Page 87 of Igniting Her

Cassie remained seated.

“Jules Calloway was on my first crew after I made captain. She died twelve years ago after disobeying a direct withdrawal order. All of you know some part of that.”

Mo’s attention stayed on her face. The others did not move.

“What I never told this crew is that I loved her. She loved me. Neither of us said it while she was alive.”

The name did not fracture the room. It rested beside the plates, the hot sauce, and the stack of napkins Teak had already used carelessly.

“After she died, I turned grief into procedure. Some of that procedure made me a better captain. Some of it made me believe control and care were the same thing.” Cassie’s fingers started to close against her knee. She opened them. “You have all carried the consequences without being given the truth. I am sorry.”

Teak’s eyes had filled. She stared down at her carnitas as if the food had caused it.

Cassie continued before the crew could protect her from the rest.

“I became personally involved with a firefighter I supervised. You have all inferred who. I will not speak for her or confirm her choices without permission. I can tell you my part: I failed to disclose the conflict, and the boundaries I set did not erase the power difference.”

Jamie exhaled very quietly. Priya’s expression suggested confirmation rather than surprise. Mo looked down once, granting Cassie the privacy of finishing without his knowledge becoming part of the spectacle.

“At Mirador, I gave the correct withdrawal order. Ridge violated it. Moving her to B shift was necessary because I could not remain impartial. Ending the personal connection between us was not solely my decision to make. I was afraid, and I used rank to make fear look final.”

Cassie had made decisions with lives waiting on her voice. Here, leadership required her to tell the truth and surrender what happened next. There was no response she could direct, no emotional perimeter she could set.

“I accepted the Battalion Three promotion this morning. Effective next month. It removes me from Ellie’s direct chain of command. I have disclosed the relationship to Chief Marsh and will answer for the delay.”

Teak scrubbed one wrist beneath her eyes. “The peppers are aggressive.”

Priya handed her a napkin. “You have not eaten a pepper.”

“The pork absorbed their hostility.”

Jamie’s mouth trembled before a small laugh escaped. The sound moved around the table without erasing what had been said.

Cassie looked at Mo. “You told her about Jules.”

“Yes.”

He offered no justification. He had already given it in the empty station before choosing the living wound.

“Thank you,” Cassie said.

Mo’s chin dipped once. Pride altered his face so quietly she might have missed it if she had not spent years reading crews for smaller changes. He reached for the tortilla basket and placed it nearer her plate.

“Is Ridge staying?” Jamie asked.

Cassie looked at the empty chair beside Teak. “I don’t know.”

Priya set down her fork. “Does she know about the promotion?”

“Not yet.”

Teak looked up from the carnitas. Tears still stood openly on her face now that the peppers had been disproved. “Does she know you love her?”

“She knows I have behaved as though I do.”

“That was not the question.”

Cassie almost reminded Teak who commanded the shift. The reflex arrived and found no work left to do.