“No time. We go now.”
I grab her arm and pull her toward her bedroom, but smoke is already filling the hallway, making it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead.
And all I can think is not again.
Chapter twenty-two
Chapter 22
Theo
Dispatch crackles through the radio at 10:00 a.m. .
“Engine 47, structure fire, 2847 Maple Street. Single-family residence, possible occupants inside.”
Cole’s moving before the announcement finishes. “Let’s go! Park, you’re with me on primary search.”
I’m in my turnout gear and climbing into the engine before my brain fully processes the address.
2847 Maple Street. Dorothy Williams’ house.
Rachel was visiting Dorothy today. She texted me this morning about making soup.
My chest tightens, but I force it down. Can’t think about that now. Focus on the job.
Engine 47 screams through town, lights flashing, sirens clearing traffic. Cole is in the officer seat, radio to his ear, getting updates from dispatch.
“Fire reported on the main level, heavy smoke visible. Neighbor called it in, says the elderly homeowner might be inside.”
“ETA two minutes,” Cole says into the radio. Then he looks back at me. “Park, you good?”
“Good.”
“Stay sharp. We go in, we search, we get out.
I nod. He doesn’t know Rachel may be there.
Or maybe he does, and he’s compartmentalizing better than I am.
We pull up to a residential building, smoke pouring from its front windows. Not flames yet, just thick gray smoke that tells me the fire’s been burning for a few minutes at least.
Cole’s out of the engine before it fully stops. “Garcia, get a line to the front entrance! Henderson, ventilation on the roof! Park, you’re with me!”
I grab my SCBA mask and axe, following Cole toward the entrance. Front door’s already hot to the touch.
“Forcible entry,” Cole says. “On three.”
I position myself. He counts down.
We hit the door together, and it gives way with a crack of splintering wood.
Smoke billows out immediately, thick enough that I can’t see more than two feet ahead, even with my mask on.
Cole’s voice comes through the radio. “Engine 47 to Command, we’re entering the structure for primary search. Single-story residence, heavy smoke, zero visibility.”
“Copy, Engine 47. Proceed with caution.”
We move in low, keeping to the walls. Standard search pattern—right hand on the wall, systematic sweep of each room.
