a little harder, maybe driven like you did tonight, you would’ve made it in time!”
“What do you want from me?” Taco asked, ever aware of the smoke rolling out of the window behind her. He needed to get inside.
“You want to save your girlfriend?”
“Yes.”
“You think she’s still alive?”
“Yes,” Taco said without hesitation. “I think you wanted to keep her alive until I could get here just to mess with me.”
Nadine smirked. “You’re right.”
Taco took a chance and stepped closer. “Then let me inside so I can get to her and see what you’ve done.”
“Take off the oxygen first.”
“What?”
“And your pants and jacket. Take it all off.”
“Don’t, man,” Crash said under his breath.
“If you want to get inside, you’ll do what I say,” Nadine warned. “I c
an stand out here all night.”
“The cops are on their way,” Squirrel said.
“I’m not afraid of the cops,” Nadine sneered. “Fucking cops are useless. Besides, you want to wait for them?” She glanced behind her. “The smoke is getting awfully thick.”
He didn’t have time to wait for someone to find a weapon. Every second he hesitated was a second longer Koren was inside, possibly dying. He had no idea if Nadine had stashed her downstairs near the flames or farther away.
He shrugged out of the harness holding his SCBA pack and placed it on the ground.
“Taco, man, don’t,” Moose said.
“I have to,” Taco answered, not taking his eyes from Nadine. He would do whatever she wanted if it meant getting to Koren.
“This is awesome,” Nadine said with a smile. She waved the gun at him. “Hurry up…and give me some hip action while you’re at it. I want a good strip tease.”
“Come on, Nadine,” Driftwood called. “Cut this out and let us inside before the rest of the condos go up too.”
“You think I give a shit about them?” Nadine asked, glaring at Driftwood. “News flash. I don’t. I don’t give a shit about anything. Not about the bitch inside. Not about Hudson. Not about any stupid fucking neighbors who haven’t gotten the clue that there’s a big fucking fire about to happen and still haven’t left their homes. Who was there to give a shit about me? Huh? No one, that’s who! Not Preston, and definitely not you.”
“Who’s Preston?” Chief asked someone behind him, but Taco kept his attention on Nadine.
She continued on. “Tonight’s my night. What do they call it? Suicide by cop? That’s how I’m gonna go. Not by some disease from the needle. Not from a goddamn overdose. Not from some sexual disease my dealer or his friends give me. Nope. For once in my life, I’m in control!”
“Nadine,” Taco said, standing up and holding his arms out at his sides. “It’s off. Please. Let me go inside.”
“You still want to go in?” Nadine asked.
“Yes.”
“Even though you don’t have any oxygen and you’ll probably die?”
“Yes.”
For a split second, Taco thought he saw acute pain cross Nadine’s face, but the look was gone almost as soon as he noticed.
“Then by all means, kill yourself,” she said, and gestured to the door behind her.
“Taco, no!” Moose yelled.
At the same time, Chief said, “Don’t let that skin-walker be in control.”
Nadine laughed, obviously overhearing the others. “Oh, make no mistake about it. I am in control here.” She turned to Taco. “Don’t try anything. If you do, you won’t get to her in time.”
“I’m not going to do anything,” he swore. Taco knew going inside without his gear was dangerous, but Nadine was underestimating his friends. As soon as they were able, they’d be right on his heels.
Taco walked slowly toward her with his arms outstretched. The barrel of the gun was focused on him the entire time. The last thing he wanted was her shooting him before he could get to Koren. She stepped to the side, giving him room to get to the door, far enough away that he couldn’t rush her. When he was close, he glanced down at the weapon she was holding—and blinked.
It wasn’t real. It was one of those ultra-realistic BB guns.
He opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it.
“It might not be real…but this knife sure is,” she muttered.
Taco kept his arms at his sides, trying to look like less of a threat. He didn’t know what to say. A part of him felt sorry for Nadine. Yes, she was obviously on drugs, and she wasn’t a nice person, but she’d lost her son. She’d lost everything.
“I’m not sure Preston ever would’a gone inside a burning building for me,” Nadine said. Then she scowled and the hate was back in her eyes. “You still aren’t sorry enough, Hudson, but you will be when you’re both trying to breathe and can’t.” She paused for one more second, then waved the knife at the door. “Go.”
He went.
The door wasn’t hot to the touch, which was another good sign. But the second he opened it, black smoke rolled out.
Taking a deep breath, Taco ran inside, slamming the door behind him.
Chapter Nineteen
Almost as soon as the door shut behind Taco, the cop cars started arriving. Within minutes, the entire building was surrounded by police officers. There were multi-jurisdiction units, from SWAT to sheriff deputies to local SAPD officers.
Moose watched in frustration as he and the other firefighters from Station 7 were ordered to back away from the condo. Smoke continued to escape from every nook and cranny and his internal timer was ticking. Taco’s SCBA and bunker gear were sitting on the ground near the porch and his fingers itched to snatch it up, run inside, and find his friend.
“Drop the weapon!” one of the officers yelled from behind the safety of his patrol car.
“No!” Nadine yelled back.
“Drop it, now!” another shouted.
And so it went.
Moose sidled up to Quint. “It’s taking too long. We need to get in there. Taco doesn’t have his air.”
Sweat ran down Quint’s temple as he stared at Nadine. “She’s holding all the cards here,” he said quietly.
“Then fucking shoot her!” Moose said in frustration.
Quint didn’t respond. It was obvious the law enforcement officers were doing everything they could to end the standoff peacefully.
“Why don’t you shoot me already?” Nadine called out mockingly.
“Just drop the gun and the knife and this can be worked out,” another officer said. “No one’s been hurt yet. We can fix this.”
“Yeah? Can you bring back my Stevie?” Nadine asked. “No, you can’t!” she screamed, answering her own question. “He’s dead because Hudson didn’t try hard enough! He took too long! He’s got to pay!”
“I think he got the message,” the officer said. “Come on, Nadine. Let us help you.”
“You want to help me?” Nadine asked in a suddenly calm tone, especially compared to the yelling she’d been doing.
“Yes.”
“Then shoot me!” And Nadine lifted her arm, pointing the pistol at the cop who’d been attempting to sneak up on her from the side.
Simultaneously, several shots rang out, echoing around the normally tranquil neighborhood.
“Cease fire! Cease fire!” several officers yelled at the same time.
The second everything was quiet, five SWAT officers rushed toward Nadine. She was lying on her back on Koren’s porch. Her arms were outstretched and blood was pouring out of four shots to her chest.
Moose and the others were hot on the heels of the officers. Their concern was the smoke that continued to billow out of the front window of the house—and the occupants inside.
Nadine looked up at the officers and didn’t even flinch when the gun and knife were kicked out of her hands. Moose heard one of them swear in disgust and say, “The gun’s fake.”
“Shit,” Quint said from next to Moose.
Nadine was coughing, the sounds making it clear she wasn’t going to survive her wounds.
“We need an EMT!” one of the officers shouted.
“No,” Quint said. “You need to get the fuck out of the way so these firefighters can get inside and rescue the two people trapped in there.”
Nodding, the SWAT officers holstered their weapons and worked together to pick up Nadine and get her off the porch.
Moose heard an ambulance arrive, but his attention was on the fire. He bent down and grabbed Taco’s air tank. He turned to Penelope, “Ready?”
Expecting an affirmative response, he was stunned when Penelope simply continued to stare blankly at the front door.
He nudged her. “Tiger?”
Her mask was on top of her head and when she turned to face him, Moose flinched at the look of utter despair on her face. There were several other emo
tions there as well, but she turned her back on him before he could read them.
“I’m going to help the ambulance crew,” she mumbled before running away from Moose and the burning condo.
Still in shock, he could only stand there and stare after Penelope.
She’d done the one thing he never would’ve thought she’d do. That any firefighter would do. She’d turned her back on one of their own.
No, two of their own.
Having trouble processing what had just happened, Moose startled when Chief slapped him on the back of the head. “I’m here. Let’s go.”
Taking a deep breath, Moose nodded. He lowered his face mask, made sure his air was on, then signaled to Chief that he was ready.
He heard Sledge say through the headset in his helmet, “Let us know if you need additional manpower.”
“Will do,” Chief responded.
Moose couldn’t imagine what Sledge must’ve been thinking when he saw his sister abandon the fire, but he didn’t have time to reflect on it.
Chief headed for the front door and Moose followed close behind, holding Taco’s air tank. They had no idea what shape they’d find Koren in, but most likely they’d be doing a scoop and move, getting her out as soon as possible. Without training, she wouldn’t know how to use an air tank and would probably panic if they tried to put one on her. Not that they had time to wait while someone ran to get them another tank anyway.
Smoke billowed out around them as they entered, as if the house was swallowing them whole.
When the door shut behind Taco, he was instantly blinded. The smoke was already so thick he couldn’t see anything.
“Koren!” he called out, then immediately started coughing. The smoke burned his eyes and made his chest hurt. He strained to hear anything. The sound of the fire crackling under him was ominous and increased his anxiety. If she was in the basement, there might be nothing he could do.
Tilting his head, Taco thought he heard something upstairs. Thanking God he’d been in her condo enough to have long since memorized the layout, he immediately turned and felt for the stairway. Once he found them, he took the stairs two at a time. Using the wall for guidance, he made his way down the hall.