35

Gavin

Luckily for Evan and Fiona, the storm that blew in waited until the week after their wedding. One day it was blue skies and crisp fall air, and the next, the wind kicked up and rain drenched the town. It wasn’t cold enough to snow yet, but on a day like today, we had to worry about landslides and falling tree limbs. By early afternoon, I was surprised anyone in Tilikum still had power.

Levi and I had gone on duty this morning. Logan was off today, so he and Asher went over to Gram’s to make sure everything was storm ready. There was only one tree close enough to the house to fall and do damage, but one was all it would take. Asher texted that everything looked fine and bragged about the fresh muffins Gram had fed them.

Dick.

Things were surprisingly quiet at the firehouse, but I knew that wouldn’t last. I could feel something buzzing in the air, like electricity. Storms were unpredictable.

We ran a call at the Nelson’s house because Mike Nelson was having chest pains. Turned out, he’d eaten two heaping plates of Mrs. Nelson’s leftover baked spaghetti and the red sauce had given him crazy ass heartburn. He was getting checked out at the hospital just in case, but as soon as he’d admitted to what he’d had for breakfast, Mrs. Nelson had smacked him with a rolled-up magazine. I had a feeling he was going to be fine.

Shortly after we got back, I went upstairs to get some lunch. Levi was already at a table in the kitchen, so I grabbed my food and sat down with him.

Levi didn’t say much—just met my eyes with a quick chin tip and kept eating.

“You okay, man?” I asked.

“Yeah. Why?”

“You just seem like you have some shit on your mind or something.”

He shook his head. “Not really.”

“Are you sure? Because if you do, maybe you should talk to someone about it. Just because you’re a guy doesn’t mean you can’t share your feelings.”

That comment earned me a solid big brother eye roll. I got those a lot. “I’m fine, Gav. Eat your lunch.”

Levi wasn’t fine. I’d lived with him long enough to know that. But he kept everything locked up so tight, I wondered if even he knew what the fuck was wrong anymore. I was used to Evan being grouchy, but Levi was angry about something. I could feel it. Especially in moments like this, when everything was quiet. He gave off mad vibes like a smoking coal.

If it had been Logan, I’d have brought up Cara, or basically anything I knew would rile him up. But my instincts flared suddenly, telling me to leave it.

So I did.

“Crazy that Evan’s married, huh?” I said.

“Yeah it is. Fiona’s great, though.”

“Yeah dude, she’s the best. She must be some kind of unicorn to be able to handle Evan’s grumpy ass.”

Levi chuckled a little. “No shit.”

“They got married fast.”

“So?”

I shrugged. “Just an observation.”

He was quiet for a moment, poking at his food. “That’s Evan, though. Once he makes a decision, he’s all in. And I guess when you know, you know.”

“So why wait?”

“Yeah. If there’s nothing getting in your way, why wait?”

I nodded slowly.

The buzzer sounded, alerting us to a call. Levi and I were instantly on our feet and heading for the stairs. A moment later, we were in our turnouts and boots, climbing into the engine.

Christian, the engineer, got in after us. “We’ve got a tree down on the Freight Street bridge. It struck a vehicle, trapping two passengers, and the structural integrity of the bridge is questionable.”

Oh shit. That bridge was old, and a big enough tree could do some serious damage.

The engine bay door was already open and we headed out, lights flashing. The ambulance followed behind us.

Freight Street crossed the river on the south end of town. There was a running joke that the bridge was ready to collapse, but no one actually thought it would. People drove across it every single day.

But this storm was something else, and I had a feeling this could be bad.

The wind whipped through the trees and rain fell in sheets. We stopped on the east side of the bridge and one glance at the car stuck out there sent a shot of adrenaline through my system. It was Caroline.

Her little red car had almost made it across, but a downed tree with a thick trunk had smashed the front. From this angle, I couldn’t tell how bad the damage was.

I got out, focusing on protocol. On my job. In a small town, it wasn’t unusual to know the people involved when you ran a call. This was no different.

Except there were two passengers.

Was Skylar stuck out there? Or was it Chief?

If we were running a call with Chief Stanley involved, they would have told us.

Fuck.

The sudden deluge of rain had already swelled the river, turning it into a churning mass of debris-filled water. The huge tree had fallen near the far side, smashing through the guardrail and into the lower supports. It had probably bent the frame of Caroline’s car, preventing them from being able to open the doors to get out. And her car was fucking tiny to begin with. No back seat, no back doors, nowhere to go.

Christian barked orders and I took a few steps closer to the bridge entrance.

It was going to fall.

I didn’t know how I knew, but I was positive.

“Levi,” I shouted, whirling around to find him. “The bridge is going to go. It’s not going to hold.”

As if it wanted to make my point for me, the bridge supports groaned.

For a sickening second, I could see it happen. The supports failing. The car plunging into the icy cold water with Caroline and Skylar trapped inside.

Because there was no doubt in my mind it was Skylar out there.

Levi had already pulled out the jaws of life and the compressor to run the hydraulics. “Let’s go.”

I grabbed the case with the spreader and hydraulic hoses while Levi and Christian followed with the compressor. Rain pelted us, the wind driving it sideways. The bridge felt solid, but I knew it wasn’t. Between its age, the damage from the tree, the debris in the river, and the gusts of wind, it was anyone’s guess how long it had left.

When we got to the car, I forced myself to focus on the task at hand, not the condition of the vehicle or who was inside. Christian ran to the driver’s side door—there was better access there—and I could hear him speaking to Caroline, asking questions and reassuring her, while Levi and I deployed the jaws of life.

I’d done this a million times in training, and even in the field more than once. I went through the motions, connecting the hydraulic hoses to the compressor. A few more seconds, and we were ready.

My heart pounded a mad rhythm in my chest as I went to the driver’s side. The front of the car was smashed, the metal frame folding in on itself. It looked like the tree had fallen right in front of them and they’d hit it head-on.

I paused long enough to look at the passengers. Caroline’s eyes were wide, but she was calm. No sign of major injuries so far. And sure enough, Skylar was in the passenger seat. The car was partially caved in on her side, and she’d scooted closer to her mom.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “We’ve got you.”