Torch (Take It Off #1)(42)
Author: Cambria Hebert

But they did.

“So are you going to finish telling me about your job?” I said, clearing my throat and attempting to get back to a less mind-shattering conversation.

“I volunteered for years. Then when I graduated high school, I went through fire training, CPR training, basic medical training, fire safety training, and did a lot of physical work to get myself into shape. When I finished all that, the WPD called and offered me a job with them.”

“You worked really hard.”

“I guess when it’s something you love, it doesn’t feel like work.”

I nodded. I understood because that’s the way I felt about books.

“So when did you become the fire chief?”

His expression turned grim. “About a year ago.”

I leaned farther into the table so I didn’t miss anything he was about to say.

“We got called out on a nasty fire. Some old building that sat out on the edge of town. By the time we got there, the place was a wreck. The flames were so high and bright it was insane. We got to work, trying to put out the flames, but it seemed like no matter what we did, it just kept burning stronger.” His eyes were far away and I could tell he was lost in the memory of that day.

“We finally managed to dim the flames on one side of the building. Most of the exterior was gone by that point so the chief and a couple guys moved in a little farther because it seemed like there was something going on we didn’t quite understand. Just as they moved closer, what was left of the building exploded.”

I put a hand up to my mouth, gasping lightly.

“Debris went everywhere, men went down, and the chief… he was pinned beneath a flaming piece of timber.”

“Then what happened?”

“It all happened really fast. I just started moving, you know? I went on autopilot just doing what I thought needed to be done. I instructed the other men to help me drag the injured guys over by the truck and administer what first aid they could. I called for backup and an ambulance and instructed the other men to just keep spraying. I knew whatever had been inside was destroyed, so the fire might be containable at that point.

“What about the chief?”

“He was still pinned. At first I thought he was dead… but then I saw him move, little jerks of pain because he was being burned in the fire.”

I remembered the overwhelming fear of thinking I was going to burn to death, of the way the smoke smothered my lungs and I thought I was going to choke and expire. I remembered the way my skin felt, the intense rush of the burn, the all-consuming pain that chased away all reason. I stared down at my bandaged wrists, imagining the horror of lying there burning, knowing the pain wouldn’t stop until I was dead.

“I grabbed an extinguisher and rushed toward the worst of the flames, creating a sort of path to his body. Then I sprayed him and the beam, completely coating everything around us. I probably shouldn’t have picked him up, but it was that or let the fire completely overtake him. He screamed when I touched him. It was the kind of scream I never want to hear again. Thankfully, as we were moving, he passed out.”

“You saved his life,” I murmured, then looked up. “He did survive, didn’t he?”

“Yes, he did. He suffered extensive burns, but he lived.”

“How horrible.”

“When I went to see him in the hospital a few weeks later, I was a little afraid he would be mad at me for saving him. I mean, because of me he was sitting in a hospital bed covered in bandages and in the kind of pain that I wouldn’t even wish on my worst enemy.”

“Was he mad?”

He smiled. “When I got to his room, there was a girl about the age of ten sitting on the end of his bed, reading him a book about horses. When he saw me, he told her to go get an ice cream, and when she was gone, he…”

“He what?” I demanded.

“He thanked me. He told me even though he was in the worst pain of his entire life and he had months of recovery ahead of him, he was grateful to be alive.”

“How is he today?”

“He’s doing good. He’s still recovering, but he’s come a long way. He retired with full honor and spends a lot of time with his family now.”

“So they made you fire chief,” I finished for him, my heart swelling with pride.

“I didn’t want the job at first, but they were persistent and the other guys they asked refused the job because they all said I earned the title.”

“You did.”

He shrugged and took a heaping bite of pancake.

“You’re very humble for a guy with such a big head.”

He laughed.

While we finished eating, something occurred to me. “Let me guess,” I began. “You were in the process of getting a divorce when all this happened. Then your ex decided she didn’t want to be your ex after all.”

“How’d you know?”

“Oh, I don’t know, by the way she acted like she owned you the other day.”

“Well, she doesn’t. Taylor and I are over. We have been for a very long time.”

“She seems pretty persistent.”

He snorted. “She doesn’t really want me. I don’t make that much more now than I did before my promotion. She just wanted the prestige of my title.” He rolled his eyes. “Once she got a look at my bank statement, she would change her mind again.”

“Money isn’t everything.”

He looked up and his face softened. “Yeah, I know.”

“Speaking of money,” he said and reached into the pocket of his cargo shorts to pull out the card Mr. Goddard gave him. “Are you going to call him and arrange a time to talk?”

“I don’t know what to do,” I confided, staring off across the restaurant. I noticed the blond woman now had a plate of food in front of her, but she wasn’t eating because she had her cell phone pinned to her ear.

“Can I tell you what I think?”

“Please.”

“I think you should call him, meet with him later today, and sign the papers. You can take your time deciding if you want to keep the money, but at least this way it will all be in your name.”

I puzzled over his words. “Why does that matter?”

“Because once it’s all in your name, it’s not fair game for anyone else.”

I leaned across the table and spoke quietly. “So you think once I take it, whoever’s trying to kill me will stop?”