Page 44 of Horn in My Side

MAL

“Are you sure you want to come with me to training tonight?” Mal asked as they locked up the shop.

“Of course. Except for Nick, I’ve only met some of your squad mates and maybe only once or twice,” Jasmine assured him. “Besides, it’s probably good to get to know them, just in case anything like the last time happened again.”

Her concern warmed his hearts, but he didn’t like causing her anxiety.

“Don’t worry.” He smoothed a hand down her back.

“Even the experienced firefighters from the other ladders said that had been an unusually large fire for Dewberry Falls. I’ve been on two calls since then and none of them have been dangerous.

” One had been an older man who’d collapsed due to heat exhaustion and another had been to help a woman who had been trapped in her car after colliding into a tree.

“Still, I’d like to come and see what you do,” she insisted. “I’ve never been to the firehouse—that was more Vrig’s thing.”

“All right, if you insist.”

They walked back to the house where the truck was parked then drove over to the station. Mal was usually the second one there after Ian, but to his surprise, several cars were already there.

Maybe they all finished work early.

“Hey, guys,” he greeted as they entered the station. Everyone, except for Jim, was gathered by the truck, chatting amongst themselves. “I hope you don’t mind—I brought Jasmine.”

She waved at them. “Hi, everyone.”

Mal began the introductions. “Nick, of course, you know. And Ian.”

“Hey, Jasmine, thanks for coming.” Nick greeted her with a quick hug, while Ian merely gave her a nod and a hello.

“And this is Ven and Sterling.”

“You visited Fantastic Tails with your niece,” Jasmine stated. “Draasha, right? She still comes in for supplies.”

“You remember?” the troll said.

“Of course. I never forget a customer, especially one as adorable as her.” She turned to Sterling. “And you stopped by to take Vrig out for his birthday last year.”

“Yes, I did. Pleasure to make your acquaintance again, Jasmine.”

“And, finally, this is Rafe.” Mal nodded to the minotaur. “He joined the squad recently, so you haven’t met before. Rafe, this is Jasmine.”

“Nice to meet you, Jasmine,” he said. “I only knew Vrig for a few weeks, but he seemed like a stand-up guy.”

That was perhaps the most Mal had ever heard Rafe say in one breath.

“Yes, he was,” Jasmine said.

“Where’s Jim?” Mal asked.

The corner of Nick’s mouth tugged up. “Yeah, about that . . . we’re not really training tonight.”

“We’re not?” He frowned. “Then why are we here?”

Sterling spoke up. “We have a surprise for you.”

“And actually, I asked Jasmine to come,” Nick added. “I mean, you haven’t said anything, but I assumed that things were good between you after you guys disappeared after the fire and . . .” He nodded at their linked hands.

Mal hadn’t even noticed. It was just something he had gotten used to, holding her hand and touching her in general whenever they were together.

“Anyway,” the satyr continued. “I thought she’d want to be here too.”

“Be here for what?” Mal looked at Jasmine. “Did he tell you what this was about?”

“No, only that I should come too and make up a reason why,” she said. “But I am curious. What’s this surprise?”

“One sec.” Nick looked over his shoulder, toward the office off to the side. “You can bring them out now, Jim.”

Them?

Four people strode out the office—Jim, a human woman, and two small girls. “Mal,” the fire chief greeted. “A couple people wanted to stop by and say hello.”

The woman stepped forward, tugging the two girls behind her. “Hi, Mal, I’m Lisa. Do you remember me?”

Mal scratched at his chin. She was probably in her early forties, blonde and petite, but he couldn’t recall meeting her before. “I’m sorry. I’m terrible with faces.”

“That’s all right,” she said with a light chuckle. “The day of the fire was pretty chaotic.”

Fire? Was she—

“Mal, Lisa and her daughters were the ones you helped get out of that building,” Nick interjected.

“Oh, Mal.” Jasmine gripped his hand tighter.

Mal blinked, still unsure how to react. “I . . . I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you.”

“Between the smoke and the collapsing building, I’m sure you didn’t have time to look at our faces.

” Bending down, she ushered the two girls—one about twelve years old and the other five or six—forward, both spitting images of their mother.

“This is Grace,” she said, gesturing to the older girl.

“And this is Emily. Girls? Did you want to say something to Mr. Mal?”

Grace stepped up. “Thank you, Mr. Mal, for saving us from the fire.”

“I made this drawing for you.” Emily waved a piece of paper at him. “To say thank you.”

Mal took the drawing, which depicted what he supposed was him—a large green orc figure carrying what appeared to be a yellow umbrella and three small females underneath. Behind them was a building covered in angry red and yellow flames. On top of the paper were the words, “Thank you, Mr. Mal!”

“I like the drawing,” Mal said. “You did a great job, Emily.”

“That’s so sweet,” Jasmine said. “I’m Jasmine, by the way.” She looked to Lisa. “How are you, though? And the kids?”

Lisa sighed. “We’re . . . doing as well as we could be. Thankfully, we were able to move out of the shelter and into some temporary housing. The Dewberry Falls City Council has been great with support so far, and we’re told that with the CEO behind bars, we might be able to get some compensation.”

“Damned—er . . .” Jim cleared his throat as he glanced at the girls. “I mean, darned greedy bas—rascal.”

“He’ll get what’s coming to him.” Nick’s face turned serious. “In the meantime, all the victims of the fire will get all the support they need from the Amherst Foundation. Right, Ian?”

His twin nodded. “Of course.”

“Thank you,” Lisa said. “For everything.”

“Mom, Mom, can we go inside the fire truck now?” Emily chirped. “Please?”

She glanced at Jim. “Mr. Halloway? Would that be possible?”

“Of course. And, please, call me Jim.”

“That was lovely,” Jasmine said as the chief led the family away. “Are you okay, Mal?”

“Yeah, I . . .” Mal’s eyes followed Lisa and her girls as Jim led them toward the fire truck.

When he had gone into the building to save them, he hadn’t had time to think, only to act.

And with everything going on in the last two weeks, he hadn’t given them another thought.

They were safe—that was all that mattered to him—and he didn’t think he would see them again.

Jasmine’s hand squeezed his once more. “You did a good thing, Mal.”

“Because of you, they’re alive,” Nick added. “See? Aren’t you glad you joined us?”

Ian snorted. “He didn’t have much of a choice, did he? I mean, you basically volun-told half of us to come here.”

His squad mates broke out in laughter. Mal sent Ian a grateful nod, glad that the attention was off him.

“Say, Jim sure is getting cozy with that hot mama,” Ven observed.

Jim pointed to something high up on the truck, leaning in close to Lisa.

“Definitely cozy,” Sterling said. “Why, I think he’s practically preening. Look at him, puffing his chest out.”

The fire chief opened the door to the truck, and the girls scrambled in, then he held his hand out for Lisa to help her in. Jim’s smile spread a mile wide as Lisa took his hand and thanked him.

Nick whistled. “Wow, I never thought I’d see the day.”

“He’s been a widower for over ten years,” Sterling said. “It’s about time. He deserves to be happy.”

“Again, all thanks to you, Mal.” Nick elbowed him. “He should make you best man at the wedding.”

“So, are we going to the Salty Dog or what?” Ven asked.

“Once Jim’s done canoodling with Lisa,” Nick joked.

“Actually, I’d like a tour too,” Jasmine said. “Would you mind, Mal?”

“Not at all.”

Tugging Jasmine away from the others, he led her to the back of the fire house. “Did you really want a tour?”

“Yes. But I could sense you getting uncomfortable with the situation,” she confessed.

“I meant what I said. You did a good thing. I was so mad and worried that day, but if you hadn’t been there, they would have .

. .” She swallowed hard. “You don’t have to be self-conscious about the attention, Mal. ”

“I didn’t do it for attention.”

“I know.” Brown doe eyes lit up at him. “You did it because it was the right thing to do.” Her arms came up around him. “I’m glad you did.”

And he was too. “C’mon, I’ll give you a quick tour, and then I’m guessing the guys will want to go out for drinks. You don’t mind coming along, do you?”

“No, not at all. I really do want to get to know your friends.”

Friends?

Mal turned his head back toward the rest of the guys. They were obviously gossiping about Jim and Lisa, who were now deep in conversation, their heads bent close together.

He shook his head. “They’re worse than a bunch of grannies at a sewing circle.” Still, he rather liked all of them. “So,” he said, turning to Jasmine, “let’s start with the gear room . . .”