Page 113 of Fire Fight

Though, the word “boyfriend” pulled me up short because we hadn’t exactly slapped labels on anything yet. An oversight I vowed to correct the second I got home tomorrow morning.

She couldn’t deny me when I was giving her orgasms, right?

The first twelvehours of shift absolutely slogged by. The only call we got was for the ambulance, which had to respond to a single car accident out at the county line.

The guys and I sat around, twiddling our thumbs, playing endless hands of poker, using jelly beans and M&Ms as chips.Around ten, with nothing better to do, we decided to tuck in and catch some shuteye while we still could.

That proved to be wise, because some hours later, the alarm cut through the silence, pulling us all instantly from our slumbers.

The dispatcher’s voice rang out when the bells dropped off.

“Truck twenty-seven, engine forty-five, ambulance thirty-five. Residential fire, two hundred block of Willow.”

We geared up and headed out, our sirens and lights a noisy, animated procession through the otherwise still night. Everyone in town would be awake now, and they’d all be migrating in this direction to see what all the fuss was about.

“I fucking hate residential fires,” Childers said. “You never know what you’re going to find.”

I nodded my agreement, adrenaline flooding my system. At this late hour, the chances the house had been empty were extremely slim, and I had to hope the residents had awoken and escaped unharmed.

As usual, we were the first on scene, and I shoved my helmet on my head as I hopped out of the truck and took stock of the situation.

The blaze from the two-story house lit up the night sky like a candle in a darkened room. The exterior of the structure glowed red, which indicated the fire was already in the walls. Flames poured from the blown-out windows, licking at the siding and gables of the roof. What I was sure had once been a gorgeous, welcoming front porch was now charred and leaning dangerously to one side, likely minutes away from pulling away from the house and collapsing entirely.

Chief’s buggy screeched to a halt at an angle across the street, blocking any through traffic. He exited, grabbed his gear, and approached me.

“What’ve we got?”

“Looks fully involved,” I said, indicating the haze of darksmoke that blanketed the air above the house. “Haven’t gotten in yet, so right now that’s all I know.”

“I’ve got IC,” Chief said with a nod. “Take your team and do aquickinternal sweep. Two start in the basement, two start upstairs, and meet in the middle.” He eyed me warily, knowing I tended to go a little cowboy on calls like this. “I’m talking five minutes tops. Understood?”

I gave him a mock salute as I paced away, grinning. “Aye, aye, Chief.”

His lips moved with mumbled words, though I was too far away to hear them. Likely talking shit, which only made me smile wider.

“Twenty-seven!” I shouted, and three men appeared out of the smoke and shadows to line up in front of me. “We’re going in, so mask up. We’re going to do a very quick sweep to clear it of any potential victims. Childers and Burns, I want you two to start in the basement. Tuck and I will take the second floor.Do not split up. Eyes on your partner at all times. Got it?”

My men nodded, already strapping their SCBAs to their faces. I donned my own, then followed the three of them up the pathway to the entrance. We breached with a well-placed donkey kick from Tuck, bumped fists, then headed inside.

God, the temperature was excruciating. In an instant, I was dripping with sweat, my base layer clinging to my skin beneath my turnout gear. Even with the mask providing me coverage and fresh air, I could still feel the heat on my face.

“Fucking hot!” Burns shouted.

“We’ve likely got even less than five minutes! Be quick!”

Childers and Burns nodded before heading around the corner in search of the basement staircase. At my six with his hand on my shoulder, Tuck and I proceeded up, testing each riser before fully putting our weight on it. The last thing we needed was to end up in the basement with Childers and Burns.

At the top of the stairs, I led us toward the left, figuring we’dstart at the end of the long hall which three rooms branched off and work our way back. Thankfully, all the doors were open, and Tuck and I shuffled into the first. He knelt to check under and around the bed while I moved to the closet. In fires, those were the two most common places people would hide to try to protect themselves. There wasn’t anyone in either, so Tuck and I moved onto the next room, clearing it and the third in record time.

As we descended to the main floor, Childers and Burns reappeared.

“Perfect timing,” Childers grinned. “Find anything?”

Tuck held out his empty hands. “Obviously not, dipshit.”

Childers held his own up in surrender. “Just checking.”

“Stop dicking around and do your jobs!” I shouted, shoving Tuck forward toward the little hall that jutted off the living room. At the end was another enclosed room that appeared to be some sort of office. There wasn’t a bed, but Tuck looked behind the two armchairs on one side while I approached another closet.