Mike: The Firefighters of Station #8

Chapter 9

Mike stepped on the accelerator and cursed. He needed to pay more attention to his driving and less on the best night of his life. He should have told Jared to take a hike, but the guy had gotten stuck in court. Mike had to rush home, shower, shave, and now he was late. He’d never been late. Even staying up all night and going to work bone weary, he arrived on schedule. Not today.

He slammed on the brake, jerking his truck to a halt. His fingers gripped the steering wheel so tight it was a wonder he didn’t bend the damn thing. At this rate, he would need to buy a new set of tires by spring. He listened to the radio as the announcer broadcasted the time. Shit. Shep would have his ass. Glaring at the light wouldn’t make it change any faster.

Finally, red changed to green. He stomped on the gas and took off. Before he’d gone two hundred feet, a siren wailed and blinking lights showed in his rear-view mirror.

Damn.

He pulled his truck over to the side and waited for the cop to approach. As the officer stepped alongside, Mike lowered the window.

The officer removed his sunglasses. “Hey Mike. Where’s the fire?”

“Hey Chuck. I’m on my way to the station.”

“A fire?”

“No. But Shep is waiting for me.”

“Must be in a hurry. Spun out back there at the light.”

“Yeah.” Mike scrubbed his hand over his freshly shaven face. “Afraid I had my mind on something else.”

“We usually do when we don’t pay attention to our driving.” Chuck braced one arm on top of Mike’s truck. “Hey. I heard about the wreck last night, where you pulled that woman out of her SUV.”

And immediately had hero worship sex with one classy lady.

“Jared told me,” Chuck added.

“Jared? When did you see him?”

“At the courthouse this morning. He also said you were hurt.”

“Nothing serious.”

“My sister says EMTs make the worst patients, right on the list after doctors. She still works in ER over at Mercy.”

Mike knew where this was going. Chuck aimed to please his sister by fixing them up. Mike had no intention of dating the sister, cousin or any family member of one of his friends. That could get messy. Especially when the time came where he ended the affair and the partner had other ideas. He liked his friends and wanted to keep them.

“Tell her hi for me,” Mike said politely.

Chuck hesitated as if he was trying to decide whether or not he should say anything else.

“The reason I stopped you, I got those tickets to the Spurs game.”

Mike had forgotten about those. He breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’ve already got someone else asking. Still want them?”

Hell yeah. But I’m not taking your sister.

He concealed his excitement as he answered, “Sure do. Got ’em with you?”

“I’ll get them to you later. I need to stop by and see Shep anyway.”

Good Lord, don’t tell me Shep is on your sister’s radar.Not that she wasn’t attractive. She was just too risqué for a man like his boss. Speaking of Shep, Mike needed to get his ass to the firehouse.

“Sounds good. Am I free to go?”

Chuck smiled as he put on his shades. He stuck his thumbs inside his wide leather belt, drawing Mike’s eyes to the gun at his side. “You’re free to go.” Then Chuck gave him a two-finger salute, a grin that showed his perfect white teeth, and strode to his vehicle.

Mike glanced at his watch. Really late.

When he pulled up to the station, Laredo stood hosing down one of the trucks. Somewhere inside the bay a radio blared out rock and roll music.

“Hey, Laredo.”

“Hey, man. What are you doing here?”

“Covering for Jared.”

Laredo made an exaggerated presentation of displaying his watch.

“I know.” Mike should have left Cassie’s place the second Jared called. Then Chuck had pulled him over. Cap wouldn’t want to hear excuses. “Where’s Shep?”

“Inside. He may not even notice. He’s been locked up in there since he came in an hour ago. Ain’t said nothing to nobody.”

One of the most easygoing men Mike knew, Shep kept everyone else in the department sane. He expected his men to do their job to the best of their ability, so he left them alone unless they screwed up. His leadership skills were spot on and his friendly manner put his employees at ease. The best part, he supported his men and championed anyone backed into a corner. If you didn’t pull your weight though, he could skewer you on the spot.

Mike stepped inside and headed upstairs to the room where he stored his gear. He passed Shep’s office along the way. Hesitating, Mike listened. Normally, he didn’t spy on others, but Shep being secluded behind closed doors bothered him. Hearing nothing, he rapped twice, opened the door and stuck his head inside.

“Hey, Cap.”

Shep reclined on the couch with his arm flung over his head. Slowly, he sat up. “Come on in.”

Unusual to see his boss sacked out on the couch. “Everything okay?”

“Sure. Just clearing some of the cobwebs from my brain.” He stood and stretched. “I wondered if you’d come in today.”

“I’m filling in for Jared. He’s stuck at court.”

“Hmmm.”

Mike studied Shep, wondering if the guy even knew the time. Something was off. Mike figured it best to avoid asking if anything was wrong. If Shep wanted to talk about what was on his mind, let him bring it up. Mike wasn’t about to offer his head on the chopping block if Shep didn’t already have a beef with him being late.

“I got a call this morning before I left my house,” Shep said as he sat down behind his desk.

“Bad news?”

“Why did I have to hear from upstairs about your rescue last night?”

Ah, shit.

Upstairs meant the chief. Since Shep got up at five every morning and arrived at the station before six thirty, the chief must have called at the crack of dawn.

“It was nothing.”

“Not according to the morning papers.” Shep’s expression remained neutral, but Mike knew the man had a real talent for hiding his emotions.

“The paper?”

“You saved a woman from burning to death.”

“Part of the job.”

Shep pushed the newspaper across the wooden surface. “It says right here, the hero was off duty.”

A flash of heat raced up Mike’s spine. “Look, Cap. I don’t know how they got that. I never said a word to anyone.”

“Obviously, someone did.”

Mike glanced at the front page. A photo of him standing on the SUV. He glanced at the title. A stone of dread settled in his gut.

Hero.

“I look like a man gone wild.”

Shep removed his finger from the print and leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the corner of his desk. His eyes alight with interest. “Didn’t know you were the publicity type.”

“I’m not and you know it,” Mike growled. He flexed his hands and gripped the back of a chair positioned between him and Shep’s desk.

“Indulge me.” Shep gestured for him to sit in the chair. “And don’t gloss over the details.”

Mike released his grip and stepped around to sit. He related everything as he remembered it, including the fact that Jared had been with him. Intentionally, he never mentioned Cassie. Nobody’s business about his fantastic night of incredible sex.

“Did you get checked out this morning?”

“Not yet.” With Jared calling him to fill in and then with being late, he’d forgotten about going to the doctor.

“Make sure you do.” Again, Shep leveled his gaze on Mike. “I want a report before you go on any more runs.”

Hell. Shep meant now.

“Guess I better get going then.” As Mike put his hands on the arms of the chair, his boss continued.

“Jared said a female took you home.”

Mike noticed the glint in his boss’s eyes. He should have known Jared wouldn’t keep his mouth shut.

“Jared made that arrangement.”

Shep laughed. “He can’t make you do anything you don’t want to.” Then his face clouded over like someone kicked his dog. The same look he’d had when he’d risen from the sofa. Right before he’d masked it. Whatever bothered him, the conversation they’d just had hadn’t had a damn thing to do with it.

“The lady was persuasive.” At least Shep didn’t ask the lady’s name.

“The blonde from the Mexican restaurant?”

Christ. Did everyone know?

“Jared has a big mouth.”

Shep never stuck his nose in anyone business. He placed a high value on friendship. His door was always open and he kept a confidence like bearing a cross. The two of them had shared some personal things and for that reason, he felt safe poking at Mike.

Shep leaned back in his chair, lifted his arms above his head and propped his feet on his scarred desk. “So, tell me about it.”

Why not? Talking about her might oust her from his mind.

Sure.

“She took me home. Patched me up.” The clock on the wall ticked the seconds of dead silence in the room.

“That it?”

“Pretty much.” Mike wasn’t about to give details.

“She a one-night stand?”

Anger filled his chest so fast it caught him by surprise. He flexed his hands to calm his pulse, wondering at his quick reaction. Cassie was too good for a one-night stand. Too good for him. He scrubbed a hand over his face.

“Didn’t think so,” Shep said with a shake of his head. “What’s the problem?”

Mike glared. He hated talking about the problem. Forcing his uneasiness down, he settled back and crossed one booted foot over the opposite knee. Grasping his ankle gave him something to steady his hand.

Several moments passed before he glanced up. Shep had the patience of a saint.

“She’s great,” Mike said in a gruff voice, barely controlling his emotion. “She’s perfect. But a one-night stand is all it can be.”

“Why?”

“I don’t do relationships. She’s the type to want one. You’ve never married. You won’t take the risk either.”

Shadows filled Shep’s eyes. “I’m not single for the reason you believe. Maybe I haven’t found the right woman. I haven’t rejected the idea of marriage completely.”

“You’re pushing forty. You can’t tell me this job has nothing to do with it.”

“I’m not there yet. And this job has everything to do with it. Not all women can handle being the wife of a firefighter.”

“Which I know all too well.” He’d confided his own personal skeleton to Shep a long time back.

“I said notall women.”

“She would still leave.”

Shep’s feet hit the floor with a thud. “That was your mother. You can’t judge all women by the actions of one. The balance is finding the right woman at the right time. You’ll never find out if you don’t give someone the chance.”

Give someone the chance to rip his heart out the way his mom had? No thanks.

“Hell, Shep. You’re not that much older than me. These days, guys don’t get married until they’re fifty.”

More than one emotion had flashed over Shep’s face during his little speech. He may have hinted on the thing that had weighed on his mind earlier. Could it be a female?

“Have you found someone?” Mike cautiously asked.

Shep’s eyes narrowed and he clammed up.

Who? Where? When? The guy never went out. He arrived at the office early and stayed late. Most of his time, he spent alone.

“No.” Shep stood, which was usually a sign of dismissal.

He had the gall to get Mike to spill his guts, but when the conversation turned to him, the damn guy got tight-lipped.

“No?” Mike echoed.

“Don’t turn this around on me. You have a classy lady at your fingertips.”

Classy, sexy. The woman sure knew how to kiss. And those delicate fingers did some pretty naughty things. He wanted them caressing and stroking him again. Heat filled his belly at the image of Cassie’s body spread open for him. He squeezed his legs together and willed his growing erection down. He cleared his throat and stood.

A hard knock on the door saved him from saying anything. The door opened and Cooper stuck his head in.

“Hey, boss. You wanted to see me?”

“Yes. Come in.”

Mike took this as his cue to leave. “I’ve got work to do.”

“Gee, Hoss. You gonna leave me high and dry?” Cooper rolled his eyes toward Shep. “What if I need back up, here?”

Mike slapped Cooper on the shoulder. “You’re on your own, pup.”

“Get to the hospital,” Shep commanded.

Cooper’s eyes grew wide as he swung his head from the Captain to him. “Thought you were okay. Did you get hurt?”

“A cut. A slight burn.” Mike shrugged.

“I want that report.” When Shep gave an order in that voice, you got your ass in gear.

“Yes, sir.”

Fuck. Mike headed to the hospital.