Guilt racked her. She loved Mason, but it was the same kind of love she held for her brothers. “Mason, I’m giving my answer now. I will not be your mate. We are not meant for each other.”
“Will you be mad if I say I’m relieved?”
She let out a laugh. “Oh my God, no. I get it and Kadin needs to learn to stop trying to match people up. He totally sucks at it.”
They both laughed.
“Halee, I hope you find what you’re looking for. Maybe this guy you’re seeing will end up being the one for you.”
She set her coffee on the hood of the truck then leaned in and wrapped her arms around his large frame. Kissing his cheek, she squeezed him. “Whoever you end up with, she better treat you right or she will have to answer to me.” Releasing him. “I love you, Mason. Be happy and be safe out there.” She picked up her coffee and walked away. Her step much lighter than it had been in a long time.
9
Anger he shouldn’t feel waged war inside Derrick. Another man had his hands on Halee. He shouldn’t care, but she had been the one to suggest a temporary arrangement. Derrick had agreed to two weeks then they would end this thing between them and move on. His desire for her would be sated. Even though he shouldn’t give two shits who she was with, they had made an agreement there would be no one else.
She. Had. Promised.
“Morning, Taylor.” She smiled. What words had been whispered between her and the other guy while she was busy hugging and kissing on him? She hadn’t called Derrick by his last name either until this very moment. Was she trying to put distance between them? Did she regret the other day? Well it was fine with him.
“Mornin’.” He kept his voice even.
“What an awesome day,” she replied.
Huh. What had Mason said to her to put her in such a good mood? He ground his molars, even more pissed than he cared to admit. It was time to put on his professional hat. Later, he and Halee would be having a discussion.
“Something bothering you?” she asked.
He realized his fists were clenched at his side. He gave a quick look around to make sure they were alone. “Did I stutter the other day?”
Her brow hiked up. “What are you talking about?”
“You, Halee, are the one who said you wanted to be friends with benefits.”
Her stance relaxed, and she pushed a dark lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail off her face. “I did, and we agreed on two weeks. No strings and no happy ever after.”
Yeah, he didn’t do happily ever after because everyone he cared about left. Then there were the nightmares. Flames surrounded him and Sarah Davis, while her painful gaze kept asking him why her husband hadn’t come back home. He’d wake drenched and hating himself because he should have kept Jeremy safe. Derrick was the more experienced member on that team and he had failed. So yeah, before he could care about the woman he was with, he ended his relationships. He was a hot mess and smart enough to realize he wasn’t long-term material.
“I believe I also stated that I didn’t share. While we are together, you belong to me,” he hissed. Waited for the anger to flash in her eyes. Instead, her lips parted slightly then closed, causing him to stifle a moan and shove back the urge to pin her to the wall and claim that sexy mouth. At least he still had enough sense in him to keep his feet planted. Barely.
“You are the one who backed me into a corner and kissed me senseless.”
“Don’t play that game with me, darlin’. I didn’t walk into that hotel bar looking to fuck you. It was you who propositioned me. You were looking for an escape. I only gave what you asked for.”
“I was.” She sighed, glancing at the floor before those soulful eyes flicked back up to him. “But so were you. What ghosts haunt you, Derrick Taylor?” Her gaze moved to his arm. “Obviously that tattoo means something to you. Who did you lose?” She referred to the ink on his right bicep. The skull wearing a helmet, flames burning behind it. All Give Some and Some Give All carved into his flesh forever.
“My past is just that. All you need to know is I’m temporary. Don’t get attached to me, cuz I’m not worth the pain I’ll cause you.”
Sadness flared in her gaze. Had he already hurt her? He was a fucking bastard and should just walk away from her now. Something held him there. She opened her mouth to speak, but then the alarm sounded, saving them both from this madness. He stormed down the corridor trying to get a grip on himself. He’d made a critical error. Should have never agreed to her terms. He thought he could control his emotions, keep them encased in the block of ice he had built around them. He should have known that ache deep in his soul. The one that was tired of being alone. The one that craved to wake with a female’s softness pressed next to him would surface and demand its due.
When he reached the bay, the doors were already opening. August heat blasted in and thickened the air. The call was to Station 3, engines 31 and 32, with backup coming from the other two stations. A three-alarm fire had spread at the local lumber yard and there were injuries. Derrick grabbed his gear and climbed into his seat on the engine. Chance jumped in beside him, and the two pulled on their turnout gear as Reese maneuvered the engine out of the bay.
“Prepare for a shit storm. Building one is fully involved,” Gaelen said. This was Derrick’s first run with his new captain. The last call he’d gone on, Halee had been in charge. He recalled today she was assigned to rescue. It was a good place for her. He wasn’t supposed to care if she entered a burning building, but he found he rather she stayed out of harm’s way. Clearing his mind, he turned to Chance.
“What are we dealing with?” Being new in town had its disadvantages.
“Midwest Lumber is a hundred and forty thousand square feet of building stacked with lumber. Not counting the twenty acres of stuff outside and the actual mill.”
“So, a box of tinder. Any idea what started it, Captain?” Derrick turned back to Gaelen.
“Someone heard an explosion, but there is no confirmation yet. One known dead and several injured. They are still taking head count.”
Before he could ask any more, they rolled in. Station 3 was the only one fully staffed, so they were first on. It was utter chaos. People screaming as they ran across the parking lot. The front half of the building was blown apart and fully engulfed.
Gaelen whistled. “Shit, one of the propane tanks blew.”
Reese rolled to a stop as their other engine pulled up, and the rest of their crew surged into action. Derrick jumped from his seat; the heat from the fire blasted into him as he finished gearing up. Gaelen touched Derrick’s shoulder, drawing his attention away from the line he pulled from the rig.
“Their forklifts run on propane.”
“Got it.” He hefted hose over his shoulder and jogged closer. Chance followed behind, bringing his own line.
Flames flared higher as it ate away at the kindling inside. If they didn’t get this under control, there would be nothing left. By the time they had water flowing, another engine was on scene. Word spread that all employees were out and accounted for, but there were several injured and in need of help.
Yeah, Halee had offered Derrick two weeks of no strings. Fuck buddies as it were. The man knew his way around her body like an expert. When he had kissed her the last time, he’d been desperate. Clung to her as if she were a lifeline. She doubted he had a clue he’d done it. The man’s smile never reached his eyes. He liked to pretend at happiness, but she sensed something different. Derrick Taylor was a combination of darkness and sin that she would do well to run from. Yet, she had gotten a peek at his soft edges more than once. It was as if his dark side battled a lighter one. Perhaps it was as simple as his southern manners forced him to at least make an attempt at civility.
You belong to me.
His words made her skin prickle. Why? Was she insane? A man she had known for less than a month had turned her world upside down.
But he isn’t forever material. That thought kept running throu
gh her mind. Well, she wasn’t looking for forever, right? But she wanted more than two weeks with him. Apparently, she needed her head examined because too much time with that man would be her downfall.
Her thoughts came back to the present as they rolled into the devastation at Midwest Lumber. Her heart sank but she was quick to pull it together and bring on her A-game. These were her people and they needed her.
Jumping from the squad, she took charge of the rescue. With a glance around, she did a quick assessment while Damon pulled supplies from the squad. There were at least a hundred employees that worked between the lumberyard and mill, and at the moment, only she and Damon to handle the injured. All the firefighters in Kirkwood were trained paramedics. It was a program her brother Kadin had implemented a year ago. Insisting the men and women in his district be the best they could be. Trouble was, since the rest of the crews showing up were volunteers, she had no idea who she could count on. They needed to triage the situation, and she needed more manpower. With the knowledge of the explosion and the sight of the flames in front of her, there were going to be some serious injuries.
Turning to Damon, she ordered, “Get started, I’m pulling in as much help as I can get.” He responded with a nod, handing her a jump bag before he took off. Halee spotted Kadin close by and ran to him.
“What do you need?”
“I’ve got to have more help. At least until the other stations show up.” She glanced at the blazing inferno then back at her brother. “Can you spare me anyone?” They had two engines on site, but she heard sirens and the blare of an air horn in the distance. More help was on the way.
He gave a clipped nod. “Go, I’ll send you who I can.”
She started to move away then stopped. “Derrick Taylor has nine years’ experience as a paramedic. More than most of our crew.” Then she ran off trying to tell herself she had put that out there in the hopes her brother would pull Derrick to assist her. He was experienced. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she had an unspeakable urge to pull him as far away from that building as possible.
Shouts for help broke her thoughts, and she focused on the cries as she ran to the small group of people who encircled someone on the ground.
“He’s not breathing!” a woman screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Halee jumped into action. Kneeling, she felt for a pulse.
Faint. Erratic.
She quickly unzipped her bag, grabbed a pair of gloves, and slipped them on. Next, she pulled out a bag-valve mask. Tilting his head back, she placed it over the man’s nose and mouth then began to squeeze and watched for the rise and fall of his chest. Glancing, she spotted Derrick pulling gear from the rescue. Apparently, Kadin had listened to her request.
“Derrick,” she yelled. He looked at her.
“Oxygen.”
He gave a thumbs up and grabbed the tank then ran to her. Kneeling, he fitted the tank with line then attached it to the mask.
“You go, I’ve got this. Help the others, please.” She watched him move to another group of people and relief swept over her when she spotted the first ambulance coming down the street. Her patient began to cough and struggle and tried to push away the mask. Halee removed it.
“You’re okay,” she reassured.
He opened his eyes to look at her.
“I’m giving you oxygen. It will make you feel better. Okay?” She gave him a gentle squeeze on the arm to reassure him. He gave a nod and she fitted the elastic band around his head and the mask back over his mouth and nose. Digging into her bag, she retrieved her stethoscope and pressure cuff. Taking his vitals, she discovered his pulse was high, but that was to be expected. His heart rate was no longer erratic, and he appeared stable. Packing up her supplies, she touched his arm again.
“I have to tend to others. You’re fine here until the ambulance arrives.” She stood. “I need someone to stay with him.”
“I won’t leave his side.” It was the same woman who had called for help.
“Ambulances are arriving now.” She was relieved to see two of them staging and another coming down the street. Without wasting another minute, she headed into the crowd to see who else she could help.
Several people had burns varying from first to third degree. Her heart broke as many of these people were her neighbors. Had attended the stations recent fundraiser. This was a devastating blow to their community.
“Halee.” She glanced through the crowd to find her sister Bella moving to her. Bella stopped and wiped sweat from her brow. “The hospital is overwhelmed, and Kadin has called in backup from neighboring towns as well as the wildland crew.”
Wildland crew? She had been so busy moving people across the road and tending wounds, she hadn’t even glanced at the fire. Building one was beyond saving, and the fire was making a beeline for the lumberyard and the mill out back. Beyond that was the Superior National Forest. With the dry season they were having, disaster now loomed over Kirkwood, Minnesota.
“Shit. How long have you been here?”
Bella grabbed Halee by the arm and proceeded to drag her toward a couple sitting in the grass under a shade tree. “Long enough that I replaced Derrick.”
“He’s back in that?” She had done this job long enough to have been on the end of a line. Had fought her share of fires and still did when needed, but her heart was in mending others.
“Pull it together, sister. You know the risks we all take. Trust Kadin and Gaelen to keep everyone safe.”
Bella was right. Her family––both those who were blood and those who were not–– risked their lives every time they went out on call. Halee focused on her job.
10
Derrick had been pulled back to the front line as soon as enough rescue workers arrived to take over. The fire was spreading. Consuming every piece of lumber it could find and laughing at them as they tried to tame it. This blaze was one fierce bitch that was determined to make them beg for mercy.
Fuck that. He refused. This was now his home, and he protected what belonged to him. Chatter over the radio indicated the wildland crew had come in from the back, halting the spread of the blaze before it got farther into the forest.
Derrick pushed closer, the heat of the she-devil in front of him nearly unbearable. Instead of being on his own line, Chance was at his back, offering support and relief to Derrick’s screaming muscles. An aerial truck had finally arrived from a neighboring community and was busy dumping thousands of gallons of water, yet the inferno refused to give them one damn inch.
A small explosion sent a fiery death grip toward him and Chance, pushing them several steps back. He was tired, sore, and drenched in sweat. All concept of time evaded him. How long had they been out here? Darkness had since enveloped the sky beyond the flames.
“Shit, wind is shifting,” Chance said.
Derrick had noticed it as well. At this point, all they could do was try and hold down the damage and keep the fire from spreading. Praying might come in handy, but he’d given that up years ago.
“Pull back.” Kadin’s command came across the radio.
Derrick and Chance took several more steps backward; the angry monster in front of them roared at their retreat, and the next thing Derrick knew he was swept off his feet. Everything moved in slow motion. Sounds became muffled as the world whipped by him then suddenly the ground slammed into his body. He fought to breathe, but air refused to enter his lungs. As he stared through his mask, shadowy figures filled his vision. One leaned closer, freeing his mask and a pair of fear-filled eyes met his.
“You know that’s not the way to fly, right?” Halee’s smile was forced as she opened his jacket. “Where does it hurt?”
His lungs finally pulled in a short breath. “Everywhere,” he grunted.
She ran her hands along his abdomen, obviously checking for internal bleeding. He grabbed her wrist. “I’m fine, but if you want to continue to feel me up I’m always happy to oblige. Though I’m not sure this is the
place.”
“You’re an ass.”
He pushed to sitting, checking himself as he moved. Didn’t appear anything was broken. “Give me a minute and I’ll be on my feet.”
This time her gaze narrowed. “You will be going to the hospital and getting checked. Though you seem fine, you could have internal injuries.”
“I just need a few minutes.” He knew she was right, but he hated hospitals.
She held out her hand and he accepted, rising to his feet. “You will go and that is an order.”
Finally, his head cleared then panic set in. “Oh fuck, Chance?”
“A broken arm, but he will be healed by tomorrow. A benefit of being a shifter.”
“Anyone else?”
“A few cuts, but you were all pretty lucky from what it looks like.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “What happened?” He followed her to a waiting ambulance. Arguing with her would do him no good. Not only did she outrank him, but the panic in her eyes had cut through him. If getting checked eased her mind, then he would go.
“No one is sure. Something exploded and now Kadin is furious. My big brother pissed is not a sight anyone wants to see, especially when it comes to his crew. Phone calls to the owners of the building are being made as we speak. Kadin will get to the bottom of this.”
As Derrick climbed inside, Chance ran up, his arm in a sling. “Bro, glad to see you walking. I was worried there wouldn’t be anyone to clean the toilets later.” He laughed.
Derrick shook his head and flipped Chance off before the doors closed and the ambulance headed down the road.
Plans to get together with Halee after work had been postponed for a day. Derrick had spent several hours at the hospital getting checked. When he was finally cleared to leave, a towering Kadin entered the room and insisted on driving him back to get his truck. He’d learned the fire was finally out. Apparently, the explosion had been another smaller propane tank inside that no one knew about. They’d all been lucky.
Rescue Me (Sparks Of Desire Book 2) Page 7