Connor watched as a solid truck with roller doors pulled in next to Liam’s pickup. They’d been sidelined for a good ten minutes, ever since Liam had arrived on scene. Connor had been working with the rest of the crew to ensure any spot fires were eliminated and securing the scene from any further collapse or debris damage, but his gaze kept flicking right back to where Scarlett sat. She had fidgeted, her fingers tapping on the side of the rig. A couple of times she’d stood and looked like she was going to walk over to them, only to take a few steps and then turn back to the rig. Sometimes she’d sat back down, others she’d leaned up against it, her foot taking over the nervous twitch and tapping against the ground.

He could sympathize. If he was the one standing on the sidelines waiting for the all-clear, then he would be champing at the bit to get out there, especially with what they suspected. It had to be killing her to sit there waiting for the okay to enter the scene, especially when both he and Scarlett knew that the invitation could be removed entirely at any time when her boss talked to his. His gaze hadn’t left hers as she’d approached Liam when he’d pulled in and she accompanied him into the building. Connor hadn’t realized how tightly he was tensing his muscles until then, his every instinct on high alert even though Scarlett was doing nothing more than sitting on the back of the truck. Having Liam by her side as she combed through what was left after the fire meant he could at least relax a little, and probably stop driving Mason crazy by glancing back at her every five seconds. Liam would treat Scarlett with the same care and respect as he would Meg, his fiancée, and make sure she stayed safe. Any one of the squad would. That he was sure of. They looked out for each other, and by extension, the ones that they loved.

If anyone at 81 had been unaware of his feelings for Scarlett before that morning, the look on his face when she’d jumped into the truck as they’d left the firehouse would have taken care of that. His body had tensed at her touch initially, the surprise at her appearance and instant worry about what it meant locking his muscles. It had taken only seconds, and a quick brush of her fingers across his thigh for his muscles to relax and his dick to respond, growing long and hard inside his turnout gear. He swore Scarlett had recognized his predicament when a small grin had appeared on her face, and she’d taken full advantage of the situation by leaning into him every time the truck went around a corner. She’d been careful, not doing anything that exposed their relationship outright, but all the same, she’d kept him at a level of arousal that guaranteed he was counting down the hours to when shift was over and he could sweep her up and out of the firehouse and back to his place. Despite the devastation around them, that and the fact that no one had been killed or even badly injured in the fire had lightened his mood for the first time in days.

That had all fled the moment he’d seen Scarlett crouch down next to Liam in the ash. Her face had been curious at first, then puzzled. He’d been about to walk over and ask what she’d found when her face had drained of all color and Scarlett had turned a deathly white. She’d grabbed Liam’s jacket in what looked like an attempt to avoid falling over, and it had taken less than a second for Connor to turn and make his way to her side, his steps leaving small puffs of dust and ash in their wake as he moved faster than he probably should have, given where he was standing.

Connor didn’t give a shit. Something had put that look on his woman’s face, and he was damned if he wasn’t going to be there.

He’d caught up with them both before Scarlett and Liam had even cleared the debris field. Thank God, Scarlett seemed to have recovered from the immediate threat of pitching forward into the ash, but her face was still a shade of gray that he didn’t like at all. He’d reached out and grabbed her hand as he approached, not giving a shit who saw, concern giving way to anger when he felt her hand tremble in his grasp.

For her part, despite the physical reaction, Scarlett had looked pissed. Her eyes were bright, and her jaw was tensed. Connor guessed her teeth were grinding in frustration at being called off the scene. He still didn’t know what they’d found that had prompted Liam to call the evacuation, but it had to be bad. Liam wasn’t one to act without cause, and he wouldn’t take stupid chances, either. If he’d ordered everyone to stand back from the building, there was a damn good reason, and if Connor didn’t find out what it was in the next few minutes, he was liable to lose it.

“What’s up?” he asked, as soon as he could get Liam’s attention. As soon as they’d reached the mandatory safe distance, he’d pulled Scarlett to him, placing her between his legs and leaning her back onto his chest, his arms around her waist. He didn’t give a fuck who saw what. Scarlett needed him, and that was all that mattered. Connor cringed at the way his question to Liam left his mouth, the tension in his body clearly seeping through to his words. To Liam’s credit, he didn’t even flinch. There was no mistaking the worry on his face, though. He stood with his body turned, hands on hips as his gaze continually roamed what was left of the building as he talked. One hand gripped his cell, and the radio on his shoulder continually squawked, echoing the scratchy noise coming from Connor’s own. He ignored it. He’d hear more from Liam himself than HQ would ever tell him directly.

“Pipe bomb.” Liam’s voice was low, but there was no mistaking the words. “I found one end in the front room, plus associated shrapnel littering the corner.” His forehead was tight, and the muscles in his biceps flexed as his hands moved to cross his chest. He glanced down at his cell, a pinched look on his face, before turning back to Connor, giving both him and Scarlett the once-over. “Want to tell me whatever you two have been keeping a secret?”

Scarlett hesitated and started to shake her head, but Liam held up a hand. “I can tell when someone is freaked out, and you were about to blow over there.” His eyes softened. “I don’t know what’s going on with the brass on your side, but you can trust me. But I can’t do my job if I don’t know something I should be watching out for.”

He was right. Thanks to the reaction from Scarlett’s boss, they’d kept everything under wraps until they were sure, but the time for that was over. Connor shifted, about to reply when Scarlett beat him to it. “I’ve seen the mark on the bomb before.” Connor couldn’t help tensing at her words. He forced his hands to relax where they held her before his touch left bruises. Son of a bitch! Scarlett continued. “Connor and I found it on a piece of metal from the fire near the business park.”

Liam switched on his camera and flipped through the photos, bringing up the one with a shot of the front room, the piece of pipe stamped with the design clearly visible from close up. Connor felt his muscles tense again, locking him in place around Scarlett. At that point, it could be the end of the world itself and he wouldn’t let her go. They’d both had a damn good hunch they were dealing with a serial offender, but somehow seeing the definitive evidence up close and personal was still making his heart pulse and blood rush through his veins. However it had happened, Scarlett had gotten these asshole’s attention, and they were gunning for her. There was no way the shooting in the station parking lot had been a co-incidence. His hands moved to wrap around her body, shielding her from any prying eyes and bullets. They’d already had one shot at her, and Connor would be damned before he’d let them anywhere near her again.

The thought about taking her away entered his mind. Taking Scarlett and hiding her somewhere far away, where no one could lay a finger on her, let alone make her bleed again. He dismissed the thought as quickly as it had come. Running away wasn’t something he could ever ask her to do. Saving people, doing this job, it was in her blood. The world had already taken too much from the woman he loved—there was no hiding from his feelings for her anymore, either—and there was no way Connor was going to take anything else from her, too. They were holding ground, together, and fighting this head-on. He could only pray that with the help of friends, they’d both still be standing at the end.