Page 36 of No Take Backs

How sure she was that today would be a good day.

How certain she seemed that nothing could go wrong.

But now, as I watch the man being loaded into the ambulance, his life hanging by a thread, I can’t help but feel the weight of the day pressing down on me. It’s a stark reminder that in our line of work, nothing is ever guaranteed, that even the best-laid plans can go up in the heat and destruction of flames.

“Good day, my ass.”

Ryder slaps me on the shoulder. “What’s that?”

“Nia,” I tell him while shaking my head. “On the way to work, she said she thought we were going to have a good day.”

We are having the opposite of a good day, and when the rig pulls into the bay an hour later, there aren’t any signs of our day getting better.

Especially when I see Eddie Stryker leaning against the ambulance, smiling and laughing with Nia and Gem.

“I mean, technically, we’re on a whole new day,” Ryder points out as we climb out of the rig. “So in a way, she was right.”

“I don’t want to talk about this, Eddie,” I hear Nia say as I approach, her tone carrying that familiar edge she uses when she’s not in the mood to entertain someone’s bullshit. She’s giving him the same glare she gives me when I’ve pushed her too far, and it makes me tense up, my senses on high alert. “It’s four in the morning, and I feel like I have more caffeine in my system than blood at this point. Can it wait?” There’s a sharpness in her voice, a weariness that mirrors my own, and I can tell that she’s at the end of her rope, just like the rest of us. But Eddie doesn’t seem to get the hint. Or maybe he’s just too stubborn to care. Either way, his persistence only serves to piss me off, the tension building with every passing second.

No one knows Nia and I are dating.

Not by my choice, but hers.

At least, outside of our close friends. She doesn’t want anyone to judge her for dating a coworker. Me? I want to take her in my arms and kiss her in front of the entire department every single day just so she’ll know I’m proud to call her mine.

“Do you think I want to talk about it?” He lowers his voice when he realizes that I’m not just walking by but stopping to interrupt their conversation. The smile that was on his face as we pulled into the building fades, leaving a pained grimace. “What’s up, Harmon?”

“Nothin’ much.” I cross my arms lazily over my chest. “How’d that guy end up after the fire, Nia?”

She turns a brilliant, if thankful, smile on me. “Good. He’s just getting checked out and they’re gonna release him.”

“Do you mind, Harmon?” Stryker’s voice cuts through the moment, pulling me back to reality. His words surprise the hell out of me. He’s coming right out and asking me to leave, like he has some sort of claim on this conversation, on Nia. It’s bold, I’ll give him that, but he doesn’t know how to play this game. And I’m not going to let anyone get between Nia and me. There’s an edge to his tone, a challenge that I’m not sure I want to ignore. “I need to talk to V about something important,” he adds, like that’s supposed to justify his demand. My jaw tightens, and for a moment, I consider telling him exactly where he can shove his request. But instead, I force myself to stay calm, to keep my emotions in check. I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’s gotten under my skin.

Not when it comes to Nia.

“I don’t mind,” I tell him with a wolfish smile. I also don’t move a muscle.

Stryker glares at me and then turns back to Nia. “It’s one night, and I need you. You know I don’t ask for anything from you if I can help it.”

Nia shuffles from foot to foot and then seems to deflate. “Okay,” she tells him. “Send me the details.”

Stryker nods and without another glance in my direction, he walks away. Watching him walk away, I can’t help but feel like I’m missing something, like there’s a piece of the puzzle that hasn’t been revealed yet. But whatever it is, I’m determined to find out. Nia’s mine, and I’m not about to let some guy from her past come in and complicate things.

“What’s his deal?” I watch him go, not sorry to see his back, if I’m honest with myself.

Nia watches me watching him with an inscrutable expression, and when I turn back to her after the other man is gone, she doesn’t so much as blink.

“You don’t own me.”

“What?” I manage to choke out, the shock coursing through my system like a jolt of electricity. If I’d been walking, I would have tripped over my own feet. The accusation blindsides me, leaving me scrambling to understand where this is coming from. “I don’t think I own you,” I say, the words sounding defensive even to my own ears. But it’s the truth. I don’t see her as something to be owned, something to be controlled. Nia’s her own person, strong and independent, and that’s one of the things I love most about her. But the fact that she feels the need to push back, to assert her independence, makes me realize that somewhere along the way, I’ve given her the wrong impression. And that thought cuts deeper than any accusation she could throw at me.

“You could have surprised me.” The acid in her words hit me like a knife to the gut. “First with Kevin when he was just being nice to me yesterday before we left for work. Now, when Eddie shows up to talk to me about something, you practically pee on me and declare that I’m yours.”

“Whoa.” I hold up my hands, palms forward. “I have no idea what’s going on, but there is no part of me that thinks I own you.”

She opens her mouth, ready to give me a piece of her mind, but is interrupted by the alarm dropping tones.

“Attention Birch EMS, please respond…”

---