Page 55 of Nico

"For now," Logan answered.

The production lot had mostly emptied by the time we reached the parking area. The security vehicles sat where we'd left them that morning. My truck waited near the fence.

"I'll drive," I said automatically.

Nico held out a hand. "I've got it. You've been on your feet all day,” Nico said, smiling.

Before I could argue again, he'd already plucked the keys from my fingers.

"Besides," he added with a grin, “you look like you’re carrying half of Logan's earthly possessions."

"I volunteered.”

"You volunteered because you're incapable of letting people do things themselves,” Logan mumbled.

"I am perfectly capable."

The two of them exchanged identical looks. I sighed.

"Don't say it,” I warned them.

Nico climbed into the driver's seat while I wrestled Logan's bags into the back. The moment I slammed the rear door shut, the truck let out a grinding metallic shriek.

A thick plume of gray smoke exploded from beneath the hood. Danger bells rang in my head, and my wolf rose inside me, alarmed and alert. My first thought was…

"Nico!" I yelled.

One second I was standing behind the van, and the next I was sprinting. Smoke poured upward. Another awful grinding noise echoed through the engine.

Every instinct screamed the same thing. Fire. Explosion. Move! I yanked the driver's door open so violently it bounced against its hinges.

"What the—” Nico began.

I'd practically dragged him from the seat. He stumbled straight into me, and I pulled him several feet away from the truck.

My heart hammered against my ribs.

“Nico,” I whispered.

I couldn't seem to let go. He blinked up at me, confused. "Isaac?"

"You okay?” I asked. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

"No, but I can’t breathe, Isaac.”

Only then did I realize I was crushing him against my chest. My grip loosened, but I didn’t let him go. Behind us, Logan hurried over.

"What happened?" Logan demanded.

Smoke continued curling from beneath the hood. Someone shouted for a fire extinguisher, while another crew member waved everyone back. One of the security guards approached cautiously, stopping well short of the truck.

I barely heard any of it. All I could think about was how close I'd come to losing Nico.

If the engine had caught, if there'd been flames, if Nico had been inside for another few seconds... I couldn't let myself think about what might have happened.

"What the hell were you thinking?" The words came out rougher than I intended. “You started the engine without checking anything? You could've been killed.”

Nico's mouth opened, then closed again. He glanced toward the truck, where smoke was still curling from beneath the hood.