AUGUST

  With a broad push, the building manager swung open the door to guide us through. “Now, if y’all will just follow me this way…”

  An important - though extremely dull - part of firefighting involved fire code inspections, a routine where we met with locals and surveyed facilities to ensure everything was up-to-date. For some reason, it was controversial among the crew: Liam and DeShawn argued that stronger code enforcement made for less work in the fire service, while Heather and Rob prioritized safety above all else. It was a dumb argument made dumber by the fact that we’d had it countless times over the years, so I said nothing, having lost all patience for such trivial things a long time ago.

  Today’s inspection was in one of the rge, shining towers that studded the streets near the Pza of the Americas, a winding maze of carpet and cubicles. While Rob took the lead with the building manager, I let my mind wander, gncing occasionally between him, the building manager and Garrett as we walked.

  It’d been so long since I was a probie that I couldn’t remember if we were supposed to bring Garrett along with us, but Chief Cormorant had been so insistent on his presence for ‘training purposes’ that neither me nor Rob dared to question him. Of course Garrett took the chance to be a model student during the tour, spouting off rules word-for-word and deferring quickly to Rob when he was even slightly unsure. It was impossible not to gre at him every time he spoke, so I tried my best to pretend that he didn’t exist unless I was forced to acknowledge him.

  “… inspection every year…”

  Since our day began, Garrett hadn’t said a word to me. No passive aggressive comments, no smug little jokes… apparently all he’d needed to back off was a reminder of his pce at the bottom of the food chain, which satisfied me far more than it should’ve.

  “… majority of our cubicles…”

  From the windowed walls lining the hallway, I cast a sidelong gnce over a sea of tired, bitter faces staring distantly into their screens. Despite that it was only 0900, I counted at least eight people drinking from the kind of oversized coffee mugs that usually held more than thirty ounces. You really went to college for this? I thought pityingly, wondering just how many of them shared that exact same sentiment.

  “… kind of penalties? …”

  The building manager guided us past door after door of private offices, each one with a shiny, freshly scrubbed namepte beside it. Most of the doors were closed, but from the ones that were open, the sound of fingertips pummeling keyboards filled the air, the click-ccking thunder punctuated by ringing telephones and the murmur of small-talk.

  Shortly after we’d passed one of the open offices, I heard a tiny ‘psst’. At first, I thought nothing of it, until it happened again, this time with more force. While Rob and Garrett continued on, I stopped, pausing until I heard it one more time. Immediately, I looked around to find the source, blinking in shock once I did.

  Standing in the nearest doorway was Dahlia, clearly just as surprised to see me, beckoning me towards her with a red-nailed hand. Just the sight of her sent an unexpected jolt through my system, and when it was clear that the guys were going on without me, I slipped away from the tour to meet her.

  “What a pleasant surprise,” I said with a smile. “So this is where you work, huh? Pretty ritzy, I gotta say.”

  “Forgive me for sounding accusatory, but what are you doing here?” Dahlia asked in a suspicious whisper. “I don’t see any fire, so you can’t possibly be here on business.”

  “For your information, I am, actually,” I replied, standing up straight. “We’re just doing a routine code inspection. Honestly, it’s probably the most boring shit that I do that isn’t teaching kids how to stop, drop and roll.”

  “Ah. I see. In that case…” Her curiosity now satisfied, her attitude shifted, and she leaned invitingly against the doorway. “Why don’t you come into my office and see if you find anything out of the ordinary?”

  I shot a quick gnce down the hallway. Rob, Garrett and the building manager had been stopped by an office worker to chat, and knowing Rob, that could end up taking a lot longer than it should. Unless Dahlia had several power strips with dozens of cords sticking out precariously, I had nothing to look for, but given how inspections usually pyed out? Five minutes with her was going to be the highlight of my day.

  “Yeah, sure,” I said, crossing through the doorway. “I won’t keep you for too long.”

  Then, Dahlia closed the door behind us, muffling the ambient noise of the office to the point where it was almost a little eerie how quiet it was.

  Despite how small it was in her office, little pieces of Dahlia’s personality were packed all throughout it: the cups that held her pens were ceramic, patterned in red and gold, and her desk was littered with forms where she’d highlighted blocks of texts in various bright colors. On her desk, the only picture was a photo of a dog, the fluffy kind with crusty brown chunks circling its beady little eyes.

  I hadn’t really spent much time in offices like this outside of calls, so it was always a little strange to be in one. Without thinking, I whistled, which made Dahlia ugh.

  “Don’t tell me you’re impressed,” she said, leaning against the edge of her desk. “It’s really nothing special. I practically work in a closet.”

  My eyes flickered away from a calendar covered in waterfalls over to Dahlia herself, who seemed to be watching me the whole time. I was surprised at just how understated her clothes were, though her button-down opened just enough to reveal the pendant of her long, gold neckce, and the tightness of her skirt emphasized the hips on her otherwise slim figure. When I noticed that she wasn’t wearing pantyhose, I snapped my focus back up to her face, clearing my throat.

  “Yeah, but it’s a closet with your name on it, so that’s gotta count for something, right?” I ughed, tucking my hands into my pockets. “Though having taken my tour of the pce, your midlife crisis makes a lot more sense. This pce could put anyone to sleep.”

  “Ugh. It’s not just that it’s boring— it’s that it’s so tedious, it’s painful!” Dahlia wrinkled her nose. “All day I sit at this stupid desk, trading emails back and forth with prehistoric old men while they talk down to me like I’m the idiot… despite the fact that they can hardly reboot a computer without calling up tech support. Positively maddening.”

  “Yep, sounds like you got it pretty rough in here.” I shook my head in halfhearted sympathy. “The next time I’m hauling people out of burning buildings, I’ll remind myself how lucky I am that I’m not you.”

  “Well, you know what they say…” Gracefully, she slid herself off of her desk, drawing closer towards me until I could smell the rich, subtle scent of her perfume. When her eyes met mine, it was magnetic. “The grass is always greener on the other side.”

  By now, Dahlia was standing close enough for me to steal a peek under her button-up, where I saw just how far the scattering of freckles trailed down. At this angle, I could just barely see the white ce of the bra she wore. Between the sight of her soft, pale skin and just how good she smelled, I had to get out of this office.

  “Right. Yeah. Um, hey, so it’s been good seeing you, but I— I really should get back to the crew,” I stammered, my cheeks hot. “They’re probably wondering where I ran off to by now.”

  “If you insist…” Dahlia replied, sounding disappointed. Then, she froze. “Wait a minute. Manny, who came with you today?”

  “Well, it’s just an inspection, so it’s not everyone, but it’s me, Rob and…” I paused, bracing for her reaction. “Garrett.”

  Right away, Dahlia’s entire mood changed. Without wasting a second, she shoved past me to duck her head out into the hallway, where everyone was still talking amongst themselves as if I hadn’t even left. Before they could see us spying on them, we reeled back into the office, and upon closing the door, she scowled.

  “Shit,” she hissed under her breath, her hand on the doorknob. “Speak of the devil— I was just going to call you about him tonight.”

  “Really?” I whispered. “What’s up? Did you find something out?”

  “Yes, but obviously, we can’t talk about it here.” She crossed her arms in thought, fiddling with the pendant that dangled across her neck. Suddenly, her face lit up. “Hey— you’ll be off tomorrow, right?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “I should be, yeah. Why?”

  “Well, I’ve got a lot of stuff to go over with you, and it’s easier to do it in person rather than over the phone.” Taking a seat back on her desk, she whipped out her phone and started tapping the screen. “Here, let me text you my address—”

  “Wait, like, to your pce?” The second I’d said it, I realized it was a stupid question. “What happened to going to those— what are they, those fancy little restaurants where they don’t even put dolr signs on the menu?”

  Dahlia clicked her tongue. “I know I’ve gotten you hooked on upscale dining now, but given that tomorrow is Saturday, I don’t think we’ll be able to find a pce that isn’t packed with people— and I’d like to avoid any eavesdropping, if possible.”

  I nodded along, though to be honest, it wasn’t as if I had anything better to suggest. Secretly, I was a little too interested in what her life was like outside of the investigation, so I thought that if she was willing to have me over, there was no reason not to go. “No, it’s fine. You just, uh, you let me know what time, and I’ll make it.”

  “Any time after six.” Turning away from me, Dahlia rounded the corner of her desk to sit back down at her chair. “If something comes up, I’ll text you.”

  “Right, right.” I coughed, a little unsure of what to say now. “Um, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”

  “Mmhm,” she hummed, shaking her mouse until her screen lit back up. “Have fun with your little tour. And if you see a girl with parrot earrings, try not to talk to her for long, or you’re never getting out of here alive.”

  I let out a snort, but said nothing, slipping out of Dahlia’s office just as quietly as I’d slipped in.

  Upon exiting, my heart rate finally steadied as I dried my palms on my pants. Then it changed in tempo once again as soon as I locked eyes with Garrett, who was making his way back down the hallway.

  “There you are!” Garrett chirped innocently. “Rob just sent me to look for you! Where’d you run off to?”

  “One of the workers had a question for me,” I lied. “It wasn’t something worth stalling the tour for, so I stayed behind to answer it. That’s all.”

  “Really?” He tilted his head to the side. “What was the question?”

  “None of your fucking business,” I spat. “Keep it moving, probie.”

  Immediately, Garrett fell quiet. Under the weight of my gre, he shrank back, casting his eyes away like a kicked dog. I motioned with my head for him to get a move on, but I didn’t bother waiting before I shoved past.

  When it was obvious that Garrett wasn’t following me, I whipped my head back around, only to find him staring at something on the wall. If he thought he was going to make me waste any more of my time here than I had to, he was wrong.

  “The fuck are you looking at?” I asked through gritted teeth.

  At first, Garrett said nothing. His stare was so unwavering, it was creepy. Then, he gnced back over to me, and he smiled.

  “Nothing,” he replied. “Nothing at all.”

  ? ? ?

  Later into my shift, I took on the task of tidying the apparatus bay, a job no one liked doing, which was exactly why I chose it. An unpopur job was a job where no one would interrupt me, and though it was sorely depressing that it’d come down to this, I told myself it was temporary; when they saw Garrett for what he really was, then they’d understand. His days were numbered - all I had to do was keep focused.

  As I took the broom and dustpan with me into the bay, I gnced towards the decontamination room off to the side, a pce where we hung up our turnout gear after every call. Since it was connected right off the bay, I poked my head inside to give it a brief once-over in case it needed a sweep. Nothing was out of pce - not even a boot ce - but as I scanned over the suit racks, I noticed something creepy: in the sleeve of my coat, something inside was moving.

  Immediately, I suspected Garrett put something there, so I approached with caution. Each step that I took towards the rack made my pulse race faster, but it was better to find out what was going on now than be surprised by it ter. Using the handle of the broom, I prodded at the sleeve until whatever was inside fell out.

  Suddenly, a dozen wasps came pouring forth, one after the other, until the st one tumbled to the floor on top of a tiny nest. A burning dread lined my esophagus, yet there was a cold comfort in knowing that Garrett wasn’t responsible for it - at least this time.

  Delicately, I lifted up the nest, which then prompted the wasps to form a cluster along my arm. The nest was much softer than I expected it to be, and it was small enough to fit easily in the palm of my hand. I expected the wasps to sting me to get their nest back, but all they did was skitter up and down my arm without a care in the world.

  Cupping the nest in both my hands, I took the wasps and their home outside, looking around for a pce to put it. The st nest that lived at the station met a grisly fate, so I knew that they’d always be in danger as long as they stayed here. With that in mind, I carried the nest to my truck, moving my toolbox off to the side and pcing it gingerly in the corner of my truck bed.

  Most of the wasps abandoned my arm in favor of their home, but one stayed behind to perch on top of my fingertip. Bathed in the light of the setting sun, the wasp’s dark little eyes glistened as it looked up at me, and for the first time since the accident, I wasn’t disgusted, or even horrified: instead, I was ashamed to have thought so little of its life before this moment, to have smashed wasps and destroyed hives so carelessly in the past.

  As an act of goodwill, I slowly ran the pad of my finger down its back; at my touch, the wasp’s wings fluttered like the zy flickering of a cat’s tail. Though I feared running my finger along its stinger by accident, the wasp held itself as if it, too, was mindful of the weapon it carried.

  When my phone started going off in my back pocket, I was snapped free of my thoughts, and I shook my hand gently until the wasp joined its colony back at the nest. Once I dug my phone out of my pants, I saw that it was Cleo. I smiled out of reflex.

  “?Bueno?” While I spoke, I hauled myself into my truck, no longer feeling safe having calls inside of the station.

  “Hi, Tío.” Cleo’s voice was a little softer than usual. “Are you busy right now? I know you’re probably at work, but I just thought I’d ask first…”

  “Ay, I always got time for you, pecosita,” I said. “And if I don’t, I’ll make time for you. You know that, right?”

  Cleo paused, as if she didn’t believe me. “You’re not just saying that, are you?”

  “Ah, dang, guilty as charged.” In the rearview mirror, I caught a glimpse of my own smirking eyes. “The truth is that I only talk to you when I want to feel better about myself. My life might suck, but I can always remind myself that at least I’m not a teenage girl. Gotta look at the bright side of things, right?”

  “Tío! Quit it!” She barked. “Ugh, why do you always have to be so annoying?”

  “Hey, hold on, now. Did you just call to insult me?” I started up my truck so that I could roll down the window. “’Cause I already got a lot of other dies I can call up if I wanted to hear every way that I suck.”

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying, it’s just—” She let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m sorry… I’ve been in a bad mood all day, and I know talking to you always makes me feel better, but… I dunno. I’m not a good person to be around anymore.”

  In my heart, all was forgiven. I frowned in sympathy. “Aw, chiquita… look, if I wasn’t at work, I’d make you sit through a Fast and the Furious marathon. That’d cheer you up, right?”

  “Mm…” Cleo hummed awkwardly. “I mean…”

  “See, you don’t care about it right now, but one day, when you’re older, you’ll appreciate the well-rounded cinematic education I gave you. Mark my words.” I gnced over to my phone’s screen as if I’d see Cleo rolling her eyes at me, but instead, I noticed the time. “Hey, wait a sec. Shouldn’t you girls be having dinner right about now? What’re you calling me for?”

  Silence. Cleo was usually the one to talk more between the both of us, so every time there was a lull in our conversation, it was like I’d tossed her a ball that she willingly let drop. This was a new development, and I didn’t like it.

  “Cleo?” I asked, sitting up straighter.

  “I don’t want to be around any of them anymore. I hate it here.” She swallowed nervously like it was a confession. “Between everything that went down with Tía, and Mamá, and now Abue… I can’t stand it anymore. Every day feels like the same bad dream I can’t wake up from.”

  “Well, I know you and Jo aren’t getting on well, but your mamí didn’t tell me anything about Abue,” I said. “Didn’t she just start some new meds?”

  “Yeah, but they aren’t helping with the dementia at all. All they do is give her more energy,” she replied. “And— oh gosh, Tío, this sounds so horrible, but I wish they didn’t! It’s awful! I liked it better when all she did was sleep…”

  “What, she zippin’ around like the Energizer Bunny now?” I ughed, trying to ease the tension. “How fast can she go with those little socks of hers, the ones with the treads?”

  “No, it’s not like she’s running around. It’s more like she’s more… awake?” She paused to think for a moment. “And she’s prone to something called, um, sundowning? I think that’s what the doctor said. But it means even if she’s fine all day, when I come home from school, she gets kind of nutty. It’s not usually too bad— she mostly just yells at everyone until her sleeping pills kick in.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “When we were all younger, I don’t think I ever heard your abue raise her voice once. She was always real quiet. Real sweet.”

  “I know, but these st few months, it’s like night and day with her! And tely, whenever she gets mad, she doesn’t just yell anymore, you know?” Cleo continued. “Like, a few days ago after I came home from school, I was watching her while Yonda and Mamá went to get something from the car— and out of nowhere, Abue just totally lost it on me!”

  My stomach lurched. “What do you mean? Lost it like how?”

  “So, like, she wanted me to find her shoes for her— I think she did, at least, I don’t really know ‘cause she mumbles all the time and my Spanish isn’t the best… but she thought I was basically ignoring her, and it made her so mad, she started hitting me!” Her tone was both puzzled and upset. “And— and I tried to get away, but she just kept hitting me and hitting me until Yonda and Mamá came back and got her off of me.”

  As the scene pyed out in my head, my heart sank. Though Mercy’s mother was a feeble old woman, the idea of her raising a hand to Cleo made me mad enough to tear steel apart. For once, I was gd to have not been around, because there was no way I wouldn’t have made everything much, much worse.

  “How badly did she hurt you?” I asked, struggling to steady myself. “Did she break anything?”

  “No, no, no! I got a really big bruise on my forehead, but otherwise, I’m okay!” Cleo replied. “And don’t get me wrong, I know she didn’t mean to, but… ever since then, I’m scared of her, especially if we’re alone… it makes me nervous just to be next to her at dinner.”

  When I blinked, my eyes felt dry and heavy in my skull. “What did your mamá do?”

  She sighed like she had the audacity to feel guilty. “Mostly just cry about it a bunch. I know she’s been talking to Tía about having her put in a home, but it just costs so much money, and she might get hurt in there. And Yonda’s really nice, but she’s got her own life, too, so…”

  “Jesus…” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Well, is the doc gonna put her on something to calm her down, at least? ’Cause I don’t want you around her if she’s getting violent. Aren’t you two still sharing a room?”

  “No, since then I’ve started sleeping on the couch, and… well, I stay out te to avoid her, but it just makes Mamá mad ‘cause she hates all my friends.” She sounded far too resigned for my liking. “Either I stay at home and have Tía messing with me or Abue going nuts, or I stay out all the time and Mamá threatens to send me to Corpus Christi ‘cause I ‘don’t listen.’ It all sucks.”

  How the hell did Mercy’s house become a war zone in only a few months? It was like watching a car crash from a distance, and I wasn’t used to watching car crashes without going in to fix them.

  Sighing heavily, I gnced back towards the station before turning to face my phone again. This conversation required more attention than I could spare while on the clock, and as much as it killed me to leave her, I knew that I had to.

  “Tell you what,” I said, trying to change the subject. “I’m busy tomorrow, but let me check my schedule and see when I’ve got the next weekend off and I’ll take you out on the town. Get you out of that house for a little while, just you and your tío.”

  “… Really?” Her voice brightened, though there was still an undercurrent of sadness to it.

  “Yeah, wherever you want, I’ll take you there.” I nodded like she could see me. “Movies, shopping, lunch— shoot, if you want another stab at those art museums, I’ll take you. Whatever makes you happy, chiquita.”

  “Would you even take me to Sweet Tooth Hotel?” She asked. “That one that’s really popur on Instagram?”

  Filled with instant regret, I cursed under my breath. “If that’s what you want, then yes.”

  Finally, at long st, Cleo let out a happy little hum. Thankfully, just as she was about to say something smug, I heard something in the background of the call, like a door had opened.

  “Oh, jeez, Mamá wants something,” she sighed, annoyed. “I gotta go, Tío.”

  “Yeah, me too,” I replied. “Hey, you be good for me, okay?”

  Cleo didn’t reply. She simply hung up the phone, leaving me alone in the cabin of my truck to stare out the window as the st few shades of orange faded into the evening sky.

  In frustration, I smmed my fist down on the steering wheel. I was nearly dizzy with anger, until a shameful nausea crept in and took its pce. Logically, I knew there was nothing I could do, but I hated myself for failing Feliz on the one thing I promised him I’d do: keep Cleo safe. Fuck, what was I good for anymore if I couldn’t even do that?

  After I climbed out of my truck, I stopped to check out the corner where I’d id the nest to see how the wasps were doing. Nothing had changed in the brief time that I’d left them there, but something about seeing them all in one piece made me feel a little bit better.

  At least I can protect something, I thought, as I headed back inside the station.