by Jenna Brandt
The Billionaire Rescue
Disaster City Search and Rescue
Jenna Brandt
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Locale and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, actual events, or actual locations is purely coincidental. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email [email protected].
Text copyright © Jenna Brandt 2020.
Cover copyright by Jenna Brandt & Jo Grafford
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Epilogue
Sneak Peek of The Girlfriend Rescue
Sneak Peek of The Wedding Rescue-A Disaster City Short Story
Sneak Peek of Lawfully Heroic
Sneak Peek of Lawfully Adored
A Note from the Author
Disaster City Search and Rescue
Also by Jenna Brandt
Join My Mailing List and Reader’s Groups
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Praise for Jenna Brandt
I am always excited when I see a new book by Jenna Brandt.
Lori Dykes, Amazon Customer
Jenna Brandt is, in my estimation, the most gifted author of Christian fiction in this generation!
Paula Rose Michelson, Fellow Author
Ms. Brandt writes from the heart and you can feel it in every page turned.
Sandra Sewell White, Longtime Reader
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The Billionaire Rescue
An ace arson investigator, the daughter of a billionaire, and a series of fires that nearly destroy them all…
Firefighter Christian Perez knows everything there is about arson investigations. It’s why he’s the top trainer, along with his K9 partner, Cinder, at DCSR. He’s molding the next generation and doesn’t have time to cater to a billionaire who thinks he can buy anything, including Christian’s time. To make matters worse, he knows—and dislikes—his daughter for very good reasons.
Megan Williams hates the spotlight that her father’s billion-dollar empire shines on her life. It’s ruined everything she’s ever cared about, and now it might even take her life when a series of criminal fires make it clear someone is out to get her family. Her father turns to the best arson investigator in the country. The only problem, she knows exactly who he is—the mystery man from her dating app.
Can they find away to let go of the past and give love a second chance? Can Christian figure out who is setting the fires? And will he be able to stop the arsonist before the final fire claims Megan and her family’s lives?
Dedicated to
my husband, Dustin, Badge #5654,
who inspired me to create this series.
You’re not only my heart and soul,
but my own personal lawkeeper.
1
Christian Perez stood sternly in front of the group of fire search and rescue trainees that had made it to the final days of training. He was impressed that so many had successfully made it through the intense eight-week course at the Disaster City Search and Rescue Academy.
The eleven men and three women stood in a row at attention, exhaustion clearly written across their faces, etched in the heavy layer of grime, soot, and dirt that covered them from the rubble testing grounds. Their K9 partners sat proudly by their sides; ready for their next assignment. As their final assessment, Christian, along with his fellow fire instructors, had put their teams through a massive fire simulation that was tied to a mock arson investigation. Though all of them had passed, it hadn’t been an easy test by any means. The flames were real, along with the ignitable liquids used to set them. There had also been various decoy accelerants used to throw off the dogs, as well as fake dead bodies and live victims scattered amongst the debris.
“All of you have beaten the odds. You’ve been tested through the rigorous process and your true grit has been proven,” Christian praised. “A third of your fellow trainees quit or washed out, but those of you that remain have shown that you are the best of the best. Today, on these training grounds, you’ve put out the worst type of fire and cracked the hardest type of arson case. For this reason, it is my pleasure to announce that all of you will be graduating from the academy.”
The trainees’ tired expressions shifted to ones of pleasure as they patted each other on the back and congratulated one another. Once they settled down, Kristi Kimiko addressed the group next. “Tomorrow, you will join the most elite, most prestigious group of first responders in the country. Firefighters who can proclaim to the world that they are DCSRA graduates.”
“Tonight, go out and celebrate; you’ve worked hard to earn the right,” Derik Cruise announced to the group.
“But don’t overdo it,” Christian added quickly, giving his fellow instructor a disapproving look. “Graduation is at 10 AM sharp.” Then, turning back to the trainees, he added as he gestured towards the exit. “Dismissed.”
The trainees, along with their K9 partners, filed out of the area, leaving Christian with Derik and Kristi.
“Do you always have to be a stick in the mud when it comes to work, Christian?” Derik asked with an irritated look. “You’re one of the coolest guys I know when we’re outside Disaster City, but the moment you put that blue uniform on, you instantly become a robot.”
“Being professional, and expecting the same out of everyone around me, doesn’t make me a robot, Derik. Just because you have an easy-breezy attitude towards everything in your life, doesn’t make me a stick in the mud.”
Derik shrugged, running his hands through his brown hair. “I guess I should be used to it by now, considering we’ve worked together for over two years. I just wish my friend showed up to work sometimes.”
“Okay you two, cut it out. Don’t make me break this up,” Kristi sighed from the side. “We’ve got a lot to do before graduation tomorrow.”
“Hey, I didn’t start it,” Christian protested, “Derik’s to blame.”
“Some would say it was your winning personality,” Derik countered sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m your guys’ mother rather than your co-worker,” Kristi said with irritation. “Good thing I love my job so much, or I’d be tempted to leave without a second thought.”
The men stopped glaring at each other as they turned to face Kristi.
“You wouldn’t really do that, would you, Kristi?” Derik asked with a hurt tone. “We’re not that bad.”
“We can work on it, honestly we can,” Christian added in a plea. “You know how much we need you on the team.”
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” she said with a small laugh. “I’ve got somewhere
to be.”
The fire instructors made their way out of the training grounds and hopped into the waiting black SUV. They drove the short distance to the DCSRA veterinarian hospital where they dropped their K9 partners off for their end of assignment check-ups. Next, they made their way to the staff villa where the group parted ways.
“I’ve got to meet up with Aspen,” Derik explained as he jumped out of the vehicle and glanced at his watch. “She’s probably already waiting at the restaurant.”
“I’ve got to go, too,” Kristi said as she climbed from the back of the SUV. “Axel texted me to let me know he purchased movie tickets. I’ve got forty-five minutes to get to the theater.”
“Have a good time,” Christian shouted out through the vehicle window to both his fellow instructors. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“That would mean everything, since you don’t have a girlfriend. Maybe you should correct that,” Derik teased back through the window. “I’ll see you at church on Sunday,” he added before turning around and sauntering off.
Sometimes it was hard to be the only single instructor in his department. It wasn’t that Christian hadn’t tried dating; it was that every time he did, it never managed to work out. He’d tried all the usual ways: blind dates set-up by friends, joining the singles group at church, even the online dating apps didn’t work for him. It was just easier focusing on his career, rather than continually putting himself out there and getting disappointed.
Christian parked the SUV and made his way to his apartment. After changing out of his uniform, he decided to go see if Jesse Dixon was free. Considering that the urban terrorist instructor was also single, and just as dedicated to his job as Christian was, he was fairly certain his friend wouldn’t have plans tonight. Sure enough, only moments after Christian knocked on the other man’s door, Jesse opened it.
“What’s up, Christian?” he asked, leaning against the door frame. “Are you wanting to go to the gym before heading to the cafeteria for dinner?”
“Am I that predictable?” he asked, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment.
“Let’s just say, you’re a routine guy, which is fine. I am, too, probably from all my years in the bureau,” Jesse said before taking a drink from his water bottle. Jesse was a former FBI agent who specialized in urban terrorism. He was recruited to Disaster City because of his expertise and excellent track-record at stopping domestic terrorism threats. “I’ve got my gym bag right here.”
Jesse exited his apartment. They made their way to the neighboring building where the gym was housed in between the trainees’ dormitories and the staff villa. The cafeteria and training center, with staff offices and classrooms, was across from there. With on-premises kennels, a medical clinic, and an auditorium, DCSRA was a full-fledged mini-city.
The men arrived at the nearly empty gym, ready for a hard workout. Christian liked that Jesse pushed him; he was an excellent workout partner.
“Where do you want to start? Squats? Presses?” Jesse asked, setting his bag down.
“My left shoulder has been stiff. I think we should start there.”
Jesse nodded, heading over to the bench with the appropriate equipment, and Christian followed behind him. They were only a few minutes into their workout when Ben Miller, the assistant commander of the DCSRA, showed up in the gym. He made his way over to them.
“Glad I tracked you down, Perez. Sarge needs to see you in his office right away.”
“What about?” Christian inquired, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bench.
“I’ll let him explain,” Ben said, gesturing towards the exit. “Follow me.”
Christian grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his neck, then stood up and grabbed his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. “I’ll catch up with you later, Jesse.”
“Sure thing, Christian,” his friend said as he took his vacated spot on the workout bench.
“How long is this going to take? I’m supposed to pick up Cinder from the vet,” Christian said, glancing at his watch.
“I’ll call over and ask the doctor to stay until you can pick her up later,” Ben offered.
“Thanks,” Christian said as they entered the administrative section of the training center. The Commander’s office was the largest in the building and set towards the back. They passed several closed doors before they reached the corner office.
Ben pushed the door open and moved inside, holding the door open for Christian so he could enter behind the senior instructor.
“Sorry to intrude on your time off, Perez, but this couldn’t wait,” the commander said as he looked up from his desk.
“Is something wrong? Did one of the trainees complain about my methods?” Christian asked defensively as he took a seat across from the middle-aged man with salt-and-peppered brown hair. He knew the material backwards and forwards, but he wasn’t the most personable of instructors. It wouldn’t be the first time that one of his students filed a grievance against him.
“No, nothing like that,” his commander said with a shake of his head.
“Then what’s going on?” Christian inquired with a puzzled look on his face. “Is there something else you need me to do; something for graduation tomorrow?”
Once again, Sarge’s head shook from side-to-side. “I have a temporary assignment for you until the new recruits come in for the next class.”
Christian stiffened, knowing that he wasn’t going to like what was going to come out of his boss’s mouth next.
“The fire chief from Dallas called and asked that we have our best arson investigator help with an ongoing case.”
“Well, I don’t know about best as much as the only one permanently on staff here at DCSRA,” Christian said with a shrug.
“Please, Perez, modesty isn’t a good color on you. We both know with all your extensive training and experience, you’re the best arson investigator in the country. It’s why the chief requested you by name. They’ve hit a dead end with their investigation and need Cinder’s expert nose along with your knowledge.”
Christian’s brows came together in a furrow as he tried to come up with an excuse why he couldn’t go. “I’m pretty busy getting ready for the next class…”
“This isn’t a request, Perez. You’re going to be taking care of this first thing Monday morning. One of the reasons that the DCSRA has been so successful is that we have the support from the locals around here, including the Dallas fire department. They don’t often ask for our help, which means their backs must really be up against a wall. You’re going to do this, and the quicker you get it done, the sooner you can get back here to get ready for the next class. Is that understood, Perez?”
Slowly, Christian nodded his head, realizing there was no point in arguing with Sarge. The man was as bull-headed as they came, and he always got what he wanted. Christian trudged out of the office, determined to get the new assignment done as quickly as possible so he could get back to his real job.
The obnoxious prattling of the women around Megan Williams was getting on her nerves. Just an hour with her former best friends was more than she could handle. She wasn’t sure how she used to selectively ignore how snobby they were, or how their judgmental attitudes were at the center of every conversation. She wished she could be anywhere else than where she was.
“Can you believe Karen wore that dress the other night to the nightclub? I mean, sure, twenty pounds ago she could have pulled it off, but ever since her break-up with Brett, she, you know,” Ashley gestured to her stomach and made an exaggerated gesture out, “packed on the pounds.”
Megan wanted to put a stop to the nasty talk about Karen, especially when she wasn’t there to defend herself. Instead, she bit back her reply, knowing if she drew attention to herself, they would just shift their focus to her life. That was the last thing she wanted. She forced herself to keep her annoyance from showing. If she waited just a little bit longer, she could make an excuse to escape.
“I’m not really sure. The place is still closed right now because the fire is still under investigation.”
“Do you really think someone did it on purpose? Couldn’t it have just been an accident like what happened with Heidi,” Ashley asked in a way that made it clear she was purposely bringing up the matter to get under Megan’s skin. “After all, you didn’t get rid of the staff, and they obviously don’t know what they’re doing.”
Megan cut her eyes to the source, irritated that she would bring up such a painful subject. Refusing to let Ashley know it upset her, she kept her reaction under check and sidestepped the reference to the past. “I’ll make sure to let you all know when the day spa and salon re-open.” Then, glancing down at her watch, she added, “In the meantime, I need to be going. My father’s picking me up for a business appointment.”
Ashley rolled her eyes. “Right, business, Megan; as if that’s something you actually care about.”
Megan pressed her lips together, suppressing the anger that wanted to erupt. She hated that her friends refused to acknowledge that she’d changed over the past two years. No matter how hard she tried, they were never going to see her as anything other than the vapid heiress who had been consumed by elaborate parties, designer clothes, and expensive trips.