EXTRACT FOR
Where There's Smoke
(Jamie Lynn Miller)

Fireman Lucas Taylor and Paramedic Evan Singer are back in this sequel to Burnin' for You.



It's five months later and Lucas is nearly a full-fledged paramedic. But becoming a medic means no longer being able to work with Evan at Station 127 and giving up his chance at a promotion to Lieutenant. As graduation looms, will Lucas change his mind? Then add in a young man Lucas rescues from a fire that becomes an obsessed stalker, and Evan's altercation with a victim's husband that threatens his career, and things turn explosive at the FDNY.



Excerpt



Lucas and Evan stared hard at one another, silent communication passing between them. They still couldn't hear any police sirens and two people were in danger of dying in front of them. Evan nodded slowly, and without taking his eyes off of him, Lucas said to Alix, "Get the stretcher ready."



Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her head whip toward him. "NO! Don't even think about it -"



Ignoring her protests, Lucas said to Evan, "The woman first," and then, moving as one, they stood...and ran.



Lucas immediately felt his entire body flood with adrenaline as he and Evan sprinted toward the injured woman, dodging terrified pedestrians and deadly bullets. It seemed to take forever to reach the far side of the street, but finally they were at the woman"s side.



"Help me, please!" she screamed, tear tracks on her face, clutching at Evan's shirt.



Barely stopping, Lucas hooked his hands under the woman's armpits and Evan picked up her legs. Lifting together, they stood and began their deadly sprint back toward Alix and the bus. Halfway there Evan suddenly stumbled, nearly taking all three of them to the ground, but he found his footing and continued to run, gunshots still ringing out around them.



Breathless, they reached the stretcher and quickly but carefully placed the woman on it, leaving her to Alix's care. Then, heart slamming against his ribcage, Lucas turned on his heel, Evan right beside him, and ran back out into the street to the fallen man, people pushing past them trying to escape the sniper. They slid to their knees beside the man just as a bullet struck the ground next to Lucas, sending sharp slivers of concrete cutting into the back of his hand. He instinctively flinched, ducking his head, before scooping the man's legs up off the ground. Evan hoisted the unconscious man's shoulders up, and then once again they were running the deadly gauntlet.



To Lucas's relief he saw 51's bus arriving on the scene, followed by several NYPD squad cars, police swarming the scene instantly. Alix was yelling to 51's medics, pointing toward Lucas and Evan as they ran. The other paramedics had their stretcher out instantaneously, motioning Lucas and Evan toward them. A minute later and Lucas and Evan were gratefully laying the man down, their chests heaving from exertion.



"We got him, guys," one of 51's medics said. "Go catch your breath."



Lucas and Evan nodded their thanks, their bodies starting to come down from their adrenaline high. It had taken them no more than five minutes to rescue both victims, but it had seemed ten times that long.



Hands on his hips, Lucas took a deep breath, calming his racing heart. "I can't believe we just did that," he muttered, glancing over at Evan, who was giving him a lopsided grin, shaking his head. "That was crazy."



"No argument from me!" Alix yelled over to them.



Lucas grinned and clapped Evan on the shoulder. "C'mon, let's go see if she needs any help."



They had taken no more than two steps when Evan suddenly staggered to the side, slumping against 51's bus.



"Whoa!" Lucas exclaimed, reaching out to grab at Evan's arm. "You okay?"



Instead of answering, Evan pulled his hand away from where it was wrapped around his side - and it came away bloody.



"Jesus Christ..." Lucas's heart skipped a beat as he quickly pulled up Evan's dark blue uniform shirt, knowing without a doubt what he would find underneath it. And there it was - a bullet hole. "God, you've been shot."