Chapter 14
LANCE
“Holy cannoli!”Lance hollered in his helmet, causing the glass to fog up briefly, not that he could see anything anyhow. That was the one thing that he got really good at, making his way blindly in a smoky haze that was illuminated briefly if there was a flame, a flashlight, or any other light source or glimmer.
“What do you have, Cortes?”
He heard Justin’s voice in his earpiece amidst the grumblings of Alec and Colton, who were also working the scene. The sound of mattress springs launching in the distance, uncurling from the raging heat, was incredibly unsettling. He would never forget the first time he heard the sounds from a fire – it was not something that ever faded from your memory no matter how hard you wished sometimes.
“Checking the ceiling and pulling drywall,” he said numbly, his body and mind going to work as he shoved his pike upward, hooking the drywall and yanking down. “I’ve got flames between floors,” he muttered, seeing the burst of fire at the sudden onset of oxygen needed to feed it.
“Beckett, Fischer – report…”
“Kitchen is engulfed and dousing it now…”
“Hallway is clear…”
Lance sent the pike upward several more times, in different places, and frowned. He had fire in between the floors, the entire length of the room. It was traveling within the pockets, feeding and moving quickly.
“I don’t think we are going to save this one. I’ve got fire in…” and paused as he heard an unholy groaning sound, followed by rapid-fire alarmed voices barking at the same time.
“Why do I see movement and flames at the roofline?! Fellas – TALK TO ME!”
“I’ve got a flare up…”
“WHAT WAS THAT?” Alec yelped at the same time that Lance opened his mouth to ask that same question.
“Beckett, that was my eardrum… relax, think, and…”
“ACT! Act now!? Um, who checked upstairs?” Lance balked, panicking as he looked at the inferno above his head that was growing in size. The flames were making a weird quilt straight out of hell, squares filled with all different shapes of flames, each deadly and slowly eating away at the framework above him.
“I did – and there was no evidence of fire…”
“It’s in the joists and walls – let’s get outta here!”
“Wait, how bad is it?”
“Did you hear that?”
The floor above him made a strange groaning sound again, almost like it was a live, fire-breathing monster that had suddenly awoken from its slumber, yawning and preparing to inhale or exhale either one, horrifying in its deadly form.
“DID YOU HEAR THAT ONE?”
“I’m calling it…”
Lance heard three long steady blasts from the truck and was already making his way back toward the entrance, watching his step and keeping an eye on the ceiling, his pike in front of him like it was going to do anything to help him. If anything, he felt like the kid from the cartoon movie ‘Sword in the Stone’ waving a weapon much too big for him before a demon of hell that was waiting to swallow him whole.
“Ya’ know,” Lance began, his voice cracking in fear. “I think I’m gonna up my life insurance policy…” Only to hear a nervous echo of laughter around him.
“Status report team? Where are you?”
“Changes don’t go into effect for at least thirty days…”
“I heard it was ninety days – and I think I’m gonna up mine too…”
“Probably not a bad idea to evaluate everything, you know?”
Lance bumped into something – that immediately grabbed his arm, steadying themselves and turned to see Alec’s dancing eyes behind his mask and felt Colton tap him in ‘hello’ on top of his helmet.
“WHY DO I NOT SEE THREE HELMETS IN FRONT OF ME YET?”
“Coming Papa…” Alec belted out, causing the three men to chuckle in the midst of destruction that would bring others to their knees.
Sometimes Lance wondered why he felt compelled to do this crazy job, but it was moments like this where he felt like he was a part of something greater, that made it all worthwhile. It was the bond, the friendship, the camaraderie during moments where you weren’t sure if you were going to make it out alive that really brought them together. They would joke, play pranks on each other, and ugh… the snoring?
“Let’s get outta here, fellas…”
It was all the bad habits, the ribald jokes between them, that somehow seemed to form a glue that had been missing for a while. The players were in their positions, the team was there, and it was time to kick butt and take names. Only to see the front door fly open as a figure stood there in full gear, like an avenging angel. Smoke was billowing behind him with spotlights at his back, a pike in one hand and an ax in another. This ‘angel’ was coming to their rescue – and meant business.
“THREE BLASTS,” Justin snarled, his chest heaving under his coat. “THREE BLASTS AND THAT’S YOUR SIGNAL TO EVACUATE URGENTLY – YA’ GOT ME?”
Colton, Alec, and Lance each shared an alarmed look not three feet from the front door where they had been about to exit.
“Whoa, boy,” Alec interjected. “Papa is really mad…”
“MOVE YOU, DORK!” Justin snarled, grabbing Alec by the harness, dragging him forward in a rush causing the other grown man to yelp in fear – and then they heard it. Colton and Lance looked at each other, rushing Justin, who was yanking Alec forward like a couple of football players on the field – shoving and propelling all of them forward. It wasn’t but seconds as a massive rumbling behind them shook Lance’s teeth. They were barely out of the door frame, and all four of them were knocked to the ground, with debris raining all over them.
“Owww, get off me, bubble butt,” Alec groaned at the bottom of the pile.
“I do not have a bubble butt…”
“Someone’s elbow is in my kidney…”
“Someone’s size twelve boot is on my groin,” Colton gasped – and Lance dutifully moved his boot, hearing the other man’s exclamation of relief.
And he winced as a hand slapped the top of his helmet – HARD – and that sound was quickly followed by two other thuds nearby as all three men yelped ‘Ow!’ in unison.
“You three are going to be the death of me,” Justin muttered angrily. “I ought to…”
“Daddy Dailey is back to being angry…”
“Would you shut up, Alec?!”
“Oh my gosh,” Justin muttered, immediately falling to his knees and covering his face where he’d ripped off his helmet only seconds before. All of them paused in their jokes, their teasing, and didn’t move.
This wasn’t normal.
“Justin…?”
“Can you please not get yourselves killed during the first ten years of me being your captain… please?” Justin said hoarsely, looking at them with such a barren, worried, desperate look on his face. “I was a mess after Andy went into shock, and I kinda love my wife, but I’m pretty sure if I fall apart again mentally… she’s gonna be after you all – not me – and while I love Faith, that woman does not look good in prison orange.”
Lance wasn’t sure what to say.
Colton stared at the man silently and still held himself where he’d been injured a moment ago.
Alec laughed, leaned forward from where he was lying on his side on the sidewalk, from having been pinned by all three men and held up a fist to bump knuckles with Justin, their captain.
“Man, you are okay – you know that? Prison orange— now that’s funny. I thought I had the smart mouth, but you scored one on all three of us with one solid hit. Relax, nobody is getting killed. Okay? We like living a little too much, and ol’ Lancie-poo is getting hitched on Friday.”
“You are?”
“Can we talk about this on the truck when my butt doesn’t feel like a marshmallow over a campfire?”
“Bubble butt…” Alec grinned, pointed, and gave Lance a thumbs-up as all of them burst out laughing wildly. Justin got to his feet, held out a hand to Alec, and then shoved him toward the fire hose that was lying on the ground unattended. Chad was watching in the distance and had cut the pressure, waiting, and looked like a worrywart beside the truck.
“Is everyone okay?” Chad hollered.
“Yup – give them some juice, brother… and let’s go home.”
Two days later,Lance was adjusting his badge on his dress uniform and tugged his hat on his head. He looked up as his ‘brothers’ walked into the room… also in their dress uniforms – along with the chief.
“I hear you are getting married this morning?” Chief Carpenter began and bumped knuckles with Justin, who was smirking nearby.
“My wife is picking up a wedding cake from Dixie’s in Yonder.”
“No nuts,” several voices rang out in the distance and he recognized the other team and heard laughter nearby. Not a moment later, he saw several faces pop up behind Justin, Alec, and Colton.
“Oooh, Cortes looks awfully purdy…”
“Can it, Olivera,” Chase chuckled, elbowing the skinny man that was grinning happily from the doorway. “Mind if we all tag along? If we get a call, we’ll head out, Chief.”
“Lights and sirens?” Andy volunteered.
“Lights, no sirens. It’s early fellas…”
“Who knew that the Flirt’s Battalion would end up being a bunch of married men within two years of that auction,” Chase teased, winking at the chief and then elbowing Kyle. “And Kyle fell first. First on the auction block – and first on the chopping block.”
“Hey now…”
“Hang on,” Lance grinned – and pointed directly at Alec who was looking green about the gills. “Not all of us are married. Alec, you wanna share something with your fire family?”
“I hope when you have kids, they are twice as ornery as you are,” Alec grumbled, glaring at Lance – who chuckled and blew him a kiss.
“Love you too, bro.”
“Wait a second…” Colton began and looked at the both of them. “Alec, is that why your mother gave me a dozen donuts for free yesterday?”
“Free? Hold up…”
“Hey – that’s not fair…”
“I pay a premium for a dozen lemon…”
“Oh, they were lemon – and she likes our team better.”
“Cause her son is on it!”
“Yup – and they were deeeelish.”
“Your team sucks, Justin. You know that?”
“Watch it, Rimes… Don’t start it if you don’t intend to finish it.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Lance interrupted quickly, laughing. “I’m getting married – and our mouthy little stud muffin has found himself engaged.”
The room was silent.
Alec opened his mouth – and then closed it before closing his eyes in defeat as his shoulders sagged, and he hung his head against his chest.
“Oh my gosh,” Justin grinned, laughing in disbelief. “Can the ‘Mouth from the South’ actually be speechless? And who is the mysterious Mrs. Beckett? Hmmm?”
Alec glared at them, pressed his lips together, and strode out of the room past them without another word.
“What’d I say?” Justin asked bluntly.
“It’s a very long story,” Lance hesitated and shook his head. “And not mine to tell. He’s not happy, and it’s not something he wants right now.”
“Is it what I think?” Colton asked quietly, looking awfully curious.
“I think so.”
“Interesting.”
“What? What is interesting?” Kyle asked, looking at Justin. “Is your team speaking in code or something? We’re not about to lose access to our lemon donuts, are we?”
“Let’s go,” Justin began. “I think Beckett and I are due for a little chat.”
“That’s a good idea,” Chase agreed. “Meet you all at the courthouse?”
“Yup. I’m getting ready to head out,” Lance agreed, picking up his phone and calling Blythe.