Page 2 of Flame Kissed

Sierra’s mug was a much simpler affair. It was a deep forest green with a dark brown geometric pattern etched into it.

Leilani moved her now full cup out of the way. “What’d you want?”

“Mocha?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks again.” Sierra bumped their shoulders together.

“It’s a cup of coffee, but since you’re also standing here I don’t think I’m saving you any time or effort.”

“You hit the button. That’s a lot of work.”

She chuckled and the pair drifted into easy conversation as they moved from the kitchen to sit on one of the countless sofas.

Suddenly, the pleasant conversation was cut off by the siren blaring. The sharp, high sound sliced through the air, bright white lights strobing from their spots on the walls.

Everyone sprang into action.

Leilani was on her feet, pulling on her equipment, ears straining to hear the captain’s orders over the sound.

She picked up Captain Hallie Hunter’s brisk voice. She was clearly taking point on this one.

“Everyone get into number seventeen! We’ve got to get to Waterfront Road, stat!”

Leilani loaded in the back with the other firefighters plus the captain. The engine sped out of the station, lights flashing, sirens blaring. Cars parted for them as they raced past.

Captain Hunter called them all to order, briefing them on the situation. “Alright team, we’ve got a difficult situation on our hands. There’s a small yacht a few miles off the coast and it’s going down and fast from the sound of it. The water’s choppy so its going to be rough sailing out there. The only good thing is it sounds like there’s only one person on the ship. Our goal is to get her out of there as fast and safely as possible. There’s backup coming, but they’re at least ten minutes behind us.”

Leilani listened closely, nodding along. It was a good thing she was with them today—water rescues were her specialty. It was the whole reason they paid for her to relocate to the bustling city with ocean on one side and the desert on the other. The air in the vehicle grew heavy and tense the closer they got to the stormy shoreline. No one could ignore the dark, sinister clouds gathering fast and heavy on the horizon, blocking out the pale blue sky with their weight.

The second the truck parked at the dock, everyone was on their feet. They made their way onto the waiting rescue boat with silent efficiency. Amara, one of the other firefighters, hopped behind the wheel and they raced away from the dock. No one said much as they cut their way through the choppy water.

The water was as dark as the night sky as it slammed against the side of the rescue boat. They had maybe an hour to get there and back before the storm would be on them. Once that happened, they’d be at risk of needing a rescue themselves.

They had to act fast.

Then there it was. The yacht was a bright white hunk of metal, like some kind of unnatural iceberg stabbed into the water against the blurring darkness of sea and sky. The situation was even worse than Leilani had expected.

“Everyone get ready,” Captain Hunter said.

Leilani sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of the boat. It was leaning heavily to the right, side railing brushing against the encroaching water line. When the waves rose, they crashed over the deck, causing the ship to bob and rock precariously in the water. They couldn’t see anyone on board, but it was clear that if someone was on board, they didn’t have long before the boat went under.

Dread fell over Leilani. They had to act fast.

Captain Hunter’s face twitched for just a moment, before a mask of professionalism took over. She let out a deep breath, springing to her feet. “Alright, everyone, the situation is worse than we were expecting. Once the helicopter?—”

Helicopter! How could she even think about waiting? Not to mention there was no guarantee the helicopter would even be able to get close enough to help with how bad the weather was getting.

“There’s no time,” Leilani cut her off, shaking her head. “If we wait for them, it’ll be too late.”

“What do you suggest, Silva?” Before the words were out of the captain’s mouth, Leilani was already on her feet, pulling off her heavy equipment. Leilani appreciated that Captain Hunter was always willing to listen to the expertise of others.

She paused for a moment to shoot her a tight smile. “There’s only one thing we can do. I’m going in there.”

“Hold on a second! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is, Silva?”

“If I don’t, then she will die. You know how strong of a swimmer I am. I can do this. I promise.”

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