Page 102 of The Firefighter's Fate

“I’ve got to go. It’s important.”

“And I’ll come with you.”

“No, you’ve got to rest, Ember.”

“You said you were going to get it done. What are you planning?”

“Stay here, Ember. Sleep. Relax. Don’t worry. You’re in the best place, with the best doctors available in the country.”

“Where are you going, Connor? Tell me.”

I stand up.

“Ember, I’ve got something I have to do,” I reply before I walk out of the door.

52

CONNOR

“This is where we’re going,” I tell my firefighting colleagues as we cross the street toward the skyscraper.

I smile as I look at my team as we stomp through the city. I can’t help it - we’re all wearing our Crystal River Fire Department uniforms, looking very much out of place in the middle of downtown surrounded by office workers in their fancy suits and ties. A few stop and gawk at the sight of us walking together.

We may seem ridiculous, but we’ve got hearts of stone.

They’re with me. No matter what.

I’ve given my crew a mission, and they’ll willingly complete it.

They know how important this is for me.

Our rowdy team of tall, imposing men march straight through the front doors of the skyscraper building and head for the elevators without a moment’s hesitation. We know what we’re doing. Two security guards rush up to us, attempting to block our approach, but we glare them down without breaking our stride. They scurry out of our way. They can’t stop us ten men, and they know it. We walk straight by them and into the elevator, completely ignoring all the worried looks from the receptionists and staff.

“You ready?” Eric asks me as our team cram into the elevator.

I press the button for the top level.

“I’m very ready, Eric. Especially with you all behind me.”

My team sternly nods in approval.

They have my back to the ends of the Earth. Guaranteed.

Moments later, we arrive at the top level.

To be honest, this has all been a hell of a lot easier than I thought it would be. I suspected we might’ve been stopped before we made it this far.

The elevator doors ding open, and we march on to this level, very much looking out of place in this luxury office space. There are cubicles with computer systems set up. Calendars and clocks on the walls. A big waiting room for guests.

Well, we ain’t waiting.

None of us have been here before, but we know where we’re going. We’ve planned ahead. We pass the secretary who just stares at us, openmouthed, and walk to the main office room.

I know we’ve only got a limited amount of time before police turn up. Someone surely has called them already. We’ve only got a limited amount of time to do what we’ve come here to do.

But I have the utmost faith in my fellow firefighters to get the job done.

This will be quick.

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