another fifteen years since she’d last seen him, instead of a month. Sweat had turned the soot to grime under his eyes and he looked exhausted but good. Sooo good. She stood on tippy toes and kissed him without any second guessing or a care for how dirty he was.
He kissed her back to a cacophony of cat calls and wolf whistles, and that felt good too. Sooo good. Selena didn’t care what it meant in the grand scheme of their relationship. She was just pleased he hadn’t been swallowed up by that fiery beast he’d been battling for days now.
“I’ve been calling and calling you,” she said, pulling away again.
His face mirrored his surprise. “I only have a fire service phone on me,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “Now I’ve seen you with my own two eyes I won’t worry.”
“I told you he was indestructible, didn’t I?” Marcus grinned, approaching them, and he and Jarrod embraced in that manly chest bump way, slapping each other on the back.
“What are you doing with him?” Jarrod asked. “You covering the fires?”
Selena nodded. It felt weird to be standing here, relief running through her veins like coolant, having just pashed him in front of everyone, talking about her work. “Me and my cameraman have been embedded with Marcus and Brett since yesterday.”
“How’s it been?” Jarrod asked, switching his attention to his brother.
“Okay yesterday. Bit grimmer today, moving into the more fire-affected areas.”
Jarrod nodded. “Yes.”
“I heard they’re sending out relief teams for you guys today,” Selena said.
“That’s right,” he confirmed. “Hoping to be home by this afternoon. I’d kill for a shower. My dirt has dirt.”
Selena didn’t blame him, he looked like a chimney sweep at the moment. If it were her, she’d want to soak in a bath for a week.
The radio at his belt fired to life. “Just a sec,” he said as he answered it. There was a lot of static and Selena only picked up every second word. Something about a burnt-out car somewhere, but Jarrod seemed to get it all.
“Roger that. Have Marcus and Brett here with me right now,” he said looking at his brother, who nodded. “We’ll investigate. Stand by for my sitrep. Out.”
“Was that Gilligan’s Road?” Marcus asked.
“Yep, it’s about ten clicks from here. You want to follow me in the rig just in case?”
“Sure.”
Jarrod turned to his crew who were taking a breather, drinking out of their canteens. “We’re heading to Gilligan’s Road.”
The firefighters nodded wearily and headed to their truck without a word. “Come on, Selena,” Marcus said. “We’ll follow.”
Jarrod looked at her. “I’ll see you there,” he said, giving her arm a squeeze before heading to his vehicle.
“Just in case what?” Selena asked as she climbed into the ambulance.
Marcus started the rig and slammed it into gear. “Just in case there’s someone alive inside.”
Chapter Seven
‡
J arrod pulled the fire engine up ten minutes later, the badly burned car sitting in the middle of the dirt road just ahead.
Crap . It didn’t look good.
It was some kind of four-wheel drive vehicle, but there were no recognisable markings left on the car. The paintwork had blistered and bubbled until it was indiscernible, the number plate was unreadable, the tyres were blown and still smoking, the windscreen had shattered and the side mirrors were a melted mess down the doors.
The bush either side of the road was completely burned out and smouldering. The driver must have been trying to evacuate too late and got caught when thick smoke made navigation impossible.
Dread sat like a cold, slimy stone in his stomach. Goddamn it! Who would do something so insane?
But the bigger question was, was he/she/they still in the car. If they were, had they survived the blistering radiant heat and noxious fume build up? If they weren’t, where were they? Had they tried to flee the fire on foot? He looked around at
He kissed her back to a cacophony of cat calls and wolf whistles, and that felt good too. Sooo good. Selena didn’t care what it meant in the grand scheme of their relationship. She was just pleased he hadn’t been swallowed up by that fiery beast he’d been battling for days now.
“I’ve been calling and calling you,” she said, pulling away again.
His face mirrored his surprise. “I only have a fire service phone on me,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “Now I’ve seen you with my own two eyes I won’t worry.”
“I told you he was indestructible, didn’t I?” Marcus grinned, approaching them, and he and Jarrod embraced in that manly chest bump way, slapping each other on the back.
“What are you doing with him?” Jarrod asked. “You covering the fires?”
Selena nodded. It felt weird to be standing here, relief running through her veins like coolant, having just pashed him in front of everyone, talking about her work. “Me and my cameraman have been embedded with Marcus and Brett since yesterday.”
“How’s it been?” Jarrod asked, switching his attention to his brother.
“Okay yesterday. Bit grimmer today, moving into the more fire-affected areas.”
Jarrod nodded. “Yes.”
“I heard they’re sending out relief teams for you guys today,” Selena said.
“That’s right,” he confirmed. “Hoping to be home by this afternoon. I’d kill for a shower. My dirt has dirt.”
Selena didn’t blame him, he looked like a chimney sweep at the moment. If it were her, she’d want to soak in a bath for a week.
The radio at his belt fired to life. “Just a sec,” he said as he answered it. There was a lot of static and Selena only picked up every second word. Something about a burnt-out car somewhere, but Jarrod seemed to get it all.
“Roger that. Have Marcus and Brett here with me right now,” he said looking at his brother, who nodded. “We’ll investigate. Stand by for my sitrep. Out.”
“Was that Gilligan’s Road?” Marcus asked.
“Yep, it’s about ten clicks from here. You want to follow me in the rig just in case?”
“Sure.”
Jarrod turned to his crew who were taking a breather, drinking out of their canteens. “We’re heading to Gilligan’s Road.”
The firefighters nodded wearily and headed to their truck without a word. “Come on, Selena,” Marcus said. “We’ll follow.”
Jarrod looked at her. “I’ll see you there,” he said, giving her arm a squeeze before heading to his vehicle.
“Just in case what?” Selena asked as she climbed into the ambulance.
Marcus started the rig and slammed it into gear. “Just in case there’s someone alive inside.”
Chapter Seven
‡
J arrod pulled the fire engine up ten minutes later, the badly burned car sitting in the middle of the dirt road just ahead.
Crap . It didn’t look good.
It was some kind of four-wheel drive vehicle, but there were no recognisable markings left on the car. The paintwork had blistered and bubbled until it was indiscernible, the number plate was unreadable, the tyres were blown and still smoking, the windscreen had shattered and the side mirrors were a melted mess down the doors.
The bush either side of the road was completely burned out and smouldering. The driver must have been trying to evacuate too late and got caught when thick smoke made navigation impossible.
Dread sat like a cold, slimy stone in his stomach. Goddamn it! Who would do something so insane?
But the bigger question was, was he/she/they still in the car. If they were, had they survived the blistering radiant heat and noxious fume build up? If they weren’t, where were they? Had they tried to flee the fire on foot? He looked around at
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