by Claire Adams
"Do you want a tour of the station?" I asked.
"Oh gosh, I'd love that!" she said. "But can you do that when you're on duty?"
"I'm not on duty now," I said. "And we're right next door, so now's as good a time as any."
I paid the bill over her protests that we should split it telling her that next time she could pick up the check, but that I was raised to be a gentleman, and since I'd asked her out it was my treat. She laughed and said she appreciated the logic of my answer, and promised that she'd treat me next time. I liked the sound of that -- next time.
We walked next door and found that the crew was just sitting down to dinner after a routine call to a medical emergency. I waved to the guys and told them that I was just taking a new nursing student on a tour so she could see how we operated, and after a few teasing comments, proceeded to do just that.
"Do you guys really slide down a pole from the top floor or is that just a Hollywood thing?" she asked as I showed her the bunkroom upstairs.
"No, we really do slide down if we're up here sleeping," I laughed. "Want to try it?"
"Can I?" she asked looking up at me with her eyes shining again. I found myself unable to look away as I nodded. I stepped closer to her holding my breath and knowing that there was nothing in the world I wanted more right at that moment than to kiss her.
Alex held my gaze as I lifted my hand up and softly cupped her cheek before bending down and lightly brushing my lips across hers. I heard a soft hum escape her lips as she pressed back against mine and kissed me harder. She rested her hands on my chest as I pulled her closer and continued kissing her. I could feel the blood rushing away from my brain as my pants became tighter. My thoughts raced as I felt her tongue gently flicking my bottom lip before she gently bit it.
I wanted her. I wanted her there and then, and just as I was about to make a choice that would not have been a good one, the station alarm sounded and the familiar voice said, "Engine One, Truck One, Ambulance Fifty-Five, car fire at the intersection of LaSalle Street and Wacker Drive. Two people trapped."
"Alex, I'm sorry," I said as I stepped back and searched her face for signs of disappointment. "I think we need to go."
"Yes," she nodded slowly. "I need to get home and study for the exam I have later this week."
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, fine," she said not giving anything away before she put on a bright smile and said, "Let's go, shall we?"
I led her out of the station and we stood and watched as the trucks took off toward the call.
"It's pretty impressive," she said as she climbed into the truck and fastened her seatbelt.
"Yeah, I've been on the job for ten years, and I still feel that same overwhelming pride every time I climb up on the truck to go to a call," I nodded. "Most of the guys do, and the ones who don't are the ones who know it's time to get out."
"I imagine it's that way with any career, or anything at all, don't you?" she asked. "If you're not excited about it, then what's the point?"
"Good point," I nodded as I started the truck. "Where can I drop you off?"
She gave me her address and I drove her home in an oddly comfortable silence. I pulled up in front of her building and prepared to walk her to her door.
"No, it's okay," she said pointing to a second floor balcony. "My apartment is right there, you don't need to escort me."
"Alex, I really enjoyed this," I began uncertain if she wanted to see me again.
"I did, too, Cam," she smiled. "Next time it's my treat, though. Don't forget."
"Okay, that's good to know," I said before adding, "But, um, could I get your phone number?"
"Huh?" she replied.
"If we're going to go out again, I'd rather call you to arrange it than having to take a chance on running into you at the hospital," I said as she burst into laughter.
"Oh my gosh, you're so right! How silly of me!" she laughed as she pulled out a pen and wrote her number on my hand. I breathed deeply as I felt her hands cupping mine and smelled the fresh scent of her hair inches away from my nose. I fought the urge to grab her and kiss her again. When she was done, she looked up at me for a moment before leaning in and quickly kissing my lips, and then she was gone.
I watched her walk to the door and let herself in. She turned and waved before disappearing into the building. Only when the light went on in the second floor apartment she'd pointed out did I start the truck and drive away.
The whole ride home, I wondered how long I needed to wait until I called her for a second date.
#
When I reported for duty the next morning, the overnight crew ribbed me about my new role as station tour guide.
"So, you've decided to pick up a second job, have you, Connor?" Mike Kelly laughed as he and Victor cooked breakfast.
"Who told you that?" I asked as I poured a cup of coffee and sat down to read the paper ignoring the wolf whistles coming from the couch on the other side of the room.
"The guys going off duty said you were pretty hot and heavy up in the bunk room with some little blonde you'd offered to give a tour to," Mike said as he flipped pancakes on the griddle.
"Yeah, they said the only thing that stopped the action was the alarm," Victor added as he moved the sizzling bacon from the pan to the plate on the counter. "You take her home and get some?"
"Jesus, Vangel," I said shaking my head. "It's always about the score with you, isn't it?"
"What else is there?" he asked looking mystified by my disgust. “We’re young, red-blooded, American males, and women love guys in uniforms.”
“You’re a dick, Vangel,” I said. “I happen to view women as human beings, not a means to an end.”
"Ooooh, it's love!" Newsome said in a singsong voice that made even me laugh. "Conner's in love!"
"Dude, I just met her, it's not likely," I said waving them all off as I tried to focus on the Tribune's headlines. It wasn’t love, but I certainly liked Alex more than any woman I’d dated in the past few years.
"So, why'd you bring her here?" Kelly asked.
"We went to O'Neil's for dinner and got to talking about our jobs and I offered to show her where I work since I'd already seen where she works," I shrugged. "Nothing terribly complicated."
"You've seen where she works?" Victor said. "I didn't know you were attracted to strippers, Connor!"
"Vangel, shut the hell up," Newsome said without a smile. “No one wants to hear any more of the offensive shit you have running around in that little brain of yours.”
"What did I say now?" Victor asked as he looked back and forth between me and Newsome. “I’m just talking about getting very real needs met.”
"Why do you always have to take it a step too far, Vangel?" Mike asked as he flipped the last batch of pancakes onto the platter and yelled, "Breakfast is served! Come and get it!"
Victor shot me a smug look that told me he knew exactly what he was doing. I let it go, knowing that pursuing it would not end well, and asked Newsome if he'd heard anything about promotions.
"Nah, nothing yet," he said cutting up a stack of pancakes and drenching them in syrup. "But Chief Riley told me that they'd be making announcements about new positions in the next week or so. Damn, I want to make Lieutenant."
"I hear you," I said biting into a crispy slice of bacon and chewing slowly. "You think any of us have a real chance?"
"Some of us more than others," Victor muttered at his plate.
"What does that mean, Vangel?" Mike asked as he helped himself to another stack of pancakes.
"Nothing," Victor shrugged. "It just means that some of us are better suited for promotion than others."
"Why do you always have to be such a condescending asshole, Vangel?" Newsome said in an irritated tone.
"I don't, I'm just right," Victor said as he focused on his breakfast and ignored the mumbled curse words aimed at plates. We all had formed an intense dislike of Victor from the moment he entered the station. He hadn’
t done anything to make it any easier, either. He had a reputation as a dangerous firefighter and as an arrogant know-it-all who had no problem lording his knowledge over the rest of the guys. He hadn't been popular when he'd first joined the force, and his popularity level had declined every year. I tried to avoid him as much as possible because every time he opened his mouth, he made my blood boil.
"You hear about that fire on the North Side last night?" I asked trying to change the subject. "Preliminary investigation says it was arson and that it's linked to the fire we were at last week. Says it's a landlord who is trying to evict tenants by bypassing the proper legal channels."
"If I had to deal with all the crap they have to deal with, I'd probably do the same thing," Victor muttered. The rest of us ignored him.
"Anybody hurt?" Mike asked.
"Looks like some of the building's occupants were taken to Chicago General, but no firefighters hurt," I said scanning the article again. I had a funny feeling about the recent string of fires, but since I couldn't connect it to anything concrete, I let it go.
Tesla whined to go out and Newsome motioned that he'd take care of it while I cleaned up breakfast dishes. As I was elbow deep in a sink full of suds thinking about Alex and the way it had felt to kiss her, Victor sidled up next to me and said, "I need to talk to you, Connor. When you're done."
"What do you want, Vangel?" I asked irritated that he'd interrupted my thoughts.
"I don't think you want to discuss it out here in the common room," he said raising an eyebrow. "Meet me in the bunk room when you're done."
"If you're running a new deal," I said. "I'm out."
"Oh, this is something you'll definitely want to be in on, Connor," he smiled, but it was a slimy smile that didn't reach his eyes. I hurried up and finished the dishes and then quickly made my way up to the bunkroom.
Victor was on his bed in the far corner, back against the wall reading a new issue of Playboy. I rolled my eyes and walked over to him.
"What do you want, Vangel?" I asked. "And make it quick."
"You'd be wise to speak a little more respectfully to me, Connor," he said as he put the magazine down, cover facing up. "I've got some information that will interest you."
"What is it?" I asked in a bored tone, knowing that Victor was mostly drama without much evidence.
"Well, it seems that someone has leaked information about the new security team that will be protecting the mayoral candidates this year," he said looking at me expectantly.
"And your point is?" I shrugged. I knew that it was unlikely that Victor had any real information and that this was a fishing expedition designed to get me to tell him what he suspected, but didn't yet know for sure.
"I think you know the CEO of Chicago Security Company, don't you?" he asked.
"Yeah, Leo Marini. I've known him since we were kids," I said. "What about it?"
"Well, there's some rumors floating around that you're far more involved with the company than just knowing the CEO, Connor," he said quietly as he stalked his prey. The problem with Victor was that he always counted on having more information than he actually had, so I knew that if I continued to play dumb, he'd give up out of frustration.
"And again, what's your point, Vangel?" I asked looking down at my fingernails and then back up at him. "Rumors fly about everything in this town. Three fourths of it isn't true, so I'm not sure why you're talking to me about it."
"Look, I was trying to give you a heads up about what's being said out there, but if you don't care, well," he shrugged. "Then I guess I can take it elsewhere and see what I can get for it."
"You're going to take a dubious rumor to whom, exactly?" I laughed. "I think if you're going to sell information to the highest bidder, you'd better make sure it's actually true first, don't you? Don't make yourself into any more of an ass than you already are, Victor."
I could see the blood rising in Victor's cheeks as he fumed over my insult. He'd been counting on me rising to the bait, and when I didn't, he didn't know where else to go.
"You'd better watch yourself, Connor," he said narrowing his eyes. "My sources are solid and I'm in a position to release your financial records to the papers. Then what would people say, huh? The poor firefighter who they donate money to every year is one of the richest men in the city. How would that play out, eh?"
"That money goes to charity and you know it," I said rising to the bait. "Why would you want to ruin that?"
"I'm sick of seeing you being lauded as a hero after what you did," he said standing up so that we were face to face. Victor's mouth was twisted into an ugly grin as he spoke, "You destroyed her. She was a good girl from a good family and you destroyed her. You moved her into a house that was unsafe and she died because of your selfish negligence! If it hadn’t been for your stubborn insistence, she never would have been working at that clinic."
"You son of a bitch," I seethed as he spoke. "I loved her. I would have never in a million years put her in danger, and you know it, so fuck off."
"That's it, just shrug off responsibility like you've always done," Victor said shaking his head. "God, you live such a golden life, Connor. Nothing can tarnish your saintly halo, can it?"
"What's your beef, Vangel?" I said through clenched teeth. "Why the hell are you so concerned with what happened in my life?"
"Don't play stupid with me and act like you don't know," he spat.
"I'm not, I seriously have no idea what your damn beef is, Vangel," I countered.
We'd known each other in high school, but then most of us had gone to the same school. Victor and I had played on the football team together, along with Mike Kelly and Danny Newsome, but other than the fact that we hadn't run in the same crowd, I had no idea why Victor was so angry with me.
"Never mind," he said. "It doesn't matter, but what does matter is that you need to support my bid for Lieutenant at this house or else I'll release the information I've got about your security firm, and then everyone will know that you're a deep-pocketed billionaire who's stealing money from the donors who fund your charity."
"I'm not bilking anyone!" I growled. "You can't do that!"
"I can do anything I like," he said smiling as he narrowed his eyes again. "I'm the one with the information, and the connections to the higher ups in the department."
"You're a son-of-a-bitch, Vangel," I shot back. "Mind your own damn business!"
"Well, your business is integral to me minding my own," he grinned. "So, minding your business is rather like minding my own. Can I count on your support? Then again, if I can earn the support of the Chief, I might not need you and the other guys."
"Asshole," I said as I turned and walked toward the door to the bunkroom.
"I'll take that as a yes," he said before sinking back down on his bed and picking up his magazine.
I ran down the stairs and burst into the common room muttering curse words under my breath.
"Something wrong, Cam?" Newsome asked as he played tug with Tesla.
"Fucking Vangel," I cursed as I walked out to the bay where I spent the next hour checking equipment and hoping for a call.
CHAPTER TEN
Alex
It was three days before I talked with Cam again. Between his schedule at the firehouse and my school and work schedules, we had trouble finding time when our free time coincided. He wasn't very good about texting, but then neither was I, so we contented ourselves with the odd phone call here and there, and joked about our old school dating style.
"We're taking this back a couple of decades, you know?" I laughed as I walked over to Liz's apartment to pick her up for class. It was a cold morning and I could see my breath as I chatted with Cam.
"Yeah, but what was so bad about the nineties?" he asked. "I mean, all that hair and synth pop, it was cool."
"You're weird," I laughed harder. "Were you into that stuff?"
"Nah, I'm a classic rock guy myself," he said as I heard the overhead speaker announce a call. "Sorry,
gotta run! Talk to you later!"
"Be careful!" I called as the line went dead. I quickly covered the block to Liz's apartment and pressed on her buzzer. When there was no answer, I dialed her number and waited for her to pick up.
"Wha…what?" Liz said in a sleepy voice that told me she was nowhere near ready to leave for class.
"Liz, it's Alex! Get up, you're going to be late for class!" I yelled into the phone. Two seconds ,later the door buzzed. I yanked it open and ran up the flight of stairs to Liz's apartment where the door stood ajar. Liz was fumbling with her clothes in the bedroom as she tried to get ready as fast as she could. I stepped into the kitchen and was dismayed to find dishes piled high in the sink and nothing but beer, sparkling water and a couple of chunks of moldy cheese in the fridge.
"Liz, when was the last time you shopped for food?" I called out.
"Dunno," she said. "Few weeks ago?"
"What are you surviving on?" I asked as I turned on the tap and tried to get some hot water in the crusty dishes.
"Granola bars and whatever I can scrounge at work," she shrugged as she opened a cabinet and revealed several boxes of granola bars stacked on top of one another.
"This is not healthy," I said shaking my head. "We're going to have to change this situation this afternoon, you hear me?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Liz nodded as she looked at me through glassy eyes. "Whatever you say. Do you have any aspirin? I got a migraine coming on, I think."
I dug in my bag and produced a bottle of ibuprofen and poured two into her hand. She proceeded to pop them in her mouth and swallow without drinking anything.
"Liz, are you all right?" I asked feeling concerned about my friend.
"Yeah, fine," she nodded. "Just up late studying and I don't feel so good."
"Let's pick up some food on our way to class," I suggested as she gathered up her books and supplies. "I think you'll feel better once you eat."
"Sure," she nodded as she stood staring into space before suddenly remembering that she needed her coat and gloves. "Lemme get my stuff."
"I'm worried about you, Liz," I said quietly as she pulled on her coat and shouldered her backpack.