Read Online Winter's Fire (Welcome to Covendale #7) by Morgan Blaze - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Morgan Blaze
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skin was cold, the flesh rigid. “I told you we’re not going to put you in the ground just yet. Your time’s not up. Ben…give me something here, damn it!”
A hand on his shoulder made him flinch. “Move back, bro.” Dom’s voice was choked and low, barely recognizable. “Come on, you’re bleeding. Let Aldridge and Fletcher take care of him, okay?”
Shivering, Adam shifted slowly out of the wreckage. Everything in him wanted to scream, tear things apart, collapse the world around him the way he’d fallen apart inside. But he couldn’t afford to lose it. He had a job to do here. “Get that fire out,” he said, managing a semblance of his normal voice. “Tell Luke to forget the hose for now, use the foam first. I won’t let him burn in there.”
Dom frowned. “Adam…”
“Do it!”
He watched Dom take off, and then turned to the deputy. “You talk to the sheriff?”
“He’s en route,” Nick said. “Ten minutes out.”
“Good. I want a full investigation.” Adam glanced at the wreck and shook his head. “This shouldn’t have happened, and I want to know how it did.”
“I’ll tell Sheriff Tanner,” Nick said. “Adam, maybe you should—hey!” The deputy broke off suddenly and stared down the road, past the flares and emergency vehicles. “What the hell’s Karl Jessup doing out here?”
Adam snarled an oath. He knew what was going on before he caught sight of the unmistakable orange pickup pulling up beside Rescue Four. Of course she hadn’t listened when he told her to stay at the station. “It’s not Karl,” he said. “I’ll take care of this.”
Jaw set, he strode across the scene to have it out with Winter.
* * * *
Winter climbed out of the truck slowly, trying to separate the scene in front of her from the long-ago one that had been seared into her memory—flashing lights, shouting people, the heavy smell of burning. But this was day, not night. Covendale, not Greenway. And her sister wasn’t trapped inside the house at a second-story window, screaming as she burned.
That was then, this was now. And she was going to do her job.
She’d just closed the door when she noticed a figure striding toward her in full turnout gear. Adam—she recognized his shape, the strong line of his jaw. He probably wouldn’t be happy she’d come to the call. But she’d just explain that she was here to observe, to make sure the fire department had the right procedures in place. Witnessing an accident cleanup would go a long way toward bringing this investigation to a close, something they both wanted.
He reached her and stopped short. Before she could get a word out, he said, “I told you to stay at the station.”
The fury in his voice chilled her. “I’m just here to—”
“I don’t give a damn why you’re here. Get back in that truck and leave.”
“I will not.” The first stirrings of her own anger fueled her resolve. He was overreacting again—whatever had him so upset, it wasn’t business. “I know you have a job here, but so do I,” she said. “I’m investigating your department’s accident cleanups, and I’m here to observe.”
“Accident cleanup.” His voice tightened around the words. “You’re…observing an accident cleanup.”
“Yes,” she said with far less certainty, watching his fists clench hard at his sides. She’d just noticed he was only wearing one glove. His bare hand was cut and bleeding, smudged with black, either grease or soot. More blood on his sleeves…probably not his, she realized with a horrible start. But she swallowed and pressed on. “If I observe your procedures, we can get this investigation closed faster.”
His blue eyes darkened, narrowed. “Procedures,” he spat. “Figures. Is that all you care about, Winter?”
“It’s my job. I have to—”
“This is not your job!” he shouted, forcing her to recoil. “That’s Ben Schaeffer over there, and you’re not investigating him.”
“Ben?” she
A hand on his shoulder made him flinch. “Move back, bro.” Dom’s voice was choked and low, barely recognizable. “Come on, you’re bleeding. Let Aldridge and Fletcher take care of him, okay?”
Shivering, Adam shifted slowly out of the wreckage. Everything in him wanted to scream, tear things apart, collapse the world around him the way he’d fallen apart inside. But he couldn’t afford to lose it. He had a job to do here. “Get that fire out,” he said, managing a semblance of his normal voice. “Tell Luke to forget the hose for now, use the foam first. I won’t let him burn in there.”
Dom frowned. “Adam…”
“Do it!”
He watched Dom take off, and then turned to the deputy. “You talk to the sheriff?”
“He’s en route,” Nick said. “Ten minutes out.”
“Good. I want a full investigation.” Adam glanced at the wreck and shook his head. “This shouldn’t have happened, and I want to know how it did.”
“I’ll tell Sheriff Tanner,” Nick said. “Adam, maybe you should—hey!” The deputy broke off suddenly and stared down the road, past the flares and emergency vehicles. “What the hell’s Karl Jessup doing out here?”
Adam snarled an oath. He knew what was going on before he caught sight of the unmistakable orange pickup pulling up beside Rescue Four. Of course she hadn’t listened when he told her to stay at the station. “It’s not Karl,” he said. “I’ll take care of this.”
Jaw set, he strode across the scene to have it out with Winter.
* * * *
Winter climbed out of the truck slowly, trying to separate the scene in front of her from the long-ago one that had been seared into her memory—flashing lights, shouting people, the heavy smell of burning. But this was day, not night. Covendale, not Greenway. And her sister wasn’t trapped inside the house at a second-story window, screaming as she burned.
That was then, this was now. And she was going to do her job.
She’d just closed the door when she noticed a figure striding toward her in full turnout gear. Adam—she recognized his shape, the strong line of his jaw. He probably wouldn’t be happy she’d come to the call. But she’d just explain that she was here to observe, to make sure the fire department had the right procedures in place. Witnessing an accident cleanup would go a long way toward bringing this investigation to a close, something they both wanted.
He reached her and stopped short. Before she could get a word out, he said, “I told you to stay at the station.”
The fury in his voice chilled her. “I’m just here to—”
“I don’t give a damn why you’re here. Get back in that truck and leave.”
“I will not.” The first stirrings of her own anger fueled her resolve. He was overreacting again—whatever had him so upset, it wasn’t business. “I know you have a job here, but so do I,” she said. “I’m investigating your department’s accident cleanups, and I’m here to observe.”
“Accident cleanup.” His voice tightened around the words. “You’re…observing an accident cleanup.”
“Yes,” she said with far less certainty, watching his fists clench hard at his sides. She’d just noticed he was only wearing one glove. His bare hand was cut and bleeding, smudged with black, either grease or soot. More blood on his sleeves…probably not his, she realized with a horrible start. But she swallowed and pressed on. “If I observe your procedures, we can get this investigation closed faster.”
His blue eyes darkened, narrowed. “Procedures,” he spat. “Figures. Is that all you care about, Winter?”
“It’s my job. I have to—”
“This is not your job!” he shouted, forcing her to recoil. “That’s Ben Schaeffer over there, and you’re not investigating him.”
“Ben?” she
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