Page 48 of Steel

“Stay back!” Axe called. “It could blow at any minute.”

The activity was crazy, Marty now in control of the fire extinguisher, knocking down the flames. What was that expression? It took a village.

Thank God I had one around me.

Exhaling, I leaned over, resting my hands on my knees. My boots were a little singed and I was covered in muck, but the situation could have been much worse. Thankfully, I was able to cancel out the sound, taking several deep breaths while my pulse still raced.

There were people everywhere, the firefighters trying to get people back so they could bring in the hoses.

“Come on, move back,” I yelled. “Let them do their work.” I moved in front of a few people, walking them further away from the Jeep.

“Wow, buddy,” Viper said. “You know how to start off an evening.” He clapped my arm and I nodded.

“Thanks for the knife.” I closed it before handing it off to him, noticing Damon and the pup were being attended to by an EMT. Where the hell had Violet gone? As soon as I snapped myhead toward the vehicle, I noticed she’d retuned to the back, struggling to get something out of the seat.

Was she fucking out of her mind? While it appeared the flames were out, I’d seen one too many vehicle fires in my life.

There was no time to waste. I rushed toward her, grabbing her around the waist as the firefighter made their way through the crowd.

A slight popping sound was nothing I’d wanted to hear. I pitched us farther away just as another pop turned into an explosion.

Before she fell to the ground, I managed to roll us over, forcing me to hit the pavement first with her falling on top.

“Fuck. Fuck!”

“Steel!”

I wasn’t certain who was screaming at us because everything was one big muffle of noise and nothing more. Partially from my heart thudding to the point of being unable to breathe.

Her body covered mine, her face against my chest. A crowd had formed around us, almost as if hopeful they could protect us. Sounds of the firefighters dousing the flames were a noise I’d recognize anywhere.

The next thing I knew, a firefighter was bending down, peering at me with clear amusement on his face.

“Steel. You okay?” Thomas Murphy was with Engine Company Twelve. Somehow, he and his crew often responded to fires at the base of the mountains.

“Never better.” My grunt was full of pain, but we were both alive.

“I gotta admit, from what I heard, you and your brother were heroes.”

“They were,” Violet muttered while keeping her face pinned on my chest. Having her in my arms felt good, but would feel even better if we were away from prying eyes.

“Miss. How about you?”

She slowly lifted her head, her wrinkled nose an indication she could be in any sign of distress. While soot had left a mark on her cheek, she was still the most beautiful woman in the entire damn city.

Even if she’d almost gotten us killed.

“Uh-huh,” she muttered.

The pup appeared over my face, his head hanging down with his ears flopping. There was no chance to react before his big, pink tongue snaked out and was dragged along the entire length of my face. Not just once. He was expressing his appreciation fervently, licking like a ferocious lion.

People around us were laughing.

Including Damon, who was chuckling up a storm.

And pictures were being taken, at least two dozen people with their phones out, catching the moment.

This was… true mortification at its finest. More pictures. More notoriety.