Chapter 04
I see the flash of hurt in her eyes as soon as my words leave my mouth and I internally curse myself.
If the Chief hears about this, he will have my head.
He made it very clear that I am to cooperate with this so-called reporter, and all I have managed so far is to intimidate her.
But I never asked for this, and I really don’t want people digging up my past or snooping around in my personal life. Not even when they are this cute.
I let my gaze roam over her again. Her white top slips off of her shoulder, showing off some of her collarbone and smooth skin.
Her blonde hair is tied back, but some strands seem to be as feisty as her.
Sharp, piercing eyes look at me with anticipation, and her lips are distracting.
Too distracting. I have to close my eyes for a moment to regroup myself.
She is cute. Of course she is cute. Probably trained that way, to get people to talk. I grunt and run my hand over my face.
“Listen, my Chief wanted me to do this. I don’t know why and he won’t tell me, but I do know that my ass is on the line if I don’t follow orders. So, it’s not you…”
Her lips curl up as I let the last sentence trail off and her whole face softens. Of course she’d love a corny line like that.
“So, seriously. Tell me what you need so that I can get to work. You want to shadow me, that’s fine. But best keep up.”
Just like that, the warmth drains from her face again and I see something shift in her eyes. Determination maybe? I straighten my spine and wait until she speaks.
“I usually start by shadowing, just so that I get a feeling for what your job entails. Consider me a fly on the wall. If you want to share information with me as we go, that would be very welcome, but if you need me to remain silent then mom’s the word.”
I raise my eyebrow at that. When would I even have time to explain to her what it is we do? When I extract an elderly woman, run into flames to save a family’s dog, or when I am instructing my crew so that they all remain as safe as possible?
She doesn’t stop talking long enough for me to reply though, which strikes me as odd. Aren’t journalists supposed to ask questions and then wait for the answers?
“Maybe we can sit together at the end of the week so that I can ask you some questions about the job, and about how you experience it? I like to do that several times, three, maybe four times. That way I can create an in-depth profile of who you are and—”
“I thought this was about the job?”
My voice comes out sharper than I intend it to be, and she flinches visibly.
I really need to watch my step before she goes running to Salisar.
He is a good Chief and he’s been mentoring me ever since I arrived in Barcelona.
Not just professionally, but on a personal level as well.
I’d rather stay on his good side. And, if I am completely honest, part of me wants to make him proud as well.
“Actually,” she hesitates.
“Go on,” I soften my voice a bit.
“It’s the closing article of a series on female first responders. Not just the job, but the impact it has on their lives, their social status, their relationships. It’s about the sacrifices that are being made to keep civilians like myself safe. It’s… it’s my way of showing respect.”
She holds my gaze and finally holds her tongue. I process what she just told me and realize that she will do exactly what I was already fearing, digging into my personal life. I sigh. There is no escaping this.
“Fine. We can sit down at the end of the week. Anything else?”
“Well…”
She swallows and lowers her eyes for a moment. I inhale through my nose, not entirely sure what to do with this kind of insecurity.
“I thought I could ask you some questions now too, to get to know you a little better.”
I groan. It’s already starting.
I pour the burned coffee into my cup, before I reluctantly sit back down.
Then I roll my neck and lift my chin. She just sits there and watches me.
It’s not her fault that we are here, not really.
Salisar knows this is out of my comfort zone.
He should have paired her with Rosa. She is good.
Green, but good. I exhale and then nod softly at her. Let’s just get this over with.
“Miss Gonzales, before we continue, would it be okay if I call you Elena?”
I blink when my name rolls off her tongue. In here people call me by my last name, out of respect and out of habit. When we use first names, it’s only for personal business. But I can’t expect a civilian to know that. So, I grunt, reluctantly.
“Oh, good,” she says, surprised. “Then you can call me Maya.”
“Okay.”
She chuckles a little at that, but rolls her shoulders and straightens her spine.
“Alright, Elena, can you tell me a bit more about yourself?”
I raise an eyebrow, but she won’t budge. Her eyes bore into mine and she puts her hands under her chin, waiting patiently.
“Fine. Elena Gonzales, thirty-nine, lieutenant here at stationhouse 2.”
“That’s stuff I already knew, I meant more like… what do you enjoy doing when you are not on the job?”
I close my eyes for a brief moment and inhale. Fine.
“I work out. I run and I swim. When it’s sunny I like to sit outside with a good book, and…”
What the hell am I doing? Why am I even entertaining this?
“And?” She presses.
“And I need to get to work. Let’s go.”
Before she can object, I press myself out of the chair and march back to the stairs. I barge down and stride toward the locker rooms. It is bad enough that Maya has to follow me around everywhere, but I won’t let her get hurt on my watch.
“What size are you?”
“S... sorry?”
“Your shoes. What size do you wear?”
“I’m a thirty-nine, I think.”
She thinks? What the hell is there to think about? She either is or isn’t.
I press through the door but find the courtesy to hold it open for her. That way she can’t run to the Chief, saying I threw doors in her face too.
Maya is right behind me, and when she slides into the old locker room, her eyes widen.
Sure, the place stinks like sweaty socks and moldy cheese, but it is pretty much a safe haven for me.
She seems to feel the sanctuary of it and nods appreciatively.
I furrow my brow because I find that I actually like her silent approval.
I shake off the thought and pull open the communal locker. There are a bunch of safety shoes piled up, and some turnout coats hang in the corner. I hand her the boots and size her up. She blushes and looks down. Cute. I fight a smirk and grab the smallest coat.
“If we happen to go out, you put this on. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
My eyes shoot up to meet her gaze, but she isn’t mocking me. She looks at me earnestly, as if she understands the importance.
“Now, kick off those sneakers and boot up. You’ll wear those inside and outside of the station. They are steel-toed, waterproof, and even have a bit of extra tread so you don’t slip. Safety is sexy. I’ll wait outside.”
She keeps her eyes on me while I find myself rattling.
I tear my gaze away, march back outside and lean against the wall.
My whole body aches for a good work-out.
This pent-up energy inside of me is nearly consuming me and it isn’t even ten yet.
I grunt, deeply annoyed, and run my hand over my face again.
What have I done wrong to be punished like this?
It takes Maya a couple of minutes before she comes out, and I realize that maybe she needed a break from me. Her shoulders are hunched slightly forward now and she looks at me timidly. Fuck.
“Alright, let’s make sure you stay safe as long as you are with us. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Her voice is soft and thin now. I really fucked up. I inhale deeply and soften my own voice now. It’s not her fault that the Chief forced me into this. Hell, if I met her in a bar, I would probably enjoy her company.
“So, when we are in the bays, try to stay to the sides. There is a lot of equipment there that we don’t want to damage… and even more importantly, we don’t want it to hurt you.”
I muster a soft smile and her cheeks flush again in reply. This time I can’t suppress my grin. Careful now, you might start to enjoy this.
“If we go out on the streets, you stay with me at all times and you listen to my every order. When I tell you to stay in the truck, you don’t go…”
“…and snoop around. I got it. Elena, I don’t have a death wish.”
I raise an eyebrow at that and actually laugh. The sound surprises her and her lips curl up instantly. It hits me how warm she looks when she smiles.
“Good. Just use your head and you’ll be fine.”
She nods once and smiles again. This time I find myself answering it.