Page 19 of Rescued Duty

“What you’re doing with these kids is good, man.” Eddie’s face softened. “I heard Karson’s dad got into a brawl again at the pub Friday night.”

“These kids need a mentor. Someone who will believe in them.” Zack pulled over a chair, and the metal screeched along the floor. He sat down by the locker cubbies beside the open garage door. The outside air warmed the bay area. Zack understood the harsh realities of fending for yourself and not knowing who to trust, thanks to his upbringing in foster care after his parents’ death—first, in kinship foster care with his grandma, then in the system with a family he barely knew after his grandma’s move to a nursing home. “I don’t want any at-risk teens getting caught up in trouble. Not when they can be shown how to start out on the right path.”

“I get it.” Eddie shook his head. “Living in foster care is challenging. The road you’ve walked is all the more reason why you’re great with these kids.”

“Thanks, man.” Zack fist-bumped Eddie. The two had hit it off when he’d come to the firehouse. Partly because Eddie had been in foster care himself. Having another guy who could resonate with that life had deepened their friendship. “You don’t think it bothers the lieutenant?” Zack tapped his foot against the ground, his leg bouncing.

“Why would it?” Eddie raised an eyebrow.

“We are on shift right now. I already get the sense he thinks some of my choices are questionable.” Zack valued this team, and the thought of them seeing him as less than because of something he did or didn’t do gripped his chest. Like being in a room starved of oxygen with a faulty breathing apparatus.

“Bryce wouldn’t have said yes to you having these kids here if he didn’t respect you. You wouldn’t even be on the team.” Eddie shifted and stuck his hands in his pockets. “You don’t have todoanything to earn his approval, man.”

“Sure, but I don’t wanna do something that could jeopardize things, either.” Zack leaned forward in the chair and propped his hands on his knees.

“This doesn’t have anything to do with the hazmat training, does it?”

“Let’s just say it’s proving to be more complex than I anticipated.”

“You have to take it head-on, man. Don’t shrink back.”

Zack still needed to finalize some details for the festival so the boys knew what to do. He pulled out his phone and made a reminder to jot down his notes later. Okay, maybe hewasavoiding the report. Finding ways to do anything else but face the details of his parents’ deaths.

“Those kids,” Eddie said as he pointed at the boys cleaning the truck, “they’ve had a tough life. But you’re teaching them how to work as a team. To face the pain and conquer. You’ve got it in you, man.” Eddie jabbed a finger against Zack’s chest.“You’re not alone, either. Even if it takes longer than anticipated or you run into a few hiccups along the way, it doesn’t mean it was the wrong move.”

Zack appreciated Eddie’s input, but all it did was solidify that even with the right intentions, a choice could end up being a very,verywrong move.

Naya’s demeanor around him yesterday was proof of that. Even when he’d tried to do the right thing for her all those years ago and save the one thing that mattered most to her.

That red corded bracelet.

Zack had wanted to give her hope and hold up the promise he’d made. Instead, everything had gone haywire, and it’d not only cost him a friendship but brought the unwanted, hurtful opinions of others.

And just like these boys he was helping now, Zack had spent years of his life attempting to show people he had something valuable to offer and wasn’t just a troublemaker. That he wouldn’t just cause more problems for people.

The boys finished cleaning the truck, and after they left, he grabbed a granola bar from the kitchen and took his parents’ file from his bag. Zack sat on the couch, and this time, he flipped through the pages to read the findings in detail.

Kerosene accelerant located on site and around perimeter of house.

Outside doors barred shut.

Burn pattern and fire indicative of arson.

Zack inhaled and held his breath. This couldn’t be right. He ran his pen along each word again until it hovered over the last sentence.

Arson.

He circled the word. The red ink could have burned a hole through the page.

His parents hadn’t been the victims of a tragic accident.

Zack’s fingers tightened around the pen until his hand cramped.

They’d been murdered.

He closed his eyes, willing the images to stay at bay, but instead they engulfed every inch of territory, leaving no room for escape.

Powells’s red face and loud voice filled his mind. The fire chief back then had made one thing clear. Zack was to blame for the fire that burned his home down. If only he’d done his homework the first time and not needed to stay after school. If only he’d gotten home sooner.

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