She screamed.
His heart fucking stopped. “Maggie?”
“Ethan! There’s a fire.”
Smoke tinged the air. He stepped around the corner and cursed before grabbing Maggie’s arm as he raced back into the firehouse.
As he tucked the Glock into his holster, he heard Maggie on the phone to the fire department. Good. But until they got here, he had to do what he could so the flames didn’t spread. The fire was coming from the old bunk room.
Making sure Maggie was close behind him, he ran into the old apparatus bay and grabbed an extinguisher.
Maggie grabbed one from the wall too.
“You need to stay behind me,” he said.
“No. I’m helping.”
“Maggie—”
“I’m helping, Ethan.”
Goddammit, he didn’t have time to argue.
He raced back into the hall, remaining low to avoid as much smoke inhalation as possible. The bed against the wall was aflame, the fire moving across the carpet.
He yanked the pin out of the extinguisher and aimed.
Maggie did the same beside him.
His eyes stung from the smoke, and coughs racked Maggie’s body.
It wasn’t enough. What they were doing wasn’t enough. The fire was growing. They needed to get out and they needed to get out fast. He couldn’t risk Maggie getting hurt.
He grabbed her arm and tugged her down the hall. She moved quickly, not fighting him.
They both fell outside and finally sucked in big gulps of fresh air.
13
Ethan could barely breathe, but that had nothing to do with the smoke he’d inhaled. Someone had set their new SAR base on fire.
And Maggie had been there.
She could have been hurt. Hell, she was wearing a fucking oxygen mask.
He swung his gaze to her in the back of the ambulance, feeling that familiar anger and helplessness crawl around his chest, trying to punch its way out.
Who did this?Whydid they do it?
“Hey.”
He turned at Connor’s voice. But it wasn’t only Connor there. The entire team was scattered around the lot beside the building. As well as Ward, his deputies, a firetruck, and an ambulance. Even Ferris had come down.
“She’s okay,” Connor said, voice low. “And thanks to both of you, the fire didn’t spread. It was isolated to that one room.”
Ward laughed from across the lot at something his deputy said, and the sound made Ethan’s teeth grind together. “Youknow Ward was almost smiling when he got here.” He was happy someone had set the old firehouse ablaze.
Asshole.
