was supposed to be the man on the bottom had his head thrown back as if in the throes of ecstasy.
“I got a call today about you,” the chief said.
I winced.
The woman pushing the baby.
Perfect.
“Yes,” I said.
He sighed at my evasive answer.
“Let me read what she had to say,” he said, putting on his reading glasses. “Wouldn’t touch that bitch with a ten-foot pole. She better hope she doesn’t have a fire here that requires more than someone pissing on it to put out. She inadvertently pissed off the whole fire department with the way she spoke about Mia.”
I waited to hear what else he had to say.
It wasn’t much.
He stared back at me with the same unwavering gaze.
So I explained. For the tenth time.
“Goddammit!” Allen said, slamming his hands down on the desk. “You can’t fuckin’ say stuff like that, even if it’s true!”
I sat back, surprised by his outburst.
He was always so in control. To see him not was a sight to see.
“I never said it was true. I talk a good game, but that bitch will get the same great service that my own brother would get if it came down to it,” I told him honestly.
“You don’t like your brother,” Allen said with a smile, taking his seat.
I snorted. “I love my overbearing, always whining about my life, prick head of a brother. It’s just at times I forget that I do, and act accordingly.”
He laughed.
“Get out of my office, Taima. Don’t say shit like that anymore,” he ordered.
I saluted him half-heartedly. “Sir, yes sir.”
He flipped me off and I walked between the two chairs.
The mannequins fell off, landing with a thump on the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.
“Huh,” I said.
The new position put the ‘woman’ on top, her knees up by the ‘man’s’ ears.
“I’ll have to try that position tonight,” Allen laughed.
I gave him a thumb’s up and left with a smile on my face. One that quickly fell off the moment I got into the main room of the fire house.
“What’d he want?” Winter asked.
Baylee, her partner, was sitting directly in front of her. They were playing a card game that looked confusing as hell.
“He wanted to yell at me for some bitch overhearing a comment I made today while we were inspecting that lady’s business,” I explained.
Winter narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh,” Drew said. “You don’t know that Taima, your favorite brother-in-law, has a crush?”
I pushed Drew, nearly toppling him out of his chair.
He righted himself with a laugh.
“Shut up,” I said.
“Why?” Drew asked. “It’s true.”
It was.
I was falling fast and hard.
“Why is it always the broken ones?” Winter asked. “She’s a nice woman, after all, but she has some work to do before she’s ready to take you on.”
I scowled. “What are you talking about?”
Winter gave me a glare.
“That girl,” Winter said. “What was her name? Randi?”
I blinked.
I hadn’t thought about Randi in a very long time. In fact, until Winter brought her up, I knew it’d been years since I’d even heard her name.
“What about her?” I asked, taking a coke out of the fridge and bringing it to the table where I took a seat and watched the game being played.
Bowe was busy cooking our dinner, and I watched absently as he stirred something in a pot that was boiling on the stove.
“You went to jail because of her,” Winter said.
“I went to jail because that bitch of a mother of hers was trying to sell her on the street for drugs,” I growled.
“You hit a woman,” she countered.
I shrugged. “That wasn’t a woman. That was a monster.”
“Hmm,” Winter said. “What about Ella?”
“What about her?” I asked.
“You didn’t go to jail for her, too?”
I laughed.
“Winter, I was a street punk who had a vendetta against all things asshole. You may think that I ‘go for the broken ones’ but I don’t. I was just trying to help them. They didn’t deserve to be
“I got a call today about you,” the chief said.
I winced.
The woman pushing the baby.
Perfect.
“Yes,” I said.
He sighed at my evasive answer.
“Let me read what she had to say,” he said, putting on his reading glasses. “Wouldn’t touch that bitch with a ten-foot pole. She better hope she doesn’t have a fire here that requires more than someone pissing on it to put out. She inadvertently pissed off the whole fire department with the way she spoke about Mia.”
I waited to hear what else he had to say.
It wasn’t much.
He stared back at me with the same unwavering gaze.
So I explained. For the tenth time.
“Goddammit!” Allen said, slamming his hands down on the desk. “You can’t fuckin’ say stuff like that, even if it’s true!”
I sat back, surprised by his outburst.
He was always so in control. To see him not was a sight to see.
“I never said it was true. I talk a good game, but that bitch will get the same great service that my own brother would get if it came down to it,” I told him honestly.
“You don’t like your brother,” Allen said with a smile, taking his seat.
I snorted. “I love my overbearing, always whining about my life, prick head of a brother. It’s just at times I forget that I do, and act accordingly.”
He laughed.
“Get out of my office, Taima. Don’t say shit like that anymore,” he ordered.
I saluted him half-heartedly. “Sir, yes sir.”
He flipped me off and I walked between the two chairs.
The mannequins fell off, landing with a thump on the ground in a tangle of arms and legs.
“Huh,” I said.
The new position put the ‘woman’ on top, her knees up by the ‘man’s’ ears.
“I’ll have to try that position tonight,” Allen laughed.
I gave him a thumb’s up and left with a smile on my face. One that quickly fell off the moment I got into the main room of the fire house.
“What’d he want?” Winter asked.
Baylee, her partner, was sitting directly in front of her. They were playing a card game that looked confusing as hell.
“He wanted to yell at me for some bitch overhearing a comment I made today while we were inspecting that lady’s business,” I explained.
Winter narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh,” Drew said. “You don’t know that Taima, your favorite brother-in-law, has a crush?”
I pushed Drew, nearly toppling him out of his chair.
He righted himself with a laugh.
“Shut up,” I said.
“Why?” Drew asked. “It’s true.”
It was.
I was falling fast and hard.
“Why is it always the broken ones?” Winter asked. “She’s a nice woman, after all, but she has some work to do before she’s ready to take you on.”
I scowled. “What are you talking about?”
Winter gave me a glare.
“That girl,” Winter said. “What was her name? Randi?”
I blinked.
I hadn’t thought about Randi in a very long time. In fact, until Winter brought her up, I knew it’d been years since I’d even heard her name.
“What about her?” I asked, taking a coke out of the fridge and bringing it to the table where I took a seat and watched the game being played.
Bowe was busy cooking our dinner, and I watched absently as he stirred something in a pot that was boiling on the stove.
“You went to jail because of her,” Winter said.
“I went to jail because that bitch of a mother of hers was trying to sell her on the street for drugs,” I growled.
“You hit a woman,” she countered.
I shrugged. “That wasn’t a woman. That was a monster.”
“Hmm,” Winter said. “What about Ella?”
“What about her?” I asked.
“You didn’t go to jail for her, too?”
I laughed.
“Winter, I was a street punk who had a vendetta against all things asshole. You may think that I ‘go for the broken ones’ but I don’t. I was just trying to help them. They didn’t deserve to be
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