Page 1 of Marked By the Broken Orc
Chapter 1
Mia
Istomp inside my apartment and close the door firmly behind me.
Ugh. That meeting with Fire Chief Jackson certainly didn’t go as planned.
Actually, that’s putting it mildly. It was a complete disaster. “We’ve decided to go with another candidate,” he’d said, not even meeting my eyes. “Someone with different qualifications.”
Different qualifications?What the heck does that even mean?
I kick off my shoes and place them on the nearby shelf, then stride barefoot into my small apartment, the safe space where everything has its place. My shoes go in the designated shelf by the door. My jacket is hung on the hook above and my purse on an accompanying peg.
I pull out my hair tie and shake my long brown hair loose, running my fingers through it to work out the tension. I glance at myself in the bathroom mirror, noting how tired and stressed I look. My skin has lost its glow.
Time for damage control.
I step out into my bedroom, take off my work clothes and pull on my favorite, cream-colored matching loungewear set. Now I feel a tiny bit better, but not much.
It’s days like this, when adulting is harder than usual, that I wish I had a cat to hug and kiss, but this apartment complex won’t accept pets. Also, my previous deployments through the National Guard left no time for a pet. But nowadays I find myself really wishing for a cat, or maybe even a boyfriend to come home to. The quiet of my own apartment used to be one of my greatest enjoyments in life, but lately it’stooquiet.
I’ve never had an actual boyfriend I could count on. There was never anyone I’d want to build some sort of lasting relationship with. But lately, maybe because I recently turned twenty-seven, I might be ready for something real.
I reenter the bathroom and pull out my biggest gun of calming self-care—a moisturizing face mask. Today’s stress calls for something more intense than the normal routine. I tie my hair back again and do a double cleanse of my skin, then apply thin sheets of my favorite Korean face mask, the familiar motions helping to calm my racing thoughts. As I position the sections of milky film across my face, I mentally review everything that led to this terrible moment where I thought I was getting the new open position as a firefighter at Station 19… but didn’t.
EMT certification with three years of field experience. Check.
National Guard service including two deployments. Check.
Self-defense instructor. Check.
Best marksman in the county, with the trophies to prove it. Check.
Born and raised in Spokane, knowing every street and back alley. Check.
So why the hell didn’t I get the job? I’d really thought I was going to get that position.
Finally, the mask is on as good as it’s going to get. Yes, I’ll look a bit ridiculous for the next four hours while this mask does its work, but it’ll be worth it in the end, leaving me with glassy skin by the evening. Seventeen different tubes of lip gloss stand in a row on the counter, but my favorite is the clear plumping one. I put some on, enjoying the small sting which lets me know it’s working.
I look in the mirror again and ask out loud this time: “Why didn’t you get that job, Mia? Why?”
I purse my lips, deciding honesty with myself is the best bet. To be truthful, most people in this town are afraid of me. I know my reputation.
“Mia Martin doesn’t mess around.”
“Don’t cross her unless you want to regret it.”
“She’s tougher than half the guys on the force.”
A secret smile spreads across my face. I love that last one.
But I’m not a monster. I care about helping people, I just go about my helping a little more ferociously than the next person. And I don’t back down and never accept less than I deserve. This firefighter position was supposed to be mine. Mine. I’ve been preparing for it for the last two years.
My phone buzzes with a text, and I grab it while applying more lip gloss out of habit.
Heard about the job. So sorry, babe. Let me know if you need anything. - Jess
Word travels fast amongst the first responders in our town. Especially when it involves the girl everyone expected to get hired. Well, obviously not everyone.
