For a Hero Read Online Free Page A

instead, he stepped to the side.
    The punch skimmed harmlessly to the left of Wonder Boy’s face. He instantly curled his arm toward the flying fist, wrapping his fingers around the little man’s elbow. Within a second, he pulled, causing the speed and momentum of the asshole’s attack to bring his face down, introducing it quickly, and painfully, to the rubber floor of the bus. Blood erupted from his nostrils and cheers and laughter filled the vehicle.
    The bus driver clicked on his intercom and said, “Hey Rocky, get up here. What the hell are you doing? Fighting on a bus? Shit.” Jenna’s heart was beating a mile a minute as her angel walked by her to the cockpit of the vehicle.
    ‘Funny,’ she thought. ‘He doesn’t look very remorseful. Wow, his ass fills those jeans nicely.’
    The driver had Wonder Boy stand by the door, like he was in time-out, until he pulled in at the next bus stop. As the bus came to a complete stop and the doors opened, several of the people shambled outside. The bus began to empty and Jenna looked down. She didn’t want her angel to know she had been staring at him, and with nobody else on the bus, it would be hard for her to blend in. However, the few other passengers made it easier. As they stepped off the bus, they stopped by Wonder Boy, shook his hand, patted his back and said nice things like “thank you.”
    After the last passenger had departed, the driver turned to the angel with the most disappointed glare. As his eyes settled on him, his solemn expression broke into a laugh. “Chief!! It’s you! Of course you did something like that, you big softie.”
    “You haven’t been talking to Blaine again, have you?” The ‘Chief’ answered with a smile.
    “No, that hyena only gets on the bus when he rides with you. He’s too important for us normal folk, you know.” ‘Chief’ patted the bus driver on the back.
    “Yeah, I know. It’s good to see you, Charles. I need to get down to the fire station, though. I’ve got a brisket cooking for the boys tonight.”
    “Chief, now don’t you know I’ve heard good things about that brisket of yours? You better get gone before I wise up and come with ya!”
    “You are always welcome, Charles. Please come by. I’ll save you a slice or two.” And with a handshake, Jenna watched her angel fly away. She thought to herself that maybe she could fall in love with this town after all.
     
    *****
     
    “Hank, I told you EXACTLY how to prepare the meat.” David flipped the brisket in the smoker. The sizzle of the meat let him know the temperature was perfect.
    “I didn’t think it mattered, Boss. You told me what to put on the meat and how much.” Hank spoke, half-listening. He leaned on the wall near David. Hank was a good man. He was kind of rambunctious and a little on the playful side of immature, but a good man. His eyes sparkled an emerald green when he smiled mischievously, as he so often did.
    “Yes, Hank, and I also told you in what order you needed to put them on. You put the Tony’s first, then the granulated garlic, and THEN the black pepper. The pepper is strong, it needs to go last, and you ALWAYS rub the seasonings into the meat before you cook it.” David was the strong, silent father of the fire department. He didn’t come out of his shell too often unless he was teaching somebody something.
    “Yes, Sir, Boss. I’ll do it better next time.” The canned response from Hank did not go unnoticed by David. But he was so jovial, so excited, that he couldn’t be angry at him.
    Hank liked David. They weren’t super close; David was Hank’s boss, after all. There was a strong mutual respect; they both did their jobs well. David had an innate desire to rescue people and Hank was utterly fearless. They didn’t talk much, but the silence was filled with honor and knowing.
    Hank had seen David be jovial before. When his friend came by, the one who wore black all the time, he was like a different man. A kid. Full of