Page 177 of Controlled Burn
Her face burned. Her throat closed.
For one sick second she thought it was her.
She didn’t watch the rest. She just stood there, shaking—helpless, horrified for her friend.
And then the fear turned to fire.
Hastings
Jake was in his driveway, hose in hand, steaming over rejection when the link hit the crew chat.
He opened it immediately. Didn’t blink.
It was all there.
Bay floor. Decon room. Bunkroom camera.
Talia’s body, bent at angles he’d memorized in fantasy.
Dean’s hand in her hair.
The footage cut deep. Not because of what he saw—
But because it wasn’t him.
She never looked at him like that.
Jake’s jaw locked. Blood roared in his ears. He closed the video, but not before saving a copy.
He wasn’t done yet.
Brooks (again)
He watched the fallout unfold in real time.
Social media threads detonating. Fire blogs swarming. News sites running with the clips before official statements could catch up.
Brooks cracked his knuckles, leaned back in the motel chair, and laughed.
They were panicking.
Bleeding.
Exactly as they should.
Because he wasn’t just some creep in the shadows anymore.
He was the match.
And the firehouse?
It was already burning.
News Anchor – Local 13 WVB
“Good evening. Our top story tonight: fallout from a firehouse scandal rocking the Bay City Fire Department.
Viral surveillance footage leaked early this morning appears to show multiple intimate encounters involving a rookie firefighter and her superior, sparking concerns over abuse of power, workplace ethics, and surveillance within public safety facilities.
