Chapter Twelve
WHEN THE ALARM BLARED, everyone jumped to their feet and left their food on the table. For a moment, West mourned the pasta that would be cold by the time they returned. He’d been looking forward to it, dammit.
They climbed into the fire engine, and off they went. West adjusted the headphones on his head, not surprised to hear that Taylor’s voice was already coming through them as he explained what they expected to find when they reached the scene.
“The woman on the phone said there was still someone inside the shop, so finding them will be our priority,”
Taylor said. “And we’ve been here before, so you’ll recognize the shop.”
West bounced his knee. Fires were always scary, even for him and Austin. They could still get hurt in ways that didn’t have anything to do with the flames, but even more than that, they might lose a member of their fire family. He and Austin were immune to fire, but Lisa, Jeremy, and Taylor weren’t.
He looked outside the window, frowning when he recognized the neighborhood. Jonathan worked here. The shop was just a few streets down, and dread filled West the closer they got to it. He hoped they would drive past it, or maybe stop before they reached it, but he should’ve known better.
Sal had finally made his move.
“My boyfriend works here,”
he said, leaning towards Taylor.
Taylor frowned. “Jonathan?”
West should have told Taylor about it, dammit. He’d mentioned that he was seeing someone, but he hadn’t thought to tell Taylor that he was seeing Jonathan specifically. “I’m pretty sure we’re going to his shop.”
Taylor swore. “I see. Do you want to stay in the engine?”
West looked at him like he was nuts. He had to be kidding, right?
Taylor sighed. “Of course you don’t.”
“It would be stupid of me to stay in the engine. Austin and I should go inside, like always.”
“You will, but I don’t want you distracted. We don’t know where your boyfriend is, and while I hope he’s outside waiting for us to arrive, I don’t want you to put yourself or anyone else in danger because you’re focused on him and not on the fire.”
“I’ll do my best, but I can’t make promises.”
It should’ve been enough for Taylor to order him to stay in the engine, but after watching him for a moment, Taylor nodded. “I trust you. Don’t make me regret it.”
That was not a promise West could make because he didn’t know if he could keep it. The only thing he was sure of was that he would do anything to protect Jonathan. As long as Jonathan was out of the shop and safe, West would be able to focus on the fire. If Jonathan wasn’t, though, West didn’t know what he’d do.
“You think it’s Sal?”
Austin asked.
“Who else?”
West stayed on the edge of his seat until the engine started slowing down. As soon as it was safe to do so, he flung open the door and threw himself out, frantically taking in the scene in front of him.
The waiting area of the shop was burning. Christy stood in front of the shop, wringing her hands and staring at it with desperation. She turned, gasped when she saw West, and threw herself at him. He caught her easily, and while he wanted to comfort her, he didn’t have time. “Where are Jonathan, Daniela, and Ethan?”
“Daniela and Ethan went home. Someone trashed the shop, and we had to call the cops.”
That was two fewer people West would have to worry about. “Jonathan?”
West hoped that Jonathan had gone home, too, but he knew better. This was happening for a reason, and it involved West’s boyfriend. Sal wouldn’t have set the shop on fire if Jonathan hadn’t been there to see him do it. He wanted to hurt Jonathan, and this was a sure way to do it.
“He was inside when I went to the coffee shop. I ran back when I saw what was happening, and I tried going in, but I couldn’t. I called out for him, but he didn’t answer.”
West gritted his teeth and nodded. This was what he’d expected, but he’d hoped for another answer. “I’ll find him,”
he promised.
“I know you will. It’s Sal, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know who else would trash the shop and set it on fire.”
“If I ever see that asshole again, I’ll kill him myself,”
Christy said with a growl that West found impressive considering she was human.
“West!”
Taylor called out.
“I have to go,”
West told Christy. “Stay as far away from the shop as you can. I don’t want to have to worry about you, too.”
Christy nodded and stepped away. West ran back to the engine, where Taylor was giving orders.
“Jonathan was inside when Christy left,”
West said. “He probably still is, and I don’t think he’s alone.”
Taylor frowned. “You think someone started the fire and is still inside?”
“It has to be his ex-boyfriend.”
West lowered his voice. “He’s a dragon shifter.”
“All right. You and Austin go around the back and get inside the shop. We’ll work on the fire from this side. Hopefully, your boyfriend managed to get to the back rooms. They’re still safe for the moment.”
West prayed he had, but he knew that Sal had something in mind when he’d set the shop on fire. He’d want Jonathan to see it, which meant Jonathan had been close to the fire and might still be. Sal didn’t have to worry about the flames, after all. He could stand in the middle of them and watch as Jonathan’s world burned around him.
Christy would have to get in line if they ever got their hands on Sal because West wanted the first go at him.
He and Austin didn’t have to talk or even look in each other’s direction as they worked. They’d been doing this for a few years now, and they were in sync. Austin didn’t hesitate to let West walk into the shop first. He didn’t tell him to be careful, but they both knew that Sal was still around and might attack.
They didn’t have to go far. As soon as he was inside the shop, West heard Jonathan’s voice. The only reason he didn’t rush forward was that Austin touched his shoulder. They needed to do this the right way, no matter how much West wanted to kill Sal.
“Why are you doing this?”
Jonathan asked. “You don’t care about me. You never did.”
“Because you’re mine,”
Sal said with a growl. “Everything would’ve been fine if you’d stayed, but you had to rebel. You had to think you could abandon me. This is what it earns you, Jonathan. You’ll regret leaving me for the rest of your life. I’ll make sure to remind you of everything you’ve lost every day for the rest of your life because you left me.”
West was done wasting time. He rushed forward, ignoring Austin when he tried to catch his arm again. The voices had been coming from the room Jonathan worked in.
West had only a few moments to look around when he burst inside. Jonathan was pressed against the wall furthest from the door. Sal was between him and West, cutting off Jonathan’s only exit. The room was warm, and Jonathan was sweating. His eyes were wide, and he was pale, and while he appeared unharmed, the damage Sal had done today was enough to push West to throw himself at him without thinking twice about it.
Sal was about to pay for everything he’d ever done to Jonathan.
JONATHAN DIDN’T HAVE to wonder who the firefighter who threw himself at Sal was. He knew, even though he couldn’t see the man’s face because of the mask he was wearing.
He wanted to tell West to stop and warn him not to put himself in danger, but he knew better. West was wearing his uniform, which meant he was here with the rest of his team. He was here to work, but that wouldn’t matter to him when Jonathan was involved. West had promised he’d do everything to keep Jonathan safe, and Jonathan had believed him.
He was about to see what everything was.
Sal must have heard something because he started to turn. West’s body hit him before he could fully face West, slamming him against the closest wall. Jonathan cried out and stepped forward, but what could he do? He would be of no help in this fight. The best thing was for him to stay out of it, but the shop was on fire, and he was afraid that he wouldn’t have time to leave.
Not that Sal would allow him to leave. Jonathan had tried after Sal had set the waiting area on fire, but Sal had dragged him to his workroom, probably to show him everything he was losing. Jonathan had always known that Sal was cruel, but this was worse than anything he could’ve imagined. Sal was taking pleasure in destroying Jonathan’s life, and he wouldn’t stop until everything had burned down.
Sal seemed dazed for a few seconds after he hit the wall, but it didn’t last long. He snapped his fist forward, knocking the helmet off West’s head. Sal laughed darkly, seemingly happy to see that West had finally arrived. The sound slithered down Jonathan’s spine and turned his stomach.
“Run!”
West yelled as he looked at Jonathan.
The movement gave Sal enough time to push West away. He moved toward Jonathan, but West snagged him around the waist and pulled him back, slamming him back against the wall.
Jonathan wanted to obey West’s order. He didn’t want to stay here and watch as his life burned around him, as Sal hurt his boyfriend, as everything he’d worked so hard for vanished as if it had never existed. At the same time, he couldn’t abandon West. If there was anything Jonathan could do to help him, he wanted to do it.
He’d never felt so powerless. He had to watch West and Sal grapple with each other, throwing punches and trying to hurt the other. It was clear that West was stronger, and he was slightly bigger, but Sal was holding his own, which worried Jonathan.
“Jonathan?”
Jonathan glanced at the door to see another firefighter standing there. The man had the same mask on his face as West, so Jonathan had to squint to recognize him. “Austin?”
Austin held out a hand. “Yeah. Come on, let’s get you out of here.”
“I can’t leave West.”
West crashed into a table as Jonathan said those words. His back hit the wall, and Sal threw himself at him, clearly intending to pin him there. West rolled out of the way and managed to get behind Sal. He raised his leg and kicked Sal’s back, sending him face-first against the wall.
“He wants you to leave,”
Austin insisted. “West is a dragon shifter. He can survive the fire. You can’t.”
He was right. West was fireproof, but Jonathan wasn’t. He needed to get out, but how could he abandon his boyfriend? What if Sal won? What if he somehow managed to knock out West and left him in the fire? What if he killed him and ran? Jonathan hadn’t believed that Sal was capable of killing someone, even after everything he’d done to him, but he wasn’t so sure anymore. Sal would do whatever he had to get what he wanted, including killing someone he felt stood in his way.
And right now, West was doing just that.
WEST WASN’T PLANNING on drawing this out. He couldn’t afford to when Jonathan was still in the room and resisting Austin’s offer to help him out. If West could, he’d tell Austin to grab Jonathan and carry him out, but he needed to keep his attention on Sal.
“How does it feel to know I had him first?”
Sal asked as he grabbed a chair and held it up. “How does it feel to know that everything you’ve ever done with him, I did it first?”
Sal was trying to make West angry. He was succeeding, but West didn’t want him to know that. He didn’t want Sal to have the satisfaction, but even more so, he needed to keep his head in the game. Sal was doing this to distract him, and West wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of reacting the way he hoped for.
He didn’t care about Jonathan’s exes. He didn’t care about what Jonathan had done with them or what he hadn’t done. The only reason he’d ever thought twice about Sal was that the man was a dickhead and was stalking Jonathan.
Sal had set the shop on fire. He’d hurt Jonathan when they were together. He’d probably been planning on hurting him again. There was only one outcome to this fight, and West and Sal both knew what that outcome was.
When Sal swung the chair to hit West, West caught it and pulled it out of his grasp. He threw it against the wall, enjoying the way Sal’s eyes widened just a bit when it crashed. Sal hadn’t thought this through, had he? He’d been so focused on hurting Jonathan that he hadn’t realized that West would be in his element here. This was what he did every day.
Minus the physical fighting, of course.
He cocked his fist and punched Sal in the nose. Sal screamed, but West smiled at the satisfying crunch of the man’s nose breaking. He hoped the punch would be enough to get Sal to stop, but he should’ve known better.
Sal wasn’t planning on losing. He dropped his hand, giving West a few seconds to see blood dripping from his nose. When he started shifting, West knew he had to stop him. There was no space for a dragon here, which meant that if Sal shifted, he’d destroy the shop. Everyone outside would see him, and it wasn’t something West and Austin—or any other dragon shifter—could afford.
Sal’s face elongated and grew. His nails became claws, and his tail grew.
West punched him again.
He didn’t care about hurting Sal or even killing him. He just cared about Sal stopping this madness, and he put his entire strength into the punch. Sal was a dragon shifter, so he’d probably be fine, and if he wasn’t, oh, well. West wouldn’t think twice about it or feel guilty.
Sal reeled back and hit the wall. His head bounced off it, making West wince because that had to hurt.
Sal tipped forward. West didn’t pause to check on him. He punched him again, needing the asshole to be unconscious so he could focus on Jonathan.
Sal finally dropped to the floor. His body stopped shifting and returned back to its human form, leaving Sal a bloody, unconscious mess. For a moment, West could only stare. This was the man who’d made Jonathan’s life hell. No one would care if West left him behind, right?
Austin rushed forward. “Come on. We can’t leave him here.”
West needed to reassure himself first. He looked back, relieved when he saw that Jonathan was standing and seemed to be fine. He appeared terrified, and West desperately wanted to fix this for him.
“Everything okay?”
he asked Jonathan.
Jonathan swallowed heavily and nodded. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
West blinked. “Like what?”
“This is the second time you visited the shop in a professional capacity and the second time we’re stuck in a fire together.”
West smiled. Jonathan felt good enough to joke. That had to mean that he’d be fine, right?
West grabbed his mask and pressed it against Jonathan’s face. The room was steadily filling with smoke, and even though West trusted the rest of his team to deal with the fire, he didn’t want Jonathan to have to inhale any more smoke than he already had. He also took off his turnout coat and draped it over Jonathan’s shoulders. It wouldn’t do miracles, but it would shield Jonathan from the worst of the fire.
“The asshole is heavy,”
Austin complained.
When West turned, it was to find Austin standing next to him. He’d thrown Sal over his shoulder, and the man hung down like a ragdoll. Austin would complain about having to carry Sal on his own for weeks, but West was grateful because it meant he could focus on getting Jonathan out of there.
“Let’s go,”
he ordered.
He could hear the others talking through their radio, but he didn’t pay them any attention. Austin confirmed that both he and West were making their way out and that they had two survivors, so it wasn’t like West needed to do anything except keep his attention on Jonathan.
He didn’t know what would happen after that. He didn’t know if the authorities would finally do something about Sal, but there was no way they could ignore what he’d done this time. It was too big and too dangerous. He hadn’t only been stalking Jonathan. He’d set the shop on fire and destroyed it, and he should pay for that.
West couldn’t wait to see it.
West and Jonathan went ahead, with Austin and Sal behind them. West did everything he could to shield Jonathan from the fire, but his team had come through. From the looks of it, the waiting area was almost fire-free. Still, West guided Jonathan to the back door, pushing them out into the fresh air and guiding Jonathan away from the shop as soon as they were out. Jonathan didn’t try to take off the mask. He didn’t say anything, either. He was probably in shock, and West had to resist the urge to go back to where the paramedics were already working on Sal and punch him again.
He grabbed Jonathan by the shoulders and turned him so they faced each other. “You’re okay?”
Jonathan finally reached for the mask. West helped him take it off, but he left his turnout coat on Jonathan’s shoulders for a while longer. It felt good to see Jonathan wrapped in his clothes, especially when they were designed to protect him.
“I’m fine,”
Jonathan promised.
West could see in his eyes that he wasn’t, but that would take time. Sal reappearing in Jonathan’s life had opened old wounds that Jonathan had thought were healed, and he would need to deal with all of them.
West would help him. If he hadn’t already known how much he cared about Jonathan, he would now, after the fire. He’d never been so scared for anyone in his life, not even Austin, who was the person he was closest to.
Jonathan was it for West, and West was willing to wait for as long as Jonathan needed him to.
JONATHAN SUCKED IN a breath, then another. It felt good to have fresh air. It felt good to breathe, period. For a moment there, he hadn’t thought he would make it out of the shop alive, but he had. He was still breathing and unharmed, and while he was still freaking out, the people he loved were safe. He was safe.
For now. Sal wasn’t going to give up. He’d told Jonathan what he wanted, and until he got it, Jonathan and his family would never truly be safe.
He took a step away from West, who frowned and reached for him again. “What are you doing?”
“He’s going to make sure you end up in trouble,”
Jonathan explained. “He’ll say you attacked him.”
“They won’t listen to him. He set my boyfriend’s store on fire and threatened him. No one would have expected me to stay back and watch as he hurt you.”
“But he’s going to use it against you. He might come for your job, and I know how much you love it. I can’t be the reason you lose it.”
West caught Jonathan’s shoulders, forcing him to look at him. Jonathan was glad for the steady hold because he was starting to freak out.
That should have happened sooner, right? He hadn’t freaked out when he’d seen Sal in the shop or when Sal had ignited the fire. He’d been sad and angry, but he’d known better than to panic. Now that Sal wasn’t anywhere near him, though, he felt safe, especially with West there.
Having West so close meant that Jonathan could freak out, panic, and scream, and nothing would happen to him. He’d be safe through all of it. West would keep him safe.
Jonathan didn’t know when or how it had happened, but West had dug under Jonathan’s skin and made himself at home there. The way Jonathan felt about him was anything but simple. He wanted a real chance with West, a chance to show him that even with everything that he’d been through, he could be a good partner, but he wasn’t sure he could do that. He wasn’t sure he could have anything as long as Sal was after him, and right now, that felt like it would never stop.
“You’re having trouble breathing,”
West said. “I’ll find a paramedic.”
He looked around and started to let go of Jonathan’s shoulders, but Jonathan wasn’t ready for it. He grabbed one of West’s arms, making sure West couldn’t leave him.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine. You were just in a fire. How much smoke did you inhale? Did Sal hurt you?”
“I’m having trouble breathing because I’m freaking out about Sal. My lungs are fine.”
Although Jonathan would appreciate it if he could stop being involved in fires. Was it a secondary effect of having a firefighter boyfriend?
West’s expression softened. Jonathan was still wearing West’s coat, but West didn’t seem to care as he wrapped an arm around Jonathan’s shoulders and pulled him close. “There’s no reason for you to freak out. Sal is out of your life now, Jonathan.”
“Is he?”
“I don’t see how he could get out of this. He didn’t just threaten you. He set your store on fire with you inside of it. He tried to kill you.”
Jonathan didn’t think Sal had wanted to kill him. He’d wanted him to see what would happen if he continued resisting. He’d wanted Jonathan to lose something that was important to him so that he’d fold and let Sal back in.
Jonathan turned toward the store. There was still smoke in the air, but he couldn’t see any flames. The waiting area was gone, and he doubted they’d be able to salvage anything there. Hopefully, the back rooms were fine, but Jonathan would only find out when they got in, and he suspected it would take a while before they were allowed.
Sal had destroyed Jonathan’s livelihood. He’d destroyed the livelihood of Christy, Ethan, and Daniela. This was their shop, their baby, and it was gone. Jonathan didn’t know what he and his friends would do, but thinking about it made him want to cry.
“Remember that you’re not alone,”
West said as he cradled Jonathan against his chest. “I know this feels like too much right now, but you’re not fixing this on your own.”
“Christy and the others lost everything because of me.”
“They lost the shop because of Sal, not because of you. You need to stop thinking that you’re guilty of what Sal did. He makes his own decisions, and now, he’ll have to pay the consequences. Besides, you're insured, right?”
Jonathan was relieved to remember that they were. Christy was the one who’d taken care of it, and if he knew her, they’d probably end up with enough money to open a brand-new shop.
“West?”
a woman asked, causing both West and Jonathan to turn.
“The fire’s out?”
West asked.
The woman nodded, but she was watching Jonathan. “Hi. I’m Lisa. I work with West.”
Jonathan remembered her. “Are you okay?”
Lisa seemed amused. “I think I should be the one asking you that. Are you okay?”
“I’ve been better.”
“He should go to the hospital,”
Lisa said as he turned to West. “Just in case.”
“What about him?”
West asked, tilting his chin towards Sal.
West had been fully focused on Jonathan, but Jonathan had been aware that Austin had dragged Sal out of the burning shop. Two paramedics were working on him right now, but Sal kept trying to push them away, probably to run. If Jonathan had to guess, he wouldn’t go far even if he tried. The two cops watching him from behind the paramedics would make sure of that.
“Not my problem,”
Lisa said with a smile. “Paramedics from another station can take care of him.”
“I should also find Taylor. He’ll want to know what happened.”
“All of that can wait until we’re sure Jonathan is fine.”
That was how Jonathan found himself being marched toward the closest ambulance. He already knew how it went. He’d gone through it once, and he prayed it would be the last time. He might be dating a firefighter, but he was done with fires.
Hopefully.
Like last time, West hovered close as if he was afraid that Jonathan wouldn’t get the care he needed if he wasn’t there. The paramedics were professional, though, and they declared that Jonathan would be fine after pressing an oxygen mask against his mouth. He felt better than he had after the grocery store, so he wasn’t worried, but West looked as though he was.
“I’ll stay with you tonight,”
he declared when the paramedics left them alone.
“We can go to my apartment,”
Jonathan murmured.
West cocked his head and smiled. “Yeah?”
Jonathan had no idea what would happen with Sal. Hopefully, he’d pay for what he’d done, but Jonathan wouldn’t be holding his breath for that to happen. He couldn’t continue living his life fearing what Sal would do, though. He had a bright future ahead of him if he managed to ignore the fear, and he wanted to. He wanted to focus on West, to rebuild the shop, and to be happy.
He wouldn’t allow Sal to ruin all of that.
“As long as they let me go home tonight.”
Jonathan really hoped that he wouldn’t have to spend the night in the hospital. He wanted to sleep in his own bed, especially if West was going to share it with him.
“I think they just want to be sure they didn’t miss anything. You look and sound fine, and I’m sure that if the doctors know I’ll be keeping an eye on you, they’ll let you go.”
“Because you’ll make sure I’m fine.”
“Always.”
Jonathan believed him.