Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Bobby
I couldn’t stop shaking.
Hours had passed since the fire was put out, since the last of the embers had died down and the scene had been cleared, but the rage inside me still burned.
It was under my skin, coiled tight in my muscles, refusing to let go.
My hands clenched into fists at my sides, the scent of smoke still clinging to my gear, my hair, my goddamn soul.
Because of her.
Gabbi Mason.
I didn’t even have to look for her—I knew she hadn’t left. She was still here, lingering on the edge of the chaos, her press badge slung around her neck like she had any right to be on this scene.
I spotted her near one of the fire trucks, talking to a paramedic, acting like what she did tonight wasn’t the most reckless, infuriating, goddamn stupidest thing I had ever seen.
Something inside me snapped.
I moved before I could stop myself, my boots hitting the pavement hard as I closed the distance between us. The second she turned and saw me, her expression shifted. Surprise flickered across her face—then something else. Something unreadable.
I didn’t give her a chance to speak.
“What the hell were you thinking?” My voice came out sharp, cutting through the noise of the scene around us.
She blinked, taken aback, but her jaw tightened just as quickly. "Bobby?—"
"You ran straight into a burning building!" The anger in my chest boiled over. "No gear, no protection, nothing! You could have died in there, Gabbi!"
Her shoulders squared. "I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. There was a kid inside!"
"And what if you hadn’t made it out?" My voice was rough, harsher than I intended, but I didn’t care. "What if I hadn’t pulled you out in time? What if—" My breath came sharp. "What if I lost you, too?"
The words hit the space between us like a sledgehammer.
Her eyes widened, and for a second—just a second—she looked shaken. But then her lips parted, and when she spoke, her voice was softer. "Bobby…"
I clenched my fists, looking away, but it was useless. She was right there. Too close, too familiar. The same auburn hair, the same deep brown eyes that had haunted me for years. The same woman who had torn my world apart and yet still had a hold on me, no matter how hard I fought it.
"You haven’t changed," I muttered, shaking my head. "You never listen."
Her chin lifted. "And you’re still trying to control everything, aren’t you?"
My jaw tightened. "That’s not what this is about."
"Then what is it about, Bobby?" She crossed her arms, her voice rising. "Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re just pissed I did something you didn’t approve of."
I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to keep my temper in check. "I’m pissed because you could have gotten yourself killed, Gabbi. And for what? You’re not a firefighter, you’re not trained for this. You had no business running in there."
"That boy needed help!" she shot back. "His mother was standing right there, begging for someone to do something! You think I could’ve just stood there and watched?"
"Yes!" The word came out before I could stop it, but I meant it. God, I meant it.
She stared at me, disbelief flashing in her expression. "You really think I could’ve done that?"
"You should have," I ground out, my voice low. "Because you running in there didn’t just put you in danger, Gabbi—it put me in danger. It put my team in danger. And for what? So you could play hero?"
Her mouth parted slightly, her breath uneven. "That’s not what I was doing."
"Then what?" I stepped closer, unable to stop myself. "What was it, then? Were you trying to prove something? Trying to make up for what happened back then?"
The second the words left my mouth, I regretted them.
Something flickered in her eyes—something raw, unguarded. Her breath caught, and for a moment, the fire between us wasn’t just anger. It was something deeper.
My pulse pounded. I could feel the heat of her body, too close, too dangerous. The way her lips parted like she wanted to say something but couldn’t. The way the air between us crackled with something neither of us had ever been able to control.
I hated it. I hated her.
And I hated that I didn’t.
Gabbi exhaled, her voice unsteady. "You think I did that because of Liam?"
I stayed silent, my jaw locked.
She let out a sharp breath, her expression twisting. "I was trying to save a kid, Bobby. That’s all. And I’m sorry if that pisses you off, but I would do it again."
Her words should have made me angrier. Should have pushed me further over the edge. But all I felt was exhaustion.
I looked at her, really looked at her. There was fire in her eyes, but there was something else, too. Something like… regret.
I forced myself to take a step back, running a hand through my hair. The adrenaline from the fire, the anger, the past—it was all too much.
This conversation wasn’t over. Hell, we weren’t over. Not by a long shot.
But right now, I couldn’t do this.
Not with her.
Not yet.
Without another word, I turned and walked away.
Because if I didn’t, I wasn’t sure what I would do next.