4. Kaia

4

KAIA

E quipment inspection passes in tense silence. For once, Kaia makes no attempt to stand out from the crowd. Still simmering in the embarrassment of Hunter's rejection, she makes her way through the various checks laser-focused. She doesn't bother to point out any of the other rookies' mistakes, just minds her own business in her desperation to be finished as quickly as possible.

"Hunter! Montgomery! My office, now."

Captain Hewitt's gruff bark rings out across the garage bay, instantly setting Kaia's heart pounding. She tears her gaze away from the row of breathing apparatus she'd been counting for the third time, a familiar knot of dread forming in her gut. She was called into the principal's office enough times in high school to know a warning tone when she heard one. Kaia spares a nervous glance at Hunter, who looks up sharply from her clipboard. Their eyes meet for the briefest charged instant before Hunter gives a quick nod.

"Make quick about it, Montgomery," she murmurs, already striding after the captain with that confident military gait. "The rest of you, get out of here, we're done for today."

Kaia swallows hard, trying to ignore the weight of the speculative stares of the other recruits as she trails after Hunter's purposeful strides. With every step, unbidden doubt bubbles up from her stomach—had she crossed the line with her antics in training? Or worse, had Hunter reported her misguided flirtation from the locker room straight after she had fled the scene?

I was just being stupid. Surely, she wouldn't rat me out?

By the time she reaches the office doorway, Kaia's palms are damp with nervous sweat. Hunter doesn't hesitate before sweeping into the dimly lit space, immediately planting herself in the furthest of two chairs and squaring her shoulders like she's steeling herself for battle. Kaia draws her brows together, confused at the display. It seems like whatever this meeting is about, it wasn't the lieutenant's idea. Resisting the urge to linger in the doorway a few seconds too long, Kaia scrambles to paste on an equally stony expression before venturing into whatever hidden threat awaits her.

"Have a seat, Montgomery," the captain rumbles without even glancing up from his computer screen. "We need to discuss some… concerns that have been brought to my attention."

The ominous statement hangs in the stale office air as Kaia trades a loaded look with her lieutenant. Hunter's jaw is set in a mulish line that suggests she's likely biting back a stream of insubordinate questions, as if she might demand at any moment that the captain just spit out whatever it is he's taking his sweet time to say.

Why does she look so tense?

Amidst her confusion, Kaia can't help but admire her superior's piercing blue eyes that seem to glint with a permanent inferno of defiant spirit. She muses that they are not too different, Hunter and herself. The thought makes the corner of her mouth twitch with a threatening smile, and Hunter's brows draw together in an expression torn between outrage and curiosity. Clearly, she'd be interested to know what could possibly have Kaia smirking in such a situation as this. Their silent standoff is broken as the captain finally raises his head.

"Several of the other recruits have expressed doubts about Montgomery's ability to keep up during training exercises," he states without preamble, making Kaia instantly bristle. "Questioning whether her...dedication to the program will hold up under the pressures of actual field scenarios."

The words hang there like a challenge as the captain watches for Kaia's reaction. Her vision practically turns red with humiliation and disgust that those sneering frat clowns had tried to sabotage her already, barely a week into training. She opens her mouth to launch a furious defense, but Hunter beats her to the punch.

"With all due respect, Sir, that's a load of bull?—"

"Lieutenant," Hewitt cuts her off with a raised palm and a warning glare, his tone brokering no argument yet. "I'm not accusing anyone of anything. You know I value your leadership more than anyone's in this district, and I've heard your praise for Montgomery's abilities."

Kaia tries not to preen at the revelation that the fearsome lieutenant had been discussing her, praising her.

"But we clearly have a division problem in our ranks, and that doesn't bode well for effective rescue services."

Hunter's jaw works stubbornly for a moment before she gives a terse nod, clearly swallowing the slew of angry retorts she'd been prepared to unleash. But Kaia's outrage is still bubbling in the back of her throat. Who the hell do those pampered frat bros think they are? Undermining her right out of the gate because their fragile little egos can't handle a woman working harder than them? Just the thought of their sneering condescension makes her blood boil, fists clenching against her thighs.

"I know that proving yourselves as capable is probably at the forefront of both of your minds every day in this job. And that none of the rest of us will ever quite understand what that's like. However," the captain continues in that low grumble, "you have to admit, Hunter, Montgomery has a certain… reputation around here already. For being a little too eager to jump into the fray without coordinating first."

"Honing a recruit's eagerness into streamlined efficiency is part of the job, Sir. My training program has barely begun," Hunter instantly fires back. "Montgomery's drive and capabilities are a credit to this station. If her teammates can't appreciate having such a fearless addition to their ranks, that's a poor reflection on their own commitment, not hers."

Kaia somehow manages to keep her expression somewhat neutral as the captain and the lieutenant continue their terse back and forth. But inside, a raging battle of emotions is threatening to force up her lunch. The fury at her crewmates is still rearing its ugly head, but now it's competing for space against a swelling pride and a glimmer of hope in her gut. Watching Hunter defend her so fiercely is clouding Kaia's vision with a rose-colored tint.

The captain is suggesting something about extra one-on-one training sessions with Hunter to "offer extra guidance on effectively working alongside the male rookies." But his gravelly words are just noise droning in Kaia's ears as flashes of memories bombard her from working alongside those overgrown toddlers.

Cochran's ugly sneer as she blew past him on their last sprint circuit... The muttered slurs when she stuck that perfect reverse landing from the forty-foot tower... Every dismissive scoff and sidelong glare like they couldn't believe a woman would dare walk onto their playing field.

Kaia grits her teeth, battling to keep her fury in check as Hunter nods reluctantly at whatever extra training regimen the captain has proposed. They both flick assessing glances Kaia's way every so often, as if waiting for her to arrogantly fly off the handle.

Well, they can both keep waiting. I won't give those pathetic brats out there the satisfaction.

Catching the slightest hint of sympathy in both of their gazes is enough to solidify her resolve. She refuses to be pitied, especially by Hunter. The one person in this station who she desperately wants to respect her. To even see her as an equal one day, maybe. This brilliant, fearless woman has spent her whole careering facing down the same brand of toxic misogyny that is swarming around Kaia right now, and she's still standing. A glorious example of pure tenacity. Just watching her chest rise and fall with each controlled inhale makes Kaia's heart swell with admiration. This shit won't happen when Hunter someday sits on the other side of that desk.

The captain's brusque dismissal finally cuts through the whirlwind of Kaia's emotions. She pushes to her feet, shoulders squared, and stalks from his office without a word. Feeling the weight of Hunter's searching stare as she goes, Kaia doesn't don't dare turn back and let her see the simmering fury in her eyes. Or the steadily growing attraction.

White knuckling the steering wheel for the entire drive home, Kaia barely makes it to the privacy of her own apartment before the dam breaks. After slamming the door behind her, she rips off her sweat-stained undershirt and uniform pants. Flinging them violently across the cramped living room, her rage finally boils over.

"How dare they!" she shrieks, raking her hands over her head. Her tightly curled hair tendrils are bursting from the rigid confines of her carefully twisted bun, left, right, and center. The shock and outrage that had flooded her at the station churns and remolds itself into staggering disbelief. Sure, she knew they sneered at her, looked down on her. But to sink so low as to badmouth her to the captain? To whisper poison in his ear that she's too weak for the job?

Kaia never saw it coming. She had thought high school ended years ago, for all of them.

She paces the confines of the tiny square space like a caged lioness, gripped by the overwhelming urge to hit something, break something, unleash this torrent of frustration somehow. All the while, her dad's voice is echoing in her skull.

"Who would ever take a female firefighter seriously? Stay in your own lane, Kaia. Leave the tough jobs to the men… You have a real pretty face, kiddo. You ever considered teaching kindergarten?"

Her breaths come in short, harsh pants, blood boiling hotter as visions of her dad's patronizing smile melt and blur, replaced by flickers of dismissive sneers and muttered slurs from her crewmates. The growing crowd of naysayers presses in on her like the looming, white walls. Suffocating the inferno of her fury until it starts to bank.

What if I can't endure this fight for the rest of my damn career?

The vicious, unbidden thought pierces straight through the swirling red of her fury like a frozen dagger. She halts mid-pace, swaying a little as a wrecking ball of doubt crashes through her ribcage. Kaia has never doubted her own capabilities, her enduring strength, but she had also never stopped to think for a minute about the steady, eroding exhaustion she'd have to bear battling everyone else's doubts day after day.

The fight drains out of her in a rush, leaving her hollowed out and tired in her very bones. She crumples sideways onto the couch, burying her face in trembling hands as the waves of uncertainty threaten to drown her.

But then, another face swims into her mind.

The memory of Lieutenant Hunter's fiery defense in the captain's office, the blaze of pride flickering in those bright, blue eyes as she stood up for Kaia's honor.

She believes in Kaia, in her right to a position on her crew.

Wiping her eyes, Kaia pushes up from the sagging couch cushions with renewed determination. If Hunter believed she could carry on the fight and win, she sure as hell wasn't going to let her down.

Kaia makes the silent vow to herself, and to Hunter, and to every other woman in their field who has to tirelessly rage against being dismissed by arrogant neanderthals. As her resolve is forged iron-clad in her veins, a glorious desert sunset slants through her window. The fiery orange glow like a sign, illuminating her path forward.