Chapter 18
His day had been a mess from the first minute Mason stepped foot into the barn to discover two of his young firefighters had gotten into a fistfight on the overnight shift. Though both were off duty, he called them back and sat them down in his office.
“What happened?” With his hands on his hips, he stood while they sat.
When neither of them said a word, he turned up the volume.
“Someone had better start talking unless you both want to be suspended indefinitely.” He wouldn’t and couldn’t suspend anyone this time of year, but they didn’t know that.
Domenic, one of the first firefighters Mason had hired after he became chief, glanced at Xavier, the newest member of their department. “Someone needs to learn the rules around here.”
“That doesn’t tell me what happened,” Mason said, becoming more annoyed by the second. “Domenic, you’ve got the floor. Let’s hear it.”
“We were all out the other night, and he… He came on to the woman I’ve been dating. When I told him to back off, he got in my face and started something in the bar. I took my girl and got out of there. That would’ve been the end of it if he hadn’t gotten mouthy with me about it last night.”
“All I said is she’s not into you if she’s giving me the look.”
Before Domenic could erupt, Mason held up his hand. “Xavier, it’s a dick move to come on to another man’s woman.”
“She’s not his woman.”
At that, Domenic erupted. “She is, too! We’ve been seeing each other for months, you asshole.”
“Huh,” Xavier said. “You’d never know it by the way she’s looking at other guys.”
Mason grabbed Domenic before he could punch the other man in the face. “Stop it right now before you both find yourself out of a job. I’m not putting up with this crap. Xavier, don’t go near Domenic or his girlfriend, do you understand me?”
“Yes, sir,” Xavier said with a smirk for Domenic.
“If I hear one more word about this on the job, I’ll start suspending people without pay. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Xavier said again.
“Yes, sir,” Domenic muttered.
“Xavier, do yourself a favor and keep your mouth shut around here. We’re a team, and we don’t need new people coming in here and upsetting our team. If you can’t do that, you won’t last long in this department.”
“Apologies, Chief.”
“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.”
For a second, Xavier appeared to balk at the idea of apologizing to Domenic. Then he seemed to think better of it. “Sorry.”
“If I hear another word about any of this, there’s going to be trouble, you got me?”
“Yes, sir,” both men said.
“Keep your personal shit out of my barn. I mean it. Now get out of here.”
They got up and walked out, giving each other a wide berth.
They were no sooner gone than Blaine Taylor came in. “Trouble in the ranks?”
“God save me from twentysomethings. They’re insane. One of them hitting on the other’s girlfriend, leading to a fistfight at work.”
“Good times,” Blaine said, chuckling as he took a seat.
“Just what I need this time of year. What’s up?”
“This is kind of awkward, but someone mentioned you might be hanging with Jordan Stokes?”
Mason was immediately on guard against whatever Blaine was about to say. “What about it?”
“Her sister called me, put me on notice that the not-yet-ex-husband is out of rehab and asking questions about where he might find her.”
That news hit Mason like a ton of bricks to the face.
Jordan’s abusive ex was looking for her.
He stood, feeling an urgent need to find her, to protect her, to…
Shit. He took a deep breath. She’d told him last night that they were nothing more than fun and games.
It wasn’t up to him to get between her and her ex.
However, he’d do it in a second to keep her safe.
He’d do just about anything for her, a realization that sent him reeling.
Blaine flashed a smug grin. “So it’s like that already, huh?”
“No, it’s not.”
“You sure about that?”
“No, I’m not.”
Blaine lost it laughing. “You poor bastard. I remember what it was like to be driven insane by the woman I wanted when she was still married to a complete schmuck who didn’t deserve her.
I waited months for her to be free of him.
Thought I’d go mad waiting. But once she was free, that’s when things got really interesting.
” Blaine smiled, his entire demeanor softening at the thought of his wife.
“Sometimes you just have to be patient to get to the best things.”
“That’s not what this is. She doesn’t even live here.”
“Maybe not, but she’s here right now, and that’s all we’ve got, my friend. If you show her what life with you on Gansett might be like, perhaps she might be compelled to stick around.”
The idea of Jordan sticking around, of staying to be with him, made him weak in the knees even considering such a thing. He no sooner let himself go there than he hauled himself back from the brink of calamity. Her stay on Gansett was temporary. Their relationship, such as it was, was temporary.
Mason felt sadder than he had in a very long time. “We’re not like you and Tiffany. That’s not what this is.”
“Nothing says you can’t make it happen, Mase. If you want it badly enough.”
After last night, he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any woman, even the one he’d nearly married.
In all the years since his wedding had been called off, he’d never once been thankful to Kayla.
Until now. If she hadn’t dumped him, he never would’ve gotten to spend last night with Jordan Stokes, and that would’ve been the true tragedy.
Both Mason’s and Blaine’s portable radios came to life in the same second, with an urgent appeal for help at McCarthy’s Marina. A car had driven off the pier into the water. They ran for their vehicles as firefighters and EMTs bolted for the trucks.
Mason arrived first, less than three minutes after the call had come in, to find a frantic scene in the parking area.
Big Mac McCarthy and Luke Harris were both in the water, chest-deep as they frantically tried to open the door to a sedan.
“Windows won’t open,” Big Mac called to him, sounding grim as they noted the water flooding into the car.
Mason grabbed a window-breaking tool from his truck and jumped in after them. “Watch out. Let me in.”
The cab of the car was filling fast with water. Inside, he saw Luke’s wife, Sydney, her eyes wide with terror as a cut on her forehead had blood running down her face.
“The baby’s in the back,” Luke said, sounding as terrified as his wife looked.
Blaine jumped into the water and came up next to Mason. “After we break the window, it’s going to fill up fast, so we need to be ready.” He banged on the window. “Syd, can you get to the backseat and get Lily unstrapped from her seat?”
She repositioned herself so she could reach the baby, who was crying as the water crept ever closer to the bottom of her seat.
“Mason, please.” Luke was on the verge of hysteria.
“You got her, Syd?” Mason yelled, speaking as loud as he could so she could hear him through the closed windows.
Syd nodded and raised the baby higher as the water continued to pour into the car.
“Okay, listen up. We’re going to break the window and get you out. Stay back against the other side. Ready?”
She gave a thumbs-up.
Mason smashed the tool against the window until it shattered, then used his hands to push on the glass.
“Mason!” Blaine cried. “Your hands.”
Mason heard him, but he was like a man possessed as he created an opening big enough for Syd and the baby. “Give me the baby. Hurry.”
For a second, Sydney seemed frozen as the water came closer to her chin.
“Syd! The baby!” Mason’s body was half in the car and half out as he struggled to keep his head above the rising water.
She handed over the child, and he backed out, handing the child to her father.
“Give her to Blaine, Luke.” The water stayed cold on Gansett well into July, and hypothermia was a concern. Mason went back for Sydney, who had moved to the window to follow her daughter out of the car. Mason helped her, but Luke was right there to grab his wife.
She cried hysterically as her husband held her. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened.”
“It’s okay, baby,” Luke said as tears ran unchecked down his face. “It’s okay.”
“Let’s get her out of the water, Luke.” In addition to the wound on her forehead, Mason noticed Sydney’s lips had taken on a bluish tone, and her teeth chattered violently.
Working with Mason’s team, Luke half carried Sydney to the ladder and handed her over to Dermot.
“Too close,” Big Mac said when he, Blaine and Mason were the only ones left in the water. “Far too close.”
“Did you see what happened?” Blaine asked.
“She’d just pulled into the lot to meet Luke for coffee when the car lurched forward and went right off the bulkhead.
It’s the one spot on the whole pier where a car can fit through.
We’ll get that taken care of immediately.
” That the older man was seriously rattled was obvious to Mason. “She musta hit the gas by accident.”
“Let’s get you out of the water, Mac.” When Mason raised his hands to offer assistance to him, he noticed they were shredded and bleeding profusely. “Shit.”
Jordan heard about the accident at the marina when she was coming out of the grocery store.
“A car went right off the pier into the water at McCarthy’s. A mother and baby were in the car, but the police and fire chiefs got them out.”
Mason.
Was he all right? His arm was already injured.
He shouldn’t be rescuing people! As soon as she was in the car, she put through a call to him that went straight to voicemail.
“Hi, it’s me. Jordan. I heard you rescued the lady and baby in the car.
I’m just hoping you’re all right. Call me when you can. ”