“In this business. But not inmyline of business. You don’t want to test me on this, Aaron.”
“So I see.” He nodded and turned his back again.
I didn’t bother with him any further. Aaron was an asshole for the most part, but he understood when to not push me. If my visit to Townsend Industries alone didn’t get his attention, my threat about bringing him to the board would. I didn’t make idle threats and he knew it.
I pivoted on my heels and backtracked out of his office, slamming the door shut. The three men who’d been in the office when I first charged in were sitting in the waiting chairs off to the right, patiently waiting to be summoned back in. Seconds later, I heard a door open and Aaron’s voice barking out orders. I grinned to myself when I heard him tell his assistant to order a car to take him downtown this afternoon, as I pushed through the glass doors. I punched the button for the elevator and turned back to see the three men filing back into Aaron’s office. He gave me one final stern look and I tossed him a wink.
~ Chapter Six ~
Carter
“Where the fuck did she go?” I growled, staring between Don, Eric, and Sean. The three bozos looked at me dumbfounded. Sean had one job. One. Fucking. Job.
“We came back from our call and she was gone,” Sean spoke up, shrugging.
“I told you not to let her leave.” I gave him a hard stare, sliding my hands in my pockets because they were getting that itchy feeling that overcomes me right before I put my fist through something.
“Don’t worry, Carter,” Don spoke, slapping his hand to rest on my shoulder. “She’s not the first woman Sean’s run off with his ugly ass mug. There’ll be other fish in the sea.”
“First of all, Donnie–” I began, smacking Don’s hand off me.
“Don,” he interrupted, agitated at the use of the nickname he hated.
“I don’t give a shit, Donnie. You’ll be the second brother I put my hands on today over that woman.”
Even Don, who was the station’s known prankster, looked at me in shock and then a stern seriousness. I eyed him back until I heard chuckling from Eric’s direction.
“Something funny?”
“All that shit talking you were doing when I was dating Angela is coming back to bite you in the ass. I’m just glad I’ve got a front row seat.” He chuckled some more, and I cracked my neck, which made Sean and Don join in on the laughing.
“Fuck all of you,” I growled, walking away, pulling out my phone from my pocket. I frowned when I saw that I had no messages or missed calls. I had so much pent-up anxiety in me that I needed a release. I prayed for another fire or something to pass the time over the next few hours of my shift. Thankfully, God answers prayers, because moments later, as I was at my locker checking my phone, the station’s alarm sounded.
I grabbed my gear, stepping into my suspenders and tossing my fire protectant jacket halfway on, knowing I’d finish getting dressed after I slid down the pole. My boots hit the station’s hardwood floors with a thud and I was running toward the truck.
“Power outage at a senior living facility. Reports of at two people trapped in an elevator,” Eric told me as I piled into the driver’s side. This was a small job, so it was Eric, myself, and Corey bringing up the rear. Once I heard the door in the back shut and Corey give the okay, I tapped the outside of the truck and we were on the move.
It took less than ten minutes to get to the four story apartment building that housed residents who were fifty-five and older. There was a power outage all up and down the main highway that the apartment building sat on. There’d been a car accident farther down, and a car spun out, hitting a pole. Another squad had responded to that call, but now we were dealing with the mess caused by the power outage.
“‘Medics on standby?” I questioned Eric as we exited the rig.
He nodded. “Dispatch says they’re trapped on either the second or third floors.”
“Oh shit!” Corey grunted, causing Eric and I to look up.
I noticed three women who appeared to be in their sixties or seventies standing outside the building. They were grinning in our direction.
“Rock, paper, scissor?” Corey demanded.
“None. I’m lieutenant. I make the calls,” Eric retorted.
“That’s fucked up,” I told Eric. “Rock, paper, scissor, shoot!” I tossed out my hand in a scissor position to catch Corey off guard but he was a hair quicker that time. He’d thrown out a fist for the rock, thereby breaking my scissors.
“Good luck, man,” he stated, laughing.
“I got your luck,” I ground out.
“We’ll check the sides of the building,” Corey laughed, following Eric back to the rig.Assholes.
