Page 56 of Controlled Burn
Dean didn't flinch. Didn't blink. But his stomach turned to lead.
"Are you?" Stark asked, watching him like a hawk. "Soft on her?"
"No, sir."
It came out clean. Flat. A good lie, delivered with the practiced detachment of a seasoned captain. Not defensive. Not heated. Just firm.
Stark nodded slowly. Not convinced, but not pushing—yet.
"You're a damn good officer, Maddox. But perception matters. You know that. You give them too much to talk about, and HR won't care if there's proof or not."
Dean gave a tight nod.
"Keep it clean," the chief warned. "Or it'll get messy fast."
He didn't go upstairs after dinner. Couldn't sit in the dayroom pretending things were fine.
Instead, he found himself in the bay again, leaning against the rig, arms folded, jaw tight. The space was cool and quiet. But the walls still felt closer than they used to; something had shifted—not just in the firehouse.
In him.
He was so far past the line, he wasn't even sure where it had been drawn.
He heard her before he saw her.
Talia's footsteps were soft, cautious. When she came into view, her hair was pulled back, eyes tired but steady. She looked like she hadn't slept. Like she'd held her breath all day—just like him. She was walking with Ryan, just a few steps behind. Dean felt something dark coil in his gut—a flash of jealousy, a pulse of possessiveness that had no place here. He had no right, but he couldn't help it.
"I didn't say anything," she said, voice barely above a whisper.
He didn't look at her. Not yet. But he nodded once.
"I know."
She stepped closer, careful not to touch, but he felt her like heat against his skin.
"You think it was Watts?"
"I know it was."
More silence. It stretched between them like a rubber band pulled too tight.
Talia's voice broke it, quiet but sharp. "You trust me?"
Dean finally turned and met her gaze. There was no hesitation in his answer. "More than anyone here."
Her throat worked. "Then don't let them hang me out to dry."
His jaw ticked. He looked at her like he wanted to say a hundred things and couldn't say one.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low and rough.
"I'd burn this whole station down before I let that happen."
And she believed him.
That was the problem.
Because Dean Maddox didn't make promises lightly.
