Five Alarm Alphas

by Leah Braemel, Lexxie Couper, Delilah Devlin, Marie Harte, Desiree Holt, Lissa Matthews, Cari Quinn, Shelli Stevens

  Okay, Quinn must have been the guy on the ladder who’d hung upside down. The guy on the ground—which must have been Sheppard—had been placed on a backboard and very gently wheeled on a gurney and loaded into the ambulance. The other guy, if that had been Quinn, had done just as Zac said.

  Jesus, how did Shannon deal with this every day? “How’s the other guy?”

  “Not so good.” His expression turned grim.

  “Where were you during the explosion?” she asked quietly. “Were you in the building?”

  He grunted, a sound curiously managing to contain both laughter and disgust. “I was running like hell to put as much distance between me and the damned acetylene as I could.”

  “Were you in the building?” she repeated.

  The corners of his mouth lifted. “Yeah, you’re not a kitten, are you? You’re a bulldog when you’re after something.”

  She had to be when dealing with him. But she wouldn’t have it any other way. “And you’re evading the question.”

  “I’d just made it onto the sidewalk when it blew.” He stared across the street where a half dozen firefighters were pulling at loose bricks on the front of the building. With a groan, he stood. “I gotta get movin’. We still have to make sure there are no hotspots that might flare up. The main street can’t afford to lose another building.” He stooped over her, then shook his head and straightened. “I’d kiss you but I’d just get you dirty.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “Later. After I’ve showered.” He tapped the end of her nose with one finger. “Finish up here, drive out to my place and get some sleep.”

  “How about I just stay here and when you’re done you crash upstairs?”

  He shook his head. “My place. As handy as your apartment is, all I’ll want to do when I’m done here is to fall into my king-sized bed.” As opposed to her double which left his feet hanging off the end of the mattress. “I’m going to need to hold onto you while I’m sleeping so you’d better be there when I arrive. And before you argue about not being able to leave the diner, the street’s going to stay closed today while they’re investigating and cleaning up, so you’re not going to have much walk-in traffic. I’ll make sure your window gets boarded up before I head out.”

  Despite wanting to remind him how he’d been up at least twenty four hours, despite his obvious exhaustion, she assured him she’d drive her own car now she had access to it again, handed him the keys to his truck and the spare to the diner, and let him walk across the street and back into the building.

  Chapter Five

  Just over thirty hours he’d been awake. Not a record, but still too long a day. Zac tossed his helmet in the back seat and rubbed the back of his neck. Damn, it had turned out way different than he’d planned. Which had been to take Tabatha to his home and into his bed where he’d make love to her until the sun came up. A much more pleasant way to lose sleep than suckin’ smoke and dodging flames.

  He peeled off his turnout coat and shoved it into the bag. The rest of his gear soon followed. Everything would need to be cleaned and aired out. For now he’d toss it in the garage and worry about it later. Given how fuzzy his head was right now, maybe he should have taken Tabby up on her offer to stay at her place. He still could—he had a spare key. But as he’d discovered when he’d returned to board up the diner window, she’d already left and was waiting for him at his place. The aches in his body cried out for his hot tub too.

  Walker trudged by, stumbling over an invisible seam in the sidewalk. His helmet was dented where a brick had hit him, and there was a large singed spot on his coat. Along with a raw spot on his chin—thanks to a sharp elbow where Zac had pushed him down and covered him seconds before the acetylene exploded. The newbie paused when he saw Zac watching him. His gaze dropped to the toes of his boots and his Adam’s apple heaved before he choked out, “I’m sorry. I tried to keep the hose from tangling. I guess I fucked up.”

  Shit. “It wasn’t your fault. Shit happens.” He’d fucked up enough times when he’d first started too. If anyone was to blame, Zac took full responsibility—he should have checked to make sure the hose hadn’t kinked on one of the turns up the stairs.

  “How do you do it? I was fucking terrified in there while you were so calm.”

  Calm? His adrenaline had been pounding through him the whole time. He’d probably get reamed out by the chief for the number of F-bombs he’d used when transmitting what he’d found on the third floor. Not for swearing but because it betrayed how he’d lost his focus. That could have been a killer right there. “Believe it or not, when I saw those acetylene tanks I damned near pissed my pants.

  “But—”

  “Look kid, before you start thinking I’m some sort of superman, I’ve been doing this longer than you.” Though to most of the volunteers and full-timers, he was still the wet-behind-the-ears newbie. “And don’t forget my pop volunteered for twenty-some years. I learned a lot from him before I even started.”

  “I guess. But what if…what if I don’t have it takes?”

  A lot of folks didn’t, but he didn’t want Walker to run away thinking he was a failure either.

  “Don’t judge yourself by today. Everything was fucked up from the get go on this one. We learn from it and move on.”

  Walker stayed quiet for a couple seconds then shook his head as if he couldn’t process the advice. “Is it true that John’s paralyzed?”

  “I don’t know, kid.” But from what he’d heard, it had taken three guys to lift the stone lintel off Sheppard’s back. Since the sucker had fallen three stories it would have reached terminal velocity by the time it hit the firefighter’s spine—that type of hit had probably have pulverized his vertebra.

  “My wife called—she’s freaking out thinking that I could be next.”

  What could he say? Being careful and all the training in the world didn’t stop freak shit from happening, but everyone knew when they signed up it was one of the dangers of the job. “This is the first major injury since I signed on. As for your wife and your volunteering, that’s something you two have to work out together.” He could point out that the chances of getting hurt were higher driving on the freeway or even crossing the damned street. “Maybe you could have her talk to some of the other wives. Shannon Collins maybe. Or ask Boggs to talk to her. Get a woman’s point of view.”

  “I guess.”

  “You’re tired. We all are. It was a fucking tough night. Go home, hug your wife and show her you’re okay. Let it sit for a while—don’t make any decisions right now. If you still need to talk, give me a call tomorrow or whenever and we can grab a coffee.”

  After Walker assured him he wouldn’t make a snap decision, Zac climbed into his truck. His hand on the key, he paused and replayed the conversation. It wasn’t the first time a spouse objected to the dangers they faced. But it was the first time Zac had someone else to think about. Was Tabatha worried about him like Walker’s wife? Would his volunteering prove too much for her? Would she understand why he needed to leave in the middle of a movie? Or miss a dinner with her parents when they came to visit?

  Though he’d originally intended to drive straight home, he found himself stopping off at St. Luke’s to check in on Quinn and Sheppard. After navigating through a sea of blue uniforms, both firefighter and police, in the waiting room, Zac found Quinn pulling on his shirt in one of the side rooms.

  Zac picked up Quinn’s turnout coat. Damned thing was torn and burnt in a few places, mainly around the shoulders. From what he’d heard from the chief before he’d left, the part of the wall that fell had missed Quinn up on the ladder. Mainly. Pity they hadn’t missed Sheppard below. But from the looks of his coat, Quinn had taken a fair number of hits himself. “Are they letting you out or are you going AWOL against doctor’s orders?”

  “I’m fine, Mom. Just a few bumps and bruises. They did x-rays and everything.” He held out his hand for his coat. Huffed when Zac wouldn’t hand it over. “Go ask
the nurse if you don’t believe me.”

  Zac did, Quinn trailing and cursing him with each step. Except the nurse he found frowned and told him she’d have to check. The curses got louder and more creative with every step Zac marched Quinn back to the small examination room.

  Quinn wedged himself into the grey painted brick corner while Zac eyed the gurney. At this stage he was so freaking exhausted, he’d fall asleep the moment he got horizontal. And Quinn would walk out without him. Guess that meant standing and listening to Quinn’s foul mouth insult his intelligence, his truck and one of his barn cats who had formed an attachment to Quinn’s boots.

  “Just shut it already, will you? I’ve been up—” he checked his watch “—thirty one hours and twenty-two minutes. Instead of being curled up in bed with Tabby, I’m sitting here listening to you jabber on, so shut your gob before I shut it for you.”

  “Oh yeah,” Quinn’s expression got far too bright, and his voice far too jovial for Zac’s liking. “Your big date was last night, wasn’t it? That explains your foul mood. Let me guess, you got called in just as you were driving Tabby home with plans to get horizontal. Oh wait, you were horizontal already, weren’t you? And you had to pull out before you could finish.”

  Zac flipped him the bird.

  “How long’s it been since you got laid? Oh yeah, you haven’t dated anyone since you heard Tabby was moving back. What’s that, four months now? Five?” Quinn grinned with far too much satisfaction for Zac’s comfort. “Paging Doctor Buchanan, Code Blue-Balls in Emergency.”

  “At least I’ve got balls, Patterson. You’re going to be swallowing yours if you don’t shut up.” Fuck it all, he stretched out on the gurney and draped an arm over his head. No need to explain that he and Tabby had already done the mattress mambo.

  “Seriously, Z. Everything go okay with Tab? I never heard from you after you went back to talk to her.”

  “She’s…” Amazing. Incredible. Sexy as hell. “—everything I imagined.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  Zac peered from beneath his arm. “But you’d better warn your sister that if I ever see her again, I’m going to take a pound out of her sorry hide.”

  Quinn’s bone-deep weary sigh filled the tiny examination room. “What’d she do this time?”

  After smothering a yawn, Zac replaced the arm over his eyes, as he considered how to answer the question. Of course Quinn had bailed out Val enough times before she’d left Texas that a couple of lies wouldn’t be a blip on his radar. He explained Val’s lies, and her motivation. “I know she’s your sister, but she’s in serious need of help Q.”

  Quinn hissed in a breath. “Shit. I’m sorry Z.”

  “You’ve got to stop apologizing for her. She’s a grown woman—if she fucks up, it’s time she takes the responsibility.”

  Quinn lifted one shoulder half-heartedly and let it drop. Yeah, he’d figured it was a lost cause but he had to try.

  The curtain swung aside, revealing the nurse Zac had talked to earlier, her eyes wide as if she’d heard everything he’d just said. “I spoke with the doctor. Mr. Patterson is free to leave.”

  “Told ya,” Quinn muttered.

  He plucked the keys from Zac’s hand. “I’m drivin’.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re asleep on your feet. I do not want to get called out only to find it’s your ass hanging upside down in a car because you fell asleep at the wheel. And I’m certainly not going to tell Tabby something happened to you.”

  Thank God that duty hadn’t ever fallen to either of them. Though if Quinn got the promotion he was up for, it could end up being one of his duties. “You’d look after her for me, wouldn’t you? If something happened to me?”

  “Nothing’s going to happen to you.” Quinn rapped his knuckles on Zac’s skull. “You’re too hard-headed to get hurt.”

  “I’m serious. Tabby’s…special.”

  “Of course she is.” Quinn slid him a sideways glance. “Does this mean things are going well with you two?”

  Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “I think she’s the one.”

  Quinn’s eyebrows winged up to his hairline. “You’ve been on one date—one unconsummated date—and you’re hearing wedding bells already?”

  He opened his mouth to correct his friend, then shut it.

  “Whoa!” Quinn’s eyes widened. “You two have done the mattress mambo already, haven’t you?”

  “Umm…”

  “Shit, you have!” A grin splitting his face, Quinn blocked him from leaving the room. “When did you…”

  He could practically see the calculations flying through Quinn’s brain.

  “You did her that night you went to tell her you were taking her to the concert instead of me, didn’t you?”

  “I didn’t do her,” Zac snarled. “This is Tabby we’re talking about. Show some respect.”

  “Okay.” Quinn settled down. “But you got past third base, didn’t you?”

  “I’m not going to answer that. It’s none of your business.”

  “Which is what tells me you did. But the fact that you didn’t tell me about it means you’re fucking serious about her.” Quinn’s eyes narrowed. “But a couple dates and you’re thinking marriage already?”

  He’d not been thinking marriage—exactly—but… Why not? Today had proven how fleeting life was. Why should he waste time to fulfill society’s expectations about the length of time they should officially date when he knew he wanted Tabby beside him for the rest of his life?

  Huh, go figure. He was totally ready to commit to her for the rest of his life. Guess Quinn was right. “You’re the one who said we’d been dating all along. So why not if we both know it’s right.”

  “There’s a but coming, isn’t there?”

  “No.” Liar. “There’s a what if.” A whole bunch of them. Not the least of which might be, was he Tabby’s rebound romance after her divorce?

  “Let me guess. What if Tabatha can’t handle the pressure of you being a firefighter?”

  “It’s a lot to ask. Look at how the chief’s wife walked out on him last year. Poor old Curtis the year before.” Both he and Quinn winced at the memory of that nasty divorce.

  “Tab’s up to the task, Z. If you notice, she didn’t run away tonight. From what I heard, she not only stuck around but she helped out too. That impressed the hell out of a lot of the guys sittin’ in the lobby.”

  Had impressed him too. Though it hadn’t surprised him a bit. It had just proven how special she was. “Promise me that if anything does ever happen to me, you’ll make sure she’s okay.”

  “When you start thinking something’s going to happen, it happens, so don’t go down that road. It’s tempting fate.”

  “We both know accidents happen. It could have been me at the bottom of the ladder.” He was damned sure Sheppard hadn’t gotten out of bed that morning and thought oh, just for kicks and giggles, I hope a big ass brick falls on me. “So promise me that you’ll be there for Tabby if something does happen.”

  “Of course I will.”

  Satisfied, he jabbed the seat belt into the connector. Only to have it bounce out. “Fucking thing doesn’t work.”

  “That’s because you’ve got it at the wrong angle.” Quinn grabbed the seatbelt from Zac’s hands and efficiently snapped it in place. “Close your eyes, sleeping beauty. When you awake, you’ll be with your beautiful princess.”

  “What? You’re getting a sex change and didn’t tell me?”

  With a “Fuck you, Buchanan,” Quinn eased the truck out of its parking spot.

  “Question is are you Snow White or Cinderella?” Zac wondered, stifling a yawn.

  “I’m your fucking fairy godmother. Now shut up and go to sleep.”

  The chiming of a grandfather clock woke Tabby. Wait, she didn’t have a grandfather clock! Oh right, she was at Zac’s. She swung her legs to the floor and rubbed the crick at the back of her neck. Looked like her plan
of staying on the couch to keep her awake had failed big time.

  A glance at the clock showed it was just after ten. She unlocked the front door and wandered onto the porch. Her car was still the only vehicle in the driveway.

  Back inside, her footsteps echoed over the dark hardwood floors of the massive open space, the walls knocked out between what had once been the dining room and kitchen and the once-flat ceiling opened up so you could see the vaulted ribs of the roof. At the far end, the old brown brick fireplace where they’d roasted marshmallows as kids had been refaced with river rocks up to the peak and was now the showcase of the room. Photos of Zac lined the mantel. Him as a baby, a toddler, and various stages of teenage and adulthood that used to be at the front and center had been shoved back. Now the focus were the photos of his parents, of Zac’s father in his firefighter dress uniform, of Zac’s mother Mary riding one of her beloved quarter horses.

  She wandered over to the old stand-up piano and stroked her fingers along the worn ivory keys. How many hours had she sat here beside Mary Buchanan while that lady vainly attempted to teach her how to play? The poor woman probably wished she could wear earplugs. Her own mother had actually worn them when she’d practiced at home.

  Her phone chimed the ringtone she’d assigned to Zac with a text saying he would be held up at least another hour.

  The hour passed and she’d made a pot of coffee and inhaled two cups, scrubbed the already clean counter and sink, dug around in his freezer and pulled out a couple steaks and set them to defrost. And made a dozen futile trips to the front door because she thought she’d heard Zac’s truck drive up.

  She was thinking of texting him to get an updated ETA when they arrived.

  To her surprise, Quinn was driving. Her heart jacked up until Zac climbed out of the passenger side. Okay, play it cool. Yeah, like that worked. The moment she finished repeating the mantra, she was running out the door, across the porch and over the gravel.

  She dug her fingers into his arms and stepped back to examine him. “Are you okay? I was so worried when you took so long.”