Playing With Fire (Fire House Omegas #3)

Chapter 1

Hailey

When it rained, it poured.

It had been one of those never-ending days that made me question if someone had said the forbidden “Q” word.

Every time we dropped off a patient, Freddy and I were right back into the rig and heading out to another call.

“Apparently, Mr. Hodgins has been calling again,” Freddy said as I slipped into the passenger seat, breakfast sandwiches in hand.

It wasn’t even lunchtime.

I took a deep breath before I shook my head, cursing as a few blonde strands fell from my bun. “I bet you he’s forgotten to take his insulin again.”

He called every few weeks. Mr. Hodgins was a sweet older man who often forgot how to manage his own condition.

Personally, I didn’t mind helping him, given how kind he was. It was the grumpy patients who infuriated me the most. They acted as if they were entitled to our help and treated us like we were no better than the dirt on their shoes.

“He really needs some in-home help,” Freddy muttered, taking a bite out of his sandwich and throwing the ambulance into drive.

“He does,” I agreed, “but we need to contact his next of kin. Maybe we can refer him to some services?”

Unfortunately, there was only so much we could do as EMTs. And we all knew how expensive in-home care was.

Despite the restrictions, I loved my job. Every time someone asked me if I would rather be a nurse, I had to resist the urge to stab them with the pointy end of a scalpel.

Helping people fulfilled me, and though working as an EMT meant I saw people in the worst moments of their lives, I took solace in knowing I was doing everything I could to make those terrible times a little bit better.

“I’ll keep an ear on the radio. If he calls again, we’ll take it. You’re lucky I like you.”

I beamed, even though he couldn’t really see me as we drove. Freddy was like that, when push came to shove, he’d lend a hand or give the shirt off his back. It made him a great EMT.

“I’ll do restock while we drive,” I said, undoing my belt and clambering into the back of the ambulance.

Time was everything in an emergency. Not every call was life-or-death or came down to the second, but time was never on your side during a crisis.

Occasionally, we just needed to help an elderly man with his insulin or transport a patient to the hospital.

But then there were times that even the slightest delay could cause fatal harm.

Gunshot wounds, car wrecks, and freak accidents.

I’d seen too many of them to count over the years, and it was always those few extra moments that mattered—whether you had them or whether they were yanked away.

Being prepared was the goal. I wanted to be ready when I opened those ambulance doors, be it something small or something large.

Usually, we would have taken a break to restock the rig, but we had been so crunched for time that we were hardly able to run to the bathroom between calls, so organizing on the go, it was.

I was checking on the types of dressings we had at the ready, for probably the sixth time, when the radio crackled to life, and I heard Freddy muttering as he answered.

“Fire on Amhurst street,” Freddy called out over his shoulder as he maneuvered the ambulance, and I checked out stock while buckled in the back.

“We’re almost good to go here,” I said, shoving a few bandages into a drawer.

“Station Sixteen has been dispatched, so you’ll get to see your firefighter friend.” My partner smiled into the rearview mirror.

“Aww. Yeah, Sunny is going to pop any day now.”

Pack Wilder consisted of three alphas who worked at Station Sixteen and their omega, who was about to give birth any day now.

“You know I’m not talking about the omega.” Freddy chuckled. “I’m talking about that big quiet fucker who can never take his eyes off you.”

My face heated as I forcefully turned back to the task at hand, shoving items into their places maybe a little harder than needed. Merrick was sweet, in a soft spoken, hardly speaking way. And sure, I would have to be blind to avoid seeing the way he watched me, almost…admiringly.

On more than one occasion, I’d considered grabbing that proverbial bull by the horns and asking him out on a date, but every time I set out to do it, I freaked and put it off, planning to finally ask him once I was more well-rested. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been well-rested in a very long time.

Eventually, I would take a much-needed vacation. A sunny beach somewhere, a teeny tiny bikini, and plenty of fruity cocktails were calling my name. Someday…

Until then, I had medical emergencies to deal with, so it was more uniforms, lunches on the go, and fluorescent lights for me.

The fire was small, but several engines had been dispatched, so as I loaded up two residents from the apartment building—who had accidentally left a candle on and caused the tiny inferno—several firefighters stood around, twiddling their thumbs.

“Are they going to be okay?” a deep voice asked as I closed the ambulance door.

Merrick was looking intently at the vehicle before turning to me.

“They’re going to be right as rain!” I smiled brightly, immediately regretting my tone and hating the way I was so nervous around him.

Merrick was handsome. He was far too good-looking, in my humble opinion.

Wearing his turnouts, his helmet off, his face was covered in a fine layer of soot, with smudges across his face.

His short brown hair was sticking up in all directions, like it always did after he wore his helmet.

And none of that dampened the fact that the man was painfully stunning.

Rude.

“Good, I know you’ll take good care of them.” As he spoke, a grin graced his face, a tiny lift of his cheek on one side, and I needed to remember how to breathe.

“Of course I will. We take care of everyone, even the idiots who set their own fires,” I assured him, trying my best to play it off with a joke.

Merrick looked at me for a moment, like he was going to say something, then thought better of it, shaking his head and walking away.

He wasn't exactly a conversationalist, but there was something oddly alluring about him.

I wasn't blind. I’d noticed how many times he seemed to look my way when we were in the same vicinity.

And still…it was like neither of us knew what more to do, stuck after idle small talk.

“Well, if it isn’t the bossiest EMT around!” a warm voice shouted behind me.

Turning, my face broke into a smile as a familiar firefighter walked around the front of my ambulance and up to me.

“Walker!” I greeted the alpha, reaching out to give him a loose, one-armed hug. “How is that stunning omega of yours?”

A blinding grin took over the fire captain's face at the mention of his mate. “She’s doing well! Complaining because we won’t let her do anything physical, given how close she is to giving birth, but she and our daughter are doing fantastically.

Thank you for that baby blanket, by the way. Sunny loves it.”

“You’re welcome! There’s another one on the way. I’ve just been so busy of late.”

Walker jerked his head in agreement, the corners of his mouth turning down as he folded his arms. “I know that feeling. It seems like this time of year, every moron is out there, setting stupid, easily preventable fires.”

I grimaced, shrugging one shoulder as the familiar sounds of emergency-related chaos droned around me, saying, “Yeah, that gender reveal party with the burns and glitter injuries still haunts my dreams.”

“That’s what we get for choosing to work in California.” He chuckled ruefully, rolling his eyes.

I sighed, nodding along. “That’s what we get for good food and sunny weather.”

“Hailey!” Someone shouted my name, and a moment later, I was wrapped up in Blaze’s enormous arms and was wildly off-balance.

“Hello, Blaze!” I chuckled, trying to find my feet.

“Dude, why—” Walker muttered.

“How’s our favorite medic?” Blaze asked, setting me back down on my feet with a firm hand on my shoulder.

“You only call me your favorite because I give you lollipops.” I laughed, narrowing my eyes at him.

Blaze nodded thoughtfully. “True. Plus, you also helped our lovely mate and son.”

“I made some soup when you guys got the flu last month.” I shook my head, trying to wave him off. “No big deal.”

“Nah, did you see anyone else there? We owe you.”

I gripped my chin, exaggerating my pondering. “Normally, I would say not to bother, but then again, having a group of firefighters owe me one could be handy.”

“Well, you know where we live, so call anytime.” Walker smiled, patting me on the back. “You know Sunny would love to see you too.”

“I would love that as well. You know what? I’ll make time,” I assured him.

Sunny was a ray of sunshine, as cliché as it was to say. Every time I visited her, it made me happier. Her son was this joyful, chaotic toddler, and I couldn’t wait for her to have another baby I could swoon over.

“You’ll see me soon,” I promised, pulling the ambulance door open and then sliding inside. Freddy was already situated in the driver's seat, ready to take our patients to the hospital.

“I’m counting down the days!” Blaze declared dramatically as we pulled away, and I muffled my giggle behind my hand.

If he heard me laughing, it would just feed his giant, puppy-like ego. Still, I rolled down the window to toss him a lollipop as we drove off.

Merrick was there in the distance, and our eyes met as Freddy pulled the ambulance out into traffic. If only candy would do the trick with him. But I had a feeling it was going to take something very different to get us to exchange more than ten words. And I had to admit that…I really wanted to.