Chasing the Fire (Backdraft, Fully Involved, Flashover) (5 page)

Focusing on the rescue, Riley watched Ramirez
and Langston pop each door on both sides and take them off. The new
guy subbing for Langston taped the front window of the Camaro and
cracked it. The whole thing fell outward in a malleable piece.

Then Decarlo jumped up onto the hood, took
the Jaws of Life from Tony and turned them on. The sound of steel
hitting steel hurt Riley’s teeth. “Geez, I hate that.”

Lisa Beth had put her hand to her mouth. “Me,
too,” she shouted over the generator noise.

When the cut was complete, Decarlo handed
down the giant scissor-like tool, then ripped back the roof.
Without help.

“Hell, Rocky’s good,” Lisa Beth said.

“They don’t call him
the Rock
for
nothing.”

Since the backseat was so small, the Quint
guys had literally taken the car from around the people inside so
the victims were accessible.

“Go on in,” Tony told the two of them.

Lisa Beth took point and climbed into the
backseat of the car. The teenagers there appeared unconscious. When
Ramirez told them to get two backboards, Riley hadn’t realized
three people occupied the vehicle.

Which meant the kid in the front seat was
dead. Lisa Beth realized that at the same time and froze. Then she
said, “Jesus,” and turned to her charge.

Riley tried to ignore the body of a dead
teenager in the front as he worked. In sync, he and Lisa Beth put
collars on the two breathing boys and, with the help of the others,
slid them onto the two backboards. As four of the crew carried the
kids across the pavement, Tony gave them another order. “Every
emergency vehicle in town was sent to the lake, so the Midi will
take the victims to the hospital. You two go there, then come back
to the house.” Luckily, the new Midi was equipped to transport
victims.

“I’ll ride with the guy,” Lisa Beth said. “No
offense Riley, but I’m a paramedic.”

“Wouldn’t think to question you,” he said.
Jane loved that he wasn’t a chauvinist. “I’m down with
driving.”

The trip to Memorial was short because the
scene of the accident was close to the hospital. Riley tried not to
think about the white face of the dead teen and the terrible stink
of death as he stopped the Midi, bolted out and headed around back.
He opened the doors, helped Lisa Beth get out one of the gurneys
and set it up on the pavement, then they repeated the process. They
wheeled the victims through the glass doors of the ER. A nurse and
doctor met them inside.

Lisa Beth said, “BP, 90 over 70 on this one.
Could be internal injuries.”

“BP 150 over 80,” Riley told them. “And I
think the kid’s arm is broken.”

“We’ll take it from here,” the doc said.
“Thanks.”

As they whisked the victims into ER, Riley
watched, deflated by the adrenaline spike waning. “I take it that
isn’t the guy you hate.”

“No.” She turned and her gaze caught on the
nurse’s station. “Shit, there he is.”

Riley tracked her gaze to a doctor with
longish hair, his arm braced against a wall, talking to someone.
His smile was warm, affectionate. “He doesn’t seem like a
monster.”

“Looks can be deceiving.” Lisa Beth moved a
few feet farther down in the entryway. “Damn it. Um…Rye, come here
and see who he’s talking to.”

Riley joined her. The woman leaning against
the wall, staring up at the doctor, laughing, was Jane.

Lisa Beth grabbed his arm. “God, tell her not
flirt with that guy, even for fun.”

Flirt? Jane was flirting with another
guy?

“Rye, did you hear me?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s my ex and he’s a real player.”

A sudden urge to protect Jane, combined with
the images of her crossing him at every turn, rushed through Riley.
Then he saw the vision of that young kid, sprawled over the
steering wheel in the front seat. Finally, the face of his father
obscured all the images in his head.

“The hell with this,” he barked and stalked
toward his fiancé.

Who was flirting with another man.

oOo

ONE MINUTE JANE
was having a nice
conversation with Linc Roberts, a new ER doc, and the next, she was
yanked backward.

“What the fuck do you think you’re
doing?”

She turned around. “Riley, what…what are
you
doing?” He still gripped her arm. “And let go. You’re
hurting me.”

Linc moved in closer. “You heard the lady.
Let go.”

“Fuck off,” Riley said to the doctor.

“Linc, I can handle this.” She inched closer
to Riley. “Honey, let go.”

Suddenly, again, she was yanked back. This
time by Linc. She heard a woman say, “Linc, stay out of this,” just
as Riley lunged. The crunch of bone on bone accompanied Linc’s
“Jesus Christ,” as he went down.

Jane whirled on Riley in time to see two
security guards grab him by the arms. “Back off, Gallagher,” one of
them said.

He continued to struggle. “Riley, back
off,”
the other reiterated.

Restrained, he focused on Jane. “It’s bad
enough you cross me at every turn with my father. Is this how
you’re paying me back?”

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s what all women do, isn’t it? Flirt with
other guys to make men jealous so we’ll do what you want.”

Jane watched an enraged Riley shout
accusations at her and realized, as the guards dragged him away,
that her life with Riley had fallen apart.

oOo

AT NINE THE
next day, Riley swerved
into the driveway and pushed the button on the garage-door opener.
What the hell? Jane’s car wasn’t in its spot. Hell, she hadn’t come
home? Resentment hung heavily on his shoulders—he’d been through a
hell of a lot more than she had last night—as he parked his car and
entered the house.

Its emptiness assaulted him. Suddenly, he was
exhausted. Deciding to take a shower before he met his
lieutenant—he couldn’t even think about what would happen then—he
trudged upstairs and into the bathroom. A piece of paper, folded,
was taped to the mirror. And he knew in his gut that this was not
going to be good.

He ripped the note off the glass, opened the
paper and read it.

Riley love, I know you’re hurting and I am,
too. But we’re destroying our relationship with this constant
fighting over your father. He’s been rushed to the hospital with
severe breathing problems and I’m hoping you’ll go see him.
Meanwhile, I’ve packed a few things and I’m staying with your
sister for the four days we’re off shift. You and I need some time
apart. We have to separate to save our relationship. I’m sorry if
this hurts you more, but it’s the only thing I can think of to get
some perspective on us. Please don’t contact me. I’ll be in touch.
I love you.

Janie.

Spots swam before his eyes and he rubbed them
with his thumb and forefinger. How could she leave him at a time
like this? How could she abandon him now?

He showered, slugged back coffee and, when it
was time, left to go meet Tony at a breakfast shop at ten.
Something bad was coming—and Janie wasn’t even going to be here to
help him pick up the pieces. No, she was off getting
perspective.

Well, fuck her.

He walked into the diner at exactly ten. He
caught sight of Tony in the corner, dressed in street clothes and
somberly staring into the cup in front of him.

After he bought a double shot of espresso, he
went to the table and dropped down onto an adjacent chair. “Hey,
Tony.”

“Hey, Rye.” The lieutenant took a deep
breath. “You know what’s coming, I’d guess.”

“Uh-huh. I’m going to be suspended. For how
long?”

“A tour.”

“I deserve it.”

“There’s more.”

“A letter of reprimand in my file.”

Tony nodded.

His brows raised. “More?”

“Yes. I got a call this morning at eight. The
list for the new lieutenants is coming out as we speak.”

He never expected this. “I didn’t make the
cut?” Truthfully, that was a shock.

“No, you were on yesterday’s list.”

“Janie didn’t? Oh, man, I thought she was a
shoo-in.”

Tony shifted in his seat. “No, she made it.
Actually, she’s number one. You were number two.”

He swallowed back the bile in his throat.
“Were?”

“You’re off the list for now.” Reaching out,
Tony touched his arm. “I didn’t know about this when I asked to
meet.”

Riley couldn’t respond. What Tony had told
him was unthinkable. Finally, he was able to get out, “For one
little mistake, I don’t get the promotion?”

“Hell, Riley, it wasn’t little. Memorial had
been recruiting for Roberts for months. He’s a big-shot trauma and
orthopedic surgeon. Your attack was public and embarrassing to the
department. Only Lisa Beth’s intervention kept him from pressing
charges.”

“She hates him.”

“I know. You owe her.”

“Was this your decision?”

“Nope. But I’ll be honest and say I didn’t
fight for you.”

They were practically brothers, him,
Langston, Rocky and the others. And Tony hadn’t fought for him?

Somehow he found the grace to say, “I get
it.” He stood. “I gotta get out of here.”

“Wait, Rye, let me…”

But Riley was already headed to the door.

oOo

JANIE CURLED UP
on one of the couches
in the waiting room of Memorial, watching Abby and Mave try to be
strong. A doctor had come out earlier and given them a report on
Ben…

His condition is bad, Mrs. Gallagher. He’s
got infection running through him. We’ve put him on a regimen of
high-powered antibiotics and a ventilator. The next twenty-four
hours are critical.

They’d all been stunned, and Jane had become
even more resentful that Riley wasn’t there to comfort his mother,
which he did better than Abby or Jane. That was five hours ago.
Family had been allowed to go in one at a time, every hour, for a
few minutes.

Again Mave asked, “No word from my boy,
Jane?”

She took out her phone and checked again.
“No, Mave. I’m sorry.”

Feeling guilty herself because she’d told him
not to call her, she’d phoned him as soon as they had news, and
every hour since, asking him to call her back. But he hadn’t. Dear
God, what would happen to him if Ben Gallagher died and Riley was
off pouting somewhere? He’d never get over that. What kind of man
would he turn into then?

oOo

MARCI, THE PRETTY
blond and buxom
bartender, was new to Badges. Today was her first day at the
firefighter and police hangout in downtown Hidden Cove. The owners
were right to hire her.

“I’ll have another one, beautiful.” Riley
pushed his beer glass toward her.

“That’s a six-pack, buddy. I’m cuttin’ you
off.”

Reaching into his pocket, he fished out his
keys. “Take these. I’ll call a cab. Gimme one more and a shot of
JD.”

“You shouldn’t, Riley.” They were on a
first-name basis, as they’d talked all afternoon about life, work
and the wonders of the female sex. It was near six and she was
going off at the stroke of the hour.

“One more. I’ll leave when you do.”

“I guess one more wouldn’t hurt if you’re not
driving.”

He watched her ass in those tight, white
pants but was interrupted when somebody sidled up to him. “Thought
I might find you here, Gallagher.”

Glancing over, he saw Brody O’Malley had come
to the bar. “Hey, O’Malley.” He liked the paramedic on another
shift in his house who had made lieutenant a few months ago.
Lieutenant
. Shit.

“You looking for me?”

“Sure am.” He ordered a beer when Marci
brought Riley’s drinks.

“Why?”

“I just got off shift. I heard you’re
suspended.”

“Word gets around fast.”

“The fire department has its own grapevine.
If it’s any consolation, I was glad to hear you clocked
Roberts.”

“Yeah, why?”

“Cause he’s an asshole. He’s shitty to all
the paramedics, and worst to Lisa Beth.”

“He’s her ex.”

“No kidding?”

“Why’d you come here, Brody?”

The man shook his head and stared into the
glass behind the bar. “I got suspended once. For taking unnecessary
risks. I headed straight to this bar and almost got myself in a
shitload of trouble.” He turned a knowing gaze on Riley. “Thought
maybe I could offer you a ride home.”

Somewhere in his not-so-sober mind, a voice
warned,
Go with him, Gallagher. It’s the only way tonight’s
gonna end well.

But the evil twin of that voice had other
ideas.
You’re entitled to a binge. The boy in the Camaro died.
Your old man showed up. Your girl deserted you. And you blew one of
the most important things in your life out of the water. Stay. Get
blottoed. Who’s gonna care?

Marci approached them again. “It’s six. Come
on, handsome, I’ll drive you home instead of calling you a
cab.”

“He’s got a ride,” Brody said. “Thanks,
anyway.”

Riley slid off the stool. “Nah, I don’t.” He
threw some money on the bar. “And I’d love to go home with you,
darlin’.”

She took the cash, rung him up and circled
around the bar. They started out.

Brody grabbed his arm and drew him back.
“Don’t do anything stupid, Rye. You got a good woman standing by
you.”

He stared Brody down. “Yeah, I thought so,
too.” He slung his arm around Marci’s shoulders. “Come on,
sweetheart.”

Brody hesitated, then said softly to Riley,
“Well, at least I tried.”

oOo

THIS TIME, JANE’S
car was in the
garage. Had Riley ever dreaded anything more than crawling home in
the condition he was in? The stale smell of booze, some cigarettes
and the joint he’d smoked at Marci’s apartment clung to him. And
that wasn’t the worst of what he’d done.

He took his time getting inside and caught
sight of Janie out on the deck. She was dressed in pink jeans and a
top, looking so innocent he wanted to bawl like a baby.