Read Ashes - Book 2 (New Adult Romantic Suspense) for Free Online Page B

painting, but also things like psychology and public education, not to mention the hours we put in on training and even physical fitness.
    And damn, that’s true. If something breaks, we fix it. If someone’s down, we help them. We teach. We treat. We protect. We do what needs doing.
    So now, I’m sitting down to do some pre-fire planning on a new casino opening in a few weeks. It’s important that we familiarize ourselves with as many buildings as possible so we know where the hell to go in case there is an emergency.
    I’m examining the building evacuation procedures when Captain Frank sticks his head in the conference room door.
    “Gage, come to my office for a second.”
    I’m surprised he’s here. I didn’t see him on the roster for today. I grab a bottle of water and follow him to his office. I have a feeling I know exactly what this is about.
    He motions me to close the door and take a seat. “Coffee?” he asks, but I hold up my water. I’ve had enough caffeine already.
    The Cap pours a cup and sits behind his desk while I force my right leg to stop bouncing up and down. The Cap is strict as hell, but also fair. We’re lucky to have him.
    “Got a call this morning that our station might have some visitors today—“
    “Sorry about that, Cap—“
    “Don’t sorry me, son. Shit happens and it looks like you were the lucky one to get to step in it this time.”
    I laugh … a little. Yep. It was some shit alright. I give him the short version of the hike, saving the kid and finding the bodies, most of which he already knows. News spreads fast in the city of sin, it seems.
    “Turns out your name was leaked to the press, Gage. Your girlfriend too.”
    I ignore the ‘girlfriend’ part and say, “Yeah, I kind of figured that by the welcome wagon set up outside. I’m avoiding them until I know what my official statement will be.”
    “Good thinking. We’ll work on that. In the meantime, if you get trapped by a camera, say something along the lines of how sad you are for the loved ones and you hope they find the person that did it. Don’t give the number of bodies found. We’re not sure how the feds are going to play it.”
    “Feds?”
    “Yes. The victims were found in a national park, so yes, it falls under federal jurisdiction.”
    I knew that. I’ve got to clear my head. I’m still not thinking right.
    “That’s one of the reasons I came in today. Wanted to check on you and see where your head’s at.”
    Damn. Can he see right through me? “I’m good.” He stares at me. “Really. Not great, but not horrible either. I’m glad to be here working.”
    He nods. “If anything changes, let me know. Sometimes there’s some post-traumatic stress to these types of things. Nightmares. Guilt. Blame. Stuff like that.”
    I swallow and he stares at me harder.
    “The federal agents are going to want to talk to you today or tomorrow at the latest,” he continues. “Also, I got a call from Captain Vander. You know him?”
    I flip through my mental rolodex. “I’ve heard of him, of course, but the only guys I talked to was a SAR named Brent and a detective…” I fish the card out of my wallet. “Mike Hardiman and then a coroner. Murphy, I think his name is.”
    Captain Frank takes another sip of his coffee and leans back in his chair. His lips lift up a little at each corner — his version of a smile. “Well, Vander wants me to thank you. He said you did a great job up there. Not only in protecting the crime scene, but in getting that kid secured for transport before the shit hit the fan. He just wanted you to know that he and his men appreciated it.”
    That felt good.
    “Just glad I was there to help. Miracle I had climbing gear with me.”
    “You did a fine job, son. In fact, I got another phone call. This one from the family of that boy, Daniel. They said they wanted to personally thank you for what you did, but they’re traveling back to their hometown near…” Frank looks down at a