Upon her crew’s return, the majority started their nightly workout as the rest went back to the video game. She really shouldn’t have agreed to let the game enter the station house, but they had been so insistent and promised it wouldn’t take over. At the time she couldn’t see any harm. The only problem was that instead of working out some of the people were playing the game, which soon they would discover wouldn’t cut it. Physical fitness tests were coming up the next month and Addison was positive Collins would have to be put on probation; sadly one of the other in question was Max.

  Hours and mountains of paperwork later, Addison was lying in the quiet room where the beds were located, staring out the window at the far end of the wall. She couldn’t sleep. It was as if she was waiting for something to happen. There was a disturbance in her usually even keeled life and it was making ripples far bigger than she expected or could deal with properly.

  When the bell and radio sounded, she was happy for the distraction. That was until she listened.

  House fire. 2847 Oxford Avenue. Six residents. All engines requested.

  Charging down the stairs, Addison grabbed her gear and made for her truck as her employees copied her moves. There was no lag because of sleeplessness, and there were no moments of pause to yawn. Everyone was up and ready to go, and the two engines were out of the garage in a minute eighteen flat. She was proud.

  The lights on the vehicles parted the seas of cars in their way as she trailed closely behind. Following the smoke in the sky and the unnatural glow from the flames, they found their way. Addison took a deep breath as she stepped out and took charge of the scene. There were already police on location, and she had to shove them off to do crowd control while her people moved in to put out the flames.

  Two firefighters entered the burning house, only to come back with nothing other than scorched and dead bodies. Setting the dead on the tarp the medics brought, they started to count them. Addison looked down to see the tiny body of a child and closed her eyes wishing that it could be something else.

  Max radioed to her, “I don’t think there’s anyone else.”

  “Neighbors said four kids, two adults. There’s only two of each.”

  “It’s too hot.”

  She watched him emerge through the wide open front door with Horace close behind. They exited and made their way to the back of the medic’s vans to be checked out. Addison was bouncing in her shoes and staring at the house that was still flaming. There was little that she could do but wait. The building was a complete loss. She glanced at James who stood beside her, eyes glued on the house.

  James had her helmet and mask on and looked at Addison. “She’s in there.”

  “Who’s in there?”

  “Lily.”

  Addison didn’t blink. She knew it was the truth. Not only because she had driven by the house only hours before, but because she could hear what the girl was thinking, knew exactly what Lily was feeling as she stood in the flames.

  “I know.”

  “She’s alive.”

  Addison’s eyes grew wide when she realized James was walking toward the building. “Damn it! James, stop!”

  James wasn’t listening.

  She walked straight through the door and into the fiery building knowing that she needed to find the girl. Addison tried the radio, her hand shaking as she called out. She turned suddenly when her voice blared behind her and she saw James’ radio and half her equipment lying against the engine wheel. Gritting her teeth, she stared at the door after ordering Collins to gear up and go in after James.

  Entering the broken doorway, James scanned the small house and her heart beat fast. She struggled to see where the rooms were, everything was alight with an eerie glow. Taking few precarious steps, she saw Lily standing just off in the kitchen. Lily’s dark eyes were waiting for James and her hands clutched the stuffed bear against her chest.

  James knelt low to the ground, her arms wide open and Lily ran into them. Lifting with her legs, she made for the exit and outside where the medics were. Stepping up to the last gurney, she set the girl down, but Lily didn’t want to let go. James had to struggle to release the tight grip on her neck. Pulling her mask off, she looked for injuries.

  “You’ll be fine, it’s okay.”

  Lily stared, her form jarringly still compared to the moments before.

  “It’s okay, the nice paramedic here is going to take care of you.”

  The child’s hand twisted into James’ and she squeezed her fingers tightly.

  “Nothing bad is going to happen, it’s okay.”

  The child opened her mouth, raspy and deep words were spoken with a quiet and demanding air about them, “Don’t leave me.”

  James’ brow furrowed as the paramedics ushered Lily into the back of the ambulance and she was taken to the hospital. James turned back to her boss and she didn’t wait for the lecture to start. Heading the engine she arrived in, she stayed there until she could be taken back to the station.

  Chapter Five

  Everyone was back at the station, and the crew was lounging around on the couches. The mood was somber enough that James felt as though it would never lift. Five people were dead. It was rare that people died when they worked, and rarer still that children died. With these five and the two previous that week, the month was off to a bad start. James collapsed against the fluffy couch and covered her eyes, the smell of smoke slinking off her body and into the cushions where it would stay for days.

  Max moved to sit next to her, his hand rubbing the curve of her back. Her head was resting in her hands, and she did not want to look up.

  “Leave me alone, Max,” she growled out.

  “I’m here for you, just so you know that.”

  He said it every time she lost someone, every time the station was quiet and the mood heavy.

  “Nothing to be here for.”

  Max remained where he was until she drew in a deep breath and it rattled out like she was going to cry. His voice carried over to her on a half whisper.

  “You were amazing tonight. You saved that little girl.”

  “She shouldn’t have lived.”

  “You saved her, J. Hold onto that.”

  James turned to face him. Her eyes were red and tired, her hair smelled, her body had dried sweat all over it, and she glared.

  “That was Lily, Max. Don’t tell me I saved her. She shouldn’t have been there. She shouldn’t have survived. That house was gone and yet there’s not a scratch on her. Explain it to me.”

  “I can’t.”

  “That’s right you can’t.” She stood up and turned to face him down. “I pulled that little girl from a burning house twice now, in just as many years. That does not happen naturally. I guarantee you that when the arson investigators check it out, they’ll find nothing—no accelerant, nothing that started it. That was not a natural fire. She set it, but not naturally… I don’t know how she did, but I’m telling you, Max, she set the fire.”

  Her voice escalated to shouting, and when the door slammed open downstairs, she was sure that she was in for it if the Chief had heard anything. Crossing her arms over her chest, she waited as the rubber soled steps grew closer.

  Addison rounded the corner on the last flight of stairs, her mind raging at her own people’s stupidity. Slamming her foot down on the final step, she looked around until her eyes locked on the utterly still form standing in front of the group.

  “Matthews. My office. Now.”

  Taking a deep breath, James didn’t even glance at Max for help. She knew she was in trouble. And she knew that as soon as the professional trouble was done that she would be in personal trouble. So much for dating her boss. Stepping around the couch, James moved to the door and closed it. The brunette was sitting in her chair, already leaning back and staring at James. Green eyes dared James to begin. Holding her ground, James stared back.

  Addison said, “What were you thinking?”

  “That the girl was alive and that someone needed to do something.”

  “You cannot disobey a direct order like that. What you did was reckless, irresponsible and just plain stupid. You could have died.”

  “And she would have if I hadn’t gone in.”

  “I understand perfectly that Lily might have died in that fire tonight had you not gone in, but that is no excuse for you to enter a burning building without proper safety precautions.”

  Her voice echoed around the room and into the hallway outside. Addison leapt up from the chair and was standing at her full height.

  “What you did was unacceptable. And the worst part of this little repartee, James, is that you know it was unacceptable and you did it anyway.”

  Addison threw the pen that had been clenched in her fist onto the table, listening as it rolled to the ground below.

  “I’m sorry.” James spoke timidly. She was honestly scared. She had never seen Addison this worked up or angry.

  “You’re sorry?” Pursing and licking her lips, Addison continued. “Well I don’t think that’s going to cut it this time, James. Do you really understand the magnitude of what you’ve done? You could have died.”

  “Yeah, I could have.” James was going a mile a minute, the rage bubbling from her belly into her throat before bursting. “I know that it’s not normal for us to run into fires anymore, but it’s what I’m trained to do. It’s why I became a firefighter in the first place. Not to put together a broken teen while we wait for the paramedics, but to put out fires and run into burning houses and to save lives.”

  “How can you save lives if you’re dead?”

  Addison spit out the question without pause. Her voice quiet and serious, she waited for an answer.

  The room grew utterly silent for minutes on end, the tension slowly dissipating as James took on the full realization of what she had done. She’d gone in with no radio, no air, and no backup. She’d done what she told herself she would never do. Not begging her weary body to stand anymore, she slipped into the wooden chair that stood adjacent to the desk and covered her face with shaking hands.

  “I don’t know.” Moving her head side to side, she let the tears fall. “I don’t know.”

  Addison stepped over and grabbed her by the back of her head, pressing James’ face into her stomach and stroking her hair.

  “Don’t do that again.”

  She felt the tears start soaking through her polo as she kept her hand moving softly.

  “Don’t do it again, I can’t—I can’t handle you doing that again.”

  Addison was shedding tears of her own and James knew that the personal fallout would be far worse than the work related, but this was more than she could handle. The sobs racked through her body, and her chest rose and fell awkwardly as she tried to breathe. Addison bent down and tilted James’ face towards her, seeking her lips and kissing her deeply. James responded in kind, her hands bundling into the front of Addison’s shirt and her mouth parting.

  Running her hands over James’ face and neck, Addison reveled in the feel of her soft, but grimy skin.

  “I’m sorry.” The words were mumbled against her mouth and Addison deepened the embrace once more before slowly pulling back.

  “Just don’t do it again. Please,” Addison wanted an answer. She wanted James to agree to never do it again, but she knew in the back of her mind that James could never agree to it.

  “I’ll try.”

  With one more peck, Addison stood up straight as the door to her office opened.

  “What is it?” Her throat was tight with demand, and Addison hoped Max didn’t see the streaks down her face.

  “Just got a call about the girl, thought you’d want to take it.”

  Nodding, she looked at her phone and the line that was on hold. “Thanks.”

  Max left the vicinity, and Addison turned to James. “I suppose you’ll want to hear the news.”

  “She’s fine, there’s no news to tell.”

  Addison furrowed her brow as she picked up the line and said, “This is Battalion Chief Addison Lee.”

  She listened carefully to the other end of the call and made some non-committal noises. The conversation neared an end. Raising her brow, she turned back to James.

  “That’s good to hear. Yeah, I’ll be sure to tell her for you.”

  Hanging up, she looked her counterpart over.

  “So, Lily is fine.”

  “Told you.”

  “How did you know? You barely saw her at the scene.”

  James shrugged and felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Rolling her eyes, she looked down, figuring it would be her mother calling. It surprised her when it was the foster home.

  Holding the cell close to her ear, she spoke. “Hello?”

  “James?”

  “Yeah?” Her eyes glanced at Addison and she mouthed out who was calling.

  “Hey, sorry to call. I know you’re probably working.”

  James bit her lip. “What’s going on, Whitney?”

  “I have a huge favor to ask. I know you’re only a respite care provider, and that you are not available for emergency foster care. At least that’s what it says in your paper work. But I don’t have any emergency providers available so I thought I would try you rather than sending her to a group home… and, well… she’s been asking for you.”

  “You’re talking about Lily.”

  James closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, the air expanding her lungs until it hurt and she was forced to release it.

  “Yeah.” The relief that could be heard in Whitney’s voice was unmistakable. “I’m so sorry to throw this on you. Were you at the call?”

  James and Whitney had been in the same school since kindergarten, not to mention next door neighbors until college, and she owed the CPS worker an answer.

  “I was.”

  “Was it as bad as they’re saying?”

  Her old friend was worried and stressed.

  “Probably worse.”

  “Oh…” Whitney paused before starting again. “Well, I need someone to take her for a few nights, just until we can find a suitable permanent home for her.”

  “I’m working.”

  “Yes, I realize this… but this is an extremely sensitive and emergent case. I was hoping you would understand.”

  James looked at Addison for help, but Addison shook her head, not really knowing what was going on.

  “Hold on a second, will you?”

  She waited for confirmation and put her hand over the speaker to talk to her boss.

  “She wants me to do emergency foster care for Lily.”

  “Do it.”

  “But I’m working.”

  “Well, you’re being suspended, for one. As soon as this duty shift is over, you’re suspended for a week. Secondly, you’re not going anywhere during this duty shift unless there is a real, real, and I mean REAL emergency.”

  Addison dared James to reject the order. James simply pouted.

  “Do it. I think it would be good for her and perhaps for you, too.”

  “That’s a strange thing to say.” Sitting back and speaking into the cell once again, James answered. “Yeah, I can do that. I’m going to be at the station for the next three days, but apparently not leaving for any calls, so I can take care of her.”

  “You’re a blessing. Thank you, sweetie.”

  James let out a low noise in her throat at the comment—she hated being called sweetie. Her eyes snapped to Addison. She was given directions on what she had to do as she waited for CPS and Lily to arrive. Once she was done talking, she reached across and grabbed Addison’s hand.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “It’ll be good for you, James. I promise. And maybe it’ll get Lily out of your system, you know actually spending time getting to know her—you might turn out hating her.”

  “She’s not in my system.” James huffed and sat back in her chair. “Means you can’t come over.”

  “Wasn’t planning on it.”

  “Part of my punishment?”

  “Maybe.” Addison smiled and kissed James quickly. “Go shower… you stink.”

  James pointed a finger at Addison. “I’m not the only one.”

  She grinned and left the room with a sweet smile gracing her lips. Running into the boys who were still sitting uncomfortably in the living area was quite an interesting moment. They were not expecting her to be smiling, but rather pouting or angry, or something else, but definitely not smiling and happy about getting yelled at by the boss.

  Max was the first one to speak up. “So?”

  “I’m suspended for a week, starting Monday.”

  He pulled a double take and stalked over to her. “For that? You’re suspended a week for that?”

  James shrugged. “Yup, and I’m not going on any calls until my suspension is over. Oh, and Lily will be in my custody for about a week or so. So, while I’m in the shower, you boys need to clean this joint up and make it presentable for when CPS gets here.”

  Max looked around and glared. There were dirty clothes and dishes strewn all over the place, not to mention only a few of them had cleaned up from the fire.

  “And I mean now. Chief’s orders.” Smirking, she made for the shower.

  An hour passed, and the bell to the front doors of the station house rang. James went down to answer it. Pushing on the handle to the standard school-style double door, she opened the left side of the double door and let Whitney and Lily in.

  Lily begged to be put down from the hold Whitney had on her and ran to James’ side. James signed a few documents, took the tiny bag that was made up of emergency clothes and the booster seat that was brought in. Whitney tried to bid farewell to Lily, but was ignored each time. Lily had her face buried in James’ side and it didn’t look like she would be moving anytime soon.