Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Michael

"We're going to head back to the station and complete the paperwork," Chief Cole informs us. "The kids can go back in now, but uhhh, if you don't want to tell them just yet, I don't mind filling out the paperwork in the truck."

A smirk tugs at my lips. The man is clearly as fed up with these kids as I am.

I like his thinking.

Next to me, Kaleb claps his hands loudly. "I got this." He grins.

"Right, you little shits. It was another fake callout for a cooking accident."

Groans rise from the crowd as they quickly shuffle forward.

"Nuh-uh." Kaleb stops them by walking to the front of the crowd and blocking them. "Which moron thought they could cook ramen with a Bunsen burner?"

Unsurprisingly, no one speaks out.

"Okay, okay." Kaleb nods. "Snitches get stitches. I can respect that."

Where is he going with this? I give both Daniel and Chief Cole a shrug when they give me a look, wondering the same thing.

Who cares? As long as it stops these callouts, my brother can have free rein.

"How about instead of stitches, the snitch gets to go back inside and snore their little head off?" He tries to bargain, pointing at the front of the building where a few firefighters stand, blocking the door.

Again, silence is the only answer he gets.

"Like the rest of my family, I don't like to ask twice. Who set off the fire alarm by cooking on a tiny fucking flame?" Kaleb demands, his patience waning. His tone questions how someone even thought to cook that way.

Fair because what moron uses their chemistry set to cook a snack in the early hours of the morning? A drunk moron. Who else would be dumb enough to put a plastic ramen cup over a naked flame?

We're lucky melted plastic and a small carpet burn are the only damage done or so Chief Cole says.

Did they think they were having a fucking cookout?

Kaleb's voice brings me out of my thoughts .

"Okay, no snitches. You're all in this together, then. Cromwell has one fire truck, so being here could have cost innocent lives. These hardworking men who could have been needed at a real emergency will chill in their big truck while you losers run the length of this parking lot ten times each. And then the firefighters will line up, and you can all apologize to them individually."

The crowd of college kids roars to life with loud complaints, bitching about how unfair life is.

If they only knew.

"You can't do that. I'll call my father," one kid threatens, his voice rising above the rest.

"Good." Kaleb nods. "He can come run with you. He deserves it for not making sure you were smarter. What's your name, kid?"

"Alex," he answers, losing some of his bravado.

Kaleb points. "Due to Alex having a big mouth, it will now be fifteen laps. You can thank Alex as you run past him."

No one moves.

"You're not getting inside until you run and apologize. Actions have consequences."

Kaleb's spread legs and folded arms just add to his "I'm not moving on this" attitude.

"Is he serious?" Cole asks.

"Oh yeah." I chuckle.

Chief Cole pauses before nodding. "Well, okay then. Gents, you heard the man, we have paperwork. Nixon and Pepper, you two stay by that door just in case one of these students decides they're too good for the consequences of their actions."

More and more objections get thrown out, but it doesn't take long for them to realize Kaleb means it.

The first person steps forward, a girl. Short, with a cute round face.

"What are you doing?" one of the boys hiss.

"I'm not staying out here all night. I'm cold and tired and wanna go to bed."

"What's your name?" Daniel asks her.

"Caroline," she answers nervously, her eyes flicking among Daniel, Kaleb, and us.

"Caroline, you get to do five."

Her face lights up with a bright smile. Running over to us, she raises her hand to my brother. My six-foot-seven, permanent scowl on his face brother.

Kaleb and I laugh as Daniel raises his hand to chest height for himself and watches stone-faced as she hops up to high-five him.

Even Chief Cole chuckles. "Let's hope this instills some common sense, shall we?" He's quick to join his men when, one by one, the kids start to run the length of the parking lot.

"Do you need me?" Daniel's voice rumbles next to me.

Turning to look at him, I see him check his watch for the hundredth time tonight.

"Always," I tell him gently.

The image of Lara, visibly upset in the back of Kaleb's car, makes me pause, but she's with Sam. My sister might be mad, but she's not entirely irresponsible. She'll take care of Lara until I get there. "But we can handle tonight. Send my girls my love."

Daniel stares at me, not saying a word. Those who don't know better would think he would love to punch me in the face, but I do know better.

I wait.

"Kaleb's her favorite uncle."

I gasp, loud and dramatically, clutching at my chest. "You did not just say that!"

My big brother just smirks and heads to his truck.

"Take it back! You take it back," I shout after him.

I see his shoulders shake, and warmth fills me, pushing out the pain of the past a little bit more. I will forever be in debt to Charlie, even if she doesn't know it.