Page 8 of Burn Protocol

“Well, I am not sure how much your Chief told you, but I’d like to shadow you for a couple of weeks. You know, to get a good feel for the work you do.”

“He mentioned something like that.”

Her eyes narrow slightly as the words fall from her lips. But her face doesn’t show any sign of emotion. It seems like she is hiding behind a wall of fucking ice. Just my luck.

“Oh, good. Did he also mention I’d like to sit down with you to talk a few times?”

“Is that necessary? Can’t you just… I don’t know… observe?”

Her eyes flash for a brief moment and the muscle in her jaw rolls. But it vanishes just as quickly as it came. My eyebrows knit together.

“Am I making you uncomfortable, Miss Gonzales?”

Now she lets out an airy laugh. Surprised at my question or my boldness, I am not exactly sure. She leans back in the chair and lets her gaze roam over me before she answers.

“Everything about this makes me uncomfortable.”

Ouch.

I see the flash of hurt in her eyes as soon as my words leave my mouth and I internally curse myself. If the Chief hears about this, he will have my head. He made it very clear that I am to cooperate with this so-called reporter, and all I have managed so far is to intimidate her. But I never asked for this, and I really don’t want people digging up my past or snooping around in my personal life. Not even when they are this cute.

I let my gaze roam over her again. Her white top slips off of her shoulder, showing off some of her collarbone and smooth skin. Her blonde hair is tied back, but some strands seem to be as feisty as her. Sharp, piercing eyes look at me with anticipation, and her lips are distracting. Too distracting. I have to close my eyes for a moment to regroup myself. She is cute. Of course she is cute. Probably trained that way, to get people to talk. I grunt and run my hand over my face.

“Listen, my Chief wanted me to do this. I don’t know why and he won’t tell me, but I do know that my ass is on the line if I don’t follow orders. So, it’s not you…”

Her lips curl up as I let the last sentence trail off and her whole face softens. Of course she’d love a corny line like that.

“So, seriously. Tell me what you need so that I can get to work. You want to shadow me, that’s fine. But best keep up.”

Just like that, the warmth drains from her face again and I see something shift in her eyes. Determination maybe? I straighten my spine and wait until she speaks.

“I usually start by shadowing, just so that I get a feeling for what your job entails. Consider me a fly on the wall. If you want to share information with me as we go, that would be very welcome, but if you need me to remain silent then mom’s the word.”

I raise my eyebrow at that. When would I even have time to explain to her what it is we do? When I extract an elderly woman, run into flames to save a family’s dog, or when I am instructing my crew so that they all remain as safe as possible?

She doesn’t stop talking long enough for me to reply though, which strikes me as odd. Aren’t journalists supposed to ask questions and then wait for the answers?

“Maybe we can sit together at the end of the week so that I can ask you some questions about the job, and about how you experience it? I like to do that several times, three, maybe four times. That way I can create an in-depth profile of who you are and—”

“I thought this was about the job?”

My voice comes out sharper than I intend it to be, and she flinches visibly. I really need to watch my step before she goes running to Salisar. He is a good Chief and he’s been mentoring me ever since I arrived in Barcelona. Not just professionally, but on a personal level as well. I’d rather stay on his good side. And, if I am completely honest, part of me wants to make him proud as well.

“Actually,” she hesitates.

“Go on,” I soften my voice a bit.

“It’s the closing article of a series on female first responders. Not just the job, but the impact it has on their lives, their social status, their relationships. It’s about the sacrifices that are being made to keep civilians like myself safe. It’s… it’s my way of showing respect.”

She holds my gaze and finally holds her tongue. I process what she just told me and realize that she will do exactly what I was already fearing, digging into my personal life. I sigh. There is no escaping this.

“Fine. We can sit down at the end of the week. Anything else?”

“Well…”

She swallows and lowers her eyes for a moment. I inhale through my nose, not entirely sure what to do with this kind of insecurity.

“I thought I could ask you some questions now too, to get to know you a little better.”