“Again, we’re looking into multiple options. Nothing’s written in stone, Frankie. And there will be extensive debate on the subject after the first of the year. In the meantime, take what I told you and consider your options. You’re a great firefighter. Any department would be lucky to have you.” He headed for the door.
“You’re driving this town into the ground!” Frankie yelled at his back. “What you’re proposing is going to cost people their lives!”
He disappeared from sight.
“This can’t be happening.” Frankie flopped into the closest chair, covering her face with her hands as the truth of Gil’s words sank into her. “He cannot be seriously considering this!” She glanced up at her brother and Ozzy, who emerged from the kitchen looking as pale and shaken as she felt.
“Seems he’s past considering it,” Ozzy said, a glimmer of anger in his eyes. “That sounded like a done deal to me.”
Roman’s phone buzzed again. Frankie checked the screen, saw Roman’s mother’s name. “I need to take this.” She picked up the phone, stopped in front of her brother. “Whatever it is you know, whatever someone’s planning about taking down Gil, you’ve got my full support. In fact, I’ll lead the charge myself. We have to stop him.” They would not lose the BHFD. Not on her watch.
“Agreed.” Monty’s steely gaze matched her own.
Pushing aside her fear, Frankie tapped the screen of Roman’s phone and walked purposely out into the fresh air. “Mrs. Salazar? I’m sorry to have worried you. This is Frankie Bettencourt, Roman’s... I work with Roman. Roman’s fine, but I’m afraid there’s been an accident.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
IF ROMAN HAD his way, it would have been Frankie who’d picked him up from the hospital and driven him back to the station house. He’d missed her and had been looking forward to seeing her again. Alone.
Instead, he found himself in one of the sheriff’s cruisers with Ozzy behind the wheel. An odd tension filled the car the instant the engine had started. “Everything okay, Oz?”
Ozzy shrugged.
“You’re awfully quiet.” Normally the one thing he didn’t have to worry about with the deputy was starting a conversation.
“Just a lot on my mind. How’s your head?” Ozzy asked.
“Still attached.” Roman tried to smile. “I suppose I’m the talk of the town. Again.”
“Well, yeah.” Ozzy shrugged a second time. “But not in the way you might think.”
“What’s that mean?”
Ozzy glanced at him, his usually friendly expression mired in distrust. “The mayor stopped by the station house yesterday. He told us you’re only staying about six months. Maybe a year. Said this was just a pit stop for you. Is that true?”
Roman let out a long breath. “The contract I signed was for six months, yes. That’s not unusual, Ozzy. In fact—”
“It’s unusual for Butterfly Harbor.” Ozzy glared out the windshield. “People come here, they stick. They don’t use us as a résumé builder.”
“Boy, he didn’t pull any punches, did he?” Roman should have expected the mayor to retaliate over their initial budget discussion. Gil had bided his time, knew exactly when to strike. “Look, Ozzy...” He trailed off, recalling the deputy’s words. “What do you mean, he told us? Who else knows about this?”
“You mean other than Frankie?” Ozzy’s smile was humorless and quick. “By now pretty much everyone. Don’t worry. You bailing on us isn’t the main topic of discussion.”
Roman was almost afraid to ask. “May as well unload it all on me at once, Oz.”
“The mayor is talking about closing the department. Farming out emergency calls to a contract service or another town.”
“He’s what?”
Ozzy glanced at him, clearly surprised, telling Roman the deputy assumed he’d known. “He dropped that bombshell on Frankie, too. Said when you leave, that’ll be the end of the BHFD. Budgetary considerations.” Ozzy rolled his eyes.
“I’m out of commission for a day and a half and this place goes off the rails. I didn’t know, Ozzy. I swear.” Another shrug from the deputy. “Darn it, cut that out. Stop acting like none of this is a big deal. It’s a big deal.”
“I agree. Not sure what we can do about it, though.”
“We’ll do something.” He may have only been here a few weeks, but he wasn’t going to let this happen to such a sweet town. He couldn’t. Not when he’d witnessed firsthand the important role the fire department played, not only in terms of saving people’s lives, but in the community, too. “We’ll figure something out.”