Page 61 of Enemies with Benefits

“Got it.” She smiles down at my girl as she injects a shot of morphine. Within seconds, her body starts to relax. Her eyes glaze over, and she looks up at me.

“The house. Can you save the house?” Her eyes flutter closed.

“I saved the only thing that matters, sweetheart.”

Claire eyes me, and I snap, “Don’t even.”

“Wasn’t gonna say a thing.” That damn smirk says otherwise.

While they get Makayla into the ambulance, I run over to Brady. “Finish up here. I want a full report. Where it started, why—everything.”

“You got it. The house is old as fuck. It’s going up pretty fast. But we’ll know more once we get it under control.”

I nod, jog back to the street, and climb into the ambulance. The wound on her thigh looks bad. Her hands are wrapped, but before Claire bandaged them, I could see blisters forming. “You’re gonna be okay, you hear me?”

Her eyes flutter, but she can’t keep them open. “I was hiding.”

I lean in, unsure what she’s talking about. “What do you mean?”

“He was coming for me. He was going to hurt me again. I was hiding. He can’t find me over there.”

What the fuck? Who’s she hiding from? Who’s trying to hurt her? “Makayla, who’s trying to hurt you?” She doesn’t answer me.

“Morphine. It’s a hell of a drug,” Claire says, checking her vitals. “I swore I saw Jim Morrison once on it.” I shoot her a look. “Yep. Be quiet. Just doin’ my job. Unlike you who just left the scene—”

“Seriously?”

“What?” She chuckles. “Never seen you so dedicated to a victim before.”

“She’s not a victim.” She’s feisty. And snarky. And beautiful. “She’s not a victim,” I repeat, still stuck on her statement. Is someone trying to hurt her?

I don’t take my eyes off her until we get to the hospital. They wheel her in, and I’m forced to step away. When my phone rings, I dread the call I knew was coming. “Chief—”

“What the hell were you thinking leaving a scene before the fire was out? Not to mention in an ambulance! Your ass better have lost a fucking limb.”

“Sorry, Chief. It was—it was my girlfriend.”Shit, what did I just say?

“Girlfriend? Since when the hell do you have a girlfriend?”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Wallace, girlfriend or your mommy, you don’t leave a scene. What does that say about you as my captain?”

Stay focused and desensitized.

“It sets a bad example. I take full responsibility for my actions and their repercussions.”

Chief scoffs over the phone. “Oh, shut up. Pull this shit again, and I’ll have your rank pulled. Now, the second my wife gets wind of this, she’s going to make me invite you and thisgirlfriendover for dinner. So, watch who you give this information to. I don’t need to see more of you outside the station.” He hangs up on me, and I chuckle as I slip my phone back into my jacket sleeve. It’s a hard job being the chief’s favorite. And after doing his wife that favor, I’ve leveled up to golden boy in his eyes.

“Captain Wallace?”

I twist around at the sound of my name. “Ms. Fischer is awake and all stitched up. No damage to any muscle tissue on the thigh. She burnt her hands pretty good, but she should heal just fine with ointment and proper cleaning.”

“Smoke damage?”

“Her lungs sound a bit cloudy, but that’s normal for someone who’s ingested that much smoke. Nothing that worries me, but I’m requesting an overnight stay to make sure.”

I nod, feeling a little relief. “Thanks. Can I see her?”

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