Mike: The Firefighters of Station #8

Chapter 12

Cassie should settle down and concentrate on her lessons. That would be the sensible thing to do. But lately she’d been far from sensible. After a long day of working with active eight-year-olds, she was restless. Which had nothing at all to do with her students.

Mike.

She remembered the feel of his chest hair beneath her cheek. The way he smelled like a clean breeze and her own shampoo. The way he held her close and caressed her skin with amazing fingers, as if he couldn’t stop touching her. She lowered her head in a deep sigh and placed her hands on her scalp.

If she could just get him out of her head she could finish her third-grade lesson plan. With her attention span this evening, it was a good thing she did not teach high school. There was no way she could focus on essays and difficult questions. Cassie could be tough when needed. A teacher had to be strong. If not, her elementary students would walk all over her.

There were times when she wanted to be soft and feminine. And allow a strong, compelling man to take care of her. She looked around her living room, taking in the large empty space—full of furniture, but empty because she lived alone. Mike had filled the room with his overpowering presence. Without Mike’s company, the apartment appeared cold. The fireplace gave the impression of real flames and burning logs. She could turn on the heated lamp and live in the illusion of a warm and welcoming fire. But the temperature had nothing to do with the warmth she craved.

His accepting manner, his demeanor, the way he looked at her with those bone melting eyes, she could lose herself in a fantasy of Mike’s affection and his welcoming arms. She could imagine them stretched out on her couch. His hand sliding up her thigh, sending delicious tingles—

Enough.

She rose from the table she used as a desk and arched her back, deciding if she was going to play make-believe, she would indulge herself with a glass of wine. Mike had taken center stage in her mind, so she might as well relax and enjoy the evening.

On a teacher’s salary, she couldn’t splurge often, but she did have a few bottles of wine in her cupboard. A Bordeaux Dry White wine, a Merlot red grape wine, and a Ménage a Trois Silk Soft Red Blend 2015.

Cassie remembered the first time she saw it. She’d been shopping with Tammy and they’d found a wine store with rare wines. They couldn’t afford anything in the place and were just browsing. Then she’d spotted the label. Tammy had nearly gotten them thrown out with her jokes and sniggering laughter, but Cassie had purchased a bottle, which had calmed the owner down rather quickly. If for no other reason, she’d bought the wine for proof it existed—she would have the name in print! And it was a great conversation piece.

That’s the one she chose tonight. She poured a generous amount into a wine glass and inhaled the berry fragrance. Mmm. She wondered if this brand was supposed to beguile one into a night of passionate activity.

A night like the one she’d had with Mike.

She’d been perfectly content living alone in her apartment, her teaching job, her routine. Then the big firefighter had crossed her path and she’d found her perfect little world was no longer perfect. Even more disturbing, she discovered she liked this man disrupting her very ordinary life.

His job was dangerous and he’d scared the life out of her the night of the accident. But that was Mike. Saving people was his life. She wondered what obstacles had shaped him and made him choose the career of a firefighter. She took a sip of wine and settled back into the cushions, thinking of Mike, naked, with only a towel to cover himself. Then a blanket and how quickly it had landed on the floor along with her own clothes. She took another sip and leaned her head on the back of the couch, feeling the tension dissolve at the back of her neck.

In her first twenty-two years, her life had been filled with school, hard work and surviving her sister. Cassie loved children, so the decision to be a teacher had been an easy one. As for relationships, men were more interested in her physical assets than anything she might say and she had no desire for male contact just for the sake of having sex. She had hoped to find a man who would be comfortable with her. Someone who would share the day with her, not just the night. But she’d spent most of the last seven years alone and not actively looking.

When she’d seen Mike, she hadn’t thought about any of those things. One look into his alluring eyes and her brain scrambled. One touch and she’d melted. She closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath, trying to recapture the scent of the man who filled her mind.

Men had come on to her before and she’d given in, wishing for contentment, a connection, a bond she’d never found. But Mike had scattered her senses and knocked her world upside down. She hadn’t succumbed to him because of a dry spell. The choice of abstaining these past two years had been her own.

So why did she lay awake at night, craving the touch of this one man? She couldn’t stop thinking about him. Now that she’d tasted bliss, she wanted him again, and again.

***

Another sleepless night.

Should he call her? Usually Mike dodged phone calls from women. Being on the initiating end was new to him. But Cassie had captured more than his interest.

The woman was educated, a teacher. Of little kids. He could only imagine the stamina needed to put up with a dozen or more pint-sized balls of energy on full throttle. She must be a saint. Not to mention gorgeous. And had a body men fantasized about.

Jesus.He gripped the coffee mug as he recalled the night he’d spent with her, visualizing naked limbs and plush curves and how much he’d like to see her again. The first step would be to call her. After losing the battle with his conscience, it only took a matter of minutes to bribe his buddy in the police department for Cassie’s number.

Just as he reached into his pocket, his cell phone vibrated. He checked the screen.

Laredo.

“Yeah.”

“Hey, Mike. It’s my turn to cook.”

“What are you fixing?”

“That’s the thing. What are you in the mood for?”

Loaded question. At the moment, he had his mind set on more of Cassie.

“Why are you asking me?”

“Thought I’d fix one of your favorite dishes.”

It occurred to him that Laredo was up to something. “Again. Why?”

Laredo laughed. “Can’t put anything past you. Thought maybe you’d like to go to the grocery store with me. It’s the best place to meet women.”

Mike didn’t want to meet anyone other than Cassie.

“I’ll pass,” Mike said with her image in his mind.

“Well, thing is, I need a ride.”

“What’s wrong with your truck?”

“It’s due for inspection and tire rotation. I thought I’d leave it at the dealership for the afternoon. Can you pick me up at the Dodge place?”

“Now I get it. You’re trying to bribe me with food.”

“You’re a big man. I figured I’d appeal to your appetite.”

Mike glanced at his watch. Nine fifteen. He still wanted to call Cassie. “What time?”

“Noon. That gives us plenty of time to decide what we want. How about filet mignon?”

His mouth watered. A little sizzle in the pan and a steak was perfect. Laredo made vegetables in the same spicy sauce he used to marinate the meat. Mike could almost taste it. Noon. That gave him plenty of time to work up the courage to contact Cassie.

Agreeing to pick up Laredo, Mike ended the call and braced his palms on the kitchen counter. He stared at his cell, his stomach in knots. What the hell was wrong with him?

He liked her. She touched a place inside him he’d never allowed anyone to get close enough to tap before. His track record had been a lot like Laredo—love ’em and leave ’em before they had a chance to get attached.

Attached?Wasn’t he putting the cart before the damn horse? There was and would be no attached. He’d never had a long-term relationship and didn’t want one. He knew better than to be emotionally vulnerable to a woman. That lesson had been drilled into him by watching his father.

***

Mike walked with Shep out of the open bay door. Sun glinted off red metal, so shiny he could see his reflection. If paint could be washed off a vehicle, the quint would be bare.

“Laredo!” Shep shouted to be heard over the radio.

Laredo turned around. Seeing the Captain, he tucked a rag into his back pocket. “What’s up, Cap?”

“I think it’s clean.”

Laredo gave one of his sheepish grins.

“Got a new guy coming early before the next shift. Need you to show him around.”

“Sure thing, Cap.” Laredo climbed into the quint with a bounce in his step.

“You’d think that truck was his pride and joy,” Shep said and shook his head.

“It is,” Mike answered.

“Got the report back on the Wimer property.”

“The house we used for training? Took them long enough.”

The quint’s engine roared and Shep waited for Laredo to back it into its spot in the bay before he continued.

“You were right. Signs of gas and explosives were found.”

Mike whistled through his teeth. “I knew it had to be something like that. Damn thing went up the second Ryan tossed the torch.”

“Heard you went with Jared to see him. How’s he doing?”

“Pretty banged up. Did you know he has staples from his knee to his groin? He could have lost his leg. The force of the blast broke his arm and a few ribs. He’s still on pain medication, but he seemed comfortable. The suit protected his body, but his face is burned. Backlash.”

“Sounds like he’s lucky to be alive.”

“Ryan said the same thing. His attitude is great. Still has his sense of humor. Can’t say I’d be as chipper if I were in his situation.”

“A good woman will do that to you. His wife is one of the good ones.”

Mike couldn’t help but wonder if she’d stick around after what had happened. She seemed nice enough. Ryan looked happy. They had both been smiling when he and Jared left.

“There’s too many questions on this one. Why would someone want to blow up that house?”

Mike drifted back to the conversation with Shep. “Especially when we were going to burn it down. Do you think the person responsible knew the fire department would be there?”

“I had that area cleared and posted. By all means, whoever did this knew about the training exercise. If they didn’t know anything else, they sure as hell saw the keep out signs.”

The idea had Mike clenching his fists. “Firefighters were hurt.”

“Yes. And I want answers. Hooley will find them.”

“Damn. It could have been a lot worse. If those guys had been standing any closer …” Mike didn’t want to think about the fact that the men he thought of as his brothers could have been seriously hurt or killed.

“You two look entirely too serious.” Jared stepped from one of the bay doors behind them. “I came out here to tell you the new guy is here. Mike, you got that look.”

“What look?”

“The one that says there’s trouble. What’s going on?” Jared shoved his thumbs in his front pockets. The smile he wore on a regular basis turned down in a worried frown.

“I got the report from the fire investigator,” Shep answered. “Looks like someone was out there messing around.”

“Some idiot turned on a gas line?”

Shep gave a nod. “Explosives.”

“The Wimers wouldn’t do that.”

“Of course not,” Mike agreed.

“I spoke to the old man,” Shep added. “He told me he cleared out the place and made sure everyone knew to stay away from there.”

“The posted signs were still up,” Jared said. “I saw them.”

“I confirmed with the gas company that Mr. Wimer did notify them about the department using the property, and the gas was turned off.”

“Then what the hell—” Mike started but Shep interrupted him.

“Tanks. Three of them.”

“What kind of son-of-a-bitch would plant those? And for what purpose?” He didn’t expect an answer and was taken back when Jared spoke.

“You know, Cap, this means someone knew firefighters would be there. Someone knew exactly when we’d be there.”

Mike spotted the moment Jared’s words registered with Shep. “This was no chance occurrence. No ordinary man, either. It’s beginning to sound like someone with a grudge.”

“Or some nut job who has targeted the fire department.”

Mike’s anger boiled. “How the hell did the bastard get gas in the house without our men detecting it?”

“Open air. Outside,” Jared said, holding his arms open toward the sky. “The crews had their masks on. Timing was everything.”

An uneasy chill quivered down Mike’s spine.

“Christ. Was the weasel wearing one of our uniforms? Our gear?”

“Either that or … someone’s gone rogue.”

Mike locked eyes with Jared. “Not one of our guys.”

“I prefer to think it’s an outsider,” Shep said, his voice full of uneasiness. “Keep this under wraps.”

***

You need to die.

Seth followed the seam down the barrel of the gun, his target lined up perfectly in his sights.

But not yet. I will make you suffer, the way my brother suffered.

He slowed his breathing, knowing he needed a calm head if his plan was to work.

Did his target know he had been the one responsible for the explosion?

Bitterness wedged in Seth’s throat.

The big business man. CEO of Accent Dynamics. His brother’s partner. The one who had set up a major deal then stabbed Shawn in the back. Shawn had gone to prison while that cocksucker kept living his important life, with his big deal corporation.

The company owed Shawn.

Now owed him.

Shawn survived two years before those bastards finally killed him.

His brother.

His blood.

The saying went revenge is a dish best served cold. But Seth liked things hot.

Fire.

A corner of Seth’s mouth lifted in a grin.

A brother in the Staunton Fire Department. A fireman. Another fucking hero. How convenient that bit of knowledge fit perfectly into Seth’s plans.

Didn’t men die in fires every day?

You will suffer, you bastard. The way my brother suffered.

It’s your turn. See how you like knowing your brother is in danger.

Seth lowered the rifle, thinking of the man he despised.

“You need to die. A little bit at a time.”