Page 51 of Where There’s Smoke (Fire House Omegas #2)

Melody

“ S hould I feel special, getting a house visit?” I asked as Hailey, one of Sunny’s friends and a medical professional who helped out the fire stations a lot, wrapped a bandage around my wrist.

Sitting on the bed in the pack bedroom in our house, wearing my comfiest pajamas while she changed the bandage on my hand that the EMT had applied, I thought about the shelter, about how I had watched it burn for a second time.

About how my brother had fully intended to let me burn with it.

“I didn’t get a house visit,” Sunny said from where she was sitting crossed-legged at the end of the bed, Dotty in her lap, nibbling on her finger.

Hailey shook her head, not looking away from the task at hand. “ Not true. I came to the firehouse when you were sick!” she declared, shaking her head.

“Yeah, but you're always going to fire stations to help the firefighters who do dumb things, like forget their masks. I never got a house visit…”

“You got a house visit after you gave birth!” Hailey chuckled, shaking her head as she steadily switched the bandage.

I watched the two women interact with a smile, even if it was a small one.

Sunny cocked her head to the side. “But you were visiting as a friend, not professionally. By the way, that baby blanket you gave us is the best thing ever, and I am obsessed with it.”

“You are amazing at making blankets,” I agreed. “I am so thankful all the ones you made for the rescue were here, instead of at the rescue, when the fire happened.”

Hailey beamed at me. “Well, if they had been, I simply would have remade them for you! Okay, let me grab some tape, and you’re good to go. But you still need to be careful, and we’ll keep checking on this.”

“Did the guys say anything about Reed?” My voice shook as I asked. I wasn’t sure where he’d run off to, but I knew what he’d done. That…that was something I couldn’t forgive. He needed to be held accountable for burning my shelter twice, once with me in it.

Sunny reached over and grabbed my uninjured hand, offering me a look of sympathy. I held my breath.

“They did. The police picked him up a few blocks away from the shelter. He reeked like the gasoline and was acting erratically, so they brought him in just as the call went out about him from the officers at the scene. He’s behind bars, Melody. And he’ll be staying there.”

A flood of relief hit me, and I nearly fell over as my muscles finally relaxed. He’d been caught. Reed was behind bars. I was actually safe.

“Thank you, Sunny. Oh, god. I…I’m so damn tired. But relieved.” I bobbed my head in a slow nod.

“You’re going to be just fine, Melody. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.” Hailey leaned over her medical bag, and in doing so, the neckline of her sweater slipped down, exposing her neck and the bite mark on it.

“What is that?” I asked, leaning forward to get a better look.

Hailey’s face flushed bright red. “Oh, uhh, nothing!”

From the other end of the bed, Sunny put down the dog and scrambled over to take a look. Hailey was trying to thrust the neckline of her shirt up higher to hide it.

“That’s a bonding mark!” Sunny declared excitedly.

Hailey’s face contorted with what I could have sworn was panic. “Shhh! Please don’t say anything.” She glanced toward the door, like she was scared the guys would hear her, which made me tense with concern.

That’s not the usual reaction.

“Why? You know the guys won't give a damn,” I said, frowning. “Unless… is it another firefighter?”

Sunny and I both made noises of excitement. “You joining our ranks as a firehouse omega?!” she asked excitedly.

“No, umm—maybe. Ugh!” She broke off in frustration.

“Look, if I tell you, you can’t tell your guys.

This is very new, I’m very confused, and I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she rambled.

Her scent was charring, her stress evident, and the excitement Sunny and I were both exhibiting died immediately.

Hailey seemed more upset than one might be if it was just a fast relationship, and I leaned forward, placing my good hand on top of hers.

Sunny and I glanced at each other as the silence persisted before she turned to Hailey.

“Hey, we can keep a secret from our pack if need be. Are you okay? This is making me worried.” Sunny scooted forward, putting her hand on Hailey’s shoulder.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” I offered. I didn’t know Hailey as intimately as Sunny, but she was nice, had done things for the shelter, and I couldn’t stand to see any woman this upset about something, especially a friend of Sunny’s, who was always so nice to me.

“No, I just—” Hailey broke off, running her hand through her sandy hair, her fingers shaking slightly.

“Talk to us,” I said with a sympathetic smile. “We're here to help.”

“I don't think you can help,” she whispered. “The other night, I was stressed out about just life things, and I decided to go into town to the local bar and have a few drinks. I met an alpha, and his scent was amazing. It was like crack. But…ugh. The next thing I know, we’re fucking in the back alley behind the bar.”

“Heck, yeah!” Sunny giggled, clapping. “Girl, you deserve to get laid.”

“If this is how hard you work for everyone, with the blankets and house calls, you do deserve something nice,” I agreed, adding, “but you don’t seem happy.”

“Yeah, well. I was happy about getting laid against a wall in an alley until something weird happened. I don’t know what came over me. I just accidentally bit him, and he bit me back.”

Sunny and I both stared at her for a moment, blinking.

“You bonded someone you’d just met?” I asked in shock. “That's not normal, is it?” I turned to Sunny. She was the one who understood omegas far more than me. I was still flailing, new to the designation and all.

“It's not. Don't get me wrong—it happens occasionally when an alpha and omega are really closely scent matched,” Hailey said. “But no. It’s not common. Still, like it or not, we are bonded now. And I don’t know what to do about it, because I don’t even know the guy. What if he makes a terrible mate?”

“Well, what's he like?” Sunny asked gently, and I could see how encouraging she was trying to be with her smile. It was clear Sunny cared a lot for Hailey and wanted her to be happy. Another reason Sunny made for such a good friend. Both Hailey and I were lucky to have her in our lives.

“He's sweet enough, but that's not the main problem.”

Sunny and I shared a glance. What did she mean? That wasn't the problem? Could there possibly be more? Wasn't bonding a complete stranger behind a bar bad enough?

God, poor Hailey. What is this omega going through?

“So… after we bonded, I asked him to come back to my apartment because it wasn't far, and clearly, we needed to talk. That was when he admitted he was part of the… convict firefighter camp and had actually broken out for the night. We had bonded, and then bam! He just up and left, hightailing it out of there because he’d already broken a rule, big time.”

“To go back to jail?” Sunny exclaimed quietly.

Hailey nodded, sitting down on the bed with a grim look on her sweet face. It was a wild concept to think that Hailey, of all people, a woman who cared for injured people and knit blankets for dogs, was involved with a criminal.

“Yep. My choices are pretty limited here, as you can see.” She sagged, shaking her head to herself. “I accidentally bonded with a felon. God, that sounds like the title to an unbelievable romance novel.”

We all glanced between each other, lost for words.

I wasn't particularly knowledgeable about the convict firefighter camp, but I knew enough to understand that Hailey was in a precarious situation. There was no telling exactly what type of person she was getting herself involved with. I also didn’t know if there was a way to reverse a bond once it had been established.

I was so new to all this omega stuff, and it was clear that I still had a lot to learn.

Being there for Hailey was something I could do, however, and it was clear that she needed a support system right now.

“If you need anything, don't hesitate to call us. Are you sure you don't want to tell our guys? They might be able to help or come up with a potential solution.” I didn’t want to press, but I’d come to realize that leaning on those around you when you needed to wasn’t weak. It was smart.

Hailey shook her head. “No, he wasn't supposed to be in town that night, and he could get into a lot of trouble. He could be carted off to another facility. The distance would mean that I would have to leave because of the bond. I’ve heard too many stories of omegas getting sick because of separation from their alpha or pack.” Hailey’s eyes filled with tears.

“Oh, girl,” I sighed, pulling her in for a hug. She sagged in my grip, like she desperately needed that embrace.

Against my shoulder, her muffled words carried the weight of the future.

“I just don’t know. I’m not like this. I don’t make rash decisions and just throw caution to the wind.

I’m a medical professional, for Christ’s sake.

I don’t know how I ended up in this situation.

I still hardly know anything about the guy, and I feel royally stupid for letting myself get carried away like that. It was just his scent…it was so…”

She didn’t finish, but I had a feeling that Sunny had hit the nail on the head, even Hailey to an extent.

The guy must have been a particularly strong scent match.

I didn’t know what that was like, and as much as I felt guilty for thinking it, I was momentarily glad that I hadn’t run into that issue with the guys.

They smelled amazing, yes. I’d wanted them the moment I could finally smell them.

But I’d been able to keep a clear enough head, to wait to bond until the time was right.

It seemed like biology had stripped Hailey of that choice, and I didn’t envy her.

A sob broke free of her, and for a moment, the three of us all huddled into each other and let Hailey get it out. She needed a good cry. We all did sometimes, and Hailey definitely deserved it.

“Okay, enough of this.” Hailey sniffed, pulling herself up. “Let’s finish bandaging you up and talk about those sexy men of yours.”

Offering her a smile, I went with the change in topic. I could be her distraction, and hell, I needed one myself, considering everything that had happened.