Swift Angels MC (#1)
Motorcycle Club Romance, Firefighters, Slow Burn
Date Published: December 20, 2024
Publisher: Changeling Press
The unexpected twists and turns in life often lead to the most beautiful
surprises.
Nora: If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that life
never goes according to plan. But having my apartment burn down was
certainly not on my to-do list. Being trapped with my daughter, the flames
drawing closer, was the most terrifying thing I’d ever experienced.
Until the sexiest firefighter I’ve ever seen came swinging through my
window and saved us.
I should have known our heroic rescuer wouldn’t just sit back and do
nothing when he heard we had nowhere else to go. So now we’re staying
with him, and the more I learn about Dawson Kane, the harder I start to fall
for him. But what if he breaks my heart just like all the others?
Dawson: Growing up as the son of a Dixie Reaper, I’ve seen so many
couples come together, having fallen in love at first sight. Never thought
it would happen to me. Now that it has, I’m going to hold onto Nora
and her daughter Taylor with everything I have. Even finding out she’s
three months pregnant isn’t enough to scare me off. Her ex causing
trouble doesn’t either. I’m going to prove to her she’s
worth fighting for.
Now I just have to confess to my dad that I not only helped start my own
motorcycle club, but I’m the VP. The holidays are supposed to be the
time for miracles, and I’m going to need several! One to ensure my dad
doesn’t kill me when he finds out what I’ve been hiding from
him, another to make Nora stay with me forever, and the last one to get rid
of her psycho ex once and for all.
Uncover a tale of love that defies the odds in “Heart of a
Hero,” perfect for fans of romance with a touch of danger.
Excerpt
Copyright ©2024 Harley Wylde
Dawson
The alarm blared through the station, jolting me into action.
“Apartment fire on 5th and Maple!” someone shouted. My heart
pounded as I threw on my bunker gear, the heavy coat and pants weighing me
down but also steeling my resolve. I joined my team as we raced to the fire
truck, sirens already wailing.
As we sped through the city streets, I tried to calm my nerves and focus.
Flames. Smoke. People trapped. This is what I trained for. What I lived
for.
We screeched to a halt outside the burning apartment building, flames
licking out the windows and thick black smoke billowing into the sky. My
eyes watered from the acrid stench as I leaped out and assessed the inferno
before me. It was worse than I thought. The fire had engulfed the entire
building, all the way to the top floors, orange tongues of flame bursting
through some of the top floor windows.
The captain walked off to assess the situation and I stared at the building
in horror. Evan came up beside me letting out a long whistle. “Damn.
Think someone’s Christmas lights caused this?”
I shrugged. This time of year, anything was possible. “Wouldn’t
be the first time.”
Cap came back and gave us our orders, and the crew got to work dousing the
building. Another fire station responded, and soon we had two hoses trying
to tame the flames. I wasn’t sure it was going to be enough.
Captain Briggs came over a few minutes later, his face grim. He pointed up,
and I followed to a window on the top floor. “Dawson, we got a woman
trapped on the eighth floor.”
My blood ran cold. “I’ll get her, Cap. Just get the ladder
truck in place and --”
“No can do.” Briggs shook his head firmly. “The
fire’s too intense. The building’s not stable, and the flames
will weaken the ladder. No way to reach her.”
“Cap, we can’t just leave her!” I clenched my fists, my
mind racing for a solution.
“Nothing we can do, son.” Briggs put a hand on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry. Sometimes, we lose people. You know this already.
It’s part of the job.”
I shrugged him off, still staring at the raging flames. Like hell was I
giving up on her. Not while there was still a chance. I scanned the adjacent
building, an idea starting to form. It was risky as all get-out but it just
might work.
The roar of the inferno faded as determination flooded through me. I knew
what I had to do. I turned to Briggs, my voice low and urgent.
“I’ve got a plan, Cap. Trust me.”
Briggs narrowed his eyes at me, suspicion etched on his face. “What
are you thinking, Dawson?”
I pointed to the adjacent building. “I can get to the roof from
there, rappel down to her window, and bring her back up.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Briggs barked, his face turning
red. “That’s suicide! I order you to keep your ass on the
ground, Kane.”
But I was already moving, sprinting toward the neighboring building. Briggs
shouted after me, but his words were lost in the chaos. I knew he was just
trying to protect me, but I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Not when
a life hung in the balance.
I burst through the door of the adjacent building, my heart pounding in my
chest. The stairwell stretched before me, a daunting climb to the top. But I
didn’t hesitate, taking the steps two at a time, my bunker gear
weighing me down.
Sweat poured down my face, my lungs burning with each breath. But I pushed
through the pain, focusing on the task at hand. I had to reach the roof. I
had to save her.
I reached the top floor, slamming through the door to the roof. The cool
night air hit my face, a stark contrast to the heat of the stairwell. I
rushed to the edge, my eyes scanning the burning building before me.
There, on the eighth floor, a window illuminated by the dancing flames. A
woman leaned out the window, screaming for help. A little girl clung to her.
My heart clenched at the sight.
I knew I didn’t have much time. The building could go at any
moment.
I stepped back from the edge, my mind racing. The gap between the buildings
was wide, the flames licking at the sides of the apartment complex. One
wrong move, and it was all over.
But I couldn’t let fear take hold. This was what I was meant to do.
Even if this next shift was my last, it didn’t matter. Every life I
saved made it all worthwhile.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. The heat of the fire was palpable
even from this distance. I forced myself to focus, to draw on every ounce of
training and experience I had.
“You can do this, Dawson,” I whispered to myself, my voice
barely audible over the roar of the flames. “You were born for
this.”
I opened my eyes, my gaze locked on the window across the way. The woman
and child were still there, the woman’s movements growing more
desperate by the second.
My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I knew
what I had to do.
I took a step back, my muscles coiled like a spring. The weight of my gear
seemed to fall away, my mind crystal clear. I could almost feel the presence
of my team below, their silent support giving me strength. Except the
captain, who looked ready to murder me for defying his orders.
“Hang on,” I whispered, as if the woman could hear me.
“I’m coming.”
And with that, I took a running start, my feet pounding against the
rooftop. The edge rushed toward me, the gap between the buildings yawning
wide.
But I didn’t hesitate. I pushed off with all my might, my body arcing
through the air. For a moment, time seemed to stand still, the world falling
away beneath me.
And then I was flying; the wind whipped past my face, and the flames
reached up to meet me. My heart was in my throat, and my pulse pounded in my
ears.
I didn’t look down. I kept my eyes on the prize, on the window
growing larger with each passing second. I could see the woman’s face
now, her features etched with fear and desperation.
I braced myself for impact, my body tensing as I prepared to land. The heat
of the fire was overwhelming, and if it hadn’t been for my gear, I
knew the smoke would have choked my lungs.
I landed on the opposite rooftop, rolling with the impact. One of my
firefighter brothers was on the rooftop behind me, the one I’d just
vacated. He held up a coil of rope and I nodded. I’d been so focused
on reaching the woman and kid, I hadn’t even thought to grab anything.
I’d have figured it out once I got there.
Evan ran toward the ledge, much like I had to just done, then he was
airborne. He landed a little more gracefully than I had, then found a place
to tie off the rope.
“I’m going to rappel down to the window,” I said.
Evan looked around. “Better hurry. This building isn’t going to
stand much longer, and the flames will probably eat through the rope pretty
quick.”
I nodded and braced my feet on the ledge of the building, my hand gripping
the rope. It seemed to be holding, so I started my descent. The window came
into view, and I swung through the opening.
The woman and her daughter were huddled in the corner, their faces streaked
with soot and tears. The fire had already eaten through their door and was
fast approaching.
“It’s okay,” I said, my voice steady. “I’m
here to help.”
And as I gathered the little girl in my arms, then secured her to my back,
I knew this was my calling… the one thing I was meant to do. I used
the rope to climb back to the rooftop and handed the little girl off to
Evan.
“Where’s the woman?” he asked.
“I’m going back for her. Get the girl out of here.”
Evan shook his head. “Not leaving you behind.”
I didn’t argue with him. Didn’t have the time to do so. I went
back down and through the window again, this time getting the woman out of
the burning building. The flames had already traveled across the carpeted
floor and I knew even a second later, they’d have been blistering her
skin. As it was, she might very well have burns from the heat.
The flames licked at us as I shielded the woman with my body. I went back
up the rope, and as I looked up, I saw Evan’s frantic expression.
That’s when I noticed the fire already trying to eat through the rope.
It wasn’t going to hold. Making a drastic decision, I climbed faster,
and when I thought I was close enough, I grabbed the woman’s
arm.
“I need you to let go,” I shouted over the raging fire.
She shook her head. “No.”
“I’m going to toss you up to him. This rope is about to burn
through.”
Her eyes widened, and her grip loosened enough for me to put my plan into
action. I wrapped the rope around my leg and used my other to secure my
hold. Keeping one hand on the top of the rope, I swung the woman up toward
Evan.
He leaned over the rooftop, his fingers grasping at her hand. Once
he’d grabbed hold, I let go of her. I watched as he pulled her onto
the rooftop, and then I looked at where the flames were eating through the
rope already.
Time was up.
I kicked the rope free of my feet, holding it in both hands now. Then I
walked sideways to my left a few steps. Calculating the distance between my
current location and the nearest window at the next building, I decided it
was now or never. I ran, my feet pushing against the building until I
reached the end, and then I was soaring through the air. The building was
within reach, when the rope snapped.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I heard a roaring in my ears, as I
started to fall. Thanks to my momentum and mass, I had just enough of an
arced trajectory that I managed to grab hold of a windowsill on my way down.
My shoulder screamed at me, and I grabbed hold of the bricks with my other
hand.
Just as my grip was starting to slip, the window jerked up and another
firefighter looked down at me.
“You going to hang out all day, or come inside?” He
smirked.
“Fuck you. Get me the hell inside the building.”
He helped me over the windowsill and into what appeared to be
someone’s bedroom. “We vacated this building and the one on the
other side of the inferno. Not taking chances of a spark
catching.”
“Good. Now let’s get down to the ground so the captain can chew
my ass out.”
He snorted. “Damn right he will!”
In the stairway, I spotted Evan with the woman and child. Their faces were
streaked with soot, but at least they were alive. I straightened, the weight
of what we’d just accomplished hitting me like a ton of bricks.
Everyone else had given up on them. If I hadn’t ignored the captain,
these two would be dead right now.
About the Author
Harley Wylde is an accomplished author known for her captivating MC
Romances. With an unwavering commitment to sensual storytelling, Wylde
immerses her readers in an exciting world of fierce men and irresistible
women. Her works exude passion, danger, and gritty realism, while still
managing to end on a satisfying note each time.
When not crafting her tales, Wylde spends her time brainstorming new
plotlines, indulging in a hot cup of Starbucks, or delving into a good book.
She has a particular affinity for supernatural horror literature and movies.
Visit Wylde's website to learn more about her works and upcoming events, and
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Author on Facebook, Instagram, & TikTok: @harleywylde
Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok:
@changelingpress
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