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There she was with no shirt, her legs spread, her pants around her thighs, and her glitter panties. “I pole dance for exercise and because I get to hang out with an amazing group of women and have some fun. And they don’t judge.”
“I deeply apologize. That’s not something I … So I don’t know … movies and such.”
“You’re okay.” She stood up and jumped herself the rest of the way into her pants, feeling the back pocket to pull out her phone to quickly peck out: I’m alive. I’ll meet you at the hotel in a few minutes. She sent the message to Deidre.
“Your rescue of that family was probably one of the bravest things I’ve ever witnessed. I’m in awe. How about this —” His phone rang. He listened for a minute. “Yes, Max is here with the angel who went up the building. Max was checking to make sure she was okay.” He paused. “I think so.” He turned to her. “I’ll flag down a taxi and get her back to where she’s staying.”
He called her the angel that went up the side of the building, and his name was Halo.
Did that mean anything?
Nah. Mary didn’t live that kind of charmed life.
Halo raised his hand, and the guy in the taxi pulled smoothly to the side of the road. He jumped out of the car, leaving his door wide, speaking with his hands around his face.
“You are hurt!” the man called to her. “The fire?” He pointed, and Mary turned to see the clouds of black billowing up behind the ancient rooftops.
“I’m okay, just … Can I get a ride home? Not home,” she corrected. “My hotel. It’s walking distance. I’m sorry. I know you guys hate that. Just … tired.”
The man stepped forward with his hand extended. “Of course. Of course, this way.”
Mary lifted her face to thank Halo. He stood there with unspoken words twitching at his lips, a conversation raging in his eyes. Stricken, he looked stricken all of a sudden. Mary blinked at him; wasn’t that an odd word to think?
Halo quickly leaned over, gathered her shoes and shirt, and handed them to her.
“Thank you for saving my life.” Mary raised up on her toes and pressed a kiss onto his cheek.
She shouldn’t have done that. Something in her system exploded into sensations she couldn’t name. Big. Jolting.
This had to have something to do with the shock of being alive, Mary surmised as she tucked into the cab. When Max scrambled to get in with her, Mary curved her fingers into his collar. “No, baby. As much as I would love for you to come with me, you need to stay with Halo.”
“Mary, how can I check on you later?” Halo stepped forward, putting his own fingers into Max’s collar. As their hands brushed, that sensation whooshed through her system from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. It unbalanced her. It snatched her breath. It was surreal.
As Halo pulled Max from the cab. Max stretched his tongue long, giving her kisses.
“Back it up, mate.”
The accent. The shoulders. The worry and confusion in his eyes.
Mary had never experienced being disembodied before, but surely, this was what her patients had described to her.
He was expectantly waiting for an answer. Had she heard a question?
The taxi driver shut her door, slid under the wheel, and shut his own. “Ma’am. If not the hospital, where?”
Mary couldn’t remember anything. She pulled her room card from the back of her phone and handed it to the man. He handed it back. “That’s just around the corner.”
As he drove away, Mary turned and put her hand on the back window.
Halo stood in the middle of the street, gripping Max’s collar, staring her right in the eyes.
Chapter Fifteen
After retreating to their hotel and getting themselves and their equipment cleaned up, Titus called for the team to join him in the hotel conference room to do their hotwash over lunch, going over the rescue while the details were still fresh in their minds. What were the successes? How could they train to do a better job the next time?
Just like on the Commandos, Iniquus was always burnishing their skills.
All in all, Halo thought they’d moved through that scenario as successfully as their equipment and the circumstances would permit.
