Page 47 of Heat Exchange
“I know them all,” he said, scrolling through something on the phone. Then he paused. “Hit by a car? Jesus.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know yet. They’re not going to release his name and the last thing they need on-scene is a shitload of texts asking who it is.”
“Hopefully you’ll know something soon.” That was how it went. Waiting for news. Waiting to find out who was involved. She’d always hated that part.
“Jesus, I just hope it’s not Hunt.”
The room seemed to spin for a second and Lydia placed her palms on the surface of the bar to steady herself. No. She’d left Aidan that morning and he’d said nothing about working. He would have told her. But she couldn’t tell her brother any of that. “Aidan’s out with those guys?”
Scotty nodded without looking up, intent on his phone’s screen. “One of their guys is out because his wife just had a baby, and then another guy called in sick, so Aidan picked up a night tour with that company.”
Lydia felt the chill slowly taking over her body and her lips parted as she tried to breathe normally.
Aidan might be hurt.
She didn’t know if it was him. She didn’t know how badly, if itwashim. Frustration rose like a scream in the back of her throat and she forced it down. She’d been here before. Waiting for news on her dad. On her brother. More than once for her husband.
When she’d packed up and moved to New Hampshire, it was supposed to mean she’d never do this again. She wasn’t supposed to be standing behind the damn bar, waiting to find out if somebody she cared about was going to make it home.
“Anything?” she asked, and even though it was only one word, she must have sounded funny because he looked up at her. His brows were knit together in concentration and her stomach sank even further when he shook his head.
“Screw this.” He stood and grabbed his hoodie. “I’m going to go outside and call the house. Maybe they know something.”
“Let me know, okay?” she said, wanting more than anything to go outside with him. “If it’s Aidan or not.”
“I will.”
She felt helpless. That was the worst thing. Knowing there was nothing she could do but wait was hell on her nerves. She wanted todosomething. Drive to the scene. Drive from hospital to hospital until she had the answer she was looking for. But that wasn’t how it was done.
All she could do was wait. And pray.
* * *
AIDANSAWITcoming and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to stop it. The engine company was helping the police officer trying to clear traffic so the ladder crew could get the outriggers down and the aerial ladder up, but it was dark. It was the third alarm, so apparatus clogged the street. And though it wasn’t raining hard, it was enough to refract the bright lights of the engines through windshields.
One asshole in a luxury SUV was in a hurry and Aidan saw a guy named Jones stepping out from behind the ladder truck’s outrigger. He shouted a warning and waved his light at the firefighter, but the guy in the SUV saw nothing but an opening and gunned the engine.
Aidan was running, yelling into his radio before Jones rolled off the hood of the SUV and hit the pavement. Within seconds, he was on his knees beside the firefighter and he said a quick prayer of gratitude when Jones looked up at him, his eyes focused on his face.
“Ow.”
Aidan smiled and placed his hand gently on the man’s forehead. Jones had had his helmet on, but Aidan had no idea where it was now. “Don’t move. They’re bringing the board.”
“I remember reading that Chapter in the book,” Jones said, the humor not quite masking the pain in his voice.
“He ran right out in front of me,” SUV guy was yelling, and Aidan realized the man had gotten out of his vehicle.
He did his best to ignore the asshole until the EMS guys took over on Jones and then Aidan pushed himself to his feet. A police officer Aidan vaguely recognized was talking to the driver, who was gesturing with his hands.
“It wasn’t my fault! He ran out in front of me.”
The officer saw Aidan coming and there must have been something on his face that alarmed the guy because he held up a hand. “I’ll take your statement later.”
“What the hell kinda moron are you?” Aidan yelled at the driver, whose mouth dropped open. “Huh? What were you thinking?”
“Hey,” the police officer shouted to somebody behind Aidan. “Come get your guy.”
