Page 152 of Set Me On Fire

“Personal emails,” the officer conceded. “To find further fuel to harass your fellow firefighters as an act of retribution. You went straight from the station admin office to verbally abuse Mr. Taylor, making deeply offensive statements about Ms. McDonald. Do I have that right?”

Dave looked around, searching for someone to step in, back him up, but none were forthcoming, so he had to speak up for himself. Of course, that just put him further into the shit.

“Well, if she wasn’t such a little slut, banging three dudes?—”

“That’s enough.” The department lawyer had gone to interject, but before he could say a word, the chief officer shut him down. “There is nothing in my job description that empowers me to make moral judgements about what does or does not go on in the homes of the men that work here, unless it is criminal in nature.”

“And banging three dudes at the same time isn’t?” Dave snapped.

“No.” The lawyer shook his head. “I did a deep dive into the laws surrounding this in Australia, and while polygamist marriage is illegal, all other activities between consenting adults are of no interest to the government or the department.”

“Then I only have one decision to make,” the chief officer said. Dave began to splutter, seeming to know what was coming, but he was silenced with a dark look. “You’ve had a track record of sexual harassment, something that the fire service takes a very dim view of indeed. The fact you were given two chances to change your ways confounds me, but here we are.”

The man shoved a set of papers towards Dave.

“These are your severance papers. You are not fit to be a member of our organisation, and I think you’ll find that the other states take a very dim view of employing men who’ve been removed from the service. It’s time to think about a new career.” The officer shot him a tight smile. “Around your upcoming court appearance.”

This wasn’t the only hearing Dave would attend. I’d quizzed Brent, wanting to make sure that the police were informed of Dave’s breach of Millie’s privacy, but he’d talked to themthe same day it happened. Apparently, he was taken from the station in cuffs, his nose still bleeding from Noah’s punch.

“This is bullshit!”

Dave sent his severance papers flying, but as we all rose to our feet, he knew. He could argue with the department lawyer all he liked, but he didn’t have a leg to stand on, which probably explained the lack of legal support.

“Off you go, Davey boy,” Charlie said, all of the contempt we both felt in his voice. He flicked his hand in the prick’s direction when Dave looked our way. “Time to go wee, wee, wee all the way home.”

“Yeah? Least I don’t have to go home to some tunnel cunt bitch.” Dave didn’t seem to register the aggressive sounds of every other man in the room, staring at us all, rebellion in his eyes. “After she has that kid, it’d be like throwing a hot dog down a hallway.”

“You seem really focussed on what and who Millie is banging,” Charlie said, his grin growing wider. That flash of his teeth was almost lupine. “Is that because you can’t find a girl to touch you in your special place? Or because you’ll probably end up giving hand jobs to some dude called Bubba if you end up in jail?”

Dave lunged at Charlie, Brent and the chief officer shouting for everyone to stand down, but Charlie? He was completely in control. If he could just get Dave to swing first, he’d be in the clear to give the prick the beating he deserved.

And I prayed Dave would.

There was a violence in me that I kept tamped down, but right now, it was a feral animal, fighting to get free. I sucked in one breath, then another, waiting for Dave to make his move. Instead, he jerked himself away, the snorts around the room making clear that people saw him for what he was. A small man, a pathetic one, and now, one without a career. He wasn’t worthmy anger, my attention, anything. He was defanged, and now he’d be sent on his way.

“Get the fuck out of my station,” Brent snapped and that had my eyebrows rising. He almost never swore. “Only firefighters belong in this room, and I don’t know what the hell you are, but you have no place here.”

Dave thought someone would stand up for him, I saw that in his eyes as he scanned the room, but when no one did, not even his team. That was when the light inside him died. Never had I been gladder to see it. Let him slope off, rejected from every job he applied for when he was forced to explain what he had done.

“He’s not worth it,” I said, smacking my hand into Charlie’s chest.

“But it’d feel so damn good to punch his teeth down his throat,” he growled.

“Better than going home to Millie?” I asked. “Better than telling her the news?”

That was the thing about Charlie. He moved on quickly, and this was the moment when he grinned at me.

“Nothing’s better than being with my girl.”

“So, it's’done?”

The four of us were walking along the beach, Buster roaming off ahead, looking for sticks. Well, we were walking, Noah was hobbling along as best he could. His physiotherapist had approved a gentle exercise program.

“It’s done.” I pulled Millie closer, unable to describe the feeling of satisfaction I felt, but I’d try. “They kicked him out of the fire service, so that’s pretty much a death sentence for his career. Then there’s the fact he’ll have a criminal conviction against his name once he has his day in court.”

“Maybe he’ll represent himself again, the muppet.” Charlie shook his head. “I half hope he does, just so the judge can throw the bloody book at him.”

“He’s not likely to see jail time.” Noah winced then came to a stop. We all took that as a sign the walk was over. I whistled to Buster who came running back, a massive stick in his mouth. “I haven’t had much to do, so I’ve been looking things up. He’ll probably get a fine, maybe a good behaviour bond.”

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