Page 2 of Calling a Cease-Fire

Wearing my signature boyish grin, I hurried toward her, ready to convince her to save my ass. My feet slowed as her best friend Mia came through the door behind her, all shiny dark hair and bright red lips.

I had a sudden strong urge to taunt her, rile her up, and make her almost-black eyes narrow. She was always so reactive, and it intrigued me. One minute she’d be laughing, a second later scowling. And the flip was practically instant.

“Hey,” Lyla said, tilting her head as I stopped in front of them. “Everything okay?”

I shook my head. “I need you to join the team. Jay can’t make it.”

Lyla’s eyes widened, but before she could say anything, Adam appeared at her side. Hopefully he could help me convince her.

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. “What’s going on?” he asked, looking from her to me.

“Jay’s not making it. I need Lyla to step in.”

“Yeah, no.” He laughed, glancing back over at Lyla. “I don’t want you to get hurt, and I’ll be more focused on you than I will on the game.”

She elbowed him playfully. “Are you calling me a liability?”

He smirked. “I love you?”

Lyla rolled her eyes with a giggle.

“I’ll play.” Mia shrugged. “I’m not a liability.”

Why did that thought excite me so much? But there was just one problem. “You’re not FD.”

She crossed her arms, and my eyes were instantly drawn to the curve of her breasts rising high into the V-neck of her sweater. I forced my gaze back to her face, seeing the switch finally flip. That scowl was fierce and aimed directly at me. “I’m dispatch, so technically I’m both.”

I cocked a brow, challenging her. I wasn’t sure if PD would see it that way.

She let out one of those annoying huffs I had become familiar with. Usually, it fueled me to see how far I could push her, but we had a game to play.

“I’ll just go see if PD needs another player.” She spun and took a couple of steps.

Adam followed her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leading her back our way. “No, no, I claim you. You’re ours.”

She smiled sweetly up at Adam and my stomach knotted. I wasn’t sure why it bothered me. Adam was in love with Lyla. And I had no interest in pursuing anything with Mia. She was entirely too closed off for that. Still, I wanted her to smile at me like that.

“Obviously not everyone wants me,” Mia said with a condemning look aimed at me.

I smirked, ready to rile her up with a smart-ass reply, and I was rewarded with another huff before I even uttered a word. But right now, I just needed her help. So I held back the response on the tip of my tongue.

“Here.” I tossed her a T-shirt. “Welcome to the Red Hot Responders.”

Her lips lifted into a smirk, and I found myself fascinated by it. I wasn’t sure what facial expression I liked most—the sweet but devious smile, the naughty smirk, or the pissed off scowl.

While I contemplated how to pull each one from her, she turned and headed toward the locker rooms. This was going to be fun.

Chapter Two

MIA

I stepped into the empty locker room and flinched when the door slammed shut behind me. Hopefully the volleyball game would help me shake the last call I took before clocking out. Days like today made me question if becoming a 911 operator was the best idea. Fortunately, those were outnumbered by the great days when I actually helped people, reminding me why I kept walking into the station to do my job.

But certain things stayed with you. Like being the last person the caller talked to before they took their last breath. Hearing them beg me to save them, and knowing that, despite my best effort, I couldn’t. I tried. Every time. I did my job, and it wasn’t enough.

We were the unseen first responders. Paramedics, fire, and police were the public-facing entities showing up on scenes. People knew who they were and what they did. Those of us on the other end of the phone line or radio? We were just faceless voices who only had the power to communicate.

I rolled my shoulders and removed my shirt, pulling the T-shirt Zack had given me over my head. I still couldn’t figure out his issue. He seemed almost perturbed about me playing on the team. He was usually all goofy smiles and teasing. It was annoying. But consistent. His brief look of irritation earlier—when I offered to play and Adam cemented it—threw me off.