Page 4 of Twisted Steel

I nod automatically, and he gives me a look.

“Don’t start,” I warn.

“I wasn’t going to.”

“Liar.”

“Total liar,” he agrees.“You almost got shot.”

“I noticed.”

“That biker pulled you out of the way.”

“I noticed that too.”

Milo’s mouth quirks despite everything.“He was huge.”

“Is that a medical term?”

“More of a spiritual observation.”

I snort, then press the heels of my hands against my eyes until sparks burst behind my lids.I shouldn’t be thinking about him.A man was bleeding out in front of me.Other people may be dead.My uniform smells like smoke and copper.I should be thinking about reports, police statements, and restocking the rig.

Not Steel’s hand on my arm.Not the way he let go when I told him to.Not the way he stood between me and a bullet, like it was instinct.

I drop my hands.“Let’s clean the bus,” I say.

Milo studies me for one second longer, then nods.Outside, the night presses thick and hot around the ambulance bay.Vegas glitters in the distance like it isn’t built on ruin.Like people don’t bleed in parking lots under flickering security lights while monsters decide who gets to live.

I scrub blood from the floor of the rig.Again.And again.By the time the doors open behind me, I already know.

The air changes before I look up.Heavy.Dangerous.Annoyingly male.

Steel stands at the edge of the ambulance bay like he belongs there.Like hospitals, laws, and security cameras are minor inconveniences.He has cleaned up some of the blood, but not all of it.A dark smear still stains his forearm beneath the tattoos.

Milo freezes, but I don’t.

“Absolutely not,” I say.

Steel looks at me.“He’s in surgery.”

“I’m aware.”

“He’ll live.”

“You’re welcome.”

His mouth does something almost like amusement, but it dies before it becomes a true emotion.“Thank you.”

The words hit wrong.Not because they’re rude but because they aren’t.

I straighten, tossing the bloody rag into the biohazard bin.“Was there something else, or do you just lurk near ambulances for fun?”

Milo whispers my name sharply.“Harper.”

I ignore him as Steel steps closer but not too close.I notice that too, and it irritates me even more.

“You need to be careful,” he says.