Shelter for Aylin Read online

  Shelter for Aylin (Police and Fire: Operation Alpha)

  San Antonio First Responders Book 6

  Reina Torres

  Contents

  Foreword

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Books by Reina Torres

  About the Author

  More Special Forces: Operation Alpha World Books

  Books by Susan Stoker

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.

  © 2020 ACES PRESS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced or transmitted without written permission from the publisher except for brief quotations for review purposes as permitted by law.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome to the Police and Fire: Operation Alpha Fan-Fiction world!

  If you are new to this amazing world, in a nutshell the author wrote a story using one or more of my characters in it. Sometimes that character has a major role in the story, and other times they are only mentioned briefly. This is perfectly legal and allowable because they are going through Aces Press to publish the story.

  This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I might have assisted with brainstorming and other ideas about which of my characters to use, I didn’t have any part in the process or writing or editing the story.

  I’m proud and excited that so many authors loved my characters enough that they wanted to write them into their own story. Thank you for supporting them, and me!

  READ ON!

  Xoxo

  Susan Stoker

  About the book

  Aylin Blaise, daughter of Station Seven’s Fire Chief, is loving her life. Well, most of it. An extended family of first responders and friends in college are expanding her world in leaps and bounds, but the one person she really wants to spend more time with, is keeping his distance.

  Stillman Rook is on the verge of becoming a full-fledged firefighter and fulfilling the dream he’s had since he was a child. The one distraction in his life is Chief Blaise’s daughter. He could easily fall in love with her, but he’s a guy set on his path in life and she’s just discovering hers.

  Rook may think he’s being honorable by keeping his distance, but it’s hard to protect the ones you love when you’re not close to them. When the world tries to level her with a crushing blow, will Rook be the Shelter for Aylin?

  Chapter 1

  When Fire Chief Ethan Blaise walked into his own office, Aylin Blaise sat back in his chair and gave it a spin. “Welcome back!”

  Setting his keys into the bronze tray at the corner of his desk, he shook his head. “You look good behind the desk. Maybe you should go into the family business.”

  Laughing, she set a foot down to stop the spin completely and stood to give him a good solid hug.

  It never failed to make her feel comforted and loved when Ethan hugged her. Even though he’d been married to her mother for only three months, she felt like it was a lifetime the way that he’d fit into their lives.

  And... brought them into his. Ethan Blaise wasn’t just a well-respected leader in the First Responder community of San Antonio, he was a truly generous soul with seemingly endless love to give. It still amazed her that he’d chosen to give some of that affection to her.

  “Aylin?”

  She realized that she’d been caught ruminating again. It had become a habit since she’d become a part of the Station Seven family. Instead of just digging in and doing the work directly in front of her, she was starting to really consider what her future looked like.

  “Sorry, I was thinking again.”

  “Always a good thing.” He stepped back and touched her cheek for a moment before he pulled off his jacket and hung it up on the rack in the corner of his office. “Does this have anything to do with you starting classes next week?”

  It shouldn’t be a surprise that Ethan knew what was going on in her life, that was just who he was.

  “Guilty as charged.” She sat down on the edge of his desk, near the corner and watched as he sat down in his chair and started to unlace his boots. “It looks like you guys just got back from a fire.”

  He looked up at her with a smile. “The house was condemned and boarded up, but someone must have broken in.”

  “Squatters?” She’d seen news stories and knew the dangers they talked about. “Was there still power at the house, or was it some other source of heat?”

  He set both boots off to the side and sat back in his chair. “Propane stove actually. We found the remnants of a unit in what was once the kitchen. There was a lot of accumulated paper in the home.”

  “Was anyone hurt?” She winced at the thought and waited for his answer.

  “There wasn’t anyone there when we arrived. The flames at that point were still in the back of the house so if someone was injured, I hope they got some medical attention.”

  Aylin shook her head. “And all of the guys are okay, too?”

  A look crossed his face at her question, but she pretended that she didn’t see it.

  “Of course. They all handled the situation like the pros they are. We had the fire knocked down in short order. Overhaul took longer because we were just making sure there wasn’t going to be a flare up. With all that paper it gave us some pause. Cowboy called in a dump truck and they had the paper cleared before we left the site.”

  Cowboy was Lieutenant Noah Sadler. Born and raised in Texas, he had never actually been on a horse. The irony of his name wasn’t lost on anyone in the station house family.

  “That’s good to hear.” She gave Ethan an expectant look. “That’s all?”

  He gave his chair a little scoot forward until he could set his arm on the desk. He looked up into her eyes and gave her a knowing look. “Is there anyone specific that you’re asking about?”

  Okay, she was changing her mind. Ethan was still the most awesome Fire Chief ever, but as a dad, even an adopted one, he was far too perceptive for her peace of mind. Dads were supposed to be adorably out of tune with her life, right? It was crazy how easily he saw through her.

  Or maybe it was that she wore her heart on her sleeve. Heavens, she hoped not. The last thing she wanted to do was make things awkward at the station.

  “Rook!”

  The loud exclamation startled her, and she almost slid off Ethan’s desk.

  “Come on in and say hello to Aylin!”

  The smile Ethan gave her cut straight through like a knife. No wait, he was a fireman, so that would be an axe.

  “Aylin, you remember, Rook, right?”

  Oh yes, Ethan was much too perceptive about her life. She’d gone from having a father who didn’t care a bit about her to a dad who was happy to let her squirm in front of her crush.

  Crush. She inwardly shook her head. That’s all it was going to be apparently.

  Standing up, she did a quick mental inventory of what she was wearing, how she looked. Turning, just so, she t
ried to present her figure to its best advantage.

  Just because Rook hadn’t asked her out, or even asked her to stop by the station to talk, wasn’t going to turn her into a weeping mess. Goodness knows she had more than enough to do to get ready for the start of classes.

  She met his gaze with a straightforward one of her own. If she’d really misread his interest that was on her. It wasn’t his fault she wanted to step into his embrace and never let go. That pull wasn’t gone even though the two of them hardly saw each other at all.

  When she was stuck in the fire that was started to ruin her mother’s business and probably end her life, when the walls and ceiling fell in and the only light she could see were flames and the air was being choked from her lungs, there was just one avenue of safety left to her.

  That was Stillman Rook, reaching out his hand to take her to safety.

  She owed him to make their odd moments in the same room to be cool. Natural. Aylin smiled and meant it and raised a hand for a little wave. “Hey, Rook! Wow,” she shook her head, completely stunned at just how much more gorgeous he looked than the last time she’d seen him, “you look great.”

  She wasn’t sure exactly what stunned him more, but she couldn’t just leave not-so-well enough alone. And before she could stop herself, she’d walked across the room and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a hug.

  It was crazy.

  It was stupid.

  But did crazy and stupid have to feel so good?

  Oh.

  And did he have to smell so good?

  She felt his hand touch her back and suddenly, she felt live. No, not alive. Live, like a wire! Just a touch on her back was enough to make her feel incandescent.

  Stepping back, she felt his hand fall away and she almost fell over the chair. Laughing, she stepped back and managed not to fall on her butt. “Look, I’m going to head down to the... the common room.” She peeled her gaze from Rook's face and looked at Ethan, seeing the questions in his eyes. “When you’re ready to go, Dad, I’ll be downstairs.”

  With a final internal eye-roll at herself, Aylin walked down the hallway trying to look as ‘normal’ as she could. Instead of stopping and waiting for the elevator, she pushed open the door to the stairwell and jogged down.

  Stillman watched Aylin walk down the hallway and wondered if his heart was pounding hard enough against his ribs that the Chief could hear it. “So, Dad, huh?”

  “It’s crazy to think I’d be a new father at my age, hmm?”

  Turning away from the door, or rather Rook had to force himself to turn around, Stillman looked at the Chief and saw the wonder in his face. “From what I hear from the other firefighters, you’ve been a father to them. And the firefighters before them.”

  Brows rising above his eyes, the Chief chuckled a little. “Now I’m feeling really old.”

  Stillman grimaced. “That’s not what I meant, Chief.”

  Ethan waved him off. “Don’t worry, Rook. I was only half-joking.” Gesturing at the chair in front of his desk, the Chief sat down on the edge. “Do you want to sit? Is there something that you need?”

  There was something, but he couldn’t seem to remember what it was he had to say.

  Instead, there were other questions that were plaguing him. ‘Now that she’s your daughter, would you come after me with a shotgun if I asked her out?’ Or maybe... ‘Would she even want me to?’

  “Well,” the Chief cut into his thoughts, “if you’re not busy, I’d like to talk to you about something.”

  Well, call it a guilty conscious, but Stillman felt something sink in his gut. As much as he hated to admit it, staying away from Aylin wasn’t just because she was the Chief’s daughter. She was going to college, a little later than most, but this was something she was doing for herself.

  After all the crap that her biological father had done to her in the past, and her mother as well, Aylin deserved a chance to get her life going just the way she wanted it.

  Dating a guy who was going to be working 24 hour shifts and dead tired after it wasn’t exactly the kind of guy she needed.

  Still, every time he saw her. Every time he caught her scent, whether it was coconut in her hair or whatever it was she used on her skin, he wanted to pull her into his arms and remind himself that she was alive. That she had the chance to do awesome things, because he’d been trained for the job he had. Because he was a firefighter.

  “You’re coming to the end of your probationary period with the San Antonio Fire Department. I’m proud to say that you’ve done well, not just here at Seven, but also with your participation in community events. It doesn’t hurt that you were directly responsible for saving a life at a fire.”

  Stillman felt his heart thump heavily against his ribs. Aylin. He was talking about the fire at the prep kitchen. “I’m thankful that we were able to save her, Chief.”

  He swore he saw Chief Blaise’s eyes glisten with tears for a moment before the mature man pulled it together again.

  “If you hadn’t crawled in there, I would be missing part of my family, Rook. Losing Aylin would have taken a part of my soul.” He chuckled softly and shook his head as his expression showed a kind of wonder. “If you would have told me this time last year that I would be married and have a full grown daughter, I would have sent you for an exam to see if you’d jarred your brain loose on a call. Things can change in a moment, Rook.”

  Stillman felt the truth of the Chief’s words down to his core. Guiding Aylin out of that burning building changed everything in his life.

  Everything.

  Chief Blaise gave him a curious look. “I’ve already talked to Cowboy and his evaluation is good. Really good. If you want to stay at Station Seven, I’ve got a place for you. If you want to head to another station, just let me know and we’ll see what we can do for you.”

  Stillman shook his head. “No, sir. I want to stay here. Station Seven felt like home from the get-go. I’m not interested in going anywhere else.”

  The approving look from the Chief felt good. Stillman didn’t have a lot of family in San Antonio, but the Chief had been a big reason why Station Seven felt like home. Stillman was also sure that it was the same for some of the other firemen.

  Standing, the Chief held out his hand. “Then I think you should go down and let everyone know that you’re staying with us.”

  Stillman didn’t remember actually standing up, but he was going to remember that handshake from the Chief. Good. Solid. Like an anchor point. He knew the Chief and everyone else at the station had his back.

  The feeling inside of him was... elated.

  He couldn’t wait to go downstairs and tell everyone. Even better, he knew that Aylin was there too. He might not be able to hold her as tight or as long as he wanted, but it was something.

  And something was always better than nothing.

  Right?

  Aylin didn’t want for company. Nope. As soon as she entered the common room, she was pulled into a hug by someone. It took a quick moment to realize that it was Sam Wister, better known as Caddo. His sunny blonde hair was like a beacon of light. “Hey, kiddo.”

  She ignored the kiddo comment, because his hair wasn’t the only thing sunny about him.

  “What’s up, Caddo?” Firefighter Lincoln Abe jumped right in. “Not enough chores around here to keep you busy? You’re gonna bother the Chief’s little girl?”

  Aylin turned and gave Lincoln a quick poke into his ribs. “Little?”

  Lincoln couldn’t really answer. The poor man was the most ticklish guy she’d ever met. Just that one poke sent him into a fit of laughter.

  “Amateurs.” Oliver Quintero pulled her in for a gentle hug. “It’s like Snow White and the Seven Jokers in here.” Oliver’s joke shocked her a little. He wasn’t usually so willing to poke fun at the others, letting them pile on each other while he observed the whole scene. Yes, Oliver did things at his own pace, which was why he’d been given the name Rush by the ot
hers.

  Warren Vidal called to her from the couch situated against the wall. “Come here! I’ve got something for you.”

  Oh! “Did you get me a present?”

  There was a moment when he pondered the answer. “Peace?” She used his firehouse name to make a point.

  “Yeah, Peace,” firefighter Callan Bass nudged his friend. “Don’t leave her hanging here!”

  Warren brushed him off. “Go away, Fish. This is between me and Aylin.” Reaching into his wallet, he pulled out a piece of paper. “Here.”

  Aylin gave him an odd look before she unfolded the note. There was a phone number written on it. “Oh! Your sister!”

  Shrugging a little, Warren smiled. “Yeah. She’s going to the same campus you are. So, go ahead and give her a call when you have some time so she can give you the insider’s tour.”

  Aylin winced a little. “Are you sure she wants to do that? I don’t want her to feel like she has to show me around.”

  Warren scoffed at the idea. “No, the two of you are almost the same age and she keeps telling me some of the kids-” He stopped short and then started up again a moment later. “Some of the other students are a little stuck up. She’s ready for someone cool to hang around with.”

  Callan leaned over the back of the sofa and gave Aylin a one-armed shoulder hug. “Do cool kids still say cool?”

  Aylin looked back at Fish and almost hid her snort of laughter. “I’ll let you know when I meet one.”

  Callan all but hopped over the back and squished in beside her. “We think you’re pretty cool.”