Prologue
Flames crackle and light up the sky in a bizarre, terrifying fireworks display. My heart races and a smile touches my lips.
This is what I look forward to. The night where all my preparations come to fruition and I see the devastation that that work has wrought.
The blaze moves higher, wider, the light stronger now. I can feel the heat on the night wind. Taste the cinder and ash in the air and smell the light scent of the gasoline that I always use.
Another smile curls my lips. Glancing over, I check out the road and chuckle.
“No vehicles yet.” That’s good for me. I can enjoy my work a little longer before I have to go.
That’s why I choose these out of the way places. I get to enjoy my work for awhile and by the time anybody sees the fire and reports it to the fire department and they get out here, I’ve got my fix for the night.
One side of the building is fully engulfed now and my heart soars when the wall begins to crumble inwards, barely hanging on. Orange and red flames dance and the wood andmetal structure groans, the sound loud in the chilly calm of the darkness.
Far off, I hear the first faint sounds of the sirens and sigh, turning away from my latest art.
It’s time to go, dammit.
The soles of my shoes leave no prints as I move deep into the shadows. One last glimpse of the ribbons of red and orange devouring every piece of the building and I fade into the trees, moving silently, quickly.
I don’t park close to the building I’m targeting so that I don’t leave any tire tracks or anything else that will give them what they need.
I’m having way too much fun to give them any information to stop me.
I’m in this for the long haul. I smile again, driving away slowly. This is what I was born for. I found my calling.
CHAPTER 1
Reed
The shrill alarms blast my ears and I grimace. I’ve had a damn headache all day and was sound asleep when the alarms went off. I jumped up and got into my turnout gear so fast that I beat most of the guys to the trucks.
“Come on, man!” James hollers, throwing himself up into the truck seat. “I don’t know how such an old bastard like you manages to beat all us young guys out here! I think you’re sleeping in your gear.”
Chuckling wryly, I hop into the back and pull the door shut. “Not a chance. I tried. Not comfy.”
He grins and hollers as the other guys get into our truck or the other one. “I bet it’s not.”
We slam into gear and roar out of the huge doors, lights flashing and sirens wailing.
All of us are silent now. Each one of us running through everything we need to do when we get there. Our equipment checks. All the little things that are required to make sure that we do our job as safely as possible.
Each one of us knowing that we might not go home.
Pain bites at my heart and I close my eyes. I can’t help but get swept away for a minute….old memories, old pain.
My little brother. I tried my best to keep him from going into this field. But he wanted to be just like me. Followed me around from the time he could walk.
And I hated every second of it. I mean, I couldn’t get away from him. I was lucky I got a shower by myself.
My mom was a single mom after our dad died and she did the best she could. She worked at the school as a secretary so that she worked the same hours as us. We’d ride the bus home and by the time we got there, she was pulling into the drive after finishing up her work for the day.
It was a good life. We didn’t have a lot of extra money but we had a small stipend that mom got every month from our dad’s death.
He was a firefighter too but he died right after my little brother was born. I was only nine.
Roger was a pistol. We had the best time when we were home together. I taught him how to play basketball and baseball and he taught me a whole helluva lot of patience!
