Page 1 of Break Me

CHAPTER 1

Halle

“Cap’n O’Leary. We got a problem over here.”

Jeff’s loud voice managed to boom over the sirens. I jumped off the fire engine, struggling into my fire-resistant jacket. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I lifted my head, staring at the roof of the massive warehouse. Smoke billowed from the eaves, but thankfully, there were no visible flames.

However, it was only a matter of time before the upper floor would be engulfed. “What’s the issue?”

“You need to see this.”

Well, fuck. Lately, there always seemed to be some issue after rolling up to a fire. I jogged toward the sound of his voice, noting the look of amusement on his face as he nodded just ahead.

“Motherfucking…” I didn’t finish the sentence. There was a bright blue sports car parked smack in front of the fire hydrant.

“Yep,” Mark chortled, popping the p, which he knew I hated. “Think it might be owned by that guy over there.” He pointed across the street.

I craned my neck and homed in on two men standing in the alcove of another building. One guy was red faced, his fat cheeks puffed out as he shook his finger in the other guy’s face. He was screaming his head off while the second man stood calmly. As if he didn’t have a care in the world. And with a smile on his ruggedly handsome face.

Even from where I was standing, I could tell the second guy was rich by his ten-thousand-dollar suit andc’est la vieattitude. He was also gorgeous. Thick, dark, wavy hair and a strong angular jaw, tall with broad shoulders and an absolutely buff, insanely handsome body.

However, his good looks didn’t excuse his bad behavior.

“You want me to talk to the guy?” Jeff asked.

“Hell, no. I’ll handle it.”

As I took long strides closer to ensure the two men could hear me over their bickering, the rest of the firefighters whistled their approval. They knew that I was short-tempered. Especially when dealing with anyone who acted as if they were above the law or basic common sense.

“Hey, is this your car?” I pointed toward the sparkly blue car without taking my eyes off the sinfully gorgeous man.

He barely tossed me a glance and definitely didn’t register or care that a building across the street could burn to the freaking ground.

“Hey, buddy. I’m talking to you.”

This time, he threw out his hand, his index finger lifted toward the sky. The man was telling me to wait a minute.

Was he kidding me?

“Oh, shit,” Jeff huffed from several feet away.

One last try and I was finished playing nice. I snapped my hands on my hips, taking another two steps closer. Any closer than that and I might allow my true fiery personality out of her cage. “Hey, buddy. Do you happen to see a fire engine in front of you? Move your fucking car. Now. You’re blocking a fire hydrant.”

He had the nerve to shoot me a look with fire in his eyes. However, he wasn’t seeing me at all or if he was, he just didn’t care. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

His rude comment was like a slap in the face. I threw my shoulders back, cracking my neck as I did every time some asshole pissed me off.

Which was frequently.

There was no time left to waste. Spinning around, I stormed toward the other firefighters. They knew exactly what I needed, their abilities to read my mind phenomenal. The moment I threw my arm out as I was about ready to pass by them, the handle of an axe was slapped into my hand.

The anger continued to boil as I closed in on the car. I threw one last look over my shoulder at the jerk before smashing the driver’s window, shattering the glass. Then I took long strides to the other side just as Mark was shoving the hose through the wide opening. Another quick swing and the passenger window was broken.

“Hey!” a deep voice called. “That’s my car.”

“Good for you.”

I headed back to the fire engine to grab my helmet and breathing gear, ignoring the snarling godlike man as he pumped his long legs running toward me.