Page 270 of His Virgin Romance Series

MILES

The fire station was a fifteen-minute walk from my apartment. I walked there in a fog of gloom. I just kept repeating the number five hundred in my head and no matter how many times I said or thought it, it still felt like a gargantuan number. I wasn’t sure I could complete it in six months… not that I had much of a choice.

There were a million different things spinning around in my head. The apartment I rented was a two bedroom, but considering my cash flow had been a lot better before my bust, I had been able to afford it on my own. Now I knew that I would have to advertise for a roommate because there was no way I would be able to keep that apartment on my own. I had savings, but I knew that the pool would run dry in a few months’ time if I wasn’t careful. I hated the idea of living with someone else… not only would I have to adjust to another person’s routine and rhythm, but I would also lose my workspace. I had used the second bedroom as my studio, and now I would have to move all my art supplies and canvases into my room and work from there.

I gritted my teeth bitterly as I realized I might not have as much time left over to work on my art what with my suddenly packed schedule. I didn’t have a job yet, but that was the next and most important thing on my list. I would need to get a job soon if I had any hope of keeping afloat. The problem was that not many places were very willing to hire a man who had been arrested on drug charges, no matter how minor the offense may have been.

By the time I arrived at the station, my mood was dark, and that was putting it lightly. But I had no choice but to make an attempt at cooperation. Any sign of defiance or attitude on my part could work against me. I had a swirling mass of energy floating around inside me, and I knew that if I had a canvas in front of me, and a paintbrush in my hand, I could have created something intense and brilliant. It sucked to know that my creative freedom had been stripped from me.

The fire station was chaos moving. Apparently, a team had just been dispatched to put out a fire in town, and the rest of the men were occupied with various other tasks. There was a certain rhythm to the station, despite the craziness that I was surrounded by. I tried to make eye contact with someone, but none of the men paid me the slightest bit of attention. I had to jump in front of one guy in order to get him to stop and talk to me.

“Can I help you with something?” he asked, eyeing me curiously.

“Uh… I’m here to volunteer,” I said.

“Volunteer?” he replied.

“Yeah… I need to check in first though,” I said, trying to avoid actually mentioning the community service part.

The guy looked me up and down and then he nodded. “Are you the drug dealer?” he asked bluntly.

I bristled at the word. Was that society would brand me as now? Somehow, I found that incredibly offensive. I was a person who had dealt drugs in order to support my passion for creating art, but that was not who I was. I was so much more than that.

“I’m here for my community service,” I replied shortly, realizing that the whole station probably knew I was coming anyway.

“Uh-huh.” The guy nodded. “Walk down from here and make a left. The chief’s office is the first door on your right.”

“Thanks,” I said.

The guy smirked. “Oh, don’t thank me just yet.”

Frowning at that not-so-veiled threat, I headed in the direction he had pointed out to me and found the chief’s office. I wondered if I was required to call him that or if I could get away with not addressing him at all. I knocked once, and a second later the door opened.

Chief Crosby was younger than I had expected. He was probably in his early to mid-fifties, bald, and tattooed down the right arm. He had striking blue eyes and a sharp nose that made him look severe… even scary.

“Uh… I’m Miles,” I said. “Miles Danvers.”

The chief looked at the clock on his wall, saw that I was on time and nodded. “Sign here,” he said, without any formalities.

I signed where he told me too, and then he nodded. “If ever I’m not here, you can ask for Seth or Samuel. They will most likely have the book, and they will sign you in.”

“Got it.” I nodded.

“There’s work to be done all over this station,” Chief Crosby replied. “And not all of it is easy. See that you work hard and don’t give any of the boys reason to report you.”

I suppressed a sigh and nodded. “Okay.”

“You will address me as chief,” he replied curtly. “Or sir… whichever you prefer.”

I gritted my teeth together and nodded, trying not to show my annoyance on my face. “Yes, sir.”

“You can head to the vehicle maintenance bay.”

“Uh… where is that?”

“Ask one of the boys… one of them will direct you,” Chief Crosby replied.

I nodded. “Thank you, sir,” I said respectfully, as I backed out of his boxy office.

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