Page 10 of Inferno

“There’s a firefighter…” How was she supposed to explain it? “I know him.” She gripped the wheel, flying through intersections. Just a few miles away. Was he all right? It was enough to convince her to pray. He believed. She believed. It was just that the knowledge never did her any good.

It never made her life better.

Faith didn’t change the fact that anytime she had something good, it was taken away.

Gone.

“Overtime money, and more time to convince you to give me her number?” Romeo paused. “We can check on your friend.”

Samantha didn’t respond to that. Right now she had to keep things tight, get herself in check. Going this fast she had to be far more careful than usual, or a quick trip could turn deadly before they even got to the scene.

A trickle of smoke scented air floated into the interior of the car.

When she turned the corner onto the street where the industrial district was packed together, the yellow glow of flames came into view.

The building had toppled in on itself.

“That’s bad,” Romeo said. “We need to get these people back. They might be looking to help, but they don’t have gear.”

Two more fire trucks turned the corner behind them. Samantha got out of the way and decided to just park here. They pulled on PD windbreakers and headed over. Romeo had the radio, and she pocketed her cell phone. Badge on her belt. Gun on her hip. As if any of it would protect her from flames.

That was his job.

Was he even here?

“Looking for your friend?”

She glanced at Romeo, walking beside her down the waterlogged sidewalk. They stepped over a fire department hose and came up to a crowd of about eight people. Two cops. “All right, everyone!” Samantha called out. “Back up, and keep going. We need to clear this area!”

Romeo started ushering people back.

“Sergeant!” She got the attention of the cop who ranked highest, at least so far. “Where do you want us?”

“We’ll get a barricade up. If you find anyone on this side of it, send them my way.”

“Copy that, Sarge.” She didn’t know him, just the uniform and the chevrons on his sleeves. But the fact she’d been ordered to have free reign of this side of the divider between civilians and first responders meant she could look for Julio.

There.

She spotted his truck, the commander on scene vehicle he drove. Captain over the trucks that had responded and the personnel who worked on them.

“Where are you, Julio?”

Never mind that she had no right to care. No right to walk in and demand an update from a bunch of firefighters she’d either never met or hadn’t spoken to in years.

Samantha walked around, looking for the fire department on scene commander. They were all working the scene—like these two disheveled firefighters pulling an older man from the rubble.

Someone yelled, “Get me airbags! We need to get this wall stabilized.” But it wasn’t him. It was a lieutenant.

She shouldn’t disturb them. There was more at stake here than her care for one man. Surely, he was all right.

You wouldn’t be that cruel, would You?

Months ago, she’d been trapped in a house. Julio had responded with firefighters and helped get her out.

She hadn’t seen him since.

Her stomach roiled. She checked her phone and decided to search for opportunistic civilians on her way to reconvene with her partner.

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