“Chloe?”

Panic tinged my voice as I rushed up the stairs to my apartment. I cursed myself for spending more time at the scene of the fire after the meeting with that scarred asshole. Though what he’d said was intended as a warning, I realized that a man like him couldn’t be trusted to play by any sort of rules. Cold panic ran up my spine as I realized that he was likely lulling me into a false sense of security.

My stomach dropped as I reached the top of the stairs and saw that the door to my apartment was slightly ajar. I grit my teeth and stepped slowly toward the door, mentally preparing myself for whatever was on the other side.

“Chloe?” I called out again, knowing the odds of getting an answer were slim.

Sure enough, nothing but silence.

I placed my hand on the door, took a deep breath, and pulled it open.

Nothing. There was nothing on the other side.

“Chloe?”

Still nothing.

I stepped carefully into the apartment, looking around as I did. Sure enough, there were signs of a struggle. Papers I’d left piled on the counter were strewn here and there, knickknacks were knocked from their places, and the rug was crumpled up in front of the couch.

I felt a cool breeze from down the hallway and followed. As I approached my office door the low howl of the evening wind sounded. I looked at the window and it was shattered, glass all over the floor, and my eyes rested on the fire escape outside the window.

I made my way back into the living room where I spotted a broken wine glass and an arc of red wine made it clear this wasn’t a simple spill—it had been thrown. This was no accident.

It didn’t take much brain power to realize what had happened. The men had broken into my apartment and taken Chloe. The scarred man had given me a warning, but he’d already known just what he had in mind for her and me. Why had he even bothered? Just to distract me?

I clenched my fists and brought them to my forehead. Fuck. They’d taken Chloe and they sure as shit were going to pay.

I knew I couldn’t stand around waiting any longer. If they’d taken Chloe, that meant that they’d likely moved their plan to torch the business up a day, just to throw anyone off the scent. I had to move, and I had to move fast.

Fifteen minutes later, I arrived back at the station. Mitch rushed up to me as soon as I entered, as if a sixth sense had told him there was something very, very wrong. He tagged along, staying close behind as I made my way to Chief’s office.

“What’s up?” called Chief from inside.

I opened the door and stepped in, and Chief looked at me with a concerned expression.

“What’s going on, Stokes?” he asked. “Tell me everything, and tell me now.”

Not taking a seat, I filled him in. I told him what we’d learned from our investigation, I told him about meeting the man at the diner, I told him about the scene at the apartment, and I told him that Chloe was gone.

“They…took Chloe?” he asked, his voice grave.

I could only nod.

Chief looked down for a moment, his mind at work. He seemed to know just as I did that whatever we did next, the plan would have to be unconventional.

“What you got in mind, Stokes?” he asked. “I’m all fuckin’ ears.”

“We know where they’re going to strike next,” I said. “And I’m sure that they know that we know. This probably means there’s some kind of trap, but I can’t risk letting anything happen to Chloe.”

Chief nodded.

“But we can’t send the whole crew out unless we have confirmation,” he said.

“That’s right,” I responded. “So, I’m thinking that I can check the business out, get in there and see what’s going on. If I find any sign that there’s some shit about to go down, I can call you in.”

“You want to go in there solo?” asked Chief. “Stokes, this isn’t black ops—we’re firemen.”

“Desperate times, Chief,” I said.

His mouth formed into a hard, flat line. He knew I was right.

“This is totally and completely not by the book,” said Chief. “But they’ve got your woman, so all bets are off. And you know that as soon as you make the call we’re gonna have to get the NYPD involved, right?”

That could mean some blowback. But I didn’t care. All I wanted was Chloe back safe.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes, Chief,” I said.

“I know you are, Stokes,” he said. “I know.”

The moment hung heavy in the air.

“Then get your ass moving,” he said. “You know as well as I do that we’ve got no time to waste.”

“Thanks, Chief,” I said.

A grunt and a nod were his only response.

I hurried out of the office.

“Stokes!” shouted Stone as I rushed through the kitchen. “What’s the story?”

I paused for a brief moment and turned. A half dozen men were gathered in the kitchen, seated at the table as they picked at their food and played cards.

“Shit’s going down,” I said. “And that’s all I can tell you. Be ready for action tonight.”

I didn’t wait around to hear the responses. There wasn’t much gear I could bring along if I was going to do this stealthily, but I got what I could, throwing on a light fireproof coat and slipping a multi-tool into my pocket.

Then I was off.

Fifteen minutes later, I arrived at the scene of the next fire. The squat little business looked small and cramped next to the school, the looming figure of Chloe’s workplace jutting up into the night sky like a castle, the moon silver and bright overhead.

I tried to remember what the business looked like on the inside. There were only a few small rooms on the main floor, and if it was like every other building in the city, it likely had a cavernous, dingy basement. If Chloe was there, this is where she’d be.

But I knew that I couldn’t just go in through the front door—I might as well give them a call to let them know I was coming if I was going to be that obvious. A quick glance at the connection between the school and the adjoining apartment showed that they were likely connected by some kind of window.

I approached the school, squatting down at one of the small, rectangular windows that led into the lowest floor. The multi-tool made quick work of the locks on the windows, and soon I was in.

The basement of the school was stone-walled and drafty. I looked around and saw that I was in some kind of janitorial supply room. All sorts of flammable-looking materials were stored here and there. To my horror, I realized that if a fire next door managed to spread down here, it’d likely mean that the entire building would be gutted with flame—along with anyone who happened to still be here.

I ran to the wall between the business and the school and saw that, sure enough, a boarded-up area appeared to hide some kind of connection. My heart raced as I ripped the boards off one by one and found a small, metal passage between the two buildings. The multi-tool in my fist, I pounded at the lock, and the door swung open as the broken lock fell to the floor with a clatter.

The passage was just large enough to slip my body through. The room on the other side was as dismal and dingy as the room I’d just left. I investigated the area, noting that the basement was surprisingly large—almost mazelike.

But time was ticking, and I had to find Chloe before it was too late. I knew that at any moment this building could go up in flames, and if I didn’t play this smart, I could lose the woman I…

…I what? The word “love” seemed to fit so easily. Trying to figure out just what Chloe meant to me was…difficult, to say the least. Whatever we had was more special than anything I’d known with any woman before, despite the fact that she’d only been in my life for a short time. Just the thought of losing her felt like a knife to the gut.

It wasn’t going to happen. Luckily, my time in the service had trained me for occasions just like this. I’d done more than a few stealth ops in my day, and my training was going to serve me well.

I made my way from one room to another, amazed at the labyrinth under the building. One dingy brick room led to another, and I had to make sure to both move silently and keep track of where I was.

To my surprise, I spotted a stairwell that led to a sublevel of the basement. A map of the place formed in my mind, and I knew that if a fire did break out here, I’d need to remember the layout for when my crew moved in.

It was all becoming more complicated by the second.

I descended the stairs, my boots echoing as I moved down the narrow passage and arrived at a metal door at the bottom. After taking a full breath, I opened it carefully.

As soon as I stepped into the basement sublevel, I heard the low murmur of voices through the walls. It had to be the scarred man and his assistants, and likely Chloe. More careful, quiet movement brought me closer to the voices, and soon I arrived at another metal door.

The voices continued, and I could tell that they were just on the other side. I cupped my hands around my ear and pressed against the door. The metal was thick, but I could make out scraps of conversation here and there.

“Boss…she’s gonna wake up…after that?”

“Just...what I say…paying you to follow orders, not ask questions.”

It was them, all right—no doubt about it. And it was almost certain that the “she” they were referring to was Chloe.

“What’s gonna happen…this place goes up?”

“Yeah, boss…not many exits.”

“And...big badass fireman…what happens when he comes?”

“...your mouths….I’ve got this under control, goddammit!”

That meant they were expecting me. Barging through the door would draw way too much attention, and I had no idea what kind of shape Chloe was in. No, I had to play this smart. I took a look around the room for any advantage I could find, anything that might help me get the drop on these assholes.

It was going to take all of my skills to get Chloe and me out of this in one piece. But I was determined.

Nothing was going to stop me.