Page 22 of Calling a Cease-Fire

Jesus. Maybe if I didn’t strangle him first. “Yeah, fine. But only if they have availability.”

And somehow, yet again, that smile had me shaking my head and wondering if he was actually growing on me.

Chapter Nine

ZACK

Tuesday 9:16 a.m.

Me: The lodge isn’t available either. They have a large conference booked that weekend. Sorry. On the plus side, looks like we’ll have to go check out other places together.

Me: Oh, what about the Crescent Moon? They have that upstairs area. We could meet there after work tonight.

Before I could send another text, the alarms blared overhead. We loaded up quickly and headed out to the scene of a possible fatal car accident. We were being dispatched to aid a neighboring town, likely because they were tied up dealing with a different call.

Once in the truck, Mia’s voice came through the radio, giving us an update. “Be advised, driver of blue minivan is pinned and unresponsive. Condition unknown. There is also a young child in the vehicle. Condition also unknown.”

Damn. Logan accelerated, but even with the increased speed, it took us fourteen minutes to arrive. EMS was already on scene working on multiple victims. I could tell from the looks on their faces that we already had a fatality.

There was a young guy who got rushed to the local hospital with mostly minor injuries. But the female driver of the minivan had lost too much blood by the time we arrived. The EMTs pronounced her dead at the scene. Thankfully, the young girl in the back seat only sustained a few bumps and bruises, but the psychological impact of losing her mother would likely become lifelong scars.

The ride back to the station was quiet, our usual banter replaced by grim looks of recognition and understanding. It continued as we removed our gear and hung it back up, preparing for the next call to come in. Fatalities had a way of reminding us of our own mortality. It was the most difficult part of the job to manage.

I sat down in the common area, pulled out my phone, and started scrolling through funny videos. I tended to stick to reels of dogs, cats, or babies. It was how I detoxed after a hard call. Laughter is the best medicine, right?

I laughed so hard at one video of dogs playing in the snow, all the guys turned to stare at me. Turning my phone so they could see the screen, I said, “Dogs and snow. Hilarious shit.” I chuckled, and the guys mostly rolled their eyes or shook their heads, then went back to what they were doing. They were used to me by now.

My thoughts strayed to Mia as I watched the same video again. Would she find it funny too? Only one way to find out. I hit the share button, sending it to her.

I toggled over to our text thread, seeing that she’d read my last three texts, but still no response.

Me: I know you’re on shift. But let me know what you think of the Crescent Moon idea.

An hour passed as I made us all lunch. We took turns cooking, and I was on lunch duty this week. After the morning we’d had, it seemed like a great day for grilled cheese and tomato soup.

I pulled up my text thread with Mia while I ate. There was still no response. Everything had been quiet over the radio, so she couldn’t be that busy. There hadn’t even been any EMS calls. Maybe she was upset because The Lodge didn’t work out either. Although that wasn’t really my fault.

Shit. Maybe she was done with our “ceasefire” and was back to thoroughly hating me. Why did that sit like lead in my gut? I typed out another quick text, vowing to leave her alone after this last attempt.

Me: Are you ignoring me?

Excitement spread through my body as three dots appeared and disappeared. It wasn’t a response yet, but it gave me hope. Damn. I was really owning the puppy dog title everyone liked to throw at me.

Raven: Sorry, no. Just having a rough day.

My thoughts drifted back to the call from earlier where we lost the driver. Middle-aged mom of two kids. She had one in the back who was hysterical as the EMTs checked her out, begging for her mom when we arrived.

I actually had mad respect for what Mia did. There was no way I would be any good at it. My words being the only tool I had? The idea blew my mind.

But it was obvious Mia needed some kind of outlet to cope and deal with the really bad days, and I didn’t think offering a sexual one was a good idea. Not because I wasn’t interested. In fact, I liked that idea more than I should have.

My mind drifted back to the other night in the bar when she’d kissed me. What would it have been like if things had gone further? Would she want control? Ride my cock and make herself come? Would she dig her nails into my skin and leave marks?

A dish clattered nearby, and I blinked.

Fuck. I shifted uncomfortably. Cut it out, Stoer. Don’t go there.

I couldn’t offer her that. Or rather, I definitely shouldn’t. But there was something else I could offer.