Page 28 of Too Much Heat

“He just finished lunch.”

“Who is it?” Sammy asked again from where he sat on the couch.

“Two firefighters,” Abe called out. He walked around the couch and Deluca followed him. Abe squatted down to eye-level. “Sammy, my name is Abe Pike. I’m a firefighter and a paramedic. We got a surprise for you.”

“What?”

Abe scanned the area. “Oh, good, you have a wheelchair.”

Danny added, “Which means we won’t have to carry you out.”

She saw Sammy’s face darken. “I don’t go out.”

“I gotta show you something.” Abe bent over and helped Sammy to stand and turn. “Lara, move. You’re blocking his view.”

When she stepped aside, Sammy looked out. “A…a firetruck.” He spoke the word with awe.

“Uh-huh. And we’re going for a ride.” He transferred his gaze to Lara. “A long one.”

“How’d you get the truck?” Sam asked.

“It’s one that was retired. They use it at the fire academy. Now, do you have to take care of any necessities?” Abe was matter of fact.

“Nope.”

“Do you wanna go with us?” Danny asked.

“Is the Pope Catholic?”

Danny grabbed the wheelchair, something Sammy hated to use. Abe got him right in and Danny pushed him out. They stopped in front of Lara. Abe ordered, “Say goodbye to your wife.”

Sammy smiled at her. She bit back the tears. She couldn’t remember the last time her husband smiled at her.

Chapter 5

Joe sat in his office, ready to spit nails. All the guys on his crew visited Lara during their break and had taken over care of her husband so she could have a respite each day. A couple of them took him out on a retired firetruck. He bet that had been fun for the guy.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want them to help her. It was that he didn’t provide it. He’d been trying to stay away from her, but he could have done something for her, too.

To add insult to injury, she’d brought in dinner that she’d made at home. The savory scent of lasagna baking wafted back to him. His stomach growled.

He called up next month’s schedule on the computer.

A loud noise.

The fire station shook.

His chair knocked back against the bookshelves. Something hit his head. “Ah….” He righted himself and bounded out of his office.

What the fuck? Danny laid sprawled out on the floor. Gage and Pike had slammed against the wall in the common room and seemed dazed.

When he saw fire bloom in the kitchen, he grabbed the fire extinguisher, sidestepped Danny and sprayed their stove. Once he’d doused the flames, he dropped down next to Danny, who was waking up. “W-what happened?”

“Lay still, buddy.” He checked the kid’s airways and found his breathing escalated, then ran his hands over his limbs. Nothing broken. When Danny started to get up again, Joe barked, “No, stay there for a minute. The stove exploded.”

“What?”

The tinny smell of burning metal combined with the sweet scent of Italian food was nauseating.

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