Page 8 of Time Bomb
“You know I love that kid. Of course, he can help out.” His parents are against me paying him, however. Not because he doesn’t deserve it but because they both feel like I’m doing them a favor. The opposite is true.
“Fire!” is yelled from outside, and panic erupts on my friend’s face.
“Go out front; I’ve got him. You call 911.” Rushing through the back door, I find smoke billowing out of the garbage bin’s open lid and Jesse standing just a few feet away but too close for my comfort. “Jesse! Get away from there. Your mom’s out front; go find her.”
He nods and rushes off. I wait until he’s out of sight before acting. Peeking over the top of the giant bin, I see smoke but no flames. Thankfully, an empty parking lot runs behind my building, so I slam the lid shut and shove the heavy metal contraption away from the building.
It’s not just my shop that would be affected if this gets worse, four other places would be in ruins. Hearing sirens as I push the container along, my breathing gets easier. Nothing’s going to happen. The fire department will save the day.
Which, in turn, causes me to think about Torque. Will it be his fire company that responds? I don’t even know which station he works out of.
I see the red coloring of the fire truck just as squealing tires sound, and I realize Hale is here also. There’s no way he wouldn’t show up.
“Philly!” I freeze when I hear that name. Only one person calls me that, and I guess it was his firehouse that was dispatched.
Turning, I watch as Torque barks out orders on his rush over to me. “What the fuck are you doing?” His tone takes me by surprise.
“It’s not that bad.” I glare up at him. Why does he have to be so tall? And handsome? It should be one or the other, not both. It’s cruel on my body. “I didn’t want it to catch the building if it ignited.”
Gripping my elbow, he pulls me away as his men come over with a hose, fire extinguishers, and some tools. “You shouldn’t have touched it. If it exploded, it would have killed you.” His fingers brush up and down my cheek.
Well, when he puts it like that. He’s not so much of an ass anymore. “I’m fine. I just didn’t want to be responsible for anyone’s business going up in flames.”
His eyes narrow as he watches his men work before asking me, “This is your bin?” His head swivels to look back at the building, noticing that we each have our own.
“Well, yeah. Jesse was taking some garbage out for me—he won’t be doing that again—and he raised the alarm. So to speak.” I feel like I’ve lost his attention.
“Fire’s out!” one of the men calls.
Torque nods before addressing them. “Check the others.” Three men start running over to the back of the building while one guy jumps in the trash bin and comes out with what appears to be a bunch of firecrackers tied together.
“Kids?” he asks Torque.
“Need to go talk to Jesse.” He still hasn’t released me, so when he starts walking, I can either move with him or fall on my face. I opt for choice number one. “Yo, Jess!”
In my effort to keep up, my eyes are downcast, but when I gaze up again, my cheeks tinge as hot as that potential fire because a large crowd has gathered.
It’s the height of summer, so of course, everyone is around to witness the commotion. Jesse is currently curled up against Laken’s side while Hale and Dorian interview the lookie-loos.
“What’s up, Uncle T?” Laken lets him go, but the same can’t be said for himself.
“When you took the trash out, you see anyone around? Kids, maybe?” Given the device used, it would make sense that it was children.
“Nope. Alley was empty. As soon as I opened the lid, I saw the smoke. Those things should have gone off immediately, so they must have been faulty.” I always forget how smart he is.
“You’re sure?” Torque asks, his tone kind of intense.
Jesse frowns, thinking again. “Positive.”
“Nothing from the crowds,” Hale says as he comes over, his finger tracing the line of Laken’s jaw. Like he’s reassuring himself that she’s real.
They’re always like that. It’s both sickening and adorable in the very best ways. It’s something I’ve always wanted for myself. And as Torque’s thumb brushes across the top of my hand, my eyes drift down to watch the gentle movement, so preoccupied with it that I miss what’s being said.
“Philly?” Startled out of my thoughts, I blink and glance up, catching plenty of stares on me.
“Yeah?” The sound of screeching tires has me nearly jumping out of my skin and straight into Torque’s side, clasping his arm to my chest. It’s not until I feel his fingers tickle the top of my thigh that I realize how close we are.
But I don’t move.