Page 18 of Judgments of Fire and Desire

“Mm hmm. Talk to you later, gorgeous.”

I ended the call and held the phone to my chest.

“Who got you in here screaming like that?”

I looked up to see fellow firefighter Bransford standing over me. He irritated my soul at times. The man always thought he was over somebody. We were ranked the same, but he was always trying to tell me what to do. “Sounds like you’re all in my business.”

He lifted his hands in a surrendering motion, although I knew he was doing everything but that.

“I’m just saying. Brother betta be careful. You may have more testosterone than him.”

I rolled my eyes as I shot him the finger. I stood from the couch to head to my bunk.

“You heard about the chief?” he asked.

I turned back to him. “Yeah, I heard. He’s done a remarkable job, especially at this station. So I’m sure we’ll be planning a retirement party once he makes it official.”

“Mm hmm. I’m gunning for that position though. I think I can take this precinct to the next level.”

I frowned, and I didn’t have the slightest idea how he thought he would do that. “I’m going for it too,” I said, shocking myself.

His eyebrows lifted. “Even after I told you I was going for it, you’re still gonna try to get it?”

“Yeah. I don’t owe you anything. You’re a chauvinistic asshole, Bransford. I have your back in the field because it’s my job. That’s the only reason.”

He brought his hand to his chest and dropped his head. “Damn. That hurt, Farris.”

I rolled my eyes again as he chuckled. “Well, I hope you ready for battle. I’m a marine, and I’m a winner. I fight dirty too.”

“Well, since the mayor is under fire right now, I suppose the mayor pro tem will be appointing who he deems best. Good luck.”

With that, I walked off. He was pretending to be playful with me, but I knew he was just as serious as I was. If I didn’t get the appointment, then I would pray that the city council wouldn’t confirm him. He wasn’t fit to lead. He had too many prejudices. Besides thinking women were inferior, he also felt that way about minorities and people younger than him. He was just an arrogant asshole, kind of what people described Kyrie to be.

I smiled as I thought of him. When I entered our bunk space, I noticed Micah wasn’t in bed. When I heard her coughing and something hitting the toilet water, I turned my lip up. While I could handle some of the most gruesome injuries, there was something about vomit that turned my stomach inside out.

When the toilet flushed and the water came on, I relaxed a bit, hoping she was done. I wondered what caused her to regurgitate that way. My mind quickly switched gears though. I knew the mayor pro tem. We went to the same church. While I didn’t see him to be biased, it couldn’t hurt to mention it once the chief formally announced his retirement. There was no way I would reveal that to Bransford though. He would be sure to make it seem like I got the appointment unfairly.

I deserved that position, and I didn’t come to that realization until he said he wanted it. If he thought he was qualified to lead, IknewI was qualified. I actually cared about the citizens I tookan oath to protect. He was all about seeing his name in lights. He was a firefighter for all the wrong reasons, and I could only hope AJ Williams saw that when he was considering someone for the appointment.

Micah came out of the restroom, looking completely drained. “Girl, you okay?” I asked, standing from my bed to help her to hers.

“Yeah. I think that Chinese messed me up. That Kung Pao Chicken is doing just what its name suggests.”

I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing. She was really feeling bad. Hopefully, we didn’t get called out. I would pick up her slack tomorrow, cleaning equipment, if she still felt bad. After lying down, she said, “Thanks, Genesis. Hopefully, I can sleep this off and that chicken can stop practicing its kung fu skills.”

I slowly shook my head as I covered her with the blanket. Going back to my bunk, I saw my screen lighting up. When I saw Kyrie’s name, I smiled. He was supposed to be asleep. Opening the message, I smiled bigger. It was a picture of him lying on a pillow, covered with a gray pillowcase. His eyes were low, as if he were about to fall asleep at any moment, and his lips looked moist as hell.

I took a deep breath, then lay in bed, still staring at his picture. Exiting out of the message, I pulled up the camera app and took a picture of myself in the same position as he was in, then sent it to him. I then sent kissy face emojis and plugged my phone up to the charger. After setting it on the nightstand, I closed my eyes with visions of Kyrie’s face lulling me into a sweet rest.

“How did you know I like seafood?” I asked Kyrie after kissing his lips.

He shrugged. “I had no clue. I just figured you could appreciate good food.”

I met him here at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, and my stomach was so happy. I could barely contain my excitement. This was actually my favorite seafood spot in Beaumont. There were other places that I enjoyed, but this place was top-tier. The food was always delicious.

Kyrie grabbed my hand as the hostess led us to our table. Once we were seated, I could see a few eyes on us. Kyrie stretched his hands across the table, and I slid my hands to them with a smile on my face. He smiled in return, but I could tell that smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“How have things really been since I last saw you?” I asked.

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