Page 8 of Revived
“Yeah, this is his first shift. What about him?”
“His brother’s my ex. I know that’s not something you technically need to know, but the guy harassed me for months after we split, and I had to get a restraining order on him.”
My hackles rise. “Sampson said anything to you today?”
“No sir, but his brother can’t be up here while I’m here because of the order. I just wanted to make you aware.” She keeps her spine straight and her chin up, but I catch the slight wobble. He must have really scared her.
“I’ll take care of it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.” She nods while she stands. “Are you cool if the rest of the crew knows? Just so we can all watch your back? I won’t say anything without your permission.”
She thinks it over for a few seconds before conceding, “Yeah, that might be smart. Thanks, Lieu.”
“Anytime. How’s the baby doing?” Sadie and her wife just had a baby a few months ago, and she’s one of the prettiest babies I’ve ever seen. Sans my nephews and niece.
“Sleeping through the night, finally.” She allows a small, albeit tired, smile to shine through. “Kate never wants to go back to work, and honestly I can’t imagine sending our tiny baby to a babysitter anyway.”
“I’m glad to hear she’s sleeping well. I’ll talk to the guys, and if Sampson tries to talk to you out of an official work capacity, you let me know. Deal?”
“Deal. Thanks Sul.” She shuts the door behind her, leaving me to my own devices and trying to figure out how the hell the guy was even allowed to transfer here.
A few moments later there’s a knock on the glass door, which pulls my attention back to the door.
Will it ever stop today?
The Lieutenant for the truck crew pushes through the door as soon as I wave him in.
“Yo, Byrne. You got a minute?”
“If you must. What’s up, Ward?”
“I just got out of a meeting with Sampson.” That grabs my attention.
“Yeah? What about it?” I narrow my eyes.
Ward has been here longer than I have been, but we’re the same age. He came straight from the academy. As where I went to collegeand worked in Corey Heights for six months before making my way down here. He’s a fine guy, decent I guess, but I’m always ready to throw down for my four, so I sit a little taller as the adrenaline pumps through my body, preparing for a fight.
“He just brought to my attention that Wilson may be a problem for him. I guess she and his brother had a nasty breakup a few years ago that ended up with a restraining order.”
“Watch it, Ward.” I narrow my eyes but otherwise stay quiet. A trick I learned from my Da and Rowan. Silence makes people uncomfortable. They’ll ramble just to fill it if you wait long enough.
“I’m just telling you exactly what I was told. I’ve got to protect my crew. I’m sure you understand that.”
I take a moment to gather myself before I go full ‘Byrne’ on him. Taking a calming breath, I lean forward in my chair and steeple my fingers on top of my desk.
“And I’ve got to protect mine. What I know is that this is Sampson’s first shift at this firehouse. I know that Wilson brought this situation to my attention just before you walked in here. She dated Sampson’s brother and then was harassed by him for months until she was forced to get a restraining order to make him stop. Now she has a new baby with her wife. Their family is thriving, and less than two weeks after she comes back from maternity leave, Sampson is here to shake things up. I’m not going to tell you what to do with your crew, Ward. But I would advise you to let Sampson know to leave Sadie the hell alone unless it’s a working matter, and even then he leaves her alone unless there are witnesses. The first time his brother sets foot here, I’m escalating this to the Chief.”
Ward looks at me dumbfounded. I’m typically the laugh it off guy in the station. He’s never had to see me defend my own before.
“I– Uh– I didn’t know all of that. Obviously I was left in the dark with some of the facts.”
“I’d suggest you update yourself on the facts and then handle your crew member. I’ve got my team under control.”
Without another word, Ward rises and leaves my office. Good, don’t come after mine before you know all there is to know about yours.
Chapter four
Elena Rossi
I’ve been fighting this extra twist on my vault for weeks. I’m almost there. I can feel it in my bone marrow. I only have one more pass before I move on to stretching and cool down, and I’m going to get this or I’m going to break my neck trying. Okay, that was dramatic. My neck will stay intact, but my spirit might not.
