Page 55 of Cruel Savior

“We could still catch up,” she hesitated, looking as unsure as Mike now. “Sometime.”

“Sure. Sure,” he said. “Just let me know.” When he suddenly turned and walked away without so much as exchanging a phone number, a strangled noise did rumble from my chest. It was meant to be a laugh, but I wasn’t quite there yet.

“Don’t look so happy,” Mandy hissed at me. “We both know this thing between us is temporary.”

It was Jeanne’s turn to snort a laugh as she wrapped gauze around my arm. Suddenly, the fire in the casino was looking a hell of a lot better than this awkward situation.

“What the hell is going on? Where is she?”

My thoughts were interrupted by JD’s arrival. Oh shit.

“Where is who?” Mandy asked.

I yanked my mask off before Jeanne could stop me.“Sasha. She’s the one I rescued from the fire.”

“Okay. Is she someone’s old lady or daughter?”

I shook my head. “He won’t admit it, but she’shis.”

And if she didn’t make it, I feared what he’d become.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

JD

Why everyone was standing around holdingtheir dicks, when I’d asked a fucking question I didn’t understand. Had they not heard me?

“You have two seconds to answer me before I freak the fuck out,” I warned. I’d gotten word she’d been pulled from the burning building, and I was now operating on a pure adrenaline overload.

“Where is she?” I yelled again.

“If you’re talking about the woman from the fire, she’s already been taken to the hospital. We were going to wait for an airlift, but that was going to take too long.”

One of the paramedics was blabbering on and I just wanted him to shut up.

“So she’s alive?”

The man nodded. He didn’t have to say it, but I could see it in his eyes. The word hung in the air without anyone saying it—barely.

“JD.”

I turned to see Axel laid out on the ground, an oxygen mask in his hand and a female paramedic wrapping up his left forearm. His pants were burned to almost nothing, but the skin there didn’t look bad. Mandy was sitting on the ground next to him, her hand gripping one of his, blood still caked in her hair and on her face.

This had turned into a shit show of epic proportions.

“Jesus Christ. What the hell happened?” Everything inside me was screaming to hop on my bike and race to the hospital, but I was responsible for all of these people. I had to get a status report and make sure I had a VP capable of taking charge before I ran off halfcocked.

I took a deep breath and locked down the riot of emotions running roughshod over my nerves. She was alive. I had to remember that and get my head back in the game. Although this was as far from a game as it could possibly be. I’d known how dangerous and deadly this case could be, but I’d never dreamed she’d get pulled in somehow.

Should have fucking fired her ass months ago.

Woulda. Coulda. Shoulda. I hated that fucking feeling.

Axel sat up, but when he tried to push to his feet, both the paramedic and Mandy protested. “I don’t think so. The two of you aren’t going anywhere until I say so.”

The female paramedic had nice big lady balls. Good for her. She would need them to take care of this crew. “Better listen to the woman,” I said, smirking. “I’d hate to see what she’d do to you if you didn’t.”

Axel grumbled something, but it wasn’t clear. I’m sure it was some complaint followed by a few fucks. I’d never met a man who loved that word more than him and that was saying something considering how much we all used it.

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