Victor had recovered from the blast and was now moving through the warehouse hacking wet equipment out of our way as Danny and I did our best to quell the flames. The guys above us sliced holes in the rest of the ceiling and vented the smoke in the hope that it would keep the oxygen flowing to the people trapped in the back room.
It was almost an hour before we were able to get the fire under control and access the back room. What we found there stunned us all into silence. The workers had all crowded into the small back room that was now filled with soot and ash. Two people were groaning and coughing, but the rest were still, and as we felt for pulses, we came up empty.
"Dammit!" I growled as I walked out of the room and slammed my fist against the doorframe yelling, "This is all your fault, Vangel! You're recklessness cost these people their lives! You're a menace!"
"Me? It's my fault that a bunch of illegals are dead in the back room of a sweat shop?" he shouted. "I don't think so, Connor!"
"You slammed your axe into that door and set off the explosion!" I yelled. "You're careless and dangerous! You could have gotten us all killed!"
"But I didn't," he shot back. "I vented the heat and got us closer to the back room, so I'd be careful about how you go spinning the story, Connor."
"Oh, I'm going to tell the truth, Vangel," I said. "Unlike you, I still value it."
"You'd better be careful how you go about telling your truth, Connor," Victor snarled. "I've got enough ammunition to put you six feet under in no time."
"Try it, and I'll make sure you never work in this town again," I said in a cold voice that made Danny do a double take. I leaned down and lifted one of the moaning workers off the floor and headed out to the ambulance, "Now, let's get these people out of here. MOVE!"
I was furious at myself for losing my cool with Victor, but I was even angrier at him for costing these people their lives. He was irresponsible and reckless and he needed to be stopped before there were more deaths. I wasn't sure how I was going to approach Chief with the problem, but I knew that it couldn't wait.
"Chief, when we get back to the station, I need to talk to you," I said as I grabbed my axe and headed back in to help the guys make sure the fire was completely out before we rolled up the hoses and headed back to base. Chief gave me a funny look, then nodded as he spoke to dispatch over the radio.
I was going to keep Victor from doing any more damage, come hell or high water -- that much was absolutely certain.
#
Back at the station, I stepped into Chief's office and closed the door. It wasn't going to be easy having this conversation with him, but once it was over I wasn't going to have to worry about Victor outing me at the station anymore.
"You wanted to talk, Connor?" Chief Riley said as he looked over the schedules for the next month.
"Chief, I need to tell you something that I've been keeping to myself," I began.
"Shit, Connor, tell me this is not drug or alcohol related," Chief said as he stood up.
"No, no, nothing like that, sir," I said shaking my head. "It's something outside of the department. Something I do on my own time, sir."
"Jesus, you're not coming out, are you?" Chief asked. "'Cause if you are, we're gonna need to bring in HR and get everyone into sensitivity training, and that's going to take scheduling."
"Chief, it's nothing like that," I said trying to steer the conversation back to the issue at hand. "But a little sensitivity training never hurt anyone, you know."
"I know, I need to get it on the books anyway," he nodded as he bent down and made a note on his calendar. "I just didn't know how quickly I'd have to do it."
"I see, sir," I said as I took a deep breath and blurted it out, "I am part owner of Chicago Security Company and we're taking on a contract to protect Richard Metzler during his upcoming run for office."
"Okay," Chief said as he stood looking at me with an expression that told me he wasn't particularly shocked or bothered by my revelation. "And you're telling me this because?"
"Because Victor Vangel has been trying to blackmail me into supporting his bid for the Lieutenant position in this station by threatening to tell everyone that I am part owner of a multi-million dollar corporation," I quickly said. "I'm tired of his threats."
"That sneaky little bastard," Chief said as he sat down in his chair and made another note on his calendar. "I'll take care of his sorry ass, don't you worry about that."
"That's just it, Chief; he's getting dangerous," I said. "Today at the fire, he didn't check the door before he opened it. I can't say if those people were still alive when he set off the explosion, but if they were..."
"I'll take care of it, Connor," Chief said with a determined look. "There's no reason to go spreading rumors or discussing this with anyone else, got it?"
"Yes, Chief," I nodded solemnly.
"And as far as your personal business goe
s, son, it's your personal business," he said bracing himself on his desk. "If anyone has an issue with you doing something to better your situation outside of work, then tell them to come see me and I'll set them straight."