Chapter 1

Axel Hazard

Sweat poured down my face. I trudged through falling debris in the abandoned warehouse; dark, smoky, filled with fumes. My training taught me, this could be an explosive. There was a little girl inside the building; I had to get to her.

A beam fell, missing my arm, but it caught the back of my calf, sending me to my knees.

“Fuck,” I huffed, pain shooting through my body, clothed in fire retardant gear.

I wasn’t burned, but the pain from the beam kept me on one knee for a few seconds longer than I needed. Getting back up, I trudged forward in search of the little girl. She was in my sights. Fear and uncertainty marred her face as she huddled up with a teddy bear almost as big as her. The thing was highly flammable, I was certain.

Several burning beams surrounded us. The girl was within reach, but then, something hit me and… she was gone.

Lights shined bright and sirens rang, indicating the simulation was over.

“That’s a wrap,” the chief yelled rolling his eyes.

What happened?

I was seconds away from getting the girl.

“Hazard,” Frank, one of my team members, called. “Don’t.”

What?

I took off my headgear, so I could hear what he said.

“Hazard,” Chief Whitley yelled for me.

“Yeah,” I answered the chief, before I saw his face.

“Man, you couldn’t even get the prize if it was right in front of you. What the fuck?” Toad said before he let out his diabolical laugh.

The simulation had a way of making things slower once you reached reality. My bearings would catch up with me after a few moments. The chief must have noticed it just registered because he walked toward me as my eyes pierced into Toad.

“Come again,” I barked back.

“Hazard,” Chief bellowed this time.

“I said—” Toad repeated, but I was already in the man’s face. My fist connecting with his jaw.

“FIGHT!” someone yelled.

That’s when it all began.

Well, not really. It had started six months ago when the probationary firefighter or probie, as we call them, began to spread his wings like a peacock at the station house. That’s not how our house operates. We have our differences, but there’s no one better than the other. We have various strengths, and we utilized our team based around those strengths. It works for us. This probie, though, had been pissing me off since day one.

Granted, he was good in training but that doesn’t mean shit when you’re surrounded around a forest of fire with no visuals, and you still have victims to retrieve. If you can retrieve them.

We called him Toad because he croaked loud, but was nothing but a small reptile with hot air. He didn’t really have a choice in the matter. The name was suitable as far as we were concerned.

Somehow, I was the person in his sights. I’d been with this house for seven years. Through that time, I was promoted to team lead. Nobody had much to say about it, even the veterans who had twenty years in. Then, Toad comes along, and he tries to show everybody up. Most of the older ones just swat at him but it irritates the hell out of the rest of us.

Therefore, it’s not my first fist connecting with his jaw. It’s like the fifth time, we’ve got into something because he won’t shut the fuck up. It grates my nerves when he tries to compete against his team mates. More importantly, it makes me feel unsafe because I don’t trust him in the field.

With this job, we are the ones running toward danger on a regular basis. Not just fear and present danger but the all-consuming threats that can easily spread to city blocks. Fire doesn’t have a conscience, cannot be mediated or talked down. It’s a damn fire and something to be feared. Nobody needs a Top Gun who thinks he’s above the threat because he beat some training goals or rescued a fake girl in a simulation. That doesn’t mean shit when that fire hits your ass.

He was dangerous and a thorn in my goddamn side. Which is why the chief was still trying to get me to have him on my squad. Chief kept saying some shit about taking him under my wing instead of under my fist. There was no way that was happening. He was not only annoying but going to get someone killed. My squad was solid, if we were all on the same shift or split into a three-person engine.

Joe was the pipe man, Rik was the backup, Sub was my doorman, Rex my backup, Cheeto, and I were the hunters. We had other jobs we could do, but those were the areas where we excelled. Therefore, Toad was not joining the team, since he only excelled at running his damn mouth. I had no time for that shit.

“Fuck, man,” Toad croaked after he got finished wiping the blood from his busted lip.

This dense boy never seemed to learn, even after this being the fifth time I punched him in the face. A few others took a couple of swings at him too. I’m telling you, he talks too damn much. Always bragging and shit. A few of the guys had some petitions going around to get him transferred. Apparently, the prick wanted to stay put because the Chief said, he ain’t budging.

“Cool it. I said,” Chief Whitley snapped. “Hazard, in my goddamn office.”

Fuck.

That meant he was going to ream me out another asshole. I didn’t have time for that shit either, but I respected the man a great deal. He and my father were the best of friends until the fire of ’09 took him out of commission and killed my dad. They were both in the same unit and ever since pop’s death, Chief took over. Put me under him, helped my career and wouldn’t let any other house take me. He wanted to be sure I was taken care of in the right way. That also meant, I was chastised worse than the others.

Well, not really. But it felt like it when I disappointed the old man.

“Didn’t bring you in here for this shit,” he snapped. “I brought you here, so you could be great. Grow, thrive and lead.”

He was buff man with red cheeks and a pot belly from Lionel’s weekly beef stew, I’m sure. Chief would always eat at least three large bowls. It was good as shit, but Chief over indulged every week.

“You need to help that boy, not hurt him,” Chief yelled, and I swear the pictures on the walls shook. “Now, I need you to fucking lead.”

“Chief, sit down. Okay. Fine.” I was concerned when the redness in his face turned purple. “Fine. Okay. Just sit down.”

My hand was waving him down as I rounded the large oak desk cluttered with papers and other shit. His faded blue eyes considered mine, and he bent to sit down by the time I was within reaching distance. Squatting on my haunches, I grabbed his wrist and pressed both fingers against the vein on the inside to check his pulse. His breathing was heavy. I didn’t like him getting this worked up.

“Just need you to help him,” Chief said between breaths. “He needs guidance.”

“Chief, that’s what you’re here for,” I absently said as I pressed his wrist to feel his pulse more clearly.

He jerked his wrist, causing me to look at him.

“Ain’t going always be the case,” he rasped in a small whisper. “You got to step up. More than you have.”

The seriousness in his voice caused an eerie feeling to pass through me. This man was literally the only thing I had left in my life. My mom had packed up when I was around four years old, leaving me with my pops. He left due to the nature of job we led and then there was nothing left. The rest of my family lived in Dallas, Texas where pops grew up. He would occasionally visit, and we always stopped by Station 58. Even though, those visits were so long ago, I kept in touch with some of the people we met there. A friend of mine, Jax Malloy was a fire fighter at Station 58. He owned a ranch and was a former rodeo rider too. His wife is sweet and when I’m on a training or in the area, I always get some of her baked goods. The woman is wicked with cupcakes.

The sad part is that I have a bunch of long lost cousins on Pop’s side, but I don’t even know who they are, yet I stay in contact with friends. Plus, Pops cut off all my mother’s people, so there was no contact on that side either. Hence why Christmas was spent with my station family.

“When’s the last time you’ve been to the doctor?” I asked, ignoring the pang in my chest.

“Two days ago.” He didn’t hesitate.

“What they say?” I asked.

“Get the results next week.” He exhaled loudly before he repeated. “Need you to step up.”

“Okay. Okay.” I nodded and let his wrist go. “Step up. It’s done. Okay.”

“Okay.” Chief looked relieved and leaned back against the leather, creaky chair. “Know it’s in you.”

I nodded my head, and stood, before saying, “Let me know about those results and take it easy.”

Chief grunted as I headed for the door, repeating for him to let me know.

This was another thing I didn’t want to think about.

Not at all.