Rescued Duty (Last Chance Fire and Rescue #5)

Chapter 11

ELEVEN

F lames roared in Zack’s ears, and the smoke shrouded him, threatening to take him to an early grave.

Can’t breathe.

He raced to the window in his room and yanked on the lever, but it wouldn’t budge. His parents stood on the grass below.

His mom dropped to her knees while his dad whipped his hands in the air. One glance behind him at the smoke funneling through the cracks in the door told Zack he was trapped.

Mom! Dad!

An alarm buzzed and Zack shot up in bed. The sheets cascaded to the floor, and the cool air in his room enveloped his sweaty body.

Dreaming. Or rather, a nightmare.

Zack sucked in a ragged breath before leaning back against the headboard.

The buzzing continued, and Zack groped for his phone in the dark and shut off the alarm.

He was safe. In his apartment.

Just to be sure, he flicked on his lamp and sniffed.

Nothing out of the ordinary set off his senses.

Zack rubbed the nape of his neck, then stumbled his way into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of ice water.

The rescue yesterday had impacted him more than he’d realized.

After overexerting himself on the side of a deadly hill, he’d followed it up with going to another call. Even if it was only so Naya could see it.

I just don’t want you to get hurt. Their conversation remained etched in his mind. Zack wanted to restore their friendship. Show Naya how much she meant to him. He’d assumed she wanted nothing to do with him. Even more so after how he responded at the hospital. Telling her to talk to the police then leaving.

But her words told a different story.

His heart echoed the same sentiment. He wanted her to take every precaution to avoid getting hurt. If her words were sincere, then he didn’t want to lose his chance.

A chance to be part of her life again.

The possibility made him want to take fewer risks on the job if it meant he’d be around longer for Naya. The fire yesterday had been a stark reminder of what his line of work entailed.

Even after he’d driven her home, they hadn’t said much to each other, but he hadn’t wanted to leave without knowing he’d see her again.

All the events had exhausted him enough for memories of the past to resurface. Memories of his own house fire. The one Zack had blamed on himself for years. Thanks to his dad’s friend, the former fire chief, who’d made sure Zack understood whose fault it was.

Now, with the new information from the case, he knew it wasn’t true. Zack had been a kid. His parents’ deaths hadn’t been his fault. But nothing could alter the outcome.

Zack slid the file over on the counter and flipped through the pages.

He wanted to find his parents’ killer.

Yet what good would it do? The truth wouldn’t bring his parents back.

He closed the file, then turned on the microwave light and pulled out a pan to fry up some eggs.

His phone dinged with a calendar reminder. He and Naya planned to meet up at Bridgewater Café to discuss the details she’d gathered for her story.

Zack might not be able to bring his parents back, but he sure could protect Naya from a similar fate.

He had time before he needed to leave, given it was only six in the morning. So much for sleeping in on his day off. It would give him a chance to be productive though.

He added salt and pepper to his scramble, then sat down and pulled out his Bible. He needed to refocus his mind and prepare for the day ahead. When the sea billows rolled, like the old hymn said, he needed the anchor that would hold him fast.

Zack opened to Isaiah 43.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

Zack breathed in.

You are mine.

He was the Lord’s. He’d been rescued, and he didn’t walk this road alone. How could he take this truth to heart and not let it be head knowledge?

When you walk through…

Zack grimaced. Of course. Experience brought the truth to light. Given the last few days, he needed the Lord’s strength for the fiery journey in front of him.

Three hours later, after he’d finished a workout and some hazmat training online, Zack gathered his things and headed for his car.

Zack

Omw to Bridgewater. Do you need a ride?

He shot off the text to Naya. He wasn’t sure if she’d gotten around to picking up her car from the trail after the string of events yesterday.

Naya

I’ll meet you there. Ingram got my car and my phone for me.

He sent her a thumbs-up and pulled out of his drive.

The café was already packed by the time he arrived, and he stood in the entryway, scanning the tables for Naya.

“Mom, see, see!” A young boy jumped up and pointed to the New Blooms Spring Festival flier stapled to the community bulletin board inside the doorway. “We’re gonna get front row seats, right? I wanna see the fire truck. Beep. Wee-oo. ” The boy mimicked the sound.

Zack smiled. The kid’s enthusiasm was what would make the event worthwhile. He couldn’t wait to finish planning the truck run with the boys that the Kirbys were fostering.

Zack spotted Amelia first, who sat in a corner booth, and he headed her way. “How’s Ridge this morning?” The doctor had kept Ridge overnight for observation.

“How should I know?” She blinked. “Last I heard he was fine and discharged.” She shoved a few napkins in her bag, and the motion sent some of her drink spilling over onto her hand.

He was glad his partner was on the mend. Mickey’s death a couple of years ago had been devastating. A lump lodged in his throat at the possibility of losing another friend. “Thanks for the update. Enjoy your day off.”

“I’ve got plenty of work to do today.” She wiped the liquid off her wrist and made a beeline for the exit.

Odd.

Zack wouldn’t bother trying to understand what just happened. Sometimes women had their own secret code that he was better off not deciphering.

Instead, he scanned the menu, then stepped up to the cashier. “I’ll take a large dark roast with a pump of caramel.”

Zack snapped a lid on his cup, then turned and spotted Naya sitting hunched over in a booth, writing. She flipped the page of her notebook, and her pen continued to fly across the blank space.

He cleared his throat so as not to alarm her. “I hope I’m not interrupting your work.” He slid into the seat across from her.

Naya lifted her gaze and shook her head. “Not at all. I was writing out my Scripture memory verse I’ve been working on.” She replaced the blue notebook with a black-and-white marble one from her purse. “But you’re not here to talk about that.”

Zack smiled. Actually, he was interested in what she was learning. Her brown eyes sparkled, and Zack couldn’t help the excitement that built in him. “What part of the Bible were you reading?” He propped his elbows on the table. The other stuff could wait.

“First Peter chapter one. It’s been a good reminder that the trials we face are testing our faith.” She scrunched her forehead. “Although I don’t always like walking through them.”

“You and me both.” Zack laughed. “Just when I think I’ve learned to trust God in one area, He has a way of showing me my need for Him all over again.” The nightmare reemerged in Zack’s mind. He sighed. “Like with my parents.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dredge up any memories.”

“Don’t be. It’s a good reminder I needed today.” He traced the cup sleeve with his thumb. “My boss gave me a cold case to investigate as part of my hazmat training.”

Naya popped the cap on the highlighter but didn’t say anything.

“It’s my parents’ case. Their deaths weren’t an accident.” Zack gripped his cup, and his thumb made an indent in the side. “They were murdered.”

Naya’s eyes widened. “Zack,” she whispered.

Tears pooled in her eyes, and Zack broke eye contact. He couldn’t go to that place right now.

“Someone trapped my parents inside their own house and set accelerant around the perimeter to make sure the fire did its job. They had no way out, so they died of smoke inhalation before the fire burned them.” Zack took a sip of his coffee, but the caramel didn’t leave a sweet taste anymore. More like a clump of clay that took every effort to swallow. His hand shook, but he managed to set the cup down without spilling.

How could someone kill another human intentionally? The facts of this case spelled premeditated , given the way the doors and windows had been secured shut. It was murder.

And yet no one had ever found the person who’d killed them.

“Did your parents ever show distress over something? Signs that someone wasn’t happy with them?” Naya tapped her pen on the table and chewed her bottom lip.

She might seem distant to some, asking questions, but it comforted him to think it through logically rather than absorb the weight of her empathy.

Zack admired Naya’s grit. Her ability to give her all to any situation. Like on the side of that mountain yesterday. She hadn’t wanted to give up, even when there had been no way out.

He hated seeing her hurt. And yet, none of it had shaken her faith in God, which seemed as strong as it had been back then.

She was beautiful inside and out.

Zack leaned back in his seat. His heart told him to pay attention. But his mind sent off flares, warning him to keep his distance.

What would she say if he told her how he felt?

No, he couldn’t open up. He needed to keep her away from trouble. Safety over romance. That was the answer. Otherwise, he might open his heart and have her ripped from his life all over again.

Better to focus on the real reason for their meeting now and not travel down a path he had no right to venture on.

“If they did, I was na?ve to it. As an eight-year-old, you don’t know everything that’s going on behind the scenes.”

How many times had adults told him that to explain away the fact they had no answers?

When his parents came home from work, they would drop their briefcases in the mud room like a weight of bricks. “Each night they were happy to see me. Like I was the reason they did everything they did.”

“Your dad was a chemist, right?” Naya took a bite of her muffin.

“He worked for a company that created and sold products for firehouses and residential properties. That much I do know. He’d tell me how his work would help save peoples’ lives.”

“That’s why you were always so good at explaining my science homework to me.” Naya focused on the table and picked up a few crumbs with the pad of her finger before placing them on the napkin. A slight smile played on her lips.

Was she remembering the good times they’d had together before everything went south? They’d practically been inseparable.

“You’d always end up with the right answer though.” Zack grinned. “Even without my help.” Although, he wanted to be her helpmate.

Where had that thought come from?

Naya cleared her throat. “What was the name of the company your dad worked for?”

Right, business. This wasn’t a friendship hangout, even if he wanted that. “ProEco Plant. Although,” Zack tapped his fingers on the table, “he mentioned having a new boss and a new office at one point so there was some kind of transition.”

“I can do some research and see what comes up. Can I also have the list of witnesses? I’ll see what I can find there.” She shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe I can come up with an answer no one else saw.”

And he could show Bryce he’d done the work he’d been asked to do.

Zack grabbed his own pen and starred the names before sliding the paper over to Naya to copy. Would any of these people even remember what happened? If it kept her out of trouble, maybe it was worth allowing her to do some legwork.

“Fancy seeing one of our town’s heroes out and about.”

Zack stiffened at the greeting and slowly shifted in his seat.

The man who stood at the end of the table had once been Zack’s nemesis in grade school, and it had gotten Zack into a couple of detentions when the fists had come out.

“Can’t think so highly of myself that I forget to associate with common folk.” Zack chuckled, hoping Hudson left the joke at that and didn’t provoke the situation more.

Hudson sported a pressed suit and slicked-back hair with enough gel to keep a breeze from disturbing a single strand. “Saw in the paper this morning the crew still has you on the ground. Once a troublemaker, always one. I suppose they can’t trust you with bigger tasks.”

Zack clenched his hand. “I moved from truck to rescue squad. In case you didn’t know, that’s a pretty big deal.”

A kick hit his shin under the table, and he turned to Naya, whose eyes gave him that don’t-give-him-the-upper-hand look.

She was right, he needed to have patience with the guy. He was just trying to rile Zack up. But Hudson’s attitude irked him. “I’m just glad it wasn’t your place in flames last night. You work at Ethos, don’t you?” Zack hadn’t kept up on much with the guy who’d made middle school a nightmare. “If you’ll excuse us, we need to get back to work.” Zack turned his attention back to Naya.

Hudson’s footsteps faded. When the overhead bell chimed above the door, signaling his exit, Zack’s shoulders relaxed.

Naya rolled her eyes. “I’ll never understand his attitude.”

She had been the one to take care of a few bruises and cuts he’d gotten from those altercations with preteen Hudson. Eventually he’d learned the arguments weren’t making Hudson back down, so he’d stopped paying attention to the kid and turned to praying for him instead. It’d been the right thing to do, but it had still proved challenging.

“Thanks for being here with me.”

She smiled at him.

“Speaking of bullies, how is your arm?” Zack pointed at her sling.

Her smile fell flat. “I just don’t get why someone would try that stunt. Why try to kill me? And was that the point?”

“You don’t think it’s Tucker?” Zack had to make sure.

She’d alluded to difficulties with the guy, and if he’d hurt her in any way, Zack would have a harder time restraining himself than he had with Hudson.

Her eyes widened. “No. That’s not like him. He’s a cocky guy. Rude, like Hudson—and Mr. Callahan. But Tucker would never push things that far. At least, he never hurt me physically in our relationship.”

Zack’s next sip of coffee went down easier. Her answer gave him some assurance, but he still didn’t like the fact that someone had taken such an extreme measure.

Zack flipped his phone over on the table. “Did you file a report with the police?”

She nodded.

“I can ask Lieutenant Basuto to check on Tucker’s whereabouts yesterday afternoon, then. They can make sure he has an airtight alibi.” He sent the officer a short text.

“But if it’s not Tucker, who could it be?” She lifted her good hand and turned her palm up.

“Someone who doesn’t want you uncovering information for your story would be my guess.” He shrugged one shoulder, hoping she would listen to counsel. “If there’s someone out there who wants their secrets to remain hidden.”

“Well, they’ve messed with the wrong person, then.” Naya narrowed her eyes.

“You’re determined to pursue the story anyway?” The words left a sour taste in his mouth.

Naya’s brows rose. “For the chance to beat out Tucker and get a promotion? What do you think?”

Zack finished off his coffee and set the empty cup on the table with a clunk. He’d have her back whenever possible, which meant doing an investigation when he wasn’t on shift.

Like today.

“I just don’t know where to begin,” she said.

Zack figured the place where her attacker had been would be a good place to start. “Come on. Let’s go back up the mountain.”