Chapter 05
My heart stops for a moment when Elena smiles back at me. Her harsh eyes turn soft and her lips part slightly. Suddenly she seems approachable.
The moment fades before I can respond to it, of course, and her face returns to the same professional mask it was before. Yet, something in her eyes seems to have softened.
Her brow furrows as if she is uncertain what to do in this moment, so I gently nudge her along.
“What now?”
The crease between her eyebrows disappears as she gazes at me. Her hazel eyes are sharp, but not unfriendly this time.
“Now I’ll introduce you to the crew.”
I can’t help but grin. Perhaps she will soften more around the people she feels comfortable with. People she can be herself around. And if I am really lucky, maybe they can even tell me some things about this enigma of a woman.
Elena is already striding down the hallway again, and I have to kick myself into gear. Shadowing somebody has never felt this physically intense before.
But her determination speaks to something in my soul. Something that admires it, maybe even envies it. It takes a special kind of confidence, no, knowing, to walk like that.
I lose track of where we are in the building after we walk through yet another hallway, but freeze dead in my tracks when I see it open up. Elena turns around and gestures for me to step in, a proud glint in her eyes.
The space is enormous.
The concrete floor shines as if it has just been polished. There are yellow lines on the floor, open lockers with gear to the side, and even a table with several chairs. But what immediately grabs my attention are the fire-red vehicles that stand proudly.
My jaw drops as we walk past the elongated truck with a ladder on top. I see Elena smirk from the corner of my eye. Something proud now in the way that she carries herself. I blink once and then turn to her, my mouth still half open. Her smirk grows.
“That’s our ladder truck, or Rosie as her crew likes to call her. She is about nine meters long, but can go twelve meters high.” She looks up at it, smiling softly. “And the ladder can turn 360 degrees.”
“Wow,” I murmur, my voice laced with surprise.
She nods solemnly but then scoffs once.
“Saved many cats.”
I blink again, stunned now. Did Elena Gonzales just make a joke? Before I can over-analyze the moment, I feel a chuckle fall from my lips. Her hazel eyes narrow for a moment, but they hold a playful spark. She tilts her head to her left and then starts walking again.
When we walk behind Rosie, another truck appears beside her.
“This pumper here is my baby,” Elena says before I can even ask. “She holds 2000 liters of water.”
My eyes grow large at that amount, but the lieutenant quickly shakes her head.
“It’s not that much. It only buys us five minutes so that we can hook her up to a hydrant.”
“Five minutes?” My voice sounds oddly high and surprised.
“Uhm, yeah. The water comes out at around eight bar. That’s three times the strength of a garden hose.”
There is a light crease between her brows, but there is entertainment in her eyes.
It dawns on me that this is Elena’s sanctuary.
It’s where she feels safe, where she is at home, and where she opens up.
Even if it is only slightly. If I want to get to know her better, this is the best place to start.
It is in her heart, in her soul, and it seems that this is at least one thing she does like to talk about.
“Three times doesn’t… doesn’t sound like much.”
I hold her gaze and see her eyes widen slightly with amused surprise. She tucks away a strand of hair that came loose and then shakes her head.
“You’ll hold it next training, and then you can tell me if it is enough strength or not.”
Before I can answer, a gruff-looking man walks toward us. He is as tall as a house and his bald head gleams in the cool fluorescent light of the bay. His strides are fast. Even more determined than Elena’s, and so is the way his jaw is set.
“Gonzales, are you harassing our guest?”
His voice is deep and warm. I recognize it immediately as the Chief’s. Although his words are sharp, the tone is laced with playfulness, and his grin defuses any instinctual reaction the lieutenant was about to give.
“Just giving her the tour, sir.”
He smacks her shoulder once in a friendly gesture and then nods at me. The corners of his eyes crook, and his face lightens up. He is as warm a person as he sounds.
“Miss Carter,” he says while grabbing my hand. “Captain Salisar. It is an honor to have you with us for the next three months or so.”
Elena’s eyes grow large at the mention of months instead of weeks, and her eyes flick up to meet his gaze. Salisar doesn’t see it, or simply chooses to ignore her. She is smart enough to keep her mouth shut, but the way her jaw sets tells me that I am back in the doghouse. Fuck.
“If you’ll follow me for a moment, I’ll go over some paperwork with you so that you are set up for the ride-alongs. After that, Elena can show you just how polished she keeps her precious engine inside and out.”
He turns on his heels and walks away, not even waiting to see if I will follow him.
Which I do. I happily dart after him until it hits me that Elena did the exact same thing.
I had scolded her in silence for it, so why didn’t it matter with the Chief?
Because he’s friendly. Yeah, friendly indeed. And Elena is anything but.
***
The paperwork takes exactly five minutes.
I need to sign a waiver in case I get myself injured, or worse, killed.
Then I need to sign some stuff saying that I will uphold the station’s rules and guidelines and that I will follow directions from any firefighter at any given moment.
Last, there is a piece of paper saying that I cannot write anything to diminish the station, its crews, or anything Bombers de Barcelona related.
I am lightly insulted at that one, but scribble my name under it regardless.
Salisar nods appreciatively when I return the papers, and then leans back in his seat. His gaze holds mine, gently and softly. I must have furrowed my brow because he suddenly nods as if he is giving me an answer to a question I’ve never asked.
“I think you’ll fit right in here, Maya.”
“Thank you, sir. I would like that, but I will settle for being a fly on the wall.”
He huffs out a breath.
“Never settle, girl. If you see something you like, you go and get it. Women are told often enough that they can’t do stuff, can’t be what they want to be, simply because they are female. You of all people should know that,” he remarks, hinting at Woman at the Front.
“I do, sir…”
“Then don’t buy that stuff. You want to fit in, then you will. Go for it.”
I chuckle at his resolve and nod a few times until he seems satisfied.
If only it was that easy. Then I would just simply will Elena to like me, to see me.
See the real me. Not some woman running around playing reporter.
If she saw who I am besides all of that, maybe she’d let me in.
But according to Salisar, it is up for grabs. All I have to do is ‘take it’.
Before I can chuckle again, he gives me a brief wink. Then, as if he can read my mind, he lets out a soft sigh.
“Give her some time. I know she seems harsh, but Elena is passionate and intense. She will open up to you if you let her adapt to your presence. And once she does, she’ll be fiercely loyal.”
I swallow at the words. Part of me is tempted to ask the Chief if there is another woman I could interview, but another part is already drawn to Elena too much. Plus, if I could get the ice queen of the ER to become my friend, I can definitely get this lieutenant to open up.
So, I offer the Chief a soft smile and nod gently.
“I shall, sir.”
He smiles back at that and then huffs a laugh.
“Then you’ve already gotten further than most. I’d call that a victory, Miss Carter.”
He raises his glass of water to toast me. We both chuckle and I tip my imaginary hat. After another few pleasantries, he guides me back to the door and wishes me a good day. Our meeting clearly pleased him. Good, one friend in my pocket.
The moment I step outside of his office, I realize I don’t know my way through these hallways. I am about to turn around and ask the Chief when I see Elena casually leaning against the wall, waiting for me.
When my eyes meet hers, she inclines her chin slightly.
“Good talk?”
I nod. “You waited for me?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. This place is a maze and you are my responsibility. I’m here to keep you safe, Maya.”
Hearing her say my name like that sends flutters down my stomach and runs my throat dry immediately.
“Well, thank you either way,” I say gruffly.
She just holds my gaze and then, once again, tilts her head in a silent order for me to follow her. And I do.