Page 2 of Protect

“All right.” Jack clears his throat as he checks his watch. “Time to get your shit together, boys. Let’s send Sup off right.”

Our crew utters various forms of “fuck yeah” and “for Sup.”

Cal turns to lead us in through the dark wooden double doors as our new captain. Jacob and I follow with Jack, Mae, and Violette close behind.

The moment our crew enters the building all eyes are on us.

I nod to Xander, Sup’s son, the moment I see him. He’s taking over as Sky Ridge’s Superintendent, effective immediately. The amount of people here to pay their respects to him, his brothers, and his mother is impressive.

Superintendent Macomb’s yellow helmet catches my eye at the front. It rests at the foot of the podium holding his urn.Xander’s mom stands beside it. I fight back the tears I know are coming as I wait patiently, willing myself to hold it together. Cal and Jacob shake Xander’s hand before I extend mine. He pats me on the shoulder as if to comfortme.

“I’m so fucking sorry, man,” I say. It’s all I can manage to get out while choking back tears.

“My dad loved you, King. He was proud of you and Jacob.” He calls me by my nickname, gulping back sorrow of his own. “You know what he’d say?” A hint of a smirk plays in Xander’s eyes even through his grief.

I fight the tears. “That I’m Rowan fucking Kingsley, and I should lock it up. Never let them see me sweat.”

“That’s right. You and Jacob are the new generation. He’d want you to be strong,” Xander says, already following more in his father’s footsteps than he realizes.

“I’ll do my best, Sup,” I tell him proudly, but his new title doesn’t sit right with me yet.

“It’s time to begin.” The minister from our local church approaches us, gesturing to the seating area to our left.

I nod before moving on with our entire crew to take our seats. The first two rows are a sea of yellow and green.

Christ, this is only my second season. I can’t help but wonder how many more of these memorials I’ll have to attend over my career. I can’t help but wonder if one of them will be for me.

Our job isn’t for the faint of heart. We know the risks, but we take them with pride. I look around at my brothers, silently vowing to do everything in my power to protect each and every one of them, or fucking die trying.

PRESENT

I stare up at the ceiling, singing the theme song to Hollie’s favorite TV show in a fading whisper for the twentieth time tonight, willing her to fall asleep. After a few minutes, I’m pretty sure the twentieth time’s the charm because her pretty blue eyes finally close. Her blonde curls settle against her pillow in tufts as I carefully watch her adorable little features, assessing the best time to make my escape.

We moved back to Sky Ridge almost a month ago and it’s taken her this long to settle into a new bedtime routine. In her almost four years on this earth, Hollie has always been an incredible sleeper. I swear this child loved to lie down in her crib every night, cuddle in with her favorite stuffed animal, and driftoff to dreamland. But one thing my Hollie doesn’t like is change—at all.And the last year has brought us a lot of that.

I half roll off the toddler-size bed she sleeps in like a stealthy mom ninja and raise the guard rail, praying it doesn’t do the squeaky thing it does sometimes and wake her up. Some nights I pass out with her but tonight I have to go to work, which is, truthfully, the last thing I want to do. After only two weekends I’m still not quite used to moonlighting at my parents’ bar.

Did I picture myself slinging drinks for extra cash in the town watering hole at twenty-eight? Not a chance, but here we are. The thing is, I can’t even use the excuse that it’s to help my parents out, because it’s not. It’s to helpmeout. They were the ones gracious enough to let me work alongside their regular bartender Lou on the weekends for some extra cash.

Thankfully, it’s not my only source of income. I’m also a nurse in the burn unit at Bakersfield Hospital, which is ironic, since fire and trauma are two of the reasons I left this town in the first place.

But oddly enough, working with burn victims over the last month has been sort of cathartic for me. My mother is convinced it will heal me of my emotional scars. I’m not quite sure if I buy that.

My career in nursing, unlike my bartending job, rewards me richly, but even with the child support I receive from my ex, things are a little tight having to pay for pricey daycare and what’s left of my student loans. Sky Ridge, Washington is known to have a high cost of living to begin with, but in the nice, sought after area of town I wanted to raise Hollie in, homes have skyrocketed.

Our house at the corner of Pine Street and Maple is a 1920s one floor craftsman that cost me a small fortune, so the more tips the better. Hence my outfit tonight—my tightest, faded blue jeans and a ribbed white tank top that bears our pub’s nameShifty’sand shows a generous amount of cleavage. Ten years ago, I never would’ve been comfortable wearing something like this in public, but now I’ve grown proud of my curves and even feel confident showing them off a little. So, if a bit of cleavage helps my savings account, I’m here for it.

I hold my breath as I back out of Hollie’s doorway, standing frozen for a few seconds just to make sure she’s actually sleeping.

I fluff my long, golden-brown waves around my shoulders, thankful I got ready for work earlier so I wouldn’t have to do it after Hollie fell asleep.

As I wander through my house picking up toys, I listen to the local news running on the TV. They’ve been covering thePinafore Creek Fires, a series of wildfires burning in the mountains outside of Spokane for days. Normally, I’d shut it off, but I’m in such a hurry to tidy up before my parents get here to watch over Hollie, I just let it run.

“The Sky Ridge Hotshots, Central Washington’s own Type 1 shot crew shared video footage of their fireline that redirected the Pinafore Creek fire from jumping into an unprotected conservation area. Which in turn, stopped the fire from spreading to an upscale neighborhood beyond the mountain late Saturday afternoon. The crew has been working with other crews from Arizona and Wyoming and they’ve managed to dig a line that Superintendent Xander Macomb says ultimately helped to bring the rapidly growing and potentially deadly wildfire under control. Just seeing the footage today has helped put nearby residents' minds at ease.”

I flinch involuntarily at the reporter’s words as I finish tidying. The familiar tight spread of anxiety creeps up my throat, the same feeling I’ve willed myself to push past, countless times since my twin brother Jacob’s tragic death almost five years ago. Sky Ridge’s deadliest summer to date. Two crew members, oneseason. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to take a deep breath, centering myself and willing the feeling away.

Tears are for another day, I tell myself repeatedly until the tightness subsides.

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