by T. F. Walsh
Lu followed the commands and she and the others finally subdued the flames, but it felt odd — like she’d mentally left the scene. She heard herself responding to the radio, saw her body obeying, but her mind had shut down, unable to process the fact that they’d failed the woman inside the building. As she clomped back to the truck she heard the animated chatter and saw the ocean of yellow-clad bodies. None of it fully penetrated her numbed brain.
Red was sitting in the back of an ambulance with his leg bared and bandaged, and she trotted over. “What happened?”
“Just a cut,” he reassured her. “Nicked myself with my axe when I went down.”
“Thanks for getting me out. I, uh, freaked when we couldn’t get to the vic.”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “We’ve all done that.”
“Medics taking you in or you coming back with us?”
“I’m good to go. I’m just letting Ace and Marcus pack the truck.” He slowly stood up and tested his leg. They walked back to their truck with weary waves to the guys from Bellevue.
A dull pressure engulfed Lu on the ride back to the hall. She felt the excitement and adrenaline percolating through the sheer fatigue of her coworkers. They’d all been on many calls, but the sense of having vanquished a raging fire never became ordinary. Each fire was different, with its own quirks and personality. And this one had been particularly unusual, from the grow-op equipment to the victim locked inside. And the spread of the fire had been unpredictable as well.
Another wave of remorse overtook Lu and she tried to forget the woman’s screams of fear and pain. They’d tried their best, but they couldn’t have stayed longer in that inferno. What must that woman have felt when she realized they were deserting her to the flames?
“Man, when that beam came down … I thought the whole damn building was gonna cave.” Red shook his head at the memory.
“Do you think the growers took out supports putting in the extra power lines?” Ace asked.
Lu tried to surreptitiously cover her ears. She didn’t want to hear them rehashing the fire. It was over, damn it.
“Could’ve. They did a real hack job on that house, and those rooms in the back — fuck.” Red glanced up at Captain Reynolds in the front, but the curse had gone unnoticed.
“Yeah, that was …” Ace looked uncomfortable as he trailed into silence.
“Do you think that vic was with the grow-op, or was there something else?” Marcus asked from the front seat.
Lu sat further down into her seat trying to mentally block out the discussion. Why couldn’t they just let it go?
“Don’t know. Stupid thing is, we’ll never know. You risk your life and sometimes you wonder, what for? A bunch of criminals?” Red added quietly. “What an awful way to go.”
Shut the fuck up! Lu wanted to scream. Instead she looked at the passing scenery as they wound their way, slower this time, back to civilization. It was strange how the fire hall seemed to represent normalcy and safety after fires quickly demolished your sense of equilibrium. Her eyes were raw from smoke and the constant effort to hold back tears. Lu closed her eyes and counted her breathing. She knew they’d be scheduled for grief counseling tomorrow. It was standard procedure when a life was lost. Damn. Last thing she needed was some touchy-feely whacko making her break down and cry.
Relief flooded her when they pulled into the hall and she had to emotionally check herself to stop the tears threatening to erupt again. Lu wasn’t used to feeling this vulnerable in front of the guys and it sucked royally. Thankfully Ace and Red had finally shut up and they shucked their gear in relative silence. Reynolds was at his taciturn best with a quiet acknowledgment of a job well done before he headed to his room. What she would give tonight for the captain’s perk of his own room.
Lu climbed into her bed and hid with her face to the wall. After the others stilled for the night, she crept downstairs heading for the cavernous garage so she could be alone. On a leather bench, she sat staring at the massive truck, silently reprimanding her. She was not going to cry. People died every day: in car accidents, from horrendous diseases, or in fights. Even kids. She needed to toughen up. Death was part of the job.
A light touch on her shoulder made her jerk up in surprise.
“Sorry.” Captain Reynolds said, sitting down beside her, catlike in his physical containment. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“S’okay.” She turned back to face the truck.
“You alright?” The concern in his voice was her undoing. The most Lu could do was nod her head. But the tears she’d been holding back came coursing down her face. She hoped he wouldn’t see them in the darkness.
“Hey.” He pulled her in toward him with her face tucked into his chest. “You’re allowed to feel.” His hand stroking her back only made the fucking tears flow more.
Shit. Now her nose was running. Lu shook her head and pulled away. “I … n-need a Kleenex.” She felt her pocket before remembering she’d used them all earlier.
“Here.” He handed her a small package.
Lu dove into it, trying to catch her runny nose before it was too gross. Then the memory of the screams flooded back into her senses. God, here she was vainly concerned about a little snot. Her shoulders shook as she tried to hold back the sobs.
Again Reynolds hugged her and this time she let him. She felt so safe in his arms, his hands in her hair, his voice murmuring soft encouragement. She tucked herself in tighter to his chest and let his strength and warmth infuse her. He seemed endlessly patient as her wracking sobs dwindled into gulping hiccups. Her hand crept up his chest, feeling his muscles ripple against her fingers.
She looked up at him to apologize, but the look in his eyes froze her. She shouldn’t, but — Lu closed her eyes as his lips brushed against her own. With a moan she pulled his head closer and opened her lips against his. He answered with the same hunger, his tongue sliding in to explore her mouth. His hands became more urgent too, molding her to his body. The frustration, pain and fear all bundled into a massive need she could feel pooling between her legs. She let out a small groan as he shifted to nuzzle her neck, his light stubble scratching her sensitive skin. His breath in her ear while he nibbled her earlobe sent chills of excitement down her spine.
Thunk.
Lu sprang back at the odd sound from above. Was someone else getting up? Her hand unconsciously wiped her lips as if to erase the kisses.
“My God, I’m — ” Lu clapped her hand over her mouth. What had she done?
Reynolds jumped up and walked a couple of steps away. His hand raked through his hair. He exhaled loudly.
“I’m sorry, Lu.” His voice was low and precise. “I didn’t mean to — ”
At least he sounded as confused as she felt. “Me neither. Um, can we pretend this never happened?”
“I promise you, it won’t happen again.” Reynolds jammed his hands in his pocket giving him an odd boyish look. “I don’t want to lose you. You’re a valuable member of my team, but if you feel uncomfortable … or that you can’t trust me …”
“No. I don’t want to transfer out, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Okay. Let’s go to — call it a night, and forget this ever happened.” Reynolds looked at her uncertainly and then turned on his heels and left.
Lu felt the urge to giggle and stifled it. At least I’m not crying anymore. She was an emotional mess. From despair, to lust, to laughter, this was crazy. And why did it have to be with Reynolds? He was her boss and, fuck, she was way too attracted to him. God, how would she face him again?
She crept back upstairs to her bed. At least tomorrow was her last night shift then she was off for four days. And this was Reynolds’ last shift of the week. They wouldn’t be on together again for at least five days. By then everything should be back to normal.
But what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been startled by the noise upstairs? Much as she wanted to deny it, part of her wished she’d found out. It’d been way too long since she’d been with a man and Reynolds was sexy as all hell. But no matter how hot, no sex was worth losing your job for.
CHAPTER 4
“Okay, listen up,” Reynolds commanded, cutting through the chatter without bothering to raise his voice.
Lu hadn’t even heard him come in. She’d been dreading seeing him again after “the incident.” Would he start acting weird around her? He didn’t seem to be avoiding her. That was a good sign. And generally you didn’t get too much privacy in a fire hall even if you wanted it. Maybe she’d dodged a bullet and her make-out session with Reynolds had been forgotten.
“I got a phone call from the mayor.” Bill groaned and Reynolds paused to give him a stern look before continuing. “He’s dedicated a full time police arson inspector to look into the recent spate of grow-op fires. The investigator will be working with our department and Ralph has asked me to ‘donate’ some man hours to help him out.”
Ace interrupted. “Do we get overtime?”
“No. The time donated will be hours that you were already scheduled.”
“So what’s the point?” Bill grumbled. “The cops’ll just put us on crap duty and take all the glory.”
“It’ll be up to the individual who is seconded to the police to make sure they aren’t being used as cheap labor.”
“Does this mean the rest of the team has to fight fires shorthanded?” Ace asked.
“We’ll get a temp,” Reynolds explained. “But it will be disruptive.”
“Who goes?” Lu asked. She was pretty sure she knew the answer. But as long as it wasn’t for too long, it’d be good to have a break from Reynolds.
“It’s by seniority, lowest first. So this week it’s you.” He smiled at her. “We’ll play it by ear after that.”
What a surprise. But maybe it wasn’t only because of their indiscretion. After all, it wasn’t just her fault. “Do we know what sort of job I’ll be doing?”
“No, but if you find yourself doing menial tasks that could be filled by an office temp, I want to hear about it ASAP.”
“Sure.”
“Meanwhile, let’s have last night’s reports.”
Lu only half listened as the outgoing shift passed along their notes from the evening. She found these morning meetings had become repetitive. If Red was on he could usually spin a good tale, but the others seemed to drone on endlessly. She heard the front door click shut and watched the hallway with curiosity. The teams were all accounted for.
A familiar, well-built man with an amused curve to his lips appeared silently in the doorway separating the reception from the common room. While Bill explained the intricacies of the 2 A.M. call and his courage under fire, Lu studied the intruder, trying to remember where she’d seen him before. His confidence was the most striking thing about him. He seemed to possess the room as soon as he entered it. And then there was something that kept bringing her back to his sly smile.
Tall, with interesting features — okay, her friends would suggest his nose was too big — he projected an aura of affability and charm. And his piercing blue eyes were mesmerizing.
Captain Reynolds interrupted Bill’s self aggrandizements. “Excuse me gentlemen, and Dawson. For those of you that don’t know, this is Police Inspector Byron Morgan. We’re going to have the honor of working with Inspector Morgan on several suspected arson cases.” As soon as Lu heard the underlying hostility in Reynolds’s voice, she remembered meeting Inspector Morgan. She wondered what the story was.
“Thanks, Josh. I’ll try to make my presence as non-disruptive as possible.” Morgan’s voice had the tone of late-night scotch and cigarettes. His long-legged stride into the room was unhurried. “Ace. Gordo. Red.” He nodded at each man as he said their names.
Lu felt her throat tighten inexplicably when he focused on her. He had a way of looking like he knew what was going through your mind. God help her if he did. He obviously didn’t need to know she was attracted to him. She smiled back self-consciously.
“And Lu.” His handshake was firm and warm. “I understand you’re the one who got sacrificed to the Washington Police Department. Let me guess, low seniority?” He had a reassuring chuckle.
“No, I’m sure it’s because of my superior intellect and amazing people skills,” Lu answered dryly. She heard Ace guffaw and shot him a wink.
“Excellent. I’m sure we’ll put those skills to good use. I won’t require a lot of your time, but I’ll need your first impressions on several calls we’ve deemed suspicious. I’m afraid a lot of our work will be going over old cases for clues that might’ve been overlooked.” He again gave her that soul-searching look that scared the hell out of her. She turned to Reynolds for help.
“You don’t get her for long. I’ve got a fire department to run here.” Reynolds smiled, but she could tell by the rigidity in his posture he wasn’t happy.
“I appreciate your assistance, Josh.” Morgan turned to Lu. “I’ll pick you up here tomorrow at 9 A.M..” With that Byron Morgan turned on his heel and left.
“Now A.M. … Is that morning or night?” Lu asked in the silence that followed.
The guys headed off in different directions; Ace probably to check if the fridge had miraculously sprouted any new, interesting foods, Bill to the computer, and Reynolds back to his office. Lu determinedly went to the workout room.
She was on her second round on the elliptical machine when Reynolds entered the gym. Great. Nothing like being a sweaty mess to put you at a disadvantage …
“Got a minute?” He stood about seven feet away. Was he embarrassed about the kiss or offended by her sweatiness? Despite his great physique, Lu couldn’t picture Reynolds sweating profusely.
“Yeah, sure.” She wiped her face with her towel, shoved back her damp bangs and clambered down from the equipment. The physical distance between them felt strained, but there was no way she’d step any closer.
“I’m not sure what the cops are doing poaching fire fighters to help out with their investigations, but if you end up filing, making coffee, or anything like that, I want to know, okay?”
“Sure.”
“They just got their budget slashed, so I don’t want them trying for free help.” He started to say something more then hesitated.
“And … ?” Lu prompted.
“Be careful with Byron. I’m not saying he’s dishonest in anyway, he just sometimes has …” His eyes drifted up and to the left. “A unique perspective.” Reynolds looked like he wanted to say more. Instead he tapped the rower absentmindedly, then walked out.
She ran fifteen more minutes on the tread and she was done. Now the part she hated. Lu knew the second she jumped in the shower the next call would come in. It was like lighting a cigarette to get the bus to hurry up, or taking a big bite of food to make the waiter ask how you were doing. The alarm-gods were friendly though, and she showered uninterrupted.
• • •
Lu found Ace relaxing behind the front desk as usual. “So what’s the scoop between Captain and Byron Morgan?”
“You noticed that, huh?” Ace’s eyes lit up as he leaned over the desk. “Morgan used to be one of us. He and Reynolds worked together before Morgan went over to the dark side.”
“Really?” The nice thing about Ace was you didn’t need to pump him for gossip, much.
“Yup. You didn’t hear it from me, but they fought big time over a woman. It was nasty, with disciplinary actions, suspensions, the whole kit and caboodle. They worked together again, but it was a relief when Morgan left the department.” He chuckled. “Only time I ever saw Reynolds lose out with a woman. Even before that the two men had run-ins. Morgan’s not inclined to follow rules, so you can im
agine how much that pissed Reynolds off.”
“No kidding.” She turned to leave. “Oh, I tried that game you recommended.”
“Call of Duty 4?”
“Yeah. It was good, but I couldn’t get very far.”
“Takes practice. Let me know your score after four days.”
“Maybe.”
• • •
Lu checked her watch against the large clock in the kitchen. It was still working. After wiping down the already clean coffee station, she decided to tackle floor duty. Much as it made her feel like Snow White cleaning up after the dwarves, Lu sort of enjoyed sweeping out the rooms. And it was better than fridge and stove duty, which were on the schedule board for tomorrow. She briefly whistled the dwarves’ working song, but gave up when she got a disgruntled look from Bill. You’d think he’d have appreciated the warning that she was coming into the computer room. By the time 10 P.M. rolled around, Lu was flat out stir-crazy from wondering what she was going to be doing the next day. Would she and the inspector be going through old files? You’d think computers would be more efficient than doing it manually. At least with there being no love lost between Reynolds and Morgan, she didn’t have to worry about Reynolds telling tales. Although she hadn’t thought he would. Reynolds was obsessive about his image, both physically and in his career.
The incoming crew was laughing with Red as Lu grabbed her backpack and loaded up her shit to go home. She smiled to herself as she remembered she finally had a real place to call home. She’d finally bitten the bullet last week and rented a cute one-bedroom a fifteen-minute drive from the station. It’d been vacant so she’d moved right in. After a whirlwind shopping spree at Loews, she was now the proud owner of a bed, table, four chairs and a TV. Her next purchase would be a sofa and love seat. Then she’d be done. She wondered if getting the apartment was her way of reassuring herself she would keep her job. She’d even signed a year-long lease. Damn it, she couldn’t fuck up this job in Seattle. She needed to feel like she belonged somewhere and she was running out of options.