Page 19

“Jax!” Mack’s yell carries up the stairs.

“I got him!”

“Get your ass out of the house NOW!”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. This is not good. There’s no way I can let my panic show. “Have you ever seen the inside of a fire truck?” I ask as I carry him carefully down the shaking staircase. That’s not a good sign. The kid doesn’t answer. Another crash sounds and his arms tighten. “I’ll show you how to do the sirens once we’re out of here, okay?”

Three more steps and we’re on the first floor. A loud creak reverberates through me. Tucking the kid’s head, I cradle him to my body and sprint out of the building, running past Mack and the rest of the team, putting as much distance as I can while everyone screams to stand back.

“Oh my god!” His mom appears, tears streaming down her face and reaching for her son with trembling hands. I hand him off and she clutches him, sobbing even harder as he cries against her shoulder. She’s too in shock to say anything, but I don’t take it personally. She almost lost her son.

I turn back to the building, ready to head back in if needed, but everyone is standing as far back as possible. A hose is still spraying water as the house sways, something that shouldn’t be happening if the builders did their job right, but this is one of those new homes built for short-term rentals. The fuckers who own the company probably cut as many corners as they could.

The house starts to collapse, and I spin around, shielding the mom and her boy with my body as a rush of debris and air races toward us. They both cry out, and once I hear the captain give the all-clear signal, I rip my helmet off and check them over. They’re both okay. I lead them to the EMTs, staying with them, carefully watching for all the signs that would take a good rescue and turn it into a nightmare.

The EMT gives me a knowing look. “I think you’ll be just fine,” he says, focusing on the boy again. “Your friend here got you out just in time.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” The mom wraps me in a hug, squeezing tight. “Thank you for saving him.”

I pat her back. “I’m just glad he’s safe.”

“Jax,” Cap calls.

Extracting myself from her hold, I check on the boy again, reminding him about the truck, and head over to the captain. His helmet is off, gaze searching mine.

“Okay?”

Swallowing, I nod. “Good.”

His eyes narrow. “That was close.”

“I know,” I rasp.

There’s a haunted look in his eyes, telling him he knows what I was afraid would happen. “You did good, Jax. Kept calm. Protected them.”

My chest is still threatening to crack from the pressure, but I force a deep breath. “Where do you want me?”

He places his hands on my shoulder. “You did enough. Sit down. Recover.”

“Yes, sir.”

Before he pulls back, he lowers his voice. “I wish I could tell you it gets easier, it doesn’t, but you saved a life today, Jax. That’s something to be fucking proud of. Remember that when things don’t go to plan.”

When we lose a life, remember those you’ve saved. Without our team getting here when we did, without me doing my job, there would be no fire rescues. Taking his words to heart, I dip my head in acknowledgement and head to the truck, sitting down beside it, sucking in a lungful of air and holding it.

Breath control is one of the first things we learn. The more you struggle to regulate your body, the less effective you’ll be. By the time my breathing has evened out, the boy has finished up with his evaluation. He tugs on his mom’s hand and points to me. They head over, the boy bouncing on his toes, and even though I feel like I was dragged through hell, a grin tugs at my lips, and I climb to my feet.

“All right, let’s see how loud the sirens are.” I help him into the truck, a sudden rightness filling me. I may be the most useless Williams brother, but right now, I feel like I’m worth something. Like maybe, just maybe, I’ve found a way to make an impact.

I get off late, but I’m not ready to go home yet, so I take a detour to the store. Junk food is a must after a day like today. Once we confirmed everyone was safe and the fire was put out, some of us left while Captain stayed behind with the cops to investigate the cause even though we all know the reason.

Money grubbing builders cutting corners. Big Ridge is a beautiful place, and it attracts a ton of people. Unfortunately, that means we attract people who would love to take advantage of the town. They buy up land and properties only to turn around and operate short term rentals, cutting down on the available housing for those of us who actually live here.

I find the first parking spot and get out of my truck, stretching my sore muscles as the humid air threatens to choke the life out of me. Fighting fire is a lot like getting into a car crash. Once the adrenaline is gone, my body aches from how hard I’d been tensing. Sighing, I head inside, pausing to let Ms. Merle grab a cart before me.

The blast of cold air as I walk in the cart area is amazing, and I linger for a moment longer, cooling my overheated skin. Maybe I should get one of those ice bath things.

“Jax?”