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“We’ll try to find him. You go with your grandma.” I nodded at the paramedics to close the door.
“You saved that woman, but you could’ve been killed.” Pepper lit in before the ambulance was in gear.
Rivera nudged me in the arm. “Captain’s hair is on fire because you’re here. He’s already called Chief. Maybe the commissioner.”
I glanced toward Captain Koker, who was pacing with a phone pressed to his ear.
“What can they do?” I wiped the sweat from my brow.
“Have you lost your mind?” Lincoln stalked toward us with Beau on his heels.
“That building was engulfed. You’re supposed to run away, not into it,” she said.
“He’s like a mule,” Pepper said. “Forget trying to reason with him.” She pressed closer to my side.
“You can’t do things like that.” My brother’s voice was on edge. I half wondered if he was going to throttle me.
Burke emerged from the burning building and removed his mask. “Rivera. Grab that line.”
Rivera jogged over to his abandoned post. He and Walsh aimed the water cannon at the flames. Scavino edged back the crowd that had pressed forward once more. People were always so curious. And some of them were scared.
There were tenants of this building watching their whole lives literally go up in flames.
As many times as I’d seen it, I still struggled to fully understand what it would be like to have nothing left but the clothes on my back. No one could sympathize unless they’d been through it.
Pepper knew.
Did this bring that all back for her?
When I looked in her direction, her focus was solely on me. Lines of worry were visible even in the darkness. When the strobe lights hit her face, they became more prominent. I’d caused that.
I didn’t like it.
I took in the scene. Before Pepper, I’d had no one to worry over me. No one waiting at home to know if I was okay. Sure Lincoln and Beau would have been devastated if something happened to me, but I didn’t picture their faces before I ran into a burning building.
I hadn’t considered Pepper either.
The sirens had sounded, and I’d acted on instinct. Even though things were different now, that hadn’t sunk in. I was still stuck in a past and a career that was no more. Zegas and Whitley might get my job back, but I couldn’t take it. Not as long as my father remained my puppet master.
That woman could’ve died.
My brothers at the fire department had been minutes behind me. And that was all it would’ve taken to be the difference between life and death.
That little girl could’ve been left with no one. My family could’ve been left devastated.
How was I supposed to reconcile between those two scenarios?
I’d grown used to constantly putting others above myself. As much as it pained me to see the stress of the people I cared about, if I had it to do all over again, I’d go in for that woman without a second thought.
The flames lulled as the guys worked to put out the fire. Burke motioned for me.
“Be right back.” I kissed Pepper’s temple.
Burke looked over his shoulder and moved toward me. Captain was still occupied by his car with his back turned to us.
“I went in myself. No one else was inside,” he spoke low with a hint of relief in his voice.
“That’s good news.” Every fire wasn’t necessarily related to the others. Hell, we hadn’t even proven all the others were connected.
