Chapter 1

Noah

The alarm sounds and I fly out of the dining chair, leaving my uneaten lunch behind. As usual, I’m the first one here, scrambling for my gear and throwing myself into the fire truck. Within the blink of an eye, the rest of my boys are right behind me, ready to go.

It’s been a hot as fuck kind of day with gale force winds to go with it. This is our third major call out and we’re only eighteen hours through our twenty-four-hour shift. The first was a bushfire on the boundary line of Haven Falls and Broken Hill that quickly escalated to emergency levels.

We issued an evacuation notice to the homes in the area and with the help of the crew from Broken Hill, we were able to put that shit to bed without losing anyone’s homes. It was six hours of hell.

We got back and sat our asses down for all of three seconds before the next call came in. There was a three car pile-up where a bunch of reckless teenagers nearly killed a mother and her toddler, and caused serious injury to a man, whose only intention was to get home to his wife.

I guess it put all my teenage years into perspective. I was such a fucking idiot racing the way I did. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun and the adrenaline rush did me wonders, but I was endangering the lives of not only myself but the people around me. I was so cocky and sure of myself. You see people having accidents all the time yet you always think, ‘that’s never going to happen to me.’

Truth be told, I was fucking lucky that never happened to me with the kind of shit I was getting up to in the middle of the night. When Henley came into the picture and my cocky, too sure of myself attitude tripled, I was desperately trying to impress her so I’m damn lucky I never got myself into that kind of trouble.

I wanted her to think that I was larger than life, a fucking untouchable badass, and I think on some level she did. On the other hand, I think she could see right through my bullshit and I’ve never been so grateful for that.

The day Henley Bronx walked into my life, I knew that one day I’d give her my name. I wasn’t fucking wrong—I rarely am.

Henley Bronx was a sure fire thing for me, despite her tough girl attitude. Maybe it was the way she was never afraid to put me in my place and call me out on my bullshit. Whatever it was, she reeled me in, hook, line, and sinker.

The truck peels out of the fire station driveway, giving me that same adrenaline that I used to get as a reckless teenager behind the wheel of my Camaro.

Dispatch comes through our radio as a second and third truck pull out behind us. We’re given the address and my heart sinks, but I don’t have time to dwell as she starts her explanation. “Apartment fire. Some kind of explosion that happened on the second level. A neighbor called it in and at this point, we are unaware of the cause. Residents in the higher apartments are trapped and no doubt panicking. It’s believed there are a handful of children.”

Fuck.

“On it,” I acknowledge into the radio, letting dispatch know we’re prepared.

“Be safe, boys,” dispatch says again before the radio falls to silence.

I turn around to face the boys in the back while grabbing the radio once again, knowing my guys in the other trucks are eagerly awaiting my instruction. “Top priority; human life. We’ll split into three groups. Truck one is on the initial sweep, locating and freeing any trapped people. Truck two, I want you hot on our six, getting those people to safety and administering first aid until the paramedics arrive. Truck three; you’re on the fire. Once we’re done, it’s business as usual. This building is less than ten years old and does not have gas ovens. My gut is telling me this is something else other than a usual kitchen or electrical fire. Keep your eyes open. Are we clear?”

“Clear,” comes from fifteen voices throughout the three trucks.

I nod to my boys in the back before turning and facing the road. This is going to be a shit show and what’s worse, this is Tully’s old apartment block.

It was less than a year ago that she was living here. These people trapped inside this apartment block were her friends and neighbors; the people who checked on her when Rivers deployed, the people who slammed their fists against the wall when she was busily rocking out, and the people who helped her feel safe when her life was a living hell.

Tags: Sheridan Anne Haven Falls Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net