Chapter 68
Rhett
“I quit.”
“What?” Brent looked at me like I’d grown an extra head or something. “What’re you on about? Rhett, you’ve been one of my most reliable guys, and then you up and leave mid shift yesterday, only to come in here this morning with this announcement? What the hell has gotten into you?”
I couldn’t tell him, not really. My lips curved into a small smile as I thought about it. My truck was loaded up with every tool I’d kept stored in our shed, ready to drive back down to Katie’s grandparent’s farm. If she wanted to build a dog shelter, I’d be there helping her through every step. Last night I’d barely slept, so I’d spent time looking at the design of dog shelters, then started deep diving into dog psychology.
“Katie,” I replied and Brent just stared. “I started seeing her, and she’s moving out of the city, so I need to go too.”
“Dave’s ex?” Brent shook his head. “She’s a lovely girl.” He was damn lucky he made that statement, because my hands formed fists the moment he mentioned her previous partner. “But mate, you’re throwing away your whole career for?—”
“The woman I love?”
Because that’s what this was. Everything I’d read or heard people talk about made it seem it should happen later, but what else was this? It’d felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest when I was forced to walk away from Katie. Rhys was sitting in the passenger side seat of my truck waiting. He’d made clear that Drew could handle the deal with the gym going forward and that he was open to being bought out. He was one hundred percent in, so we had one more stop to make.
“You’re going to tell me I’ll regret this.” Brent’s brows drew down. “That I’ll lose my permanent position in the service and that my career will never recover.” I looked out the window to where some of the guys were cleaning off one of the trucks. “I’m OK with that. What I can’t do…” My throat threatened to close off, but I forged on. “Is say goodbye to Katie. If this is her dream, then it’s my job to make it happen.”
“Tell me where you’re going.” Brent busied himself with finding a piece of paper and a pen, but I saw the slight shake in his hands. “I’ll put some feelers out. Positions don’t come up often in the Country Fire Service, but maybe…” One last look my way. “You’re sure about this?”
“More than anything.” I smiled freely, the muscles stiff and unused to it. “She’s it for me.”
“Alright, I’ll email the paperwork over and see what I can do and Rhett.”
I strode out of the office feeling like I’d just dumped the weight of the world off my shoulders.
“So you’re doing it?” Charlie appeared from nowhere, and that brought the rest of my colleagues. Ex-colleagues. No one likes a good gossip than a bunch of firies. “You’re going after Katie.”
“Oh my god…” Millie, Charlie’s partner, had stumbled out into the hallway, her eyes going misty as soon as she heard the news. “You’re quitting the service for Katie?”
“I’d totally quit for you, babe,” Charlie spluttered, wrapping an arm around her waist.
“We would,” Knox said, moving closer, but in the end, it was to hold out his hand. “That’s some sacrifice. You’ve been at this station your whole career.”
I had. I liked routine, the well known. It helped keep my head clear, ensure I knew where I stood in the station. But I’d give it all up for Katie. I looked across at Rhys, seeing his grin and knowing what he was thinking. All I wanted to do was look after Katie and now…
“It doesn’t matter.” I stared at the floor, unable to bear direct eye contact right now. “None of it does but Katie.” Guys were coming out of the nearby rooms, massing in the hallway to get the gossip. “If I never work as a firie again?—”
“It shouldn’t come to that.” Brent joined us. “I’ve been on the phone. It looks like there’s some options on the table.”
“So when do you finish up?” Gareth, one of my team members asked.
“Today.” Rhys and I looked at each other and then grinned. “We’ve got a dog shelter to build.”
“Well, if there was ever an occasion that warranted a visit to the pub…” Charlie said, looking hopefully at Brent.
It felt like every man drew in a breath, and every woman. They all stared at Brent, and I just shrugged when he turned our way.
“Since we’re not going to get another chance at a farewell…”
The man barely got the words out before everyone started to move.
“Farewell drinks before we hit the road?” Rhys asked.
“One,” I growled. “I’ve scraped enough people off the road to know it’s stupid to drink and drive.”
“One drink and we go and get our girl.” He pulled out his phone and started tapping out a message. “I’ll let Garrett know and hopefully he can get his head out of his arse.”
“That I will drink to.”
After a long, shitty day staring at the computer screen and not really seeing the words of the report, I was glad to be doing something, anything. Every song played on the radio on the drive over to the pub seem to be declaring the same thing. Love triumphed over all and that meant I had to as well, right?
“So are all the young people doing this… poly thing?”
Brent was several drinks in and was now peering at Rhys and me owlishly. His wife would need to pick him up from the pub before the night was through.
“Not all.” Jason, one of the other firefighters, pulled his wife closer.
She giggled and then pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“Jase is too jealous to share,” she explained. “Though having other guys to split the chores with?”
“Shit, you could have one boyfriend take the rubbish out, the other one clean the gutters.” Jason warmed to the idea. “And I could take care of you…”
Watching people make out usually made me feel weird, but not now. It wasn’t too hard to imagine myself in his shoes, Katie on my arm. Maybe one day we’d have the same easy connection.
But right now I had other issues.
Some blokes got too fucking loud the moment they got a beer into them, as if they were a pressure cooker that popped a valve. A raucous male voice had us all turning around.
And I wish I hadn’t.
Dave walked in the door looking a whole lot scruffier than when he was with the service. That slow smile, the sharp edge to it, that was the same though. He zeroed in on me, strutting over like he was cock of the rock.
But right now, that was me.
People started to mutter as I slipped from my seat. I’d had exactly one light beer hours ago so my head was crystal clear as I fixed him with my gaze.
“Rhett…” Brent growled. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Not my boss anymore,” I told him, because this needed to happen. Every damn day I’d been forced to work with this fuckhead, I’d kept my mouth shut. Not now.
“You’re still a firefighter with the Metropolitan Fire Service,” my former boss told me. “And you’re in uniform.”
His words washed over me. I’d barely kept a lid on my hatred of Dave, but now…? It was like the brakes had failed and I was hurtling down the hill to destiny.
Dave was about to obliterate them.
“Where’s your fat little bitch?” he asked. Someone cried out at that as I shoved myself away from the table. “Got sick of your shit already.” His hand went to his fly. “I could slip her my dick if yours didn’t satisfy her.”
“Dave—”
Joe worked with Dave when the man was still part of our team, but when he stood up to intervene, Dave shoved his hand off his shoulder.
“Don’t.” Just one word and I took a step forward. “This has to happen.”
“Is this dickhead Dave?” The scorn in Rhys’ voice was like a cold beer on a hot day. It expressed perfectly how I felt. “How the hell did you get a girl like Katie to look twice at the likes of you?”
Dave’s head whipped around and for a moment I saw pure venom in his gaze. He mastered himself, looking Rhys up and down with a sneer.
“You fucking her too, are ya, mate? If I knew she was such a?—”
The last time I grabbed the prick by the throat was in the fire station lunchroom and it’d felt so damn good. It was surprising to note this was better. I wasn’t a firefighter and neither was Dave. We were just two blokes, and he was mouthing off about my girl.
“Say another fucking word,” I growled, watching him claw at my hands. “And I’ll knock your fucking block off in front of these nice people.”
“Rhett—”
I shoved Dave away from me, watching him gasp for breath.
“Keep your mouth shut and I’ll do it at the back of the pub, away from all of these prying eyes.”
“It’s on!” Charlie shouted, grabbing his beer and all the other firefighters did the same. They surged outside, Joe forcing Dave to stumble after him.
“Rhett.” Brent appeared in my line of sight. “Look, mate, I know you want to put that idiot ten feet under?—”
“Deeper,” I growled, stretching my arms and back out in preparation.
“But you’re still a member of the service and in uniform. Don’t throw your career away over petty revenge.”
“Uniform?” I wrenched my shirt up and over my head before tossing it aside. “Now that’s sorted…” People had formed a rough circle in the lot behind the pub and Dave was shoved into the centre of it. “It’s time to take out the trash.”