25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Andy

When I showed up for my next shift, the doors were wide open and one of our two trucks wasn't in the bay, which meant D shift had got a late call that ran over shift change. Depending on how bad it was, our shift might start right away with us assisting them.

Keith and Ronda were the only two already there, and they both looked grim, so I figured it must be a bad one.

"Are we heading out?" I asked.

"No, they have it under control and should be headed back soon." Keith shook his head. "It was Cody's record store."

"No way!" I couldn't believe that. Cody had worked so hard to get that building renovated and ready to open, and now, just a week before the grand opening, this happens. "Oh crap, he's on shift, too. So he had to go put out the fire of his dream business. That sucks to put in so much hard work and then lose it like that."

"That building's old," Ronda said. "Maybe the old electrical couldn't handle all his new equipment."

"But he just had all that redone, remember. He was telling us at The Spotted Dog what a hassle it was to get all the electric up to code."

"It wasn't an electrical fire," Robert said as he walked in. "I just got off the phone with Terrance. It wasn't an accident. Someone set the fire. They broke one of the shop windows and threw in a Molotov cocktail."

"Just like my car."

"Looks like it." Robert sighed and shook his head. "I hate that for Cody. He was so excited."

By the time the other crew pulled in, everyone else had arrived, and we were all sitting around waiting for them. Not that we didn't have stuff we could be doing, but all of our minds were just overrun with thoughts about Cody's store and this damned arsonist.

He was getting bolder and bolder, and it seemed more and more likely that this station was his target for some reason. The chief had been working with Ford to try to find something that would explain things. Any fires we'd failed to put out in time to save a home or business, any accidents we'd worked where someone was permanently injured or died, just anything that would put a target on the Sixty-nine's back.

Naturally, they'd also considered the possibility that it was a hate crime since this was the most diverse station in the city. But if that was the case, targeting Cody's shop didn't make sense. He was one of the few straight white guys that worked out of the Sixty-nine.

Ford, Robert, and Chief Sheridan shut themselves up in the office, and the rest of us rallied around Cody. He was obviously devastated, not so much by the loss of the building but by the loss of the stock he'd spent years accumulating.

"The only good thing is I went to Dallas over the weekend and bought a ton of albums from a record store that was going out of business. I picked them up on Sunday and had to be on shift yesterday morning, so they're all still in the trailer at my house. But still, so much great music… just gone."

"Did you lose it all?" Kevin asked.

"Pretty much. You know how it is, what the fire didn't get, the smoke and water damage did." He sat down on the rear bumper of the truck. "Insurance will cover the cost, but it's not about the money. Some of those albums are hard to find."

I hung back and watched as everyone offered him condolences and tried to reassure him that everything would be okay, but I didn't have a thing to say. I knew how useless other people's sympathy felt when your entire world was imploding. One of the guys from his team had compared what happened with my car to his store, which was just ridiculous.

I didn't care about losing that car, and I had plenty of money at my disposal to buy a new one, not that they knew that part. That was nothing like losing a business you'd been dreaming about for years. I was trying to figure out what I could say that wouldn't be a total waste of words when my phone rang. I glanced down at the screen and saw that it was Jesse calling.

Maybe he'd developed some kind of Andy-radar, and he was able to feel it when I needed him. I stepped inside the building and pressed the button to accept the call.

"Hello."

"Hey, slugger. I saw on the news that Cody's record store burned. Did you have to work that one?"

"No, I wish we had, though." I let out a sigh. "The fire started before my shift, which means Cody was still here."

"That's horrible. Was it a total loss?"

"Pretty much. From what he said, it sounds like his stock is ruined. I don't even know what to say to him. He was so excited about opening that store."

"You don't have to say anything, baby boy. Just be there. Do they know what happened?"

I looked around to make sure no one was listening. "They think it was the same guy who burned my car."

"Are you serious?"

"Yep. I don't know what the guy's problem is, but he obviously has it out for the Sixty-nine."

The PA system crackled to life, and I froze, prepared for a call.

Morning meeting, all crews assemble in the truck bay. I repeat, all crews assemble in the truck bay.

"They're calling the morning meeting, so I have to go."

"Okay, be careful out there. I'll talk to you later."

I disconnected the call and joined everyone out in the bay. I carefully pushed my way to the front where Cody was standing with the guys from his crew and stepped up beside him. Jesse was right. I didn't have to say a word. All I had to do was be there. I clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a head nod before turning my attention to the chief and Fox, who were standing in front of us.

We didn't normally have our morning meeting until after the previous crew had gone home, but they were still here, so this was a bigger group than usual. Even so, I could still hear a pin drop when the chief started talking.

"Good job out there this morning. It's a shame about Cody's store, but that's an older strip mall, and y'all managed to keep the fire from spreading to the neighboring stores, so that was good work. I'm sure most of you have heard by now that the fire was no accident. We believe the same guy who burned up Andy's car and rigged the floor to collapse that caused Keith's injury to be who set it, not to mention he endangered countless lives by setting the fires all over town."

There was a low rumble throughout the group as we all took in the fact that this was, indeed, the same guy. We'd all assumed, but to hear it said out loud made it real.

"There was an eyewitness this time. A homeless man was sleeping in the alley across the street, and he says he saw a white man wearing a Steelers hoodie bust out the upper window on the storefront and throw something inside."

"So it was the same guy for sure then," I said.

"We think so," Fox said. "But we won't know for sure until we get the test back on the accelerant used."

"The important thing is, you all need to be very vigilant." The chief looked out over the group, taking a moment to make eye contact with each of us. "This guy hasn't killed anyone yet, although, with Keith, it was a near thing. We don't know what his motivation is, and we don't know what he's planning next. I've already made arrangements to meet with the other two crews to let them know."

"Should we cancel the ball game?" Keith asked.

I knew he'd worked really hard to get that all organized, so it would be a shame if we had to, but I understood his concern.

"I don't think so. It's a town event, not a Station Sixty-nine event. I'll run it by the mayor, though, just to be sure."

"Sounds good."

Single car accident, Cross streets Bowie and Pioneer. Engine 113, Ambulance 73 Injuries reported.

"Okay guys, I'll be in the station. Call me if you need me."

Those of us on shift A rushed to pull on our gear and roll out like any other day.

Jesse

The last few months had brought about a lot of changes at the club, and there were more in the works. Victor and I were meeting at the club for lunch to discuss some of the plans we were thinking of implementing. Vic was a numbers guy, and he'd spent the last few days shut up in the office, running numbers and considering options.

I stopped by the new Cuban place and picked up two orders of Ropa vieja for us on my way to the club. I'd never eaten there before, but on the short drive, my truck smelled fantastic, and I couldn't wait to dig in.

Vic was waiting for me at our table when I arrived. He had his laptop in front of him, and a stack of folders set off to the side. "I know you're ready to go into all that." I waved at the stuff on the table. "But after being shut up in my truck with the onions, peppers, and spices on this beef, I need to eat first. Do you want a beer?"

He held up the bottle that sat on the table beside him. "I'm good."

"Okay, let me grab myself one, and I'll join you."

When I came back, he'd shifted the folders off to the side to make room for our food. "This does smell great."

We didn't talk for a few minutes, just enjoying the taste of the food. "You know, other than a sandwich, I really haven't had Cuban food before. This is delicious."

"I have, and this is as good as any I've had."

"So, what are you thinking?" I motioned toward his stack of papers with my fork before taking another bite.

"I'm thinking we're open too many nights a week."

"Really?" I was shocked at that. When we first opened, he'd only wanted us to be closed on Sundays. I'd had to convince him to close on Mondays, as well.

"The numbers just don't support being open on Tuesdays. We could try moving an event there like you'd suggested, but I think we would do better to focus our events on Wednesdays. I also looked at the difference in price between continuing to use Three Bears Tactical Services for our guards versus hiring them ourselves, and I think for now, we're better off continuing to contract that out."

"I wondered about that."

"Yeah, we could hire people for less, but not ones who have the skills their guys already have."

"And what about the theme nights? How are those looking?" I was pretty sure we were in good shape, but I wanted to hear it from him.

"The Daddy Night is doing well, and adding the second one has been a plus so far. The Drag Nights still out-earn the Daddy Nights, but the draw for that one is pure entertainment, so I don't think adding a second night would pay off the way a second Daddy Night did. I do think we should really hype up the event, though."

As always, Vic had done tons of research on each option, so I had no doubt his reasoning was sound. "That all makes sense to me."

"I'm still working on what we can do to make sure we don't have another Sebastian, but I think we're headed in the right direction."

"I agree totally."

"I do have some applications for you to look at for the club manager position. But other than that, we're good."

"Great, so when do we start closing on Tuesdays?" I asked.

"You're just looking forward to having another night off to spend with my brother."

"True enough. I'm going to grab another beer. Do you want one?"

"Sure." He handed me his empty bottle. I took it and went back behind the bar and grabbed us both another.

"So, how are things going between you two?" He reached out to take one of the beers.

"Good. My mom loves him, and so does my Gigi."

"He needs that. He and our mother were super close."

"I just wish they would catch this arsonist. I don't like worrying about him." I pushed back my empty plate and leaned back in my chair.

Vic nodded and let out a sigh. "As long as he insists on pursuing this career, we're both going to worry."

He was right about that, but having this arsonist out there targeting their station was a whole different level of worry. I considered saying that to him, but he was already so against this career for his brother that I decided to let that drop for now. If Andy wanted to tell him, he could.

"You're right. We are going to worry, but it's his choice."

"I know, but I'll feel a lot better when he moves on from it."

"I know you think this job as a firefighter is a phase or something, but I disagree. He really seems to love it."

"Yeah, like he loved theater and party planning, and any number of other things before that. You may be sleeping with him, but you haven't known him that long. He'll get bored and move on, trust me."

I took a deep breath and bit back the retort that was on the tip of my tongue. I was pretty sure I knew Andy better than his brother did, but there was nothing to gain by arguing about it.

"You may be right, but what I do know is whether he remains a firefighter or not will be up to him. Personally, I intend to support him either way, and I hope you'll do the same."