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“The fire’s not completely out, sir, and the structure is unsafe. I can’t let you in there alone.”

“Then come with me. I need to see the fire while it’s still active. There’s probably a burn path, and if it fits the one I’m investigating, then I think we’ve got ourselves a serial arsonist on the loose. I need to rope in local PD if that’s the case.”

I sighed, not liking the idea of going into a burning building with Max Cooper. “Okay, you went to the fire academy, right?” I didn’t know the man, but Cap knew him, and I had a squirrely feeling Cap knew him well, though I didn’t want to speculate how well or in what capacity. Not my business.

We were about half a mile up the beach from my house, and I hoped Jordan had no idea about the fire or that I was there. I didn’t want him to worry, but once we had the fire under control, I’d send my guy a text that I was okay.

I’d explain about the fire the next day, but meanwhile, I had a job to do. I grabbed the hose I’d used for the roof and turned to Tommy Nguyen. “Grab me another hose and secure it to this one, then come inside with the arson inspector and me. He needs to see the fire while it’s still burning.”

Tommy rushed back to the engine and grabbed an auxiliary hose, coupling it with the hose I was dragging. A minute later, the flow was regulated, and Tommy was behind me, advancing the hose into the middle of the front lobby. I watched Max Cooper take photos and followed his directions regarding where he needed me to direct the hose. I started to see the pattern he was investigating. Large pools of accelerant with twisted newspaper leading from one to the next.

It seemed as though the arsonist intended for the fast-burning accelerant to ignite quickly and burn away before we arrived on the scene. The twisted newspaper would lead the flames from one pool to another so they only had to be there long enough to light one fire that would spread throughout the whole building, based on what Max was able to photograph inside. The building was old, with a wooden structure that the arsonist must have also soaked with the accelerant because the fire had licked all the way to the roof in no time at all.

I turned to Nguyen. “Come take over for me. I want to get ahead of it to grab a twist of newspaper and dip it in a puddle for Max.”

Tommy didn’t hesitate to take the nozzle, and I hurried farther into the fire to pick up a twist of newspaper and glide it through a puddle of something to carry back to Max Cooper, just as the ceiling in the youth center came down where I’d been just five seconds earlier. Fuck, I would thank the universe for that every day going forward.

Max grabbed my arm, and we headed toward the exit. I pulled the hose to get Tommy’s attention and began pulling him back with us. Once we were outside the building, I lifted my mask to take in a gulp of sweet sea air.

I handed the twist of newspaper to Max Cooper, who grinned as he took off his helmet. “Thank you, LT. This is a good lead. I’ll reach out when I have more information.”

I nodded as I took off my gloves and helped Tommy with the hose to keep dousing the fucking fire. I was grateful I’d gotten out of the way before the damn ceiling came down and killed me. Which reminded me that I needed to update my emergency contact information so Jordan was notified if anything happened to me. God, what a fucking day.

We returned to the station and ate the meal delivered to the station by one of the restaurants along the beach. We’d stopped the fire from spreading to some of the older buildings nearby, and the business owners in the area were grateful. Thus, the feast.

I went into my office and sent Cap a message about my encounter with Max Cooper. I told him about the trip inside the youth center with Cooper in tow, and after I sent it, I went to shower before going to get something to eat.

As I grabbed a pair of shorts and a clean T-shirt and underwear to take with me to the locker room, I remembered to send a text to Jordan.

Honey, I wanted to let you know we had a call at the beach near the bungalow. I’m just fine, as are all my crew. I can’t wait to see you in the morning. Love you.

I hoped he wouldn’t worry about me. I’d always worry about him, but that’s what people do for those they love.

Monday morning, I woke when my phone chimed that I had a message, so I sat up in my bed in my office and looked at the time—6:15—and the sender—Jordan. The smile that broke out on my face couldn’t be contained.

Baby, thank you for letting me know. I have a confession. Riv and I walked down the beach to witness you in action. I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re okay. You looked sexy in your gear. Can’t wait for you to get home. I have a surprise for you.

Holy fuck, my cock swelled at the multitude of ideas that flowed behind my eyelids, and suddenly, I couldn’t get home fast enough. I hurriedly dressed in a clean uniform to go into the bay to begin end-of-shift procedures.

I was at my desk reviewing the incident report being sent to Max Cooper to ensure it wasn’t full of misspelled words when someone pounded on my door. I submitted the report and walked over to open the door. I shouldn’t have been surprised by who was on the other side after the message I’d sent him the previous night once we’d returned from the scene and restocked everything. “Cap?”

“Ember. What the fuck happened yesterday afternoon with the fire at the youth center?”

“Sir? I submitted my report just now. You were at battalion HQ, right?”

“I was. Why was Investigator Cooper on the scene? And why the fuck did you take him into a burning building? The fucking ceiling collapsed, Ember. You should have read the scene and determined it wasn’t safe to enter.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and studied the chief. He was pissed because Cooper had entered the building, further confirming there was more to his relationship with Max Cooper than just colleague congeniality.

“Inspector Cooper arrived on scene and said he needed to see the path of the fire while it was still burning to compare it to other scenes he’s investigating. He told me he’d been through the fire academy, and I believed him. Was I wrong, Cap?”

Captain Blake threw his hands in the air. “You weren’t wrong, Ember, but Max is pissed at me for an unrelated incident, and I told him he’s not authorized to go into an active blaze. He used you to get back at me. Next time he has such a ridiculous request, send him to me.”

“Copy, Cap. Do you think I put him in danger unnecessarily?” I needed to know why I was in the middle of their fight. “When you take the job, you know we all vow to live and die together, Cap.”

Cap laughed. “No, Ember. It was Max’s pigheadedness that drove you to honor his request. Do you think he’s on the trail of an arsonist?”

“I gotta tell ya, Cap. He saw a pattern I didn’t see. The twisted paper between the puddles of accelerant was something others might not have noticed because by the time we put the fire out, they’d have been destroyed. We’d never have known how that fire spread through the whole warehouse in such a short amount of time. The arsonist also saturated the wooden infrastructure, which is why the ceiling came down so quickly. Cooper said it was a pattern he’s seen before. So to answer your question, yes, I think he’s on the trail of a firebug.”