The rest of us fall into roles without being asked. Luke’s on the phone, calling it into dispatch. Liam is after the electrical panel. Brody grabs a fire extinguisher just in case something flares, and I head straight to the back door to ventilate the inside so it’s easier to breathe.
“Electrical is shut down,” Liam communicates from the panel.
Flames flare out of nowhere as I open the door, and I nearly tumble out of the entry. Gripping the door handle tightly, I swing with it, letting it hold me up as I cover my head with my arm against the heat that feels like it’s singeing my eyebrows.
It’s instinct to yell, “Extinguisher!” into the kitchen before I even realize what’s going on.
Brody’s there, aiming the red canister into the dumpster that’s been moved in front of the door, allowing just enough room for the door to swing open. The flow of cool air hits my arm a second later, and I lower it, the night breeze salvation against my skin.
“What the fuck,” I growl, kicking the dumpster a couple of feet from the door.
A motorbike starts at the end of the alley, drawing both of our attention in time to see taillights light up, an engine roaring before it takes off around the corner. Towards the front of the building.
The girls.
“Front, front, front!” I yell, running back through the mess in the kitchen.
I end up sliding partway from the slippery solution of grease and suppressant on the floor, catching my footing just as I hit the doorway into the main bar, the others on my heels. If that was the arsonist, and my gut tells me it was, my heart will live in the pit of my stomach until I see that Bryn is okay.
Slamming into the front door and out into the night on the opposite side of the building, everyone in the parking lot turns to stare at me. Most of them have their arms wrapped around themselves, trying to keep warm in the Santa Rosé October air.
Bryn takes a step towards me, and I have no doubt she sees the panic I’m wearing, though it eases when I see her safe and sound.
“What’s wrong?” she calls.
“Did any of you see the bike that went by?”
Nate’s at my side. “What bike?”
“Yeah, it was loud and black,” Hailey shouts as the whole group of them start moving back toward the building. “Everything okay?”
In answer to her question, sirens erupt in the otherwise quiet night. A full engine with guys in gear ready to suppress an already suppressed fire. They’ll be sorely disappointed when they get here to find everything out.
“Everyone stay here,” Nate commands, pointing them back to a safer distance. “I’ll grab your bags and jackets, but no one is coming back in.”
“Nate?” Savanna says, fear evident in the way she says hisname.
“It’s okay,” he reassures, giving her a nod. “Just a bit of a fire. We’ll get it sorted out.” He turns away from them and points to Liam and Luke. “You two stay here. Keep them safe. Direct the engine into the back when they get here. Brody’s got the extinguisher, he stays inside.” Then he looks at me. “Come show me what happened.”
He leads the way inside. When the door closes, he glances at me expectantly, but I wait until we’re in the kitchen, heading towards the back door where Brody is still standing with the fire extinguisher, propping the door open for ventilation. Keeping an eye out for a flare-up, or if anything got up into the ceiling, or is burning from below, while also keeping himself within fresh air.
“Opened the door and fire reared up,” I tell him. “It was the dumpster. I kicked it away from the door.”
Nate walks through the back door, glancing at Brody before looking over the edge of the dumpster.
“It was the arsonist,” Brody says, setting the extinguisher down inside the door.
Nate runs a hand through his hair, stepping back from the dumpster. “I really don’t want to hear it right now, man.”
And the tension that’s simmered between them for months is roaring to life just like the fire in the dumpster. Brody’s arms cross over his chest, and he looks ready to say something else, but I shake my head at him. Now isn’t the time. Nate’s bar just about burned down.
I’m not sure if Brody would have heeded my warning, but I don’t give him a chance to ignore it, instead asking Nate, “What do you need from us right now?”
The sirens are getting closer, so it won’t be long before someone on actual shift is taking charge of the scene. It’s going to be along night for Nate, though.
Nate shakes his head, then seems to change his mind. “Grab as much as you can of everyone’s stuff. Savanna’s and Bryn’s are in the office, I’ll grab that after I talk to these guys.”
These guys being the engine that just turned into the alleyway.
