Page 6 of Frosting and Flames

“Henderson. My office.”

Ah, shit.

I pause inventorying the PPE and follow Chief to his office, ignoring Mark’s look of pity directed my way. I’ve been dreading this meeting, but thought I’d have more time.

Chief takes a seat behind his polished wooden desk, folding his hands over his midsection, and calmly waits for me to take the seat opposite him.

I hate sitting in this chair. It reminds me of the first time I came here, fresh out of juvie and scared out of my mind about what he was going to make me do for my community service punishment.

“You want to tell me what happened this afternoon?”

I swallow hard. His voice is even, but there’s a glint in his eye I’m all too familiar with. “I wrote a report—”

“I read it,” he interrupts. “But what I want to hear about is the part where you responded to a call like a bat out of hell.No protective gear. No communication with your partner or dispatch. No tools. What were you thinking?”

My chin drops to my chest. “I wasn’t, sir. I’m sorry.”

He’s silent, waiting for more.

“I acted on instinct,” I continue haltingly. That terrible instant when Sydney said there was a fire at the bakery. Thinking Rachel was trapped in it. Needing more than anything to get there as soon as possible to check for myself that she wasn’t.

Even if it wasn’t logical.

Even if she hates me.

“I can’t explain it. When I heard it was the bakery, I…”

Words fail me.

Chief sighs, but remains quiet.

Even knowing it’s a tactic he uses to get others to talk, I can’t help asking, “Am I suspended?”

He gives a second sigh. “No, you’re not. If this happened anywhere but the bakery…”

He lets that hang in the air. He of all people knows how much I’ve tried to atone for my past.

“It won’t happen again, right?”

“Absolutely not.” I only have to make a mistake one time to learn from it.

He nods, as if the matter is settled. Thank God. I hate disappointing him. Even so…

“What’s my punishment?” There’s no way I’m off the hook that easy.

One side of his mouth lifts in the smallest grin. If I hadn’t worked with him for so long, I don’t think I’d have recognized it.

“Henry is leaving in a few weeks.”

That’s not news. Everyone knows he’s moving to Pittsburgh to be a captain at a station there. There’s not much room foradvancement here in Aurora. We’re lucky we have enough full-time staff as we do.

“Okay…” I’m not sure where he’s going with this.

“And he’s in charge of fundraising.”

My stomach drops. No. Oh, hell no. “You can’t be serious.”

“You know anyone else that can do it?”

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