She met Glenn’s eyes when she walked by him.His black skin glistened with sweat as he gave her a nod ofgreeting. Glenn had been on this job for longer than Roger, yet shesaw the alarm in his brown eyes before they shifted to Roger.
“It’s insane here,” Glenn said to him.
Glenn and Roger had been partners for nearlya decade. Before Maggie started working for the company, Glenn wasoffered the opportunity to move to an earlier shift, and he’d takenit. Glenn and Walt had probably been preparing to return to thestation for the end of their shift when this call came in. Thetiming for them had been worse than the timing for her andRoger.
“Stay safe,” Roger replied.
The ground beneath Aiden’s back swayed as hewas carried somewhere. Male voices spoke with each other. He didn’thear the woman again, but her scent remained strong. Doors opened,and whatever he was on was pushed forward. He gritted his teethwhen he was set down somewhere.
“I’ll ride with him,” Roger said.
“You’re better at getting through trafficthan I am,” Maggie replied. “You’ll get us to the hospitalfaster.”
Before Roger could protest, she climbed intothe back with their patient. Roger stared at her for a secondbefore closing the doors. Taking a deep breath, Maggie pulled offher winter uniform coat and placed it on the bench before settingto work on gathering the equipment needed to check their patient’svitals and keep him alive long enough to get him out of theirlives.
A small jolt of electricity shot from him toher when she grasped his wrist to check his pulse. Unlike staticelectricity, this current generated from some inner, instead ofouter, force. It hadn’t been an unpleasant sensation, but her skinprickled with an awareness she hadn’t anticipated.
Glancing at the man, she almost recoiledwhen his eyes fluttered back and forth behind his closed lids. Shehad no idea how this guy was still alive, but he showed more signsof it than some of her patients who had sustained alotlessin the way of injuries.
CHAPTER 7
The driver’s door closed, and the ambulanceroared to life. “You okay back there?” Roger demanded.
“Yes.”
Roger grunted before shifting into drive andpulling away from the scene. The man’s fingers twitched again whenshe spoke. “We’re going to get you to the hospital,” she assuredhim.
The brush of her fingers on his flesh causedAiden’s skin to come alive in a way it never had before. Sostartled by the sensation, it took a few seconds for her words topenetrate. The hospital? Ahumanhospital?
He had to focus, had to recall whathappened. It took far more strength than he ever would havebelieved possible to crack his eyes open. A blurry glow met him,and he spotted the edge of a khaki shirt before his eyes closedagain. Shuffling sounded and cool metal pressed against hisstomach.
Then, memory flooded back to him, and hiseyes flew open. A gasp sounded. Metal clattered as the khaki blurrecoiled.
“You okay?” A brusque male voice demandedfrom somewhere in front of him.
“Fine,” the butterscotch-smelling womanreplied, but Aiden couldn’t see her anymore.
All around him were shelves, white walls,and medical supplies. Beneath him, he felt the rumble of tires onthe road, and he realized he was in an ambulance. He should bedead. How was he still alive?
Maggie inhaled a calming breath and steadiedher hands before she bent to retrieve the scissors she’d dropped.The back of her patient’s shirt and coat may have been torn open,but the front was not. She’d been preparing to cut his clothing offso she could hook up the EKG machine when he’dopenedhiseyes! The scissors wobbled in her grip as she recalled those eyeson her.
It shouldn’t have been possible for him towake up, but he had. Over her time working on the ambulance, she’dhad her fair share of men and women groping her, as well asspitting on her, and cursing her. She’d take a spitter and biterany day over this guy.
Gripping the scissors more firmly, she roseand held them before her. For the first time, she knew she’d stabone of her patients if it became necessary.
When her eyes met his, her heart hit herribs so violently she thought she might have to hook herself up tothe EKG machine to make sure she wasn’t having a heart attack. Hiseyes reminded her of spring as they were the green of oak leaves inMay when they were first unfurling and vibrant with new life.
She felt like she was tumbling further awayfrom reality when, beneath the blood streaking his face and cakinghis short black hair, she realized he was a handsome man. His lipsparted, and a breath rattled out of him. He seemed to be trying tospeak, but she wasn’t getting any closer to hear what he might say.Handsome or not, the guy freaked her out.
“We’re going to get you to the hospital,”she assured him again, and suddenly shehadto make sure hemade it there. Over the years, there were so many she’d wanted tosave and been unable to; it wouldn’t be her fault if this guy died,but she couldn’t shake the belief shehadto save him. Theneed to make sure he survived hit her so hard that she was amazedher hand didn’t shake when she started cutting his shirt up thefront with clinical precision.
Aiden watched her capable hands slicingthrough his clothes before he lifted his gaze to the curve of hercheekbone. He didn’t think he’d ever seen skin so fair orunblemished before. It reminded him of the porcelain dolls hissisters Abby and Vicky collected as children. Twisted into a knotagainst the back of her delicate, swan neck, her auburn hair shonein the light of the ambulance.
She remained focused on her task as she cuthis sleeves next. Air rushed over his already chilled skin when shepulled the remaining shreds of his shirt and coat away.
My weapons!
The thought blazed through his mind as shehefted the coat a little higher. She dipped a hand into one of hispockets and pulled out a small crossbow. He saw one auburn eyebrowrise before she carefully set the crossbow aside and lowered hiscoat with the caution one would take with a poisonous snake.
