Page 76 of Controlled Burn

“That makes perfect sense. It sounds like what they’re doing is really important. Besides, I have plenty of time to see them. There’s no rush.”

The server came over with our coffee and took our food order. As soon as she was gone, Caleb added enough cream and sugar to his coffee to make me cringe.

“Do you even like coffee? Or is it just an excuse to drink sweetened milk?”

He took a drink and let out a content sigh. “I like coffee. But like everything else in life, I like it a little extra.”

“So, are you saying I’m extra?” I teased.

“Oh, Daddy, you’re totally extra.” He gave me a sassy grin and took another drink of his coffee milk. “Now, how was your shift? Tell me about the puppies.”

“The shift was good, and the puppies were adorable.” I told him about the idea he’d given me about the calendar and how I thought it would raise a ton of money for the shelter and would be good PR for the station.

“That’s such a fun idea. I bet my dad will be on board with that for sure. He got Oscar at the shelter.”

“I remember. I just hope he doesn’t act all weird about doing it because it was my idea.”

“I’m sure he won’t.”

“I guess we’ll see in a couple of days when he gets back.”

I hadn’t told Caleb how much it worried me that things at the station had been so tense with Robert there, but with him gone this week, the difference had been so noticeable. I just hoped he came around soon, or I might have to seriously consider changing shifts.

Chapter 27

Keith

I’d always loved my job. I’d never been one of those people who hated going into work. On the contrary, I looked forward to it. Not only because firefighting was in my blood, but because I loved spending time with the family I’d created at Station Sixty-nine.

Which made the fact that I was dreading today all that much harder to take. Robert would be back on shift this morning. I’d hoped that his vacation would’ve given him time to think things through, and I’d kept watch on my phone all day yesterday, hoping he would call and say that he’d had a change of heart… that he wanted to talk. But that call never came. Which was how I found myself sitting in my car outside the station, trying to make myself go inside. Robert’s truck was in its usual spot, so I knew he was there. I reminded myself that no matter what happened, Caleb was worth it.

I was getting up the nerve to go inside when the chief stuck his head out the door and yelled at me.

“Brooks, get your ass inside. We have a structure fire over on Willis. It’s the old Vesper Hotel. Station Twenty-two is there now, but they need help. Move it.”

I jumped out of the car and hit the ground running. I rushed inside and grabbed my bunker gear off the hook and pulled it on before hopping on the truck.

I took my seat next to Robert. He didn’t say anything to me, but he slid over a bit to make room. I nodded at him and then turned to face Samuel. “That old hotel is in our area. What’s Twenty-two doing there?”

“C shift is still out on another fire, so when the call came in, they caught it. They haven’t been there long, and last I heard, they were still trying to make sure the building was cleared.” Samuel reached down and flipped the button for the sirens, and we were off.

“Thank goodness it isn’t winter,” Robert said. “A lot of people take shelter in there when it’s cold.”

He wasn’t wrong. Vesper didn’t have a huge homeless population, and luckily our winters weren’t too terribly harsh. But the old Vesper Hotel was one of the main spots they would hole up in when it got cold. The city had been talking about tearing the place down forever, but the historical society had been fighting just as hard to preserve it.

It didn’t take long for us to get there, but we could see the fire long before we arrived. The morning sky was lit up with an ominous orange glow as flames danced across the roof of the abandoned hotel. We parked right next to the truck from Station Twenty-two and all hopped out. This was a big one, and I was relieved to see another truck pull in on the other side. I wasn’t sure what station they were from, but it didn’t matter, this one was going to be a bitch.

“Captain Morris from the Twenty-two is incident commander,” Samuel said. “He’s requesting help to finish clearing the building while the other trucks start working on extinguishing the fire. His guys started at the top and are working their way down, so you guys can start at the bottom and meet them in the middle. Let’s get in there and lend a hand.”

We all gave a thumbs-up and started in that direction.

“Be careful in there, everyone,” Captain Morris’s voice crackled over the radio. “The place is a tinderbox. Watch your footing.”

I nodded and followed Robert, Ford, and Andy up the steps. My heart pounded with a mix of adrenaline and fear, the same way it always did when I entered a burning building. I took a deep breath and entered through the front door, which hung precariously on one hinge, swinging slightly as I brushed past.

Inside, the hotel was a labyrinth of dense, black smoke, and visibility was basically zero. The beam from my flashlight cut through the gloom, illuminating the charred remains of what had once been a grand foyer. The old furniture lay toppled and broken. It was soaking wet and covered in soot and ash. The heat was oppressive, pressing down on me like a physical weight.

I moved cautiously, my boots crunching on debris. The fire roared above me, and I could imagine it devouring the upper floors. I knew we needed to act fast. Each second counted in these situations, and if anyone was inside, we needed to find them fast because the structure’s stability was deteriorating by the minute.

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