Page 41 of Rescued Dreams (Last Chance Fire and Rescue #8)

The fact both of them loved Christmas in a way that bordered on obsession was about the only thing they agreed on.

Their radios came to life at the same time, the sound by her left shoulder, where the unit was clipped to her uniform shirt.

“All units, robbery in progress. Bridgewater Café.”

“Finally.” Junior grabbed his radio. “This is unit twelve, responding.”

Olivia flipped on their lights and hit the gas. “Finally?”

“Not that hanging out with you, driving around doing nothing but shooting the breeze isn’t fun and all…”

“You’re a man of action?” Olivia chuckled. She took the next corner at speed, fast enough Junior grabbed the handle at the top of the door, which made her grin.

He muttered, and she thought she heard the name “Meg” in the middle of it.

Olivia turned another corner, passed a truck that had pulled over to the side of the street, and hit the gas again. “How are things going with Meg?”

“They aren’t.” Junior shifted in his seat.

“What?”

“I’m working on something else.”

“Since when?”

Junior shrugged. “Saw a woman at church. Introduced myself. I’m making progress.” Sounded like he was talking through gritted teeth. “Meg is history.”

But he still cared about her, and if she was in the café, she might be in danger.

They’d learned the hard way not to process what might be happening at a scene before they even arrived. Right now they had no idea who might be in the café and what the situation was. There was never any point speculating about whether someone was hurt.

Olivia saw his knee start to jog up and down and drove faster, pulling up outside the café. Junior was out of the car, the gun in his hand down at a low angle, before she’d even rounded the hood with her own weapon drawn.

He went in the front door of the café first. “Doesn’t look like the lock is busted. Maybe someone left it open.”

“Her security system should have called it in, but this seems more like someone reported an intruder.” She frowned. “Let’s clear the place quick, then call in and find out.” After all, someone could be hurt.

Inside the café was dark, but she knew the layout. Junior and Olivia both clicked on the flashlights that attached to the barrels of their guns. Junior worked his way through the tables, calling out as he went. “Police department! Is anyone here?”

Olivia listened and heard a rustle followed by a crash in the back. “Police department!”

Junior picked up his pace and went first down the hall. He looked through the circular window before he pushed open the swinging door into the kitchen. And then stopped to laugh.

A low, throaty chuckle.

“What? What is it?”

“A trash panda.” He holstered his weapon and bent forward to laugh some more.

Olivia slid her gun into its holster but had to pause. “A what?”

The back door to the café was open.

“A raccoon.”

“A trash panda?” She shook her head.

“You’ve never heard that?”

Olivia went to the back door and looked around outside.

She saw a car pull up, a little blue compact.

Meg climbed out of it. Probably also alerted by her security company that there had been a break-in.

Olivia waved so Meg would know everything was all right.

“I’ll get dispatch to send animal control. ”

Junior sized up the animal, currently over by a set of wire rack shelves, reaching for dry goods just above its head. “I can take it.”

She grabbed his shoulders and steered him to the back door. “You speak with the owner. I’ll take care of your trash panda.”

He made a noise in his throat but didn’t get the chance to say anything before Meg stepped in the back door from outside. “Meg, hey. Everything’s okay in here.”

“Junior.” Meg cleared her throat. “Good to see you.”

Olivia heard him start explaining what it was and stepped into the kitchen. The raccoon had a package of cookies open and was enjoying his treat. She grabbed her radio and called in the need for animal control.

“Understood, unit twelve. Hang tight and I’ll get you an ETA.”

“Thanks. Twelve out.” She stepped out of the kitchen, back into the hall.

Meg let out an adorable sound, like a giggle but more mature. It had a light quality to it.

When Olivia laughed it sounded like a choking snort, so she tried not to laugh aloud if she could help it. Most times she settled for a grin. But when was there all that much to laugh about?

It wasn’t like her life had been fun and games, with her mom working all hours to take care of her and trying to manage being a somewhat-functional alcoholic at the same time.

The community in Benson had treated them like white trash, and the churches her mom sent her to—so she could get free childcare—hadn’t exactly been welcoming.

The other kids hadn’t played with her. Not even when their moms weren’t around.

Olivia found a chair and wedged the kitchen door shut so the raccoon couldn’t escape. Animal control needed to remove the thing and release it somewhere it could thrive. With Junior and Meg still making awkward small talk, she went to the front window and looked out.

From here she could see a few streets over, where the roof of Eastside Firehouse stretched above the new gas station roof. Her own kind of addiction, proving she wasn’t so different from her mother. She had things she wanted that weren’t good for her.

Olivia’s life was about keeping things tight. Maintaining control at all times so that no one could look at her or treat her like people had when she was growing up. The less people knew about who she was and where she’d come from, the better.

Her radio crackled. “Unit twelve, this is dispatch. Animal control will be to your location in ten minutes. Advise the owner to clear out and secure the structure.”

Olivia wanted to ask why but wasn’t going to interrupt.

The dispatcher continued, “Reports of shots fired and a traffic collision on highway, mile marker six.”

And they were closest.

She spun around. “Junior!”

“I heard it.”

Olivia grabbed her radio. “Unit twelve responding.”

“Confirmed, twelve. Dispatch out.”

She heard him giving Meg instructions, and then he appeared in the main café room. “She’s going to wait in her car.”

“Good.” Olivia caught the door and held it open for Junior. She made sure it was shut, and they raced to the squad car.

Junior got to the driver’s side first and climbed in.

They peeled out, lights and sirens going. Olivia said, “Shots fired and a traffic collision?” That would mean more than just them responding. Probably the fire department, though it would be up to Olivia and Junior to contain the situation.

Not that she knew if Izan was even on duty tonight.

She might not see him at all.

But there was a big difference between what Olivia Tazwell wanted and what she usually got.

* * *

Rescue. Danger. Devotion.

This time, their hearts are on the line…

The skies over Alaska's vast wilderness are ablaze, not just with wildfire but with the flames of a dark and dangerous conspiracy.

Join the Midnight Sun Fire Crew in another heart-pounding adventure as they find themselves fighting not only fires…

but for their lives. Old romances reignite and new attractions simmer, threatening to complicate their mission further.

Now, the team must navigate their tangled emotions and trust in each other's strengths as their fight for survival becomes a fight for justice in another epic, best-selling series created by Susan May Warren and Lisa Phillips.