Burn Me Anthology

by Shantel Tessier

  ***

  That’s how the next two days go. I went to school during the day while he worked at the gym that he co-owns with his friends. And after I left class, I went over to his house. He cooked me dinner, or we ordered pizza. We lay in his bed, naked, and watched a movie. Most nights, I fell asleep before it ended, but one thing is for sure—we had sex every time. Everywhere. We even did it in his garage. The man has a way of making me need him. I’ve never been a sexual person, but now, I am like a nympho. And no matter how many times we did it, it wasn’t enough.

  Friday, however, was different. I went to school, and I didn’t see him after ’cause he had to work at the fire station later that night. And I couldn’t get the thought of him jumping out a second-story window out of my head. Him getting hurt again. Or was he even ready to go back? Sure, we were having sex, but that’s different than carrying around an extra fifty pounds of gear and running into fires.

  So I went straight to the grocery store after school, then I went home and started cooking. I’m a stress cooker.

  I made a lasagna, a no-bake cheesecake, and some chocolate chip cookies, all from scratch because I was nervous about him going to work.

  This was my life before. This is how I used to be. And I hadn’t thought about it in years because Steve’s job wasn’t stressful. And I know, people say all the time that you could die at any moment. That a bus could hit you. But those who put their lives on the line and run into burning buildings are more likely to be injured. Or killed.

  I stand in my kitchen, my apartment still full of packed boxes, and look at the food I made. And I’m sweating bullets.

  I pick my cell up off my counter to see it’s a little past nine. Licking my lips nervously, I send him a text.

  Me: How’s work going?

  I let out a long breath. He’s gonna think I’ve become a clinger. I just saw him this morning, and we’ve spoken several times today. Now I’m texting him, wanting to know how work is. I just wanna make sure he is okay. I did this same stuff with my dad, but he knew how I felt. He would call and text me all the time. He helped ease my worry until my biggest fear became my reality.

  My phone dings, and I look down at it.

  Karter: so far, so good.

  I know that’s code for slow. Firefighters are superstitious when it comes to saying it’s quiet because when they do, all hell breaks loose.

  I let out a long breath and look at the food once again. I can’t eat. Not at the

  moment. Why am I so nervous?

  Deciding I need to do something with all this food before it goes to waste, I pack it all up in my Jeep and head toward the fire station.

  When I pull up and park my Jeep, I let out a long breath. I get out with my hands full of food and make my way inside.

  I pause in the entrance. It’s been so long since I’ve been inside one of these. And being here now feels like it was just yesterday. A man walks by me with a smile on his face. “May I help you, ma’am?”

  “Um, yeah.” I clear my throat as my muscles tighten. “I’m looking for Karter Brooks.”

  He turns, giving me his back, cups his mouth with his hands, and yells, “BROOKS!”

  I flinch at the sound of his voice as it echoes off the white walls. “Thanks,” I mumble, half embarrassed.

  I could have done that myself.

  He turns back to face me, a smile on his face as if he did me a huge favor. “You’re welcome.” Then he reaches out to me. “Want me to take those off your hands?”

  I’m about to say sure when I hear his voice. “What the fuck, Mason? I was taking a shower. What could you possibly need now?”

  Mason steps out of the way, and Karter comes into view. He was in the shower all right. He has a white towel hanging low around his waist and another in his hand as he runs it over his head to dry his hair. Water drops down his hard body, and I swallow. He stops walking when he sees me. “Raegan?” he asks surprised.

  “Hey,” I say lamely, my knees threatening to buckle due to his nakedness and my embarrassment.

  I shouldn’t have come here.

  “Your girl brought us some food,” the guy says as he turns back to face me. He takes the containers out of my hand without a word and takes off down the hallway. “Thanks, doll,” he calls out.

  I bite my bottom lip nervously and look down at the floor. Shit, I was so stupid.

  His hand cups my cheek, and he lifts my face to see him. He smiles down at me, and my tight shoulders relax. “Hey, gorgeous, let me get dressed real quick, okay?” I just nod. He leans down giving me a sweet kiss. “I’ll be right back.” He looks over my shoulder and smiles. “Hey Chief, watch my girl until I get back. You know how these men can be.”

  My girl! Those butterflies are back.

  I turn around to see who his chief is.

  That feeling of breathlessness intensifies when I look in a set of familiar brown eyes.

  He stares back just as shocked. “Rae?” He breathes my name, and my heart pounds in my chest. I haven’t seen him in three years. And memories flood me.

  I’m running around the hospital. Burned body after burned body rushing into the ER. The apartment complex was at full occupancy, and the fire spread so fast that so many were unable to escape without injury.

  “Raegan?” James snaps at me like he has been for the past two hours.

  “What?” I call out as I continue to dress the wound of a little girl who can’t be older than five.

  “You’re wanted.”

  “Kinda busy at the moment,” I snap back as tears run down her chipmunk cheeks.

  “Raegan?” he demands.

  “What?” I growl back, turning to look at him over my shoulder.

  His eyes soften, and he lets out a long breath. “You’re needed in exam five.”

  I blow out a long breath and nod. “Okay.” I turn back to the little girl. “You’re doing great. I’ll be right back, okay?” She nods as she sniffs.

  I remove my gloves and throw them in the trash as I make my way to exam five. Opening the door, I come to a stop when I walk in to see my father’s best friend standing still dressed in his bunkers. “Bill, what are you doing here? Are you hurt?”

  When I saw the news earlier, they said it was all hands on deck. So I’m not surprised to see he went in to help as well.

  Ash covers his gear, and he’s soaked from head to toe from the firehose. He looks physically and mentally exhausted but no cuts, bruises, or burns.

  He swallows and opens his mouth but closes it.

  “What is it?” I ask, taking a step toward him.

  He drops his hands to his side, and I see tears building in his eyes. “Rae, I’m so sorry …” He chokes on his words, unable to finish his sentence.

  “What …?” My voice trails off as to why he would be here telling me he’s sorry, and my chest tightens.

  He takes a step toward me. “I had to tell you.” A tear falls down his cheek. I’ve known this man for most of my life, and I’ve never seen him cry before. “I had to be the one … I didn’t want anyone else …”

  “No,” I say as my bottom lip trembles. “No,” I say, shaking my head.

  He comes up to me, wraps his arms around me, and my legs give out. I cling to him. “No,” I sob into his chest. He smells of smoke, and soaks the front of my scrubs.

  “I’m sorry, Rae. But he’s gone.” I sob. “Your dad is gone.”

  “Rae,” he says again, and a smile touches his lips. “What are you doing here?” he asks, and then his eyes go to the hall where Karter just walked down.

  I clear my throat, trying to dislodge the knot so I can breathe. “I, uh …” I clear it again as my breath comes quicker and quicker.

  He manages to pull himself out of his surprise quicker than I can, and he walks up to me, giving me a tight hug. He pulls back, holding me by my shoulders. “Geez, it’s been too long. You look great,” he says. “How have you been?”

  I nod. “Good.” My voice cracks at t
he single word, and he frowns.

  His brown eyes search mine, and I hate that I have unshed tears in mine. He lets out a long sigh before taking a step back from me.

  I clear my throat and pull my shoulders back. “What are you doing here? I thought you retired.”

  He smiles softly. “You know I couldn’t walk away forever. This place is my home.”

  I nod. Yeah, my father was like that too. He couldn’t give it up. And that’s what scares me. The fire will eventually take them all.

  I get a pain in my chest as I think of Karter. He won’t leave this life either. This is who he is. It was who his father was. And although I have a lot of respect for people like them, I can’t put myself through this again. I can’t have Bill coming up to tell me that another man I love has been burned alive. I can’t do it.

  Those tears that I tried to hold back break loose, and the first one slides down my cheek.

  “Raegan.” He whispers my name. “I’m so sorry—”

  “I have to go,” I interrupt him, dropping my head. “Tell Karter I had to go.” Then I storm toward the door, not bothering to look back.

  Chapter 9

  Karter

  I finish getting dressed and come to a stop in the hall where I left Raegan but don’t see her. I frown, looking around.

  “Brooks?” Chief calls, peeking his head down the hall at me.

  “What’s up?” I ask with a head nod.

  “My office. Now!” he snaps.

  I frown but make my way to his office checking the halls for Raegan. Where did she go?

  I enter his office, and he slams the door behind me, harder than usual. “What’d I do this time?” I ask with a smirk, plopping down on one of the brown leather chairs in front of his desk. It’s a common occurrence.

  He’s silent as he walks over to his desk and picks up a picture. He tosses it into my lap.

  I frown as I pick it up, and my chest tightens when I see him and my old chief smiling. A pretty blonde stands between them, wearing a firefighter hat on her head. She has to tip her head back to see. A big smile on all their faces. “Why are you showing me this?” I ask.

  “Look at it,” he growls.

  I roll my eyes at some kind of game he’s playing but do as he says. I look at the whole picture. They’re standing outside station 65. Our old station. The garage door open, showcasing the engine behind it. Both men in their bunkers. I don’t see anything different about them, so I focus on the girl. She’s pretty. Beautiful actually. And I’m not into blondes, but there is always an exception to any rule. She’s small and short compared to both of them. Her head barely comes to their shoulders. She has a vibrant smile on her face. Almost as if she’s mid laugh. Pulling the picture closer to my face, I look over her features. She has big blue eyes, soft pink lips, and two dimples … my heart rate picks up as I look up at him.

  “Who is this?” My voice thick, I watch as his chest rises and falls quickly. I can’t be right …

  “Miss. Ashby, Chief Ashby’s daughter. You know her as Raegan.”

  The picture drops out of my hands as I remember the first time I found out he had a daughter.

  “I’ll meet you for breakfast after my shift,” he says as he sits at the kitchen table, smiling like an idiot. Only a woman can make a man smile that way. “Yes, I promise. It’s our tradition.” After a second, he chuckles. “I love you too.” He hangs up and silence follows. “What?” he asks as his eyes go around the table meeting all of ours.

  “Ashby, do you have a girlfriend?” I ask, causing the men to laugh. I’ve only been a member of the house for a few weeks now. At first, he hated me, but I think I’m starting to grow on the chief.

  He still has that smile on his face. Shaking his head, he says, “That was my daughter.”

  “Oh?” I say, raising my brow. I’ve never heard him speak of a daughter. “You have a daughter? How old is she?” I ask, rubbing my chin.

  His smile drops off his face, and he narrows his eyes at me. “Not gonna happen, Brooks.”

  “Oh, come on.” I whine. “Just her number …”

  The guys break out in laughter, and he shakes his head, that smile back on his face. “I’m just messing with you.”

  “I thought she looked familiar …” My words trail off with another memory.

  Firefighters, police, and paramedics fill the cemetery. Anyone and everyone who has served came to say goodbye to the man who lost his life last week trying to save the ones in need. I have my glasses on to shield my watery eyes, but not a dry eye is in sight. The pastor closes his Bible, and my late chief’s best friend walks over to the blonde sitting in the front row. Her head bowed, her body physically shaking. He hands her the folded flag, and she takes it while a sob trembles her body. I’ve never met her, but it doesn’t feel right to introduce myself now. Not like this.

  He bends down to whisper in her ear, and she nods her head before he helps her to stand. For a cemetery full of men and women paying their respect, there’s an eerie calm, a silence that falls as he wraps his arms around her and helps her walk over to her father’s casket for her final goodbye. The closer she gets, the louder she cries. She looks over his casket and is so incoherent, she can’t form a single word. After a few seconds, my new chief lifts her into his arms before carrying her off into the distance.

  “I didn’t know,” I repeat as I look up at him. He stares at me with no emotion while my eyes burn with unshed tears.

  He takes the picture from me, goes behind his desk, and plops down in his seat. Sighing heavily, he runs his fingers over his best friend. “Was it serious?” he asks.

  “Was?”

  His eyes meet mine, and they sadden. “By the way she looked when she left, whatever it was, is over.”

  She left?

  I pull my cell out of my pocket and dial her number.

  She answers on the third ring but doesn’t say anything. “Hello?”

  “Hello.” Her voice is soft, and she clears her throat.

  She’s upset. I don’t know what she and the chief spoke about exactly, but it was obviously painful. “Raegan …” Not knowing the right words to say. “I’m sorry.”

  She lets out a shaky breath. “You know.”

  I’m silent because after everything I told her, she didn’t open up to me like I did her. “My tattoo …why didn’t you tell me?” Now it makes sense why she looked at my phoenix tattoo the way she did. I got it after her father passed. He had the same one.

  “It’s something I can’t talk about, Karter.”

  I sigh heavily at her heartbreak. “Raegan …”

  “I can’t do this,” she says softly. “It’s not you. I … I just can’t.”

  “I wanna see you,” I whisper. “Please come back. Let me see you.” I hate that she came to see me and then left. And I hate that I had no clue who she really was.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  I ignore that statement. “Where are you?” She can’t be far. She just left here.

  “Karter …”

  Her words are cut off by the sound of some sort of explosion. “Raegan?” I call out as I stand. “Raegan?”

  Chief stands as well, looking at me with concern.

  “Raegan?” I shout this time.

  Nothing.

  “What is it?” he asks me.

  I pull the phone from my ear and run out of his office and right out the front door. Looking down the street, I see smoke filling the air, and my chest tightens.

  “What is it?” Chief says coming to stand next to me.

  “I think that’s Raegan.”

  “What?”

  I go to explain to him what I just heard when the alarms go off in the station. We look at one another for a second, and then without saying a word, we both start running toward the rising smoke. And all I can think about is losing her the same way I lost her dad. I already failed her once by not saving him. I refuse to fail her again.

  To be continued… />
  Make sure to keep an eye out for the full novel. Coming soon.

  To contact Shantel Tessier:

  Email: ShantelTessierauthor@gmail.com

  Facebook: @ShantelTessierAuthor

  For more information about the author and her books, visit her website- www.shanteltessierauthor.com. You can sign up for her newsletter on her website, or you can click on the link below. The newsletter is the only place to get exclusive teasers, first to know about current projects and release dates. And also have chances to win some amazing giveaways- http://goo.gl/4wd9CV

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  Other books by Shantel Tessier

  The UN Series:

  Undescribable

  Unbearable

  Uncontrollable

  Unforgettable

  Unchangeable

  Unforeseen

  Unpredictable

  Unimaginable

  The Selfish Series:

  Selfish

  Myself

  Selfless

  Seven Deadly Sins Series:

  Addiction

  Obsession

  Confession coming soon

  Standalones:

  DASH

  Sweet Burn

  By Winter Travers

  For questions or comments about this book, please contact the author at wintertravers84@gmail.com

  Chapter 1

  Brynn

  “Do you have the order for Lackwitz?”

  “The who?”

  “Lackwitz?”

  Karen buried her head in the weekly planner. “Hmm, I’m not seeing it. Can you say it one more time for me?”

  “Lackwitz. I think that they ordered the-”

  Karen burst out laughing. “I heard you the first time, Brynn, I just think it’s hilarious to hear you say it.”

  I flipped her the bird. “You’re a bitch. Now tell me what they ordered so I can add it to the bake list for tomorrow.”