Page 80 of Burn Point

“Just got to the station. You okay?” My adrenaline had finally started to drop, and I could think clearly. I’d been going full out since I’d found Rook in the corner. Soon the exhaustion would set in and I’d crash.

“Not really. I was leaving the station and heard there was a man down over the radio. It was scary. I was so worried about you.”

The drone of the diesel engine nearly drowned out her soft voice, but not before I caught the tremble in her words. I cut the engine as the tremble sliced through me. Outside the truck, the guys were being loud as fuck, bitching and yelling about who was doing what, since the Rook was stupid and got himself hurt, leaving more work for everyone else.

Someone banged on the window. My cue for getting off my ass and getting my truck back in service.

“Look, Skippy, I’m fine,” I said quickly. “I can’t talk. I’ve got to get the truck back in service now.”

She sniffled on the other end of the phone while outside the truck someone banged the door again. “Give me a fucking minute,” I barked.

“Sounds like you’re busy.” I barely heard her soft words.

“Uh, yeah. Just a little.”

“Call me later when you get settled. It doesn’t matter how late. Oh, and I put your food in the fridge, and your truck is parked out back.”

“Thanks,” I said and disconnected the call.

An hour later, I walked out of the showers and into the kitchen to see the rest of the guys at the table, huddled over their plates. Pulling out the container Jordan brought, I dished myself a huge plateful, heated it in the microwave and joined them.

“Everyone check in at home?” Collins said around a mouthful. Everyone around the table nodded. Collins eyed me. “Nate?”

“What?”

“You check in with your girl?” He raised an eyebrow at me, looking at me like I was stupid.

“Yeah, I’m good. I called her when we got to the station.” I winced, remembering her tearful voice. “She sounded pretty upset.”

“That’s why I’m checking in. Families hear those words that someone is down, and they freak out. Rightfully so.”

I nodded and pinched off a bite of the bread I’d been holding.

“I can’t imagine I’d take it well if I got word that someone was down, and then had to just wait until my person called.” He looked pointedly at me. “That would fucking suck.”

Guilt crawled up my spine. I’d been too short with Jordan, too abrupt, too caught up in all the work to give her the care she deserved. Of course she would be upset. She’d been here when we’d gotten the call.

I reshaped the bread in my fingers, studying the way it mashed down into compact bites, before admitting, “Sounded like she might’ve been crying. I feel like a real jerk, because now I’m realizing maybe I should’ve taken a little more care with her.”

The other guys got up from the table, leaving me and Collins alone. He forked up another bite and then spoke to his plate. “Boy, that girl cares about you. I saw it when she was here earlier.”

I hadn’t even known he was around when she’d stopped by. Not wanting to face his censure, I glanced his way but didn’t fully meet his eyes.

“It’s in the way she looks at you,” he continued. He flexed his hand, before reaching for his water.

I didn’t know if he expected a response, so I waited him out, studying the ink that covered every inch of his big ass arm.

“Let me ask you this,” he finally said. “If the roles were reversed, would you have been waiting for a phone call?”

When she’d been on the road, I’d been a nervous wreck.

I met his eyes then. “No, sir. I’d be busting up this place, making sure I could lay eyes on her.”

He nodded with approval. “So, put yourself in her shoes. It’s a lot to ask of a woman—hell, it’s a lot to ask of anyone, knowing you face danger of the could-be-life-threatening variety.” He leveled his gaze on me. “Take it from me—not everyone has what it takes to be a part of a relationship when one of the parties is in our line of work.”

He knew that firsthand, considering his fiancée had left him stranded at the altar a decade ago. I’d felt bad for the guy and respected the hell out of him for going ahead on the trip that would’ve been his honeymoon. No doubt about it, Mac Collins was one badass dude.

And he had a point. Jordan would be especially worried about something happening to me because of her father’s accident. She’d had one close call that had changed her life forever, and here I was asking her to trust me with her heart, and I’d just dismissed that she’d even worry about me at all. But she had been scared, and she’d been waiting to hear from me.

---