Why am I so drawn to Liam? Was it the rescue? Or because he reminded me of Shelton, the good parts? The strength, confidence,and certainty? Still, I've seen how that movie ends.
I moved to Goodwin Grove to rebuild my life, not to attach myself to someone else's. Yet, I wondered if there was more to Lieutenant Crawford than I was giving him credit for. Maybe he wasn't another Shelton 2.0, another workaholic with no room in his life for a real partnership. Either way, I had work to finish and a reputation to build.
The alarm cutthrough the station, jerking me from the incident report I'd been filling out. My body moved before my mind caught up, as muscle memory took over. I pushed back from my desk. Paperwork would have to wait again. The report on Riverside Drive wasn't due until tomorrow, so the chief would understand why it wasn't finished if we rolled out on a Saturday evening.
"Engine 791, Ladder 791, Battalion 7, structure fire at Goodwin Grove Storage Complex, 1600 Industrial Parkway. Multiple units showing smoke,"the dispatcher's voice carried over the speaker.
I hit the bay floor, already calling out instructions. My voice carried over the commotion of the crew scrambling into gear.
"Storage units. I bet you ten bucks it's some idiot's meth lab," Connor muttered.
"Save it for the drive," I responded, sliding into the captain's seat.
Storage units meant packed spaces, unknown contents, and potential for hazardous materials. The complex was on the edge of town, which meant the water supply might be an issue, depending on whether the hydrants were operational.
Saturday evening traffic pulled aside as we barreled past. It was evening, with the sun hanging low in the sky, which meant poorer visibility for us.
"Dispatch updating report. A security guard reports multiple units with signs of forced entry before smoke is spotted. GPD en route,"the dispatcher relayed.
My jaw tightened. Forced entry at multiple units before the fire wasn't random.
"What's our ETA?" I questioned Dane, who was checking the map.
"Three minutes, Lieutenant," he answered.
"Connor, when we arrive, I want a 360-degree assessment before we commit to interior attack. Evan, you and Dane secure the water supply and prepare for defensive operations if needed. Jaxon, establish a perimeter and keep civilians back."
"Yes, sir," they replied.
We rounded the corner, and the storage complex came into view. It was a large facility of long, single-story buildings, divided into individual units, with roll-up doors arranged in rows, with narrow lanes between them. Smoke billowed from a section toward the back as black clouds rose into the sky.
I hopped out of the truck before it fully stopped, scanning the scene. Smoke poured from two of the three units with open doors. The security guard, a middle-aged man, waved us down near the entrance.
"What do we have?" I asked as I approached him, already unspooling the hose line.
"Units 127, 128, and 129. Someone busted the locks. I was doing my rounds when I smelled smoke," he panted.
"Anyone inside?"
"No, sir. This place is supposed to be empty at this hour."
I nodded. "Stay back. We have it from here."
My crew moved with precision as everyone moved to their positions. The heat hit us as we approached the first unit, but it wasn't as intense as expected, given the amount of smoke. Inside, cardboard boxes and furniture burned, flames lapping at the metal walls. It held standard storage unit contents, nothing that would've caught fire on its own.
We moved, jerking the hose along as water surged through it. The flames hissed under the powerful spray. Something about the way the fire behaved was off. It wasn't spreading naturally, almost like…
"Lieutenant, are you seeing this?" Connor questioned on the radio.
"Yeah," I answered, focusing on the distinctive burn pattern along the base of the wall. A straight line, too perfect to be accidental, and the smell indicated something chemical.
I stepped closer to the wall, spraying the flames while examining the pattern. This wasn't a random fire. For a second, my vision blurred, and I was back in that warehouse five years ago. The same distinctive smell filled my nostrils seconds before the floor gave way…
"Blaze, you good?" Connor's voice yanked me back to the present.
I shook off the memory. "Yeah. Let's get this knocked down and check the adjacent units."
We worked in silence after that, extinguishing the flames in all three units. The evidence became more obvious as the smokecleared. I pulled out my phone, photographing the evidence while the others ventilated the space. The chemical residue along the baseboards and the melted plastic that had once been a container of some kind showed that the deliberate pour patterns led from unit to unit.
