Hot for the Fireman

Chapter 1, Part 1

"Jesus, Wolf, it's a nightclub, not a funeral. Lighten up, will ya? No one wants to screw a fuckin' grave digger."

Erik "Wolf" Grady cut a look over at his best friend of seventeen years, Gavin "Dozer" Greer, and shot him a silent Fuck you very much, asshole as they sat at their table in the back of their regular hangout, Phoenix Club. "This whole situation is bullshit, and you know it," he ground out.

Dozer shrugged a massive shoulder, letting him know the big man was no more concerned about Erik's ire than hearing a call come through at the fire station for a "frequent flyer"—a civilian who was paranoid, lonely, or usually both, and repeatedly required the presence of first responders in non-emergency situations. "Nothin' you can do about it now, man. Chief said his piece. The faster you get it over with, the faster you're back at the house."

Erik held back the dozen or so responses firing in his brain. His current predicament had nothing to do with Dozer. Built like a Sherman tank with rugged good looks, Dozer was like the poster child for the army's all-American hero—albeit with a thick Boston accent. He was also a cocky, take-it-or-leave-it kind of bastard, but when the shit hit the fan, there wasn't another man Erik would rather have on his six.

Trying to distract himself, Erik did a visual sweep of the scene. Pretty typical for a Friday night. The bass from the house music beat down on him from all angles and vibrated through his chest like a second heartbeat. Colored lasers shot through the darkness in rapid-fire succession from the ceiling over the dance floor, making it an epileptic's worst nightmare.

If Erik had his choice, he'd rather sit in a local pub like Charley's with the old townies, drinking tap beer and eating stale pretzels while watching a game or shooting pool with friends. At thirty-five, he felt too old for the dance club scene, which was part of the reason he rarely went out anymore. But the other four guys on his team—his brothers, for all intents and purposes—still liked the rave atmosphere that let them forget about everything else and just be for a few hours.

Erik tried to shake off the chip on his shoulder, but it was no use.

As a career soldier turned rescue firefighter, obeying his CO had been a part of his mental DNA for the last fifteen-plus years. Sure, there'd been times he pushed back and argued contrary points to his superiors—being a soldier didn't mean he was a mindless sheep—but when it came down to it, he followed his orders and expected the same from every man under his command, whether it was back in the army or now as a lieutenant in the BFD.

But this...fuck! He'd never wanted to balk at an order so badly in his entire life.

He shook off the memory and tried to appear chill despite the turbulent rage crashing through his solid six-four frame like a rodeo bull in a cramped chute. Releasing a resigned sigh, Erik forced himself to relax—a physical oxymoron if he'd ever heard one—and sit back in his chair. He'd been sleeping like shit ever since he and his team had been on scene when a power plant exploded a few months ago. The deafening boom, the flash of light and curling flames, people shouting in distress as they ran for cover... It had taken him back to a time and place that haunted the darkest shadows in his mind and dragged the nightmare out into the light of day. Since then, it'd been a living, breathing thing he'd had to fight against. He knew he looked like he could use at least a week's worth of rack time, but that didn't mean he couldn't still do his job.

Dozer took a pull of his Sam Adams and made a disgusted face at Erik's drink choice. "Maybe if you weren't sucking on a bottle of water like a pussy, you wouldn't look like you're already in the shrink's office and ready to jump out of your skin."

Erik had decided to drive his truck tonight instead of cabbing it. He knew that without the responsibility of driving home, inebriation and bad choices were a lot more likely given his current state of mind. So water it was.