Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 49258 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49258 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 246(@200wpm)___ 197(@250wpm)___ 164(@300wpm)
“Of course.” Koa opened a drawer and found a pair of tube socks. Tossing them to her as she sat on the bed, he asked, “Can you tell me what’s happening?”
“There’s a big warehouse fire. Seems deliberately set with an accelerant. Two of my guys are down after being grazed with bullets. Thankfully, nothing serious.”
“Someone is shooting at them while the team is trying to put the fire out?” Koa asked in disbelief.
“A sniper. They can’t figure out exactly where he is, but the police are on the scene. I’m headed to liaison with them and support the firefighters.”
“Hank is our sniper. He’s an expert in pinpointing the location. I’ll have him meet you there.”
Giana hesitated for a minute, and Koa guessed she was battling how to separate work life from home. “If he’s available and willing, have him ask for me at the barricade. It’s a dangerous situation.”
“Got it. Be safe, Flame. I just found you.”
“I’ll update you when I can.”
Koa walked her to the door and watched her back out into the darkness. He was used to seeing danger from the other side. It gave him a better perspective of how military spouses worried at deployment.
Forcing himself into action, Koa ran back to grab his phone.
“Koa! What’s up? Did I miss a deployment call?” Hank sounded completely alert.
“No, Hank. It’s something personal. Giana received a call from the station. The firefighters are under attack from a sniper. The police are on the scene, but they can’t locate the source.”
“Text me the address. I’ll grab my scope and go help. Giana’s okay?”
“She’s fine. Two grazed by bullets. No serious injuries.”
“Either someone seriously skilled and trying to torment them or a novice who got ahold of a weapon. Either is dangerous.”
“I know.” Koa’s last attempt to prevent himself from worrying evaporated at Hank’s blunt assessment.
“Text me the address. I’ll update you when I can.”
Koa paced the length of his open living room and kitchen area. He had to stop himself repeatedly from grabbing his keys and racing his truck down to the scene. Okay, he’d already stuffed his keyring in his pocket, but he was still inside.
His phone buzzed with an incoming message. He looked at the screen to see a message from Hank.
Sniper located and in custody.
Thank goodness. Wait, was Giana okay? He was typing an answer back to his teammate, when another message appeared.
Turn on the morning news.
He snatched the remote from the coffee table and navigated through the screens to find the local news station. Giana’s beautiful face filled his screen. Relief flooded through him as Koa sank down on the couch to listen.
“…firefighters are now able to battle the blaze without risk of being killed. The delay in dealing with the fire allowed the flames to jump to two other buildings. I have called in three other stations to assist us. This will be a total loss for all three structures, but if we’re lucky, we’ll contain it there.”
“Have the authorities identified the shooter or determined his motives?” a news reporter asked, shoving her mic into Giana’s face.
Giana put her hand over the device and pushed it away from her lips. Even from the video, Koa noted Giana’s lethal glare she used to target the offensive woman. “I will provide you with details as I address all the media sources. Do not jab this into my face.”
Focusing back on the group, she continued, “I do not have definitive information on the shooter at this point. The police will take the podium next. I would like to thank a Special Ops officer from the local base for assisting the officers and protecting the firefighters. His skill facilitated locating the culprit. Everyone will make it home to their families because of him.”
“What’s his name?” the same reporter asked again, rudely pushing her microphone too close to Giana.
His beloved fire captain plucked the device from the reporter’s hand and tossed it over her head to a fireman standing behind her. Koa recognized him. It was the one who’d glared daggers at him when Koa had appeared at the station. The man caught it easily and stuck it inside his protective gear.
Koa grinned at the screen. Take that, obnoxious reporter. He enjoyed seeing Giana in her official role and understood why she’d achieved her rank in the fire department at a younger age than most captains. She didn’t put up with any crap. It pleased him to see her firefighters supporting her without question.
“I understand you have a job to do, but I’m only going to warn you once before I eliminate the problem,” Giana said firmly. She continued with her briefing without skipping a beat.
He liked that his little girl was a badass at work. Koa watched the last of the program hoping to see Giana for an update. Now the live segments focused on the firefighters battling the blaze. He caught a glimpse of Giana coordinating from the sidelines several times.