Page 4 of Rescued Duty

As if on cue, the entire group began to stomp in unison. The bridge began to shake under their weight, and Naya grabbed the wooden railing for support.

“Have you talked with anyone at Ethos to set up a meeting?” Naya yelled, but Sylvia and Veronica were focused on rousing the crowd. She tapped Sylvia on the shoulder and kept a firm grip on the railing with her other hand.

The woman turned around and glowered. “What?”

“I don’t think this is a good idea.” Naya pointed to the wooden slats that held them on the bridge. With each stomp, the wood creaked, and some of the warped pieces from years of exposure to the elements began to buckle inward.

“If you’re not in the fight with us, you’re against us.” Sylvia narrowed her gaze and began to jump. “Take a stand!”

Soon the people were no longer stomping. Everyone was jumping.

Naya turned around to steady herself and make her way off the bridge. In her peripheral vision, Basuto and Ramble jogged over to the structure.

Ramble blew his whistle. “That’s enough. We need everyone off the bridge.”

Instead of complying, the amped-up group raised their voices and whistled back.

Basuto had his hand wrapped around his cuffs and made his way up the left side of the bridge. “Folks! Everyone off this bridge for your own safety!”

Naya slid her hand along the railing and squeezed past a few people. She ducked around signs some of the members thrust in the air. The chanting and jumping continued.

No one was listening.

The bridge gave an audible groan.

Naya stumbled sideways.

Her notepad and recorder flew out of her hand, and she grasped for the other part of the railing. Air whooshed around her. People’s screams pounded in her eardrums as the bridge gave way.

Naya’s grip on the railing slipped, and she pinched her eyes shut. She was about to fall to her death.

TWO

“Stephens. In my office.” Bryce popped his head into the kitchen at the firehouse. “We need to chat.” The man’s gruff voice boomed.

Zack’s muscles stiffened. Whatever conversation loomed, it would be from boss to employee, not friend to friend.

Zack shoved the rest of his midmorning chocolate donut in his mouth, then set his coffee cup down on the dining table.

Trace, one of the EMTs, slapped him on the shoulder. “Have fun, Trouble.”

Zack winced.

The rest of the guys sat around the table. “Who’s ready for another round?” Eddie fanned a pack of cards and shuffled the deck.

“I’ve got a strategy you can’t beat.” Izan, one of the firefighters, flexed his fingers.

The crew’s voices faded, and Zack walked down the hall to Bryce’s office. All he wanted was to be part of the team.

Once more, he wasn’t included.

He hated being pulled away from the guys. He didn’t want to be known as Trouble.

Still, he seemed to have a knack for finding it. Which meant once again, he needed to figure a way out of it. He didn’t have to hide that reality. God already knew. And He’d saved Zack from his mistakes. Made him a new creation. He didn’t have anything to prove to God, but he sure needed to earn the favor of the squad.

Zack hadn’t discovered how to solve that case. It was easier to rappel down the side of a building and save someone’s life than it was to insert himself for good as a member of the Last Chance County Fire and Rescue team.

Before he could reach Bryce’s office, the alarm echoed in the hall. “Sumner Bridge collapse. Civilians involved. Rescue 5, Truck 14, Ambo 21,” the dispatcher read.

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