Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 75240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75240 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 301(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
I paused only long enough to wave at him, then walked out of the bay, into the open floor plan room of the firehouse, and directly down the hallway that led to the bunks.
My room was the first on the right, and I didn’t waste time ducking into the room and shutting the door.
The moment I was within reach of the bed, I fell face forward, collapsing onto the bed and closing my eyes as my bones started to settle once again.
“What’s wrong with you?” Booth asked, following me.
I turned my head only far enough so he could see my glare.
Obviously, though, the glare didn’t have the intended affect when he continued to walk into the room, parking his ass in the bunk straight across from mine.
Sure, the bunk was his, and I wasn’t the only one who shared this room, but I wasn’t up for any chatter. Especially after the night I’d had.
“You gonna make me guess?” he continued as if I weren’t ignoring him.
“You’re a persistent bastard,” I grumbled, turning my head to face the wall.
“Come on, you know you want to talk to your best friend, Booth,” he teased.
I tossed the man a look.
“You’re not my best friend,” I told him.
He pouted and I sighed, rolling until I was on my back, very carefully since it seemed the bed was about the same width as my back.
“I’ve completely and utterly failed in getting the woman I want to go out with me to even hold a conversation with me for longer than a minute,” I told him. “I saw her last night—with another man—and I don’t know what to do to get her to see me.”
Booth’s mouth fell open.
“You’re shitting me.”
I shook my head, feeling heat hit my face as I did.
“No.”
“But…you’re the dream boat. You’re the man that Masen tells me all the time is the hottest guy at the firehouse. You literally could have anyone that you wanted. What’s the deal?” He kicked his feet up so they were resting on the side of my bed.
“Nothing to tell. I’m just…awkward.”
“Awkward, how?” he persisted. “Awkward, as in you can’t talk to a woman awkward, or awkward in which you accidentally whip your dick out of your pants to break the ice instead of using your big boy words?”
I tossed him a look. “She was shot…or something. I have the girl in the back of the ambulance with her shirt off and all I can do is stare at the scars on her abdomen. My staring kept me from asking her anything when I had the chance. Now that I’ve decided that she’s worth losing my favorite mechanic’s trust, I’ve done everything I could to speak with her, and she still ignores me.”
“Where does she work?” he asked.
“The hospital and for her brother. You know her.” I cleared my throat, “It’s Angie.”
Booth stared at me for all of two seconds before he fell backwards to the cot.
“You’re doomed.”
I laughed, zero humor in my voice.
“Yeah, I know.”
The tones dropped, indicating a call was coming through for us.
We both paused in our conversations, and I cursed when I heard what it was.
“Mother fucker,” I sighed. “This has to be a fucking joke.”
Booth’s face showed the way he felt about the call that had come in just like I was sure mine did as well.
“This is some fucking cosmic joke, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Sorry, buddy.”
Hurrying to my feet, I jogged lightly to the bay where my turnout gear was located.
Despite this being a medical call, we were still required to put our gear on.
Which was why I was sweating my balls off when we finally arrived at Soco Garage, the very same garage where none other than Angie Soco also worked.
She was standing in the forecourt when we rolled up to the garage, her eyes blazing and her arms swinging. A long wrench in one hand and a pry bar in the other.
Her eyes were not on the large red firetruck pulling into the drive, but on the man that was staring at her like he’d just been told his favorite dog had died.
“I’ve already told you,” Angie bellowed. “I don’t want to see you! Go away!”
“We have a kid together, bitch. I’m not going anywhere,” he snapped, taking an intimidating step forward.
A kid? What?
“My kid won’t be seeing you ever again,” she snapped. “Even if you did manage to get your head out of your ass, which you won’t, I’ll never forgive you. Never. My daughter had to watch as you nailed her mother, and not in a good way. You shot me eight times with a nail gun; why on Earth would you think I’d ever let you anywhere near me, or my daughter, after that?”
He shot her with a nail gun?
What the fuck?
I moved, gathering both Angie’s attention, as well as the man’s.