26. Colt
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Colt
The firehouse kitchen was a mess, as usual.
Empty mugs littered the counter, a box of half-stale donuts sat open on the table, and someone had left the milk carton out again.
I stood by the coffee maker, watching the pot slowly fill, trying to focus on anything but the storm of emotions swirling in my chest.
Last night played on a loop in my head.
Lila. Soft, warm… ours.
The way she’d let herself sink into us, the way her smile had cracked through her sadness, lighting up the room. I could still feel her fingers brushing against mine, still hear her breathy laugh.
But it wasn’t just me. It was all of us.
Me, Jaxon, Ryan.
Somehow, this thing we had, this connection, didn’t feel strange. It felt… right. And that scared the hell out of me.
“Morning.” Nate’s gravelly voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I glanced over my shoulder to see him shuffle into the room, looking like death warmed over. His hair was a mess, his eyes bloodshot, and his face drawn tight with exhaustion. He grabbed a mug from the counter, grunting when he saw the coffee wasn’t ready yet.
“Rough night?” I asked, keeping my tone light.
He shot me a glare before rubbing a hand over his face. “Something like that.”
I leaned back against the counter, crossing my arms as I watched him. Nate wasn’t much of a drinker, but when he did go hard, it usually meant he was trying to drown something out. Judging by the state of him now, I’d bet good money it had to do with Lila.
“You remember much?” I asked, pretending to focus on the coffee maker.
Nate let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Bits and pieces. Enough to know I screwed up.”
My stomach twisted. “Screwed up how?”
He slumped into one of the chairs at the table, cradling the empty mug in his hands. “I was an ass to Lila. Said some things I shouldn’t have. Hell, I don’t even know if half of it made sense. But I remember the look on her face, and I know I hurt her.”
The tension in my chest ratcheted up another notch. I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my expression neutral.
“She’s tough,” I said carefully. “She can handle more than you think.”
“That doesn’t make it okay,” he muttered, staring down into his empty cup. “I was out of line. She didn’t deserve that.”
I wanted to tell him he was damn right she didn’t, but I bit my tongue. Nate was already beating himself up, and laying into him wouldn’t help.
But that didn’t stop the surge of anger bubbling beneath the surface. Lila deserved better than the crap he’d given her last night.
“She’s been through a lot,” Nate said after a long silence, his voice quieter now. “I should be looking out for her, not making things harder.”
“You care about her,” I said, keeping my voice steady.
“Of course I care about her. She’s my sister.” He looked up at me, his gaze sharp. “That’s why I’m worried about the flirting.”
My heart thudded hard in my chest, but I kept my face blank. “I think you’re being judgmental.”
“I don’t know,” Nate groaned. “I don’t know what’s going on, and it seems weird.”
The truth was, he didn’t know the half of it.
If he had any idea what was really going on, he’d lose his damn mind.
“Look,” I said, pouring him a cup of coffee and setting it in front of him, “why don’t you talk to her? Apologize. She’ll appreciate it, trust me.”
He nodded slowly, wrapping his hands around the mug like it was the only thing keeping him grounded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do that.”
Before I could say anything else, everything changed.
The blaring sirens of the truck and the chaos of the scene outside the firehouse hit me like a punch to the gut.
I shook off the remnants of my thoughts about Lila, about last night, about the tangled mess of emotions we were all trying to ignore.
We found out that we were being dispatched to a multi-car pileup on the highway, and as soon as the call came through, my body shifted into autopilot.
Firefighting wasn’t just about physical strength or speed; it was a mentality, a readiness that surged through you at the first sign of danger.
You didn’t think. You just moved.
“Let’s go!” Jaxon barked, his voice clipped, focused.
He was already in motion, grabbing his gear as Ryan and I followed suit.
By the time we arrived at the wreck, it was clear it was bad.
Three cars, mangled together in a twisted heap of metal and glass. Smoke still curled from one of the vehicles, and the sound of someone shouting for help cut through the din of the emergency response effort.
The rush of adrenaline hit my bloodstream as we climbed out of the truck.
No time to hesitate. No time for anything other than the job.
“Ryan, with me!” Jaxon shouted as he led the way toward the worst of the wreckage, the flames licking dangerously close.
I nodded, grabbing my equipment and falling in line behind him. The heat of the flames pressed against my skin, but it was nothing compared to the weight of the situation.
People were trapped. They needed help.
I moved quickly, setting up the tools to break open one of the car doors when I heard a panicked shout. A woman was pinned inside, her screams rising above everything else.
“Colt!” Jaxon’s voice rang out. “Get to the other side, now!”
I didn’t ask questions. I knew exactly what he meant. We’d need to work together to free her, and there was no time to waste.
I darted around the other side of the wrecked car, barely making it to the other side when I saw the shifting debris. Her car had hit a building, and the damaged walls hovering above her car seemed unlikely to hold much longer.
The woman inside the car was wedged tight, her legs trapped beneath the dashboard.
“Hang on, we’re going to get you out,” I called out, trying to steady her, trying to calm her down while I assessed the situation.
A sharp crack echoed from the structure of the car as I grabbed the hydraulic rescue tool, preparing to cut through the metal.
But before I could get a solid grip, the roof creaked ominously. The flames from the nearby car were licking higher, and the heat was unbearable.
“Move, Colt!” Ryan yelled from the other side of the wreckage, his voice strained.
I glanced up just in time to see a massive chunk of the crumpled car frame begin to shift.
Without thinking, I dove in between the wreckage and the woman, shoving her body toward the open space I had just cleared.
The world seemed to slow down, everything in my vision sharpening as the debris fell. I felt the metal graze my back, the heat of the flames searing my skin, but there was no time to register the pain.
I kept pushing, my body moving on instinct.
And then, everything went dark…
* * *
The next thing I knew, I was coughing, and the smell of smoke was choking me as I tried to sit up.
Hands were on my shoulders, pushing me back down, firm but gentle.
“Stay still,” Ryan’s voice urged.
My head was swimming. I blinked several times, trying to clear the haze.
“What happened?” I croaked.
“You nearly got crushed, dumbass,” Jaxon’s voice cut in.
He sounded like he was trying to hide his panic, but the tension in his words was unmistakable.
I was vaguely aware of the sound of sirens and the busy chaos of the firehouse, but I couldn’t focus on anything other than the ache in my chest and the way my body refused to cooperate.
“Is the woman—” I started, but Jaxon cut me off.
“She’s fine,” he said, his voice quiet but firm. “You saved her.”
I tried to sit up again, but the pressure in my head intensified. I groaned, unable to shake the fog.
“Damn,” I muttered, flopping back against the ground. “I shouldn’t have… should’ve...”
“You did the right thing,” Ryan interjected, his hands still steadying me. “You did what had to be done. Don’t start with the guilt trip.”
But I couldn’t help it. I felt like I was failing in more ways than one.
“Next time,” Jaxon added, the edge in his voice softened by relief, “maybe don’t throw yourself into a burning car.”
The ride back to the station was quiet.
The adrenaline was gone, leaving me with a sharp ache in my back and a dull pounding in my head. Every movement felt like a reminder of how close I’d come to not walking out of that call.
Ryan and Jaxon had both been unusually quiet, stealing glances my way like I might fall apart at any second.
When we finally pulled into the firehouse, I climbed out of the truck with a groan, my body protesting every step. My mind, though, was louder.
The close call churned over and over in my head, each replay making it clearer: life is too damn short.
I wasn’t going to waste another second. Not when I knew what I wanted.
As soon as I had a chance, I decided I’d talk to Lila. I’d tell her everything… how much she meant to me, to all of us.
And we’d figure it out together—even if it meant confronting Nate, even if it meant risking everything.
But when I got to her father’s house, I stopped short.
Through the front window, I spotted her sitting on the porch steps, shoulders shaking, head buried in her hands. My chest tightened, and without a second thought, I climbed out of the truck and made my way to her.
“Lila?” I called gently as I approached.
Her head snapped up, her hazel eyes red-rimmed and glossy with tears. She wiped at her cheeks, trying to mask her pain, but she couldn’t hide it.
“Colt?” she said, her voice cracking. She sniffed and attempted a weak smile. “What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same,” I said softly, stepping closer. “What’s wrong?”
Why did she look like the world around her was crumbling?