Page 70 of Promises in the Dark

The guy locked eyes with me, probably realizing I was two seconds away from snapping his neck, and just nodded, barking orders at his team. They scrambled into action, leaving Red and me standing there like two idiots in the middle of a shitstorm.

Another soldier sat nearby, looking like he was about to puke or pass out—hell, maybe both. I knew that feeling all too well.

Red turned to me, her expression cold enough to freeze a polar bear’s balls.

“That was uncalled for,” she seethed and her nostrils flared.

The room stank of antiseptic and sweat, and I was surprised anyone could still stand it. The soldier looked like he was about to pass out. I knew the feeling. I’ve been there too.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down before I’d say something I’d regret. But she wasn’t done yet.

“The doctors are doing their best.”

And just like that, my temper was flared like a damn firecracker on the Fourth of July. I gritted my teeth so hard that I was surprised they didn’t shatter in my mouth.

“Viper’s bleeding out here like a stuck pig, and you’re worried about my fuckingattitude?”

Red shook her head, looking pissed now, too. “You can’t go around yelling at people like that. It’s not your place.”

“My place? What is my place, Doc? To stand by and watch him die?”

She looked at me with her eyes all narrowed to slits, like she was one second away from ripping my head off and doing some DIY surgery with a pocket knife.

She sucked in a sharp breath, her arms folded over her chest. “That’s not what I meant, but there are better ways to handle it.”

I rolled my eyes, completely done with this bullshit. “If you’ve got a problem with how I handle things, then maybe you should shut your mouth and mind your own fucking business.”

Red threw her hands up in the air. “Oh, this is so typical of you. Always so angry, always so fucking aggressive. No wonder no one can stand to be around you.”

Her eyes widened, and she looked around to make sure no one was listening. Guess she thought I was going to start breaking shit. But I didn’t. I simply... stopped. Paused.

I looked her in the eyes, and for a second, we were just two people stuck in a shitty waiting room with no past, no memories, no shared experiences to cling onto.

“Yeah, well, at least I’m unapologeticallyme. You should try it sometime.”

I knew I’ve hit a nerve, because her eyes went wide, and she just stood there, staring at the floor. I looked over at the soldier guy, and he was staring at us like he wanted to puke up his guts into a trash can.

I looked back at Red, and it was only then that I noticed she was still wearing my t-shirt from the other night, a bit oversized and stained with Viper’s blood, but fuck me, it stilllooked good on her. Along with a pair of military pants and her Converse All Stars that she had when we left together her medical camp.

A smile spread across my face as I remembered the events of the previous night—especially our good fuck, that kind that sticks in your mind even when you don’t want it to.

That even continued in my fucking dreams.

“Hey, Red,” I said, smirking like an asshole, “You look damn good in my shirt.”

There was something strangely comforting about seeing her like this, wearing my clothes as if they were her own. It made me feel closer to her, even in our darkest hour.

I needed to get this shit out of my fucking head.

Then I turned around, and I sat down, glaring at that soldier like I hoped he wouldn’t remember I just had a mental breakdown in front of him.

Red’s face flushed red, her fists clenching into tight balls at her sides looking like she was one second away from decking me. Instead, she just took a deep breath and looked away, her eyes darting around the waiting room as she tried to find something—anything—else to look at.

“Dr. Davis, we need your help,” someone called out.

The second that name left the guy’s mouth, I could see the recognition in her eyes. She knew who the fuck this was. And judging by the way her whole posture shifted, he knew she knew. The tension between them could’ve fueled a small country for a year.

That voice. Fucking hell,thatvoice.

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