Flash Point (Kilgore Fire Book 2) (4 page)

One of my very good friends that I missed with all my heart; a day didn’t go by that I didn’t think about him.

And, had I been in his shoes with a baby on the way and leaving behind a woman that struggled to pay for my funeral costs, I would’ve hoped he’d do the same for me.

There was no love between Emily and I.

In fact, she’d divorced me the moment that she didn’t need me anymore. Which was fine with me.

The whole ‘hubby’ thing she did was a joke, and she’d been doing it for a very long time now because she thought it was funny.

She only did it sparingly now, though.

Ever since she met her new man.

A man that treated her like she was a piece of spun glass, and loved her daughter like she deserved to be loved.

And I was so happy for her.

I watched as Masen got up from the table, giving me a full unencumbered view of her attire.

She’d changed since we were together.

Before I’d gone on my deployment that led to the worst time of my life, she’d dressed as girly girl as one could get.

Dresses. Skirts. Heels.

She wore it all, then piled jewelry on top of that.

Now, I didn’t see a single piece of jewelry on her.

And she was in sweats.

At a restaurant.

I’d never once seen her go out of the house in that.

Not that she didn’t look good in the sweats.

They were tight and cupped her ass nicely, which had rounded out beautifully since the last time I’d seen her, but she still never would’ve been caught dead in that when she was seventeen.

What hadn’t changed, though, was her temper.

A temper that was clearly on display as she slammed out of the bathroom moments later, anger tight on her face.

Masen had always had a temper.

And I’d missed seeing it, even though she’d used it on me, which had backfired on me in more ways than one.

Emily laughed.

“What?” I asked, turning my attention back to her.

“Oh, you have it bad,” she giggled.

I shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest, completely dissatisfied with the appetizer Emily had ordered for the two of us.

Food wasn’t what I wanted.

Hadn’t been what I
wanted
for a very long time now.

“So why’d you come by the station?” I asked. “Thought you were getting married this weekend.”

Emily grinned.

“I am. At the end of the month,” she answered. “I just wanted to make sure that you got the papers.”

I nodded. “I did. But I told you I didn’t need any money.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t my decision to give it to you.”

I sighed, my eyes going back to the bar area once again when I saw movement out of the corner of my eyes.

I watched as Masen moved, hugging around the pole that led to the bar and crouching down until she could sneak out the pick-up door.

Then I turned in my seat so I could watch her walk to her Jeep.

The same Jeep that she’d had for a very long time now.

And it looked it.

“She’s leaving,” Emily told me helpfully.

I turned around and glared at Emily.

“She sure is. Would you look at that?” I teased.

Emily stuck her tongue out.

“Now, let’s discuss money.”

“You’re a dumbass,” Aaron said, rolling his head in my direction to glare at me.

“Why?” I asked.

“You’re wondering why she ran out of there when you were having dinner with your ex-wife. You don’t think that would be something that would be cause to upset her?” He asked stiffly.

“Well, Masen thinks that Emily is my wife. And I didn’t correct her misconceptions,” I answered reluctantly.

Aaron raised his brow.

“You’re a dick, you know that?” He asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t care.”

“Yeah, you do. Which is what I never understood. You loved her more than life, and there is no way that you would’ve taken her dismissal of you unless you were secretly wanting to leave her, too,” Aaron added.

My jaw tightened. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Aaron laughed, causing a grimace of pain to flicker over his face.

Aaron had been injured badly in an accident causing burns that covered nearly half of his body.

It took up the majority of his left side.

One side was perfect unmarred flesh, and the other was mottled with ugly, unhealed skin.

My brother, though, was a fucking survivor, and I had no doubt that he’d make it back to his old self.

His burns were in that gross stage where they were starting to heal. His skin flaked off in clumps here and there, and he looked a tad bit grotesque.

“You do know what I’m talking about,” Aaron said. “You’re just refusing to acknowledge it and letting her take all the blame. It’s the same thing I’ve been telling you for years.”

I sat back in my chair and stewed.

He was right.

I had been, perhaps, at least partially responsible for the entire thing.

But I wouldn’t be taking all of the blame.

She was the one to put the entire thing into motion. It was me, however, who refused to run after her.

At least not until two years later, and I’d fucked up that night, too.

I’d received a call in the middle of the night from my CO asking me if I wanted to join a different company who’d just lost their medic. I’d done that twice before, but this time was different. This time it was during combat, and the company was pinned down in a remote village in the outskirts of our patrol.

I’d taken him up on the offer, my mind going into work mode, not thinking about what I was doing until I was in the air with nothing else to do but think about what I’d just done.

However, it didn’t stop me from doing my job.

What I loved.

“What are you doing here, baby?” My mom broke into my thoughts, making me look up.

Her and my stepdad were standing in the hospital room door, both with huge smiles on their faces.

“I’m sneaking Aaron in some beer,” I told them the truth.

They’d think I was joking, but I wasn’t.

I’d snuck in three beers in my coat pockets and had buried them in a urinal of ice next to the sink.

A clean urinal, but a urinal nonetheless.

“Oh, Booth,” my mom laughed. “What are y’all talking about?”

“Masen,” Aaron said.

My mother’s head snapped towards him, then turned to me.

“What about Masen?” Bill asked.

“He was telling me that he saw her today at the fire station,” Aaron said.

“You just started yesterday,” my mom said. “How’d she know you were there already?”

“She didn’t. They were having a bake sale to help fund this bozo,” I said, pointing at Aaron with my thumb. “She baked some cookies.”

“She baked?” My mom giggled.

I grinned myself.

Masen really couldn’t bake. In fact, she was more of what one would call a ‘burner.’

She burned everything, even when she was actively trying not to burn it.

Literally.

I was scared to even look at her cookies.

“Yeah, she baked. Guess we’ll see about how those cookies come out. It’s a small town, there’s bound to be talk about them,” I teased.

Aaron made a low sound of agreement in his throat, and I stood up to offer him my hand.

“I’ll get out of your hair. But I’ll be back tomorrow so don’t think you’re off the hook,” I tilted my head in the direction of the chess game we’d been playing.

Aaron smiled and gave me a thumb’s up with his good hand.

“See you tomorrow,” he said.

My parents followed me out, and we stopped just outside the closed door.

“How do you think he’s doing?” My mother asked me.

I looked at her, studying the worry etched on her face, and shrugged. “He talks a good game. But I know this is affecting him greatly. We’re going to have to keep an eye on him. This isn’t going to be an easy road for him,” I admitted.

My mother sighed and my stepfather gathered her into his side.

“Will you keep an eye on our house while we’re gone?” He asked.

I nodded. “Mom already asked, and I will,” I agreed.

“Good,” he said, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. “This is the boat we’ll be on, and where we’re leaving port from. Call us if anything interesting happens or if you need to talk.”

I nodded and took the piece of paper and offered him my hand.

“Have a good time,” I ordered.

My mother hugged me.

“I think you should talk to her,” she whispered into my ear.

I leaned back with a grimace.

“I’ll see what I can do, Ma. But I’m not making any promises,” I replied teasingly.

My mom rolled her eyes.

“When have you ever ‘made any promises?’”

I grinned.

“It’s easier to do it that way, then you’re not breaking promises,” I responded cheekily.

My mother smacked me on the arm.

“Go home and mow your lawn. It needs it,” she ordered.

After saluting her, I left.

Then I mowed my lawn.

Why? Because my mother told me to, that’s why.

I’m emotionally constipated. I haven’t given a crap all week.

-Coffee Cup

Masen

“What?” I exclaimed, pulling the phone away from my ear and looking at it like I hadn’t heard Mia right.

“You heard me right,” Mia confirmed.

My mouth dropped open.

“They’re high…while on the job. How?” I cried, my mind racing.

From what I knew, Booth had never, ever tried drugs.

In fact, he’d been radically against them since one of his high school friends had been a huge pot head that turned into a lover of more hard core drugs once pot no longer hit the spot.

To hear that Booth was high really surprised the crap out of me.

“What are you calling me for?” I asked, trying hard not to sound as bitter as I really was. “Call his wife.”

Mia was silent for long moments. “He didn’t ask us to call his wife. He asked for Tai to call you. And since we don’t have any more information other than that, you’re up.”

I shook my head. “Call someone else. I’m not doing this.”

“They suffered a lot of smoke inhalation tonight, as well as inhalation of the weed, Masen. Booth has a concussion and most likely a couple of bruised ribs. He can’t be alone, and he needs to be woken up every hour to make sure he’s okay,” Mia said with a no bullshit attitude.

I sighed and gritted my teeth.

“Fine,” I growled. “Where are y’all?”

“The hospital. Memorial, not ours,” she answered quickly.

I was heading to my bedroom before she’d even finished. “Okay. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Once I hung up, I couldn’t help but be a little bit ecstatic that he’d asked for me.

He could’ve asked for anyone, including his wife, but yet he’d requested me.

I, of course, knew his parents and brother’s number. I just hadn’t used them in so long that I wasn’t sure of the welcome I’d get.

Nor did I know if they still were in working order.

Mr. and Mrs. Sims, Booth’s mother and stepfather, were great people. Adria Sims was a teacher at the college. Bill Sims was an engineer for the railroad.

They both lived in Kilgore with me, and I ran away every single time I saw them, still, to this day.

If I saw them come into the grocery store, I’d leave.

If they were at the same restaurant with me, I’d find a way to sneak out, much like I had a few days before to Mia.

I was a coward.

I didn’t want to see the ugliness there…that hatred aimed all at me.

I was a bad person, and I’d made it so Booth’s mom didn’t get to see her baby.

And I knew, at least subconsciously, she blamed me for that.

She loved her son like I loved him.

With all my heart and soul.

Slipping my feet into my shoes, I walked out of my bedroom and headed to the front entrance where I’d dropped my keys and bags, as well as my clothes, the moment I’d gotten in last night.

My purse was still in my Jeep, which made it easy to run out into the night towards my Jeep’s driver’s side door.

It was raining…again.

And the dreary weather matched my mood.

Dismal.

I hadn’t been the same, which I’d admit hadn’t been all that great to begin with, since I’d realized Booth was now home for good.

I’d prayed for this day.

Prayed that one day he’d come home, safe and sound, and he’d listen to my apology.

He’d hear my words and completely understand.

But I’d never factored in a wife.

Shit.

My drive to the hospital took longer than anticipated due to the flooding from the torrential rain we were receiving, and vaguely I wondered how a fire could happen in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Making a mental note to ask about the likelihood of that, I parked in the parking lot, finding a close parking spot only four from the door, and hurried inside.

I saw Mia almost instantly.

She’d been waiting for me.

“Let’s do this,” I muttered, drying off my hands with a paper towel that was conveniently at the door’s front entrance.

The metal detectors sang as I started through it, and I sighed.

“Shit,” I said, handing the security guard my purse.

He took it, looked inside, and then handed it back to me. “You can go.”

I nodded and took the purse, following Mia to a door that led to the back of the ER.

She used a code to get in, and pushed the doors open and lead me to the very back of the large nurse’s station towards the individual rooms.

I stuttered to a stop when I saw the sheer amount of firefighters in the room, as well as cops and other medical personnel.

They’d practically taken over the ER.

Navy on navy firefighter uniforms as well as the black on black that the police officers wore, were everywhere.

When I finally got my feet to move once again, I followed Mia’s white t-shirt into the throng of people and stopped again when I saw Booth on the bed.

He was wearing no shirt and the bottom half of his bunker gear.

He looked like he was sleeping or dead.