“Good job out there today, Carter.” Sean extended his hand to give me five and I smacked my palm to his, pulling one another in for a half hug to say job well done. We’d just come back from a grueling four alarm fire at an abandoned building. It was a spot that alot of drug addicts used to get high on all sorts of shit, especially heroine. Sometime during the night a fire started, and with all the combustible paraphernalia inside, the place went up quickly. At last count, we had pulled out three bodies, but we hadn’t lost any firefighters so I still considered it somewhat of a win. Anytime we all made it back to the station alive, it was a good day.
“I need a fucking shower.” It was only a little after ten in the morning, but we’d been working all night, and I still had another eight hours of my shift.
“I hear you. You smell like shit.”
“And smoke!” Don, called out after Sean.
I tossed both of them the middle finger and grabbed my belongings to head to the shower. I scrubbed myself clean, and inevitably, the memory of Friday night with Michelle came back to mind, as it always did during my quieter moments. It’d been two days since I’d let her walk away from me. Not because that was it but because I knew she needed to get back to her son. She’d also said something that caught my attention and I made sure to store it away for future questioning. Andy was already on the case for me, to find her physical address.
I dried off, put on a clean uniform, and placed my belongings back into my locker. I was just tucking in my Williamsport Fire Department T-shirt into my navy blue slacks when Corey burst through the door.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Apparently, you’re what’s up.”
I gave him a quizzical look.
“Michelle’s here to see you and she lookspissed.What’d you do to her?” he called behind me because I was already shoving him out of the way and moving to the door to get to her.
“You’re getting as bad as Donnie with your women problems,” I heard him say behind me, but I didn’t have time to address his bullshit just then. There was a more important person who obviously needed to see me, as well.
I came down the metal steps into the squad’s lounge area to see a pissed off looking Michelle, standing in front of the door, arms folded. She didn’t see me at first, giving me time to survey her. She looked good, in a pair of black slacks that were just loose enough to be considered professional, with a light green peplum top that cinched in her waist, flaring at the hips to show off her shapely figure without being lewd. Her hair was in a high bun and my fingers twitched wanting to mess it up and run themselves through her hair.
“Michelle.”
She turned sharp, slanted eyes in my direction. A wiser man wouldn’t get too close, but I’d lost all good sense wherever she was concerned.
“Don’t touch me!” she hissed at me when I reached for her hand.
Instead of backing up, I advanced on her even more. “What’s wrong?” I asked, calmly.
Her lips parted, but instead of answering she looked over my shoulder. I turned to see what caught her attention and found Corey, Sean, and Don were milling around the kitchen door, eavesdropping, pretending they weren’t.Assholes.
“Fuck them,” I stated turning back to her. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Her eyes ballooned. “I’m not putting on a show for another group of people. Can we discuss this outside?” She didn’t wait for my response.
I followed her out the door, making sure to close it tightly behind me so the morons I worked with couldn’t overhear.
“Talk to me.” I pulled her hand to me once we were in the parking lot. “What’s wrong?”
She quickly snatched it away. “You! You’re what’s wrong. My life was going well enough and now because of you, I almost lost my job.”
I blinked.
“Oh, you didn’t know? Your brother came to my office early this morning to demand that my boss fire me because of what he saw Friday night.Andhe knew that I spent the entire night on your parents’ property. Do you know how embarrassing that is? My boss looked at me with such disappointment. My one saving grace is that she refused to fire me, instead giving me a week suspension without pay.”
The more she spoke the hotter my anger grew.I am going to wrap my bare hands around his neck and squeeze until there is no more life in his body.That’s how incensed I became at hearing Michelle recount what my brother had done.
“... I’m leaving!” were the last words I heard her speak when she presented me with her back, but I couldn’t let her go.
“I said don’t touch me!” she shouted.
“I can’t help it,” I stated, refusing to let go of her arm. “Please, just calm down and listen.” I waited for her to stop struggling in my arms. “I had no idea Aaron was going to do that. None. If I had, he would’ve never got the chance.”
“It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done. Just leave me alone.”
“Not happening,” I declared. “You should know me better than that by now. There is no letting you go. Not for me. I will handle Aaron.”
