Page 49 of Steel

“Let’s get you both up so the EMTs can check you out.” Thomas took her arm while trying not to laugh.

As he pulled Violet to her feet, I happened to notice she’d managed to grab her purse and two of the bags from the backseat. I wondered if she had gold inside one of them. Because that was the only acceptable reason for risking her life.

Axe threw out his arm, helping me to my feet. He shook his head as soon as we were both standing. “That was some heroics, man.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want to repeat it. I’m glad you were here.”

“Me too. You could have been barbecued. The boy and the dog are cute. The girl’s not too bad either.”

“My new neighbors.”

His eyes slowly opened wide, his laughter booming over the crowd. “Well, think of it this way. Maybe fate really has taken a full step into your life.”

“More like a leap. Excuse me for a minute. I need to talk to her.” I turned away, nodding to the other jumpers who’d dropped by to partake in the chaos, moving through the firefighters who were prepared to clean up the mess. Thank God no other vehicles or building caught fire. Or the gas pumps.

At least she’d pulled in and stopped near the curb. Maybe she’d had her head on straight at that point because she certainly hadn’t a few minutes before.

Violet was sitting on the back of the ambulance, appearing like a lost girl. Damon was getting attention from just about everyone, including the pup. I stopped a few feet away, realizing there were customers from Ziggy’s who’d come out to see what the commotion was all about.

And wouldn’t you know it, a new crew just showed up. This wasn’t anything I wanted to deal with. With two long strides, I pulled her away from the edge of the ambulance and around to the side, shoving her gently against the exterior.

Her eyes were open wide, her lips pursed open.

“What in the hell did you think you were doing?” I had both hands planted beside her on the ambulance, trying to figure what the hell to say to get through her head how much danger she’d placed herself in.

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean. You almost got yourself killed by going back to your vehicle. Is your stuff actually worth almost losing your life, for your son to almost lose his mother? Is it?”

Her body jerked as if I’d hit her. When she didn’t answer right away, I slammed my hand on the ambulance, hissing at the same time. Closing my eyes, I did my best to control my anger, but it was tough. Very tough.

Overhearing her heavy breathing reminded me how terrified she must be. “I thought the fire was out.”

“Well, you thought wrong!”

A moment of silence passed between us. Grousing wasn’t going to help the situation, but she needed to understand how tenuous the situation was.

“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I just… I need my vehicle and I’m here in a new city and everything I have is in my purse. I’m sorry.”

Her voice was lilting enough, but when she placed her hand on my chest, all the anger I had slipped away. “Damn it, Violet.”

“I’m truly very sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Now, I just don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“Insurance will pay for the damn Jeep. They should be able to get you a rental car.”

“Not fast enough. I’ll just rent one. I need to work. I have to keep going.”

Whatever her financial situation, it wasn’t good. Plus, she wasn’t the kind of woman to take handouts. She needed to learn that sometimes, that was all a person could do. Shit. How the hell was I supposed to help her? I found it fascinating that I didn’t want to leave her here, certainly not with what had happened.

At least I knew of one thing I could do, although she’d hate the idea. “You can borrow my truck.”

“No, that’s silly. You don’t know me and we don’t like each other, but thank you. Besides, you need to be able to get around town yourself.”

“Don’t worry. I have several vehicles. You are not going to say no. Period. Don’t think about it.”

We stood where we were with her hand wrapping around my shirt and both of mine on the ambulance. But I pulled one away, gingerly slipping it across her cheek where soot covered her face.

“You’re very sweet,” she said in a quiet voice, the sound mostly drowned out by the continued revelry of the crowd. This was the most excitement they’d had in a long time. “When you’re not holding a gun.”