“Good one, Revere,” one of the crew on D shift said.
The guy turned from Reggie, his beady eyes narrowed. “Revere?” He sneered. “Who the fuck is talking to you?”
“Did I ask?”
“What?”
Brad snorted. “Mack, leave him alone. Let Reggie handle him.”
Annoyed no one seemed to be taking him seriously since Reggie had turned to lie down on the bench and started pumping with one of the A shift guys spotting him, the rager instead focused on Mack. “Hey, little guy, I’m talking to you.”
Mack turned back to Brad. “Brad, he says he wants you.”
Of the two of them, Brad had more height and brawn, and Mack’s comment brought more amusement from the crowd now focused on the new guy.
Who seemed to grow even angrier at being the butt of the joke. He took two steps in Mack’s direction, stopping directly in front of him. “Do you know who I am, shithead?”
Silence claimed the gym. And that took talent because getting a dozen firefighters to do anything at once, even quiet down, wasn’t easy.
Reggie sat up on the bench and cocked a brow. His approximation ofNeed help?
Mack answered with a subtle shake of his head.
Brad crossed his arms, looking less than pleased that some jackass was messing withhiscrew.As if we all belong to him, Mack thought with amusement, conscious that, like the rest of his friends, he let Brad lead because the guy was naturally good at it.
Tex ambled next to Brad and watched. “I was telling Nat the funniest thing, and we got distracted.” Behind him, Nat chomped on her gum and grinned at Mack. “What’s goin’ on?” Tex glared at the angry guy. “For fuck’s sake, Templeton. Ease up. You just got here.”
“No one’s talking to you, redneck.”
“Whoisthis guy?” Mack asked, still ignoring him as he directed his question to Tex.
Tex answered with a sigh. “Ben Templeton. He’s just training with us for a while.” In a lower voice, he added, “Governor’s nephew, I think.” But not related to his lieutenant or chief.
Good. When Mack wiped the floor with the dickbag, he wouldn’t get in as much trouble.
“Ease up, Templeton,” Tex said. “Connections don’t mean shit in Station 44.”
A collective groan went up, and Templeton’s face turned bright red. Before he could turn that aggression on Tex, who would return it tenfold, Mack intervened. “Look, man. We all get along here. Even no-neck Washkowski.”
Wash scowled. “Hey.”
Nat grinned. “He called it…No-Neck.”
Others laughed and teased Wash while Templeton grew even more livid, obviously aware he didn’t belong and wouldn’t with his attitude.
“I’ll cut you a break.” Mack felt for the guy. “Around here, bigger isn’t better.”
“You would know, Mack,” Nat taunted.
Wash laughed at that.
A good one, but Mack was trying to make a point. He cleared his throat and had to look up at the red-faced monster glaring at him.Ready to coldcock me if I’m not careful.“We’re off duty and chilling out. Save all that testosterone for the job. And try to be more gracious. We’re a family here.”
“And every family has its black sheep,” Templeton said as he telegraphed his next move, shifting his weight.
Standing in the middle of the gym and trying to start a fight was beyond stupid. Even if the guy landed a punch, he might trip over a bar or stack of weights. Or worse, bump into someone who would then hurt themselves in the middle of a rep. The guy reached out.
Mack simultaneously stepped aside and caught the guy’s fist, using Templeton’s momentum to take him down and try not to hurt anyone. He had Templeton flat on his stomach and muscled the man’s arm behind his back, his control of Templeton’s shoulder and elbow keeping the man in place. The whole move took maybe four seconds. Fortunately for Templeton, he narrowly missed a face-plant into a thirty-five-pound plate.
