She and the other nurse quickly moved from behind their desk, hurrying toward Alex with practiced smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes. Their plan was clear—get to him first, explain the situation from their perspective, paint themselves as protective staff members who'd been defending him from unwanted visitors."These men were causing problems," Sandra said as she approached Alex, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "Demanding to see you, getting aggressive when we explained you needed rest. We were just protecting your privacy and—"But Alex wasn't looking at the nurses. His eyes were fixed on Peter, who was still struggling against the security guard's grip, and beyond him, Jenkins being escorted toward the exit.Alex's eyebrows rose in genuine surprise. Whatever he'd been expecting to encounter in the hospital lobby, it certainly wasn't two of his colleagues from the firehouse being removed by security.A warm smile spread across Alex's face—the kind of smile that came f

The threat hung in the air, shocking in its directness and severity. The guards stared at Jace, then at Alex, trying to understand what was happening. Who were these people? How did they have this kind of power?The nurses looked equally confused and alarmed. Rebecca's face had gone pale, while Sandra's expression cycled through shock, fear, and dawning realization that she might have made a terrible mistake.Jenkins, still standing between the two guards who'd gone very still, looked completely bewildered. His mouth hung slightly open, his eyes moving between Alex and Jace, clearly trying to process what he was hearing.Peter was similarly stunned but recovering faster. When did Alex become someone who could make threats like that? he thought. And why does that assistant sound so confident that he can actually follow through?But Peter didn't care about the answers to those questions. Not really. All that mattered was that Alex was standing up for them, was protecting them, was using

Sandra shot him a venomous look, but there was fear underneath it now. Peter just grinned wider.I never thought I'd see this, Peter thought with satisfaction. These smug nurses who looked down on us, who accused us of being opportunistic leeches, now having to grovel and apologize. It's almost worth getting fired this morning. Almost.While Peter was basking in the nurses' humiliation, Jenkins's mind was elsewhere entirely. His eyes were fixed on Alex, studying him with an intensity that bordered on disbelief.When did this happen? Jenkins thought. It's been what, three days? Four? Since the fire? And in that time, Alex has somehow transformed into... into this?The Alex that Jenkins knew was friendly, approachable, humble. A good firefighter who did his job without seeking attention or recognition. A guy who'd never shown any particular ambition for power or authority.But this Alex—the one standing in the hospital lobby commanding security guards and assistants, the one who could t

The pieces were clicking together in her mind, forming a picture that she couldn't quite believe but couldn't quite dismiss either.Jenkins's expression mirrored Mia's growing suspicion. He'd been a firefighter long enough to read people, to sense when something didn't add up. And everything about the hospital scene—the authority Alex had displayed, the way Jace had jumped to follow his instructions, the casual way Alex had threatened people's careers—none of it fit with the Alex Carter he'd known for years."Alex," Jenkins said quietly, "what's going on? What happened to you?"Peter, meanwhile, was completely oblivious to the tension building at the table. He'd already loaded his plate with food and was enthusiastically working his way through a piece of salmon that probably cost more than his last paycheck."Mmm, this is amazing," Peter said through a mouthful of food. "I've never had salmon like this. Is this what rich people eat all the time?"He looked up, noticed everyone starin

Alex was quiet for a moment, his mind working through possibilities, through the resources he now had access to, through what he could actually do with the power he'd been given.Then he looked at Jenkins and Peter, a question forming. "What if you didn't need Morrison's organization? What if you had your own?"Jenkins and Peter both blinked, the question so unexpected it took them a moment to process it."Our own?" Peter repeated, his voice uncertain. "Our own what?""Your own firefighter organization," Alex clarified. "Independent from Morrison, independent from the politics and corruption of the existing system. A station that operates the way emergency services should—focused on saving lives, not on power games and ego."Jenkins stared at Alex like he'd suggested they fly to the moon. "Alex, that's... that's not possible. You can't just start a fire station. The permits alone would take years. The funding requirements, the training standards, the equipment costs—we're talking mill