Page 4 of Heart of a Hero

And as I gathered the little girl in my arms, then secured her to my back, I knew this was my calling… the one thing I was meant to do. I used the rope to climb back to the rooftop and handed the little girl off to Evan.

“Where’s the woman?” he asked.

“I’m going back for her. Get the girl out of here.”

Evan shook his head. “Not leaving you behind.”

I didn’t argue with him. Didn’t have the time to do so. I went back down and through the window again, this time getting the woman out of the burning building. The flames had already traveled across the carpeted floor and I knew even a second later, they’d have been blistering her skin. As it was, she might very well have burns from the heat.

The flames licked at us as I shielded the woman with my body. I went back up the rope, and as I looked up, I saw Evan’s frantic expression. That’s when I noticed the fire already trying to eat through the rope. It wasn’t going to hold. Making a drastic decision, I climbed faster, and when I thought I was close enough, I grabbed the woman’s arm.

“I need you to let go,” I shouted over the raging fire.

She shook her head. “No.”

“I’m going to toss you up to him. This rope is about to burn through.”

Her eyes widened, and her grip loosened enough for me to put my plan into action. I wrapped the rope around my leg and used my other to secure my hold. Keeping one hand on the top of the rope, I swung the woman up toward Evan.

He leaned over the rooftop, his fingers grasping at her hand. Once he’d grabbed hold, I let go of her. I watched as he pulled her onto the rooftop, and then I looked at where the flames were eating through the rope already.

Time was up.

I kicked the rope free of my feet, holding it in both hands now. Then I walked sideways to my left a few steps. Calculating the distance between my current location and the nearest window at the next building, I decided it was now or never. I ran, my feet pushing against the building until I reached the end, and then I was soaring through the air. The building was within reach, when the rope snapped.

My heart pounded in my chest, and I heard a roaring in my ears, as I started to fall. Thanks to my momentum and mass, I had just enough of an arced trajectory that I managed to grab hold of a windowsill on my way down. My shoulder screamed at me, and I grabbed hold of the bricks with my other hand.

Just as my grip was starting to slip, the window jerked up and another firefighter looked down at me.

“You going to hang out all day, or come inside?” He smirked.

“Fuck you. Get me the hell inside the building.”

He helped me over the windowsill and into what appeared to be someone’s bedroom. “We vacated this building and the one on the other side of the inferno. Not taking chances of a spark catching.”

“Good. Now let’s get down to the ground so the captain can chew my ass out.”

He snorted. “Damn right he will!”

In the stairway, I spotted Evan with the woman and child. Their faces were streaked with soot, but at least they were alive. I straightened, the weight of what we’d just accomplished hitting me like a ton of bricks. Everyone else had given up on them. If I hadn’t ignored the captain, these two would be dead right now.

I took a moment to catch my breath, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. The little girl saw me and rushed toward me, throwing her arms around my waist in a tight hug. “Thank you, Mr. Fireman.”

I crouched down to her level, gently pulling back to look her in the eyes. By all rights, she should be crying and terrified. But I didn’t see any of that when I looked at her. This one had nerves of steel, even though she didn’t look to be more than four or five.

“You were so brave,” I told her, my voice filled with admiration. “You did everything just right.”

She beamed up at me, her smile bright despite the soot smudged across her face. Her mother stepped forward then, her eyes brimming with tears. “I don’t know how to thank you. You saved our lives.”

I shook my head, suddenly feeling self-conscious under the weight of her gratitude. “I was just doing my job, ma’am. Anyone else would’ve done the same.”

Evan snorted, and I knew he disagreed. But these two didn’t need to know I’d defied orders and rushed to save them. Even though they risked their lives every day, not one single man had dared go against the captain’s orders. Except me. If I hadn’t run into this building to access the one on fire, then no one would have dared to go after the two trapped in the flames. But they’d followed me, not wanting to leave a brother behind.

It was just who I was, who I’d always been. The son of a Dixie Reaper, born and raised to put others before myself. To run toward the danger, not away from it. My dad’s club might not be on the right side of the law, but I’d grown up watching him save people. Not in any conventional sense, but he’d still made a difference in the lives of quite a few women and children. And I was damn proud of him for it.

We made our way down to the ground. The rest of my team was already there, their faces a mix of relief and awe as they clapped me on the back.

“Hell of a stunt you pulled up there, Kane,” the captain said. “Thought for sure we were gonna be scraping you off the pavement.”

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