4. Zoey

4

ZOEY

Z oey walked into command ops, her mind still on the conversation she'd had with Lux Valentine earlier in the cafe.

She sat two seats to Lux's right, and Zoey saw Lux's beautiful blue eyes darting around. Every once in a while, their eyes would meet. Zoey did her best to keep her face expressionless.

What expression is there to hide anyway? Attraction? Lust?

What was the use in being attracted to someone like Lux Valentine, anyway? Women like Lux—everyone wanted them. She hadn't missed how Lux had put the charm on her or how her gaze had travelled over her body and lingered.

A gaze meant to seduce. And it had.

But Zoey would never let on that it had. It was pointless being attracted to Lux. Zoey had seen her type a million times. Lux was exactly the type of woman you would do well to avoid.

Their eyes met again. Zoey looked away, her eyes darting in front of her.

Becky Thompson stood at the front of the room, her expression serious as she reviewed some notes while waiting for everyone to settle in.

Zoey nodded at a few of the firefighters she recognized from her first day. She momentarily missed her old team, their faces flashing through her mind unbidden. She shook off the memories, focusing on the present. This was her team now.

Becky cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention. The conversations died down, and all eyes turned toward her.

"Alright, let's get started," the chief said, her voice calm but firm. She looked around the room, making sure everyone was focused. "Zoey, meet Marcia Foxwell, our chief engineer. Marcia, Lieutenant Zoey Knight."

Zoey stretched her hand toward Marcia but she simply nodded curtly at her, ignoring her hand.

"She didn't mean any insult," Lux whispered to her. "That's just Marcia."

"Oh," Zoey said.

"We've got a lot to cover today. First, I want to talk about the state of our station and where we stand in terms of resources."

Becky clicked a button on the projector remote, bringing up a slide that showed a list of their current assets: trucks, equipment, helicopters, and personnel.

Zoey leaned forward slightly, taking it all in. The numbers weren't great, but they were about what she had expected. The station was under-resourced, like most of the others she'd worked at.

"We've got a total of three helicopters," Chief Thompson continued. "Two are fitted with the necessary gear for fighting fires. Water tanks, thermal imaging, the works. The third is still waiting on some repairs and upgrades, so it's not fully operational yet."

She turned to Marcia. "How soon can we get the third chopper operational?"

Marcia shrugged. "A week? Maybe two?"

"That's not ideal," Chief Thompson said.

"My team is working on getting that third chopper up to standard as soon as possible," Marcia added.

"Get it done. In the meantime, we'll have to make do with what we've got."

She paused, giving everyone a moment to digest the information before moving on.

"In terms of personnel, we're stretched thin, as usual. We've got a solid ground team, but we're short on pilots. Lux, as chief pilot, is doing the best she can with what we have, but it's going to be tough."

She clicked to bring up the next slide, which showed a map of the region with several areas highlighted in red.

"These are the possible hotspots we're most concerned about," she said, pointing to the map. "There's a big one to the north, near the edge of town, and another out to the west, near the forest. If the winds shift, we could be looking at a pretty serious situation."

Zoey felt a knot of anxiety tighten in her stomach. She'd seen too many situations like this before—understaffed, under-resourced, and on the brink of disaster.

"We'll need to prioritize our response," Chief Thompson said. "We can't be everywhere at once, so we need to be smart about where we deploy our resources."

Lux leaned forward, her eyes on the map. "Chief, if I may," she began, "I think we need to focus our efforts on tackling the fires at the hotspots. We've got two choppers that are fully equipped, and I can take one of them to the northern area while the other handles the west. If we concentrate our ground teams there as well, we can hit the fires hard and hopefully contain them before they spread."

Zoey's eyes narrowed slightly as she listened to Lux's suggestion. It was a solid plan, tactically speaking, but there was something about it that didn't sit right with her.

"We can't ignore the evacuation and rescue operations," Zoey said. "There are still people in those areas, and if we focus all our efforts on the fires, we're leaving them at risk."

Lux turned to Zoey, a snarl forming. "We're firefighters, Lieutenant Knight. Our primary job is to put out the fires. If we don't, there won't be anyone left to rescue."

"I beg to differ, Chief Valentine. Our primary objective is to ensure the security of lives and property by putting out fires."

"And when the fires intensify?" Lux's face was defiant and her shoulders tense as hell. She looked ready to fight. Zoey kept calm.

"I understand," she said. "But I've seen what happens when a team is too focused on fighting the fires and not enough on getting people out. We can't afford to make that mistake."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Lux asked. "Expend all our resources on rescue operations?"

"We don't need to expend. We prioritize evacuation and rescue operations," Zoey said. "We can assign a few teams to tackle the fires, but the majority of our efforts should be on getting people out of harm's way. Land attacks in these areas could be dangerous, especially if the winds shift."

Lux's expression didn't change, but Zoey could see the stubbornness in her eyes. "And what happens if the fires spread faster because we're too focused on evacuation? We could end up with an even bigger disaster on our hands."

Zoey felt her frustration growing, but she kept it in check. "I'm not saying we ignore the fires, Lux," she said. "But we have to be smart about this. If we lose people because we didn't get them out in time, that's on us."

Chief Thompson cleared her throat, interrupting their argument. "Alright, let's take a step back here, you two," she said, her tone calm but firm. "Both of you make valid points, but we need to find a balance. We can't afford to ignore either the fires or the people in those areas."

She looked at Zoey then at Lux. "I want both of you to work together on this. Come up with a plan that addresses both concerns. We need to be coordinated in our response if we're going to handle this."

Zoey nodded. She wasn't sure how well she and Lux would work together, but she knew they didn't have much of a choice. Disagreeing with the fire chief immediately after disagreeing with the chief pilot would only make her seem unreasonable.

The tension between her and Lux was electric. Zoey did everything she could to dampen her thoughts, but her eyes kept flicking to Lux's hands and strong, capable fingers. Fingers that might…

Lux glanced at Zoey. "Alright," she said, her tone clipped. "Let's figure this out."

Becky continued with the rest of the meeting, outlining other details and updates, but Zoey's mind was only half aware of her words.

When the meeting finally ended, the team slowly filed out of the room, but Zoey stayed behind. She watched as Lux gathered her things, her movements quick and her face giving nothing away.

As Lux headed toward the door, Zoey stopped her. "Lux, wait a second."

Lux's gaze didn't waver, but Zoey could see the slight tension in her posture. "Can we do this later? I've got a crew waiting in simulations."

Zoey nodded. "Okay."

Lux turned and left the room, and Zoey didn't get the chance to go over the interaction.

The fire chief walked over to her, her expression thoughtful. "You handled that well."

"I'm sorry, Chief. I didn't mean to create a scene."

"A scene?" Chief Thompson waved her hand dismissively. "Nonsense. I love it when reasonable points are going around my strategy room. I also love it when someone is brave enough to challenge Lux Valentine."

"Reasonable points?"

"You and Lux would make a pretty great team."

Zoey snorted. "We would've had each other's throats if you weren't in the room."

"I did mention that she was stubborn."

Becky Thompson laughed heartily. She took a few steps toward the door, and Zoey fell in step with her.

"I'm glad I have you two on my team, you know?" Chief Thompson said. "You're two smart, capable women who know how to get things done."

"Thanks," Zoey said. "I just want to make sure we're doing the right thing."

"I know you do," Chief responded. "And that's why I have confidence in you. But remember, this isn't just about what you think is right. It's about what's best for the team and the people we're trying to protect. You and Lux are both strong leaders, and I need you to work together, not against each other."

Zoey nodded, understanding the weight of her words. She was still getting to know this team, and she knew she had to earn their trust. Pushing her agenda too hard too soon could backfire, and she didn't want to start on the wrong foot.

"I'll work with her," Zoey said, trying to sound more confident than she felt. "We'll come up with a plan that makes sense for everyone."

"Good." She gave a reassuring nod. "I know it's not easy, but I'm counting on you both."

Zoey watched as the chief left the room, feeling the pressure of responsibility on her shoulders. She took a deep breath, trying to shake off the lingering tension from the meeting. She couldn't afford to let this get to her—not now when there was so much at stake.

She headed out of the meeting room and down the hallway toward her office. Her mind raced, trying to piece together a plan that would address both the evacuation and firefighting efforts. She knew Lux's suggestion had merit, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they needed to prioritize getting people out first.

As she reached her office, she found herself pausing at the door, her hand hovering over the doorknob. The memories of her old team, of the child they'd lost, came flooding back. She pushed them down, focusing on the present. This wasn't Forest Vale, and she couldn't let the past dictate her decisions here.

At least, she hoped so.

Zoey stepped into her office, the familiar surroundings helping to ground her. She moved to the desk, sat down, and pulled a notepad toward her. She jotted down ideas, trying to find a balance between the different priorities they faced.

She spent the next hour working through different scenarios, trying to find a happy medium between fighting the fires and ensuring the safety of the people in the affected areas. Every time she thought she had a solution, a new problem would arise, and she'd have to start over.

"Come on, Zoey. Think," she said aloud.

She leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples in frustration. She couldn't do this alone; she needed to talk to Lux and get her input to find a way to make this work. As much as she wanted to prove herself, she knew that this wasn't something she could tackle on her own.

Zoey let out a deep breath. They had to get on the same page, for the sake of the team and the people they had to protect.

But first, she needed to get Lux Valentine out of her head, as ironic as it all sounded.