Jax swallowed hard. “Thank you for the offer, Brock.” he said softly. He clapped his hand on Brock's shoulder. “It means a lot.”
Brock nodded. “Might as well do it all at once…but we’ve got to let Nash and Toby know beforehand…and if Nash knows, you might as well tell all of A-shift. Come to think of it, if you want it to be a surprise for Joleen, let’s keep it between the two of us. Toby’s not an issue, but Nash has been so unpredictable lately. He’ll be happy. Toby too. There’s no doubt they’re behind you on this.”
“Okay. Sounds like a plan. If she says yes, I want you to be my best man.”
Gratitude swelled in Brock's chest. “Of course.”
Jax was smiling from ear to ear now. “Great.”
“She'll say yes.”
“I hope so.” Jax wiped his hand on a dish towel then threw it down on the counter. “I'm going to hit the treadmill. Gotta keep this temple looking fine and in tip top shape for the big day! Thanks again.”
Brock watched Jax leave down the hall with a spring in his step and smiled. The man was over the moon. By the looks of him, the whole fire house would know just from looking at Jax, in a day tops. Probably less.
8
Just his luck. The alarm went off while Brock was in the shower after a long run. Normally he would leave showers and workouts for after his shift, but today it had been so quiet, and he needed the workout to quiet his mind from all these stray thoughts about Sky. Underneath the pummel of the shower head, that sound would have been faint to a regular human. With Brock's enhanced shifter senses it sounded just as loud as it would, had he been standing underneath directly the alarm. Grabbing a towel, he hauled ass out of the bathroom. He pulled on his clothes while he walked, letting out a curse under his breath when one of his pant legs stuck to his still half-wet body.
Toby flew past him, hurrying down the hallway to the truck bay. “Another trailer explosion,” he explained.
Brock narrowed his eyes. He had heard the call over the PA system too. He didn't say anything, but knew they were both wondering the same thing. Another meth lab?
The rest of the team was in the bay throwing on their gear and stepping up into the truck. Brock shook the last droplets of water from his hair, shucked on his outer firefighting jacket and tugged on his second layer of pants before stepping into his boots. He hadn't forgotten about the meth lab from the other day. It had only taken a back seat in his mind. Now it was back to the forefront. Deep down, his bear wanted justice. Someone had to pay for getting Winston hurt.
They sped out to the address. The smoke plumes were visible from at least half a mile away. Brock's hands clenched into fists in his lap with his anticipation on full blast. He had to set that anger aside for his team. A level headed firefighter was a good firefighter. Bringing any kind of emotion to a fire scene was a bad idea that led to mistakes and hasty decisions. They couldn’t afford that with a Meth lab fire, not when explosions could happen with little warning for most humans.
For Brock and the shifter members of his team, it was slightly different. Their superhuman senses of smell and hearing made a difference. Even without shifting to their bear forms, they could smell and hear things that the Chief and other crew members couldn’t. Today he needed to rely on those senses to keep everyone safe. Which reminded him he needed to talk to Nash.
“Wheeler,” Brock called out Nash by his last name, adding the formality needed to get the kid to pay attention.
Nash looked over at Brock. “Yes, boss?”
“Follow my lead…and if I’m not around, Toby makes the call. Understood?”
“Yup.”
“Wheeler. I mean it. Assume this structure can go up or explode anytime. We were lucky last time…no one was inside when that last one blew up.”
“I got this, boss. No thinking, just going by the book and following orders.”
“That’s right, young blood,” Kyle added from the corner seat. “You can be the hero another day. Today Lieutenant Moore wants you to get out alive.”
“I got it,” Nash snapped, then relaxed enough to let a half smile rise on his face. “I’ll dial my shit back a notch so I don’t put you to shame.”
“In your dreams, Wheeler.”