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She shrugs, already slipping out the door. “I just do,” she shouts as she jogs to the back of the truck.
I get on with my job of assessing the situation and giving orders, and I don’t have time to think of it again until I hear a shout and see Lia take off running—without a hose.
And then I see what she’s running after. Orwho, I should say. It’s a kid—you can tell by the slender limbs, although he’s as tall as she is.
The teen, who’d been hiding around the corner of the building across the alley, sprints away.
Lia follows in hot pursuit.
Sonofabitch.
I run, too, because the only thought in my brain is the kid might have a weapon and she’s going to get herself killed. Fear grips my throat.
Lia runs hard and fast, but the kid had quite a head start. He rounds the bend long before she does. I catch her before she rounds another bend.
“Get your ass back to the fire!” I snarl down the block. She’s headed in that direction, but if she’s still chasing the perp, I’m going to wring her neck.
Residents come out of their apartments and lean out of windows to gawk at the fire, and someone shouts something rude, mimicking me.
Lia nods and heads back toward the fire, so I retrace my steps down the alleyway, which is faster. Too much precious time has been wasted now.
Thank God the crew already has the hoses going and the flames out.
When we get back to the truck, Lia gets on the radio and tells dispatch to send the police.
I’m pissed as hell. I crowd her against the fire truck and pound my fist against it. “What in thefuckdid you think you were doing?” I don’t give her a chance to answer. I’m just warming up here—they do call me Blaze for a reason, and she’s about to get the full brunt of her captain’s temper. “You are not here to chase criminals—you are here to put out fires. When you abandon your crew, there are consequences to everyone. Someone could’ve been killed today because you decided to make up your own rules.” I bang the fire truck again. I sense the rest of the crew behind me, but nothing’s going to stop my tirade now.
“The fire was under con—”
“It’s not up to you to make that call! I’m the fucking captain. I give the orders around here. If you don’t like that, find another job. I need crew members I can trust to do what they’re trained to do.” Another fist to the truck. “Now are you willing to be a part of this team or aren’t you?”
Too late, I realize Lia’s eyes shine with tears. My tongue-lashing went way too far. I haven’t had a female on the team before—didn’t think to dial it back. I also didn’t check my personal feelings for her. My anger boiled up over my fear for her safety, nothing else.
“Take a step back, Captain,” Scott says in a low, calming voice and I realize, with horror, how threatening I must seem to Lia. I’m twice her size and while I’m not touching her, I have her backed against the truck. She doesn’t look scared, though. Just angry and humiliated.
Fuck.
“I am,” Lia mutters, lips trembling.
Now I’m pissed at myself for being the king asshole. I punch the truck again and walk away without another word.
The cops show up and I head over to brief them, even though it’s really Lia’s show.
“Don’t worry about him,” I hear James tell Lia. I guess ifhe’sthe first to console her, I really went too far. “He blows his stack sometimes, but everything’s fine once he cools off.”
I give my report as succinctly as possible, then call, “Burke!” to summon Lia.
She doesn’t look at me when she walks over and I leave to give her space.
When she’s done, I order, “Everybody in.”
I don’t ride shotgun because I imagine I’m the last guy Lia wants to be sitting next to right now. I’ll have to figure out how to fix this, and fast.
* * *
Lia
I avoidBlaze the rest of the day. It isn’t hard—he gives me wide berth. It’s not that I’m mad at him—maybe I am, a little. I’m just scraped raw emotionally, and I can’t look at the guy who put me there. I leave as soon as my shift is over and head home, my stomach still in knots over what went down.
