Page 65 of Fighting Fire

“No, we’re being relieved by the seventy-fifth. Go back to the station. Good job on the backdraft, Dempsey.”

Lana smiled and nodded.

Captain Troy turned to her, his mouth tightening. “Did you see your mysterious firefighter?”

“No. Why?”

“Seems that the fire was started the same way. Accelerant-soaked rags in the basement.”

Lana looked up at the building and suddenly wanted this to be her case so she could stop tiptoeing around. She felt the same hot adrenaline she felt when being confronted with a challenge.”

“Cap, I’m going to find Sean.”

“Make it fast, Dempsey.”

Lana headed toward the building, but she didn’t look for Sean. Instead, she headed for the office, the potential for a discovery sizzling along her nerve endings.

Parts of the office were still intact after the blast that had almost killed her and her squad members. What she saw made her pulse increase double-time. Someone had deliberately set up a backdraft, but the question wasn’t why? Lana knew whoever had done this was trying to kill firefighters. The question was, had she been the target?

“Someone set this deliberately,” Sean said.

Lana turned to look at him. “Yes.”

“Your mysterious firefighter?”

“John Fisher? I don’t know. I didn’t see him at this scene.”

“If it hadn’t been for you, we would all be singing with the angels.” Sean rubbed at a smudge of soot on her cheek, looking worried and pensive. “Remember how I told you to be careful?”

“Yes.”

“Now I think you should. It’s too dangerous.”

“I don’t need you to tell me what to do, Sean. You may have gotten a new lease on life, but that doesn’t apply to me. I make my own decisions.”

“I’m just saying that in light of this deliberate backdraft, I think you should back down.”

“You think this was meant for me?”

“Yes.”

“That by investigating this arson, I have put all my squad members in jeopardy?”

“Not deliberately.”

“If Bryant doesn’t do his job, Sean, then what? More firefighters in jeopardy, the public. I can’t stop now.”

“Then I’m going to be your shadow.”

“I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“Well, you’ve got one anyway.”

“I think this has gone beyond Bryant. I’m giving my information to Sienna.”

* * *

Calls kept Lana busy the rest of her shift, and thankfully there were no more arson incidents.