Page 50 of Echoes of Danger

“Blaze looks like a beast, too,” I remind him. “Just a happy one.”

“Which is why we’ve always felt the desire to stay together,” he says softly. “Blaze is quite literally my soulmate.”

“Wait, do you mean that you guys are a couple?” I ask, shocked. “He’s your twin.”

“No,” Steel chuckles. “We will one day share a single person, though. Blaze and I balance one another out. But we need a sweet, perfect someone to complete us. It sounds weird to the outside world, but it’s how we’ve always felt. I’ll never be happy in a relationship with someone if my brother isn’t there with us. I’m stern. I like rules. I like being in charge. And, while my brother can be those things, too. He’s soft. Loves to cuddle. Smiles. Our sweet person will need those things.”

“You’re not as hard as you think. I’ve seen your soft side a lot since we became prison buddies. Besides, who cares what the rest of the world thinks,” I tell him. “You two together are going to make someone feel so loved and so safe.”

“I hope so,” he says. “By the way, don’t tell Reynolds that I held you like this. He may shoot me.”

“He will not,” I laugh before clutching my side. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”

“Okay, he may not shoot me, but if he knew I sat with you so close to my junk, he may very well punch me. I can’t afford any more bruises on my face. Need to make sure I stay this devilishly handsome for my person.”

I press harder on my side as the giggles rush through my body. I know that Steel’s distracting me as he messes around with whatever the doc shoved under my body, but I’m too afraid to ask what it is. We may not see any cameras, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any.

“Strangely, I feel a small burst of energy,” I admit. “Do you think the doctor already gave me that steroid?”

“He did,” he says confidently. “I watched as he swiped the syringes. He’s helping us get out of here. We have to be ready.”

“Three hours,” I whisper, remembering what the Doc had said.

“Which is the exact time for shift change,” he whispers back. “Get some sleep, Del. I need you to be as rested and ready as possible.”

“What did he leave?” I whisper so softly I almost didn’t hear it myself.

Steel drops his chin from the top of my head to my shoulder and whispers, “Gun.”

My breath catches in my throat at Steel’s whispered word. A gun. The doctor left us a gun. It takes every ounce of self-control not to look around wildly, my instincts screaming that someone must have seen or heard.

“Where is it?” I whisper back, barely moving my lips.

“I have it,” Steel murmurs, his voice so low it’s almost inaudible. “It’s small, probably a pocket pistol, but it’s better than nothing.”

I swallow hard, my heart pounding. The thought of having a weapon gives me hope, but it also terrifies me. “Steel, I don’t know if I…”

“You don’t have to,” he cuts me off gently but firmly. “I’ll handle it, Del. But if something happens to me, you need to know it’s there. Just in case.”

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Okay, we have a weapon. Steel alone is a weapon. Now, we just need to wait for the right time.

If there ever is one.

“Sleep,” he orders. “I’ll keep you safe.”

Trusting him completely, I close my eyes and drift off to an unrestful, nightmare-filled slumber.

Chapter Seventeen

Reynolds

We’re sitting back at the Obsidian clubhouse, waiting to hear something, anything, from Knox, when the phone rings. But it’s the club’s landline, not our burner. Not Knox.

“What?” Ghost answers.

“Who is this?”

“And how the hell do you know that? Hold on.”

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