The Fire Inside (20 page)

Lost in memory, she startled at the
earsplitting buzz of the cutters. Whirling around, she saw Recruit
Mauro had come to the bay, too, turned on the tool and was
spreading it.

“What the hell do you think you’re
doing?”

He looked up. “Just trying it on for size,
ma’am,” he said easily.

Without goggles or any hand protection!

And just like that, Tess morphed from the
woman who had been well loved only hours ago into a teacher who
needed to discipline a recruit. “Turn that thing off right now,
Recruit Mauro. You won’t be using any of these this morning.”

o0o

He’d done it now, Danny thought, as he sat
alone on a bench in the gloomy classroom and watched the rain pelt
against the windows. He’d been making mistakes, and this was a
doozy.

It wasn’t a mistake,
his conscience
told him.
You knew what you were doing. You
know
what
you’ve
been
doing for two weeks.

They’d all been pissed…

Captain Hennessey had flipped. “What were you
thinking
, Recruit Mauro?” Usually calm and reasonable, the
woman’s voice rose and her face reddened. Righetti had gotten the
woman all stirred up.

He’d been belligerent. “I wasn’t doing
anything wrong.”

“If you think that, you need to go sit in the
classroom until you
do
know what a grave mistake you made.
Read the section in chapter five on tool usage
safety
and
summarize it for me in your own words, in writing. Pay particular
attention to protective gear that you’re required to wear before
you even touch the equipment…”

So here he was, being punished like a
school-kid for his rashness in starting a tool. Damn, this was so
not him. He leafed through the book on his desk until he came to
the safety section. He’d just finished the written summary when
someone came into the room.

“Hello, Dan.” Harrison, the staff
psychologist. The guy was okay, but Danny didn’t like the class he
ran. Too much introspection.

Danny stood. “Sir.”

“Sit back down.” Harrison dragged a bench
across from him and settled on it slowly, as if he was in pain. “I
understand you got into some trouble this morning.”

He shrugged.

The doc pierced him with a hard gaze. “Do you
know what you did wrong?”

“I guess I shouldn’t have turned on the Hurst
tool.”

“Why did you?”

“I don’t know,” he lied. Down deep, he knew
why he was taking all these chances.

“Did you realize your actions were
dangerous?”

“No. I’ve been around fire stations all my
life. I’ve held the Jaws of Life before.”

“You’re from a family of firefighters?”

“Three—my dad and two brothers.”

“Do you think they’d see your behavior as
acceptable?”

Of course not. They’d kick his ass. Danny
didn’t answer.

Leaning back, Harrison stretched out his
legs. The overhead light showed lines around the man’s eyes and
mouth. “Dan, do you want to be at the Academy? In this class?”

“Yeah, of course. I’m going to be a
firefighter.”

“I read your file. Since you got here two
weeks ago, you’ve said and done things that indicate that maybe
your intentions might be the opposite.”

“I do, I swear.” He heard the panic in his
voice. “I’ve done well in all my tests and physical training.”

“I know. Congratulations.”

Again, he stared silently at the
psychologist.

“So, what should we do now?”

“It’s up to you all, I guess.”

“Is there anything you want to talk about?
What you confide in me will be confidential, I promise.”

“Look, I’m sorry for what I did. I’ll
apologize to the teachers in front of the class. I was stupid.
Nothing else is going on.”

“Okay. Chief Hennessey said you can go back
to the class after lunch. You’re supposed to stay here and ponder
your sins.”

“That’s all?”

“Yeah, for now. But if you ever want to talk,
I’m available.”

Danny stood when the captain did, watched him
leave—limping a little this time. He sat down and stared out at the
rain.

Why the
hell
couldn’t he be honest
with the shrink?

o0o

Tess swept into his office at lunchtime—her
face flaming. Jack’s response to her presence was visceral. She,
however, was mad. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Before he could answer, Olive came storming
through the door. “Somebody just told me you got hurt at Hale’s
Haven yesterday. You should be home in bed.”

Hmm. He’d been there just hours ago, with the
angry Captain Righetti. “Hello to you, too, ladies.”

They frowned.

“Jack?” This from Olive.

“I’m fine. I slept until ten and have been
back an hour. I feel great.”

The battalion chief studied him. “When I left
the message on your phone about talking to Mauro, I didn’t know
you’d been hurt.”

“As I said, I’m doing better now.”

Tess folded her arms across her chest and
glowered at him but didn’t speak.

“Go home early, then,” Olive continued.

“I will. I promise. So about Mauro. I did
talk to him.”

“He told us when he came back and apologized.
What did he say to you?”

“That he didn’t know why he turned on the
tool. In the end, he admitted he shouldn’t have and said he’d
apologize.”

“What else did you talk about?” Tess asked,
her eyes narrowed. It was as if she could read his mind.

“Pretty much what he told you. I couldn’t get
a bead on the kid, though.”

“Something’s going on with him. I feel it in
my gut. He suited up in turnout gear without the proper
instruction. It’s my opinion that he insulted Ian Woodward. And now
this.”

“I saw the pattern, too, in his file. But
he’s an eighteen-year-old kid. Being from a firefighter family
makes him cocky. Maybe that’s all it is.”

“Could be.” Olive was still frowning. “Except
for his attitude, he’s one of the best recruits I’ve ever
taught.”

“I’ll concede to that.” Tess sounded
reasonable. “But I’m afraid he’ll have a negative effect on the
others.”

Jack dug his hands into his pockets, a
nervous gesture, he knew. “It’s too soon to cut him loose.”

“I didn’t say we should. We have to watch him
vigilantly.”

“Great, then we agree?”

Both women nodded.

“I’ve got to get back,” Olive told them. “I
have a meeting.”

Jack asked, “Tess, can you stay a
minute?”

“I can.” He couldn’t read her expression.

Scanning her from head to toe after Olive
left, Jack gave Tess a sexy smile. “All alone again.”

She bit her lip but the grin won out. “Yep.”
Then her eyes turned dark. “Seriously, should you be back at work
so soon?”

“I had a great morning.”

“Hmm, me, too. Except for this thing with
Mauro.”

“Tess, something occurred to me while I was
talking to him. Does he remind you of Joey? He’s got those strong
Italian features.”

“I wouldn’t say he looked like Joey.”

“How about his attitude? You told me your
brother was cocky, entitled. Could that be prejudicing you against
Mauro?”

Her eyebrows skyrocketed. “Jack, I haven’t
made up what he’s done.”

“I know. I’m concerned about you in this,
too. Not just the boy.”

She pushed away from the wall. “I don’t want
to talk about Joey.”

“Have you ever, to anyone?”

“Mitch and the family.”

“No, I mean professionally.”

Her whole body stiffened. “Look, how’d we get
on this?”

Experience told him it was time to stop.
“Tell you what. Let me buy you lunch. There’s a great hamburger
joint just down the road.”

“I’m not sure we should do that.”

“Why? It’s convenient. Olive knows we’re
together. We said we wouldn’t tell anybody about us, but lunch
would be okay, honey.”

“Don’t call me that at the Academy.”

“You didn’t mind this morning, Teresa,” he
said sexily, again.

“Will you stop?”

“Only if you have lunch with me.”

They both smiled all the way out to his
car.

o0o

Tess conceded to driving in Jack’s SUV with
him. They should have taken two vehicles, but she succumbed to his
request because she was still buzzed from this morning. The
tenderness, the closeness had almost eclipsed the mind-numbing
pleasure he’d given her. And vice versa, she thought, smiling.

“What’s that for?”

“Nothing.”

“Come on, baby. You’re thinking about me,
right? About this morning, because I have to tell you I can
still…feel you.”

A good description. “It was different from in
Rockland, though that was great.”

“Different for me, too. I might lose my
psychologist card for this, but let’s not analyze it to death.”

“I agree. Just tell me honestly if you’re
well enough to be back to work.”

“For a while. I’m planning to go home early.
Rest. Wait for you to come back and take care of me.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

The diner was large, sporting a
black-and-white vinyl floor, booths with paper placemats and
plastic forks, and a counter where long-time patrons sat. Jack led
Tess to a table, they ordered drinks, then scanned the menu. “I’ll
have their meat eater’s special.”

“Seriously, you can eat two hamburgers with
everything on them?”

“Hmm. I burned a lot of calories already
today.”

“French fries?”

“Of course.”

When the food was delivered, Tess ate the
juicy burgers dripping with hot sauce and relish. Jack had plain
beef with cheese but ate heartily. They exchanged small talk only,
and the meal was easy and fun…until Tess looked up and saw Mitch
walk into the diner. Shit. She knew she’d have to deal with him
eventually, but she was hoping for a full day’s reprieve.

He spotted her and strode over in that gait
he’d used the night he’d come after her when, at seventeen, she
went to a bar with an older boy. Mitch had dragged her out and
forbidden her to see the guy. Damn, he wouldn’t try that with Jack,
would he? Mitch was a cream puff until he got riled.

His gaze zeroed in on her. “Fancy seeing you
here.”

“Hi, Mitch.”

“Jack.” Mitch said the greeting without
taking his eyes off Tess.

The urge to squirm was strong, but she was in
her thirties now, not a teen. She bit her lip, too, so she wouldn’t
laugh. The situation was ludicrous.

Nodding to her meal, Mitch asked, “You
done?”

“Just finished.” This from Jack.

He faced his friend. And scowled. “What are
you doing out and about? You were hurt yesterday.”

“I’m recovered enough to work a few
hours.”

Mitch grunted. “Would you give me some time
alone with my cousin? I can take her back to the Academy. And you
go home.”

A long pause. Then Jack said, “I don’t think
so, Mitch.”

Mitch’s brows rose. “Why?”

“Because what you want to talk to Tess about
concerns me, too.”

It took him a minute. Then his eyes narrowed.
“You gotta be kidding me.”

“Sit down, Mitch.” Jack’s voice was full of
authority that even a battalion chief recognized.

When Mitch sat, and neither Jack nor Tess
offered anything, Mitch finally said, “Tell me what’s going
on.”

Leaning over, Tess took Mitch’s hand. “I was
with Jack last night. I was the one he called to take care of
him.”

Again a dark look. “Why would he call you?
You don’t even like each other.”

“Outside of professional differences, we do
like each other.” This from Jack.

“I don’t get it. How do you even know that?
She’s only been here a few weeks.”

Where to go from here? Tess decided on the
truth. “You don’t know the whole story. We got together in
Rockland.”

“Define
got together
.”

Exasperated, Tess said, “We
slept
together.”

His eyes were saucers. “Seriously.” Then,
“How many times?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Jack leaned over and braced his arms on the
table. “No, Tess, no more secrets.” He locked his gaze with
Mitch’s. She liked seeing him in this role. “Once.”

“You had a one-night stand with my cousin?”
Now Mitch’s face reddened, and a muscle in his jaw bulged.

“Because of unforeseen reasons. I had to come
home for Sara.”

In careful, modulated tones, Jack explained
what had occurred between him and Tess.

To Tess’s surprise, the explanation seemed to
make Mitch madder. His mouth formed a grim line. But he looked
away. Took a few breaths. “I’m gonna leave. I don’t want to say
anything I might regret. But know I’m not happy about this.”

Tess quipped, “Yes, Dad.”

The chair scraped back, Mitch stood, glared
at them, and walked out.

“You shouldn’t have teased him.” Jack was
smiling, though.

“I couldn’t help it. He’s acting just like he
did when I was a kid.” She giggled.

“You’re enjoying this.”

“I’m sorry, I am. It feels good having him
look after me again.”

“Easy for you to say. I’m the one that’s
going to pay for this.”

She grinned. “I know.”

o0o

The night was warm, and Jack looked around
the fire ground. It was good to be here again, which was why he’d
tagged along with the crew from Engine 4. His record was still
intact for no runs during a meal he cooked. The call had come after
they finished a dinner of lasagna and meat sauce. Tess was busy
tonight, so Jack accompanied the guys to the fire.

The rig had screeched to a halt, and Jack
remembered the sensations of going to fight a fire: the extreme
burst of adrenaline he’d always felt before entering the building;
the loud noise of the trucks, still running; the scent of gasoline,
strong and acrid.

Engine 4 firefighters clambered off the
truck, grabbed tools and waited on high alert for their captain to
get his orders. Among them was Tom Senate, the man who’d quit the
Academy because of Jack’s Recruit Concerns class. He’d been
pleasant to Jack at dinner, but there had been an air of remoteness
about him.