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Prologue
Amber flames flickered swiftly along the faded walls of the old broken-down barn and lit up the June evening like a macabre bonfire. The heat from it seeped through Gavin's gear, making him feel as though he was wearing nothing at all. Anger and determination shimmied up his back while he and the men in his squad worked to squelch the intense blaze.
It was burning too hot.
Gavin McGuire had experienced all types of fires during his years on the job, and the ones that moved with this kind of superheated intensity usually had some help.
He'd bet his life that this was no accident.
His face mask was meant to protect him and feed him life-giving oxygen, but it practically smothered him tonight. The sound of his own heavy breathing rushed in his ears, along with the crackling and creaking of the dry wooden planks. The haunting groans of the barn as it was devoured almost sounded like a cry for help. The death wails of a structure engulfed in flames were eerily similar to the cries of a human being. Those were the shrieks and screams that tormented his sleep.
The voices of the past rarely fell silent for long.
Dark memories-the ones that simmered beneath the surface and had driven him to this profession in the first place-threatened to bubble up and consume him. But Gavin stuffed them down. Fear was a self-defeating emotion and not one he could afford, especially while leading his team. These men depended on him to make the right call every time.
There was no room for error.
Sloppy mistakes, foolish choices, or unnecessary risk got people killed.
Dirt and gravel scuffed beneath his heavy boots and he grunted with effort, directing the thick hose and its powerful stream of water onto the flames. It was a beast. Fire was a mindless, insatiable, and relentless creature that consumed anything and everything in its path.
If Gavin didn't stop it, the monster would keep on coming.
"Chief." Rick's voice came through the headset loud and clear, pulling Gavin from his thoughts. "We've got it contained, but this old barn ain't gonna make it. She's gonna come down."
"Copy that." Gavin nodded and focused on the flames that lingered along the western wall of the barn. "Have Engine Twelve's pumper keep on top of the surrounding area and continue dousing the field. It was a wet spring, but we don't want to take any chances. We've got four homes on the other side of this property that aren't empty. Stay on top of her."
"You got it," Rick said, his radio cutting out with a crackling snap.
Gavin adjusted his stance and blinked the sweat from his eyes, while steam and smoke drifted up from the almost burned-out building. He moved in closer and continued his unyielding attack on the flames that struggled for life, gasping for air but getting little.
The beast wouldn't win tonight.
