Page 68 of Under Water

“We can’t go to the apartment,” Elio says, sounding exhausted. “And they won’t let us back inside here.”

“I know. It’ll be okay.” I shuffle back out of the ambulance, then put myself right in front of Rune so he can’t ignore me. When he tries, I take his chin in my fingers. I don’t care who’s watching. I don’t care who suspects anything. Rune eventually locks eyes with me. “I have room.”

“Easton,” he sighs out.

“I have an extra bedroom for Elio, and my place is downstairs, so we don’t even need to worry about that. Your ex,” I spit, “doesn’t know where I live.”

At that, something in his shoulders unclenches, and they relax down away from his ears. “I suppose he doesn’t.”

I nod. “We can grab whatever you need from the house, and you can follow me there.”

“I’m scared he’s got a tracker on my car,” Rune whispers so softly I can barely make out the words.

I let myself process that for a second, and then I nod. “Okay. I can talk to North, and he can come back with his truck to transport Elio’s chair, and you two can ride with me. Let me go talk to him,” I murmur. I want to lean in and kiss him, but that might be just a bit too far. Instead, I draw my hand away with a careful drag of fingers along his jaw, and his eyelids flutter closed. “I’ll be right back.”

“Thank you,” he says softly.

“I’ve got you,” I respond.

It takes everything in me to put distance between us, but I do, and eventually, I find North near the front of the engine on the phone. I can tell by the look on his face that he’s talking to Leo, and when I get close enough, he holds his phone out to me.

“Hey,” I say to my brother.

He sounds a little breathless. “North said you were in the ambulance, talking to Elio and Rune. They’re really okay?”

“They’re really okay,” I assure him. “No smoke inhalation, and Rune’s a trained EMT, so he was able to get him and the kid out of there and get started on putting the fire out before there was any major damage.”

Leo sighs out his relief. “Will you tell him I want to call him soon?”

“Yep. I’ll let him know.”

“And…and you’re not angry? That he asked me not to tell you about his son?”

That still stings a bit, but I get it. It wasn’t like I was the only person in the entire station forbidden from knowing about him. “It’s fine. I promise.”

“Okay. Tell North I’ll talk to him in a bit and that I love him.”

“Gross.”

He laughs. “Please?”

“Ugh, fine. See you soon, yeah?”

“Yes. I can’t wait.”

The line goes dead, and I hand North his phone back. “My brother is disgusting, and he says he loves you.”

North grins, then yanks me into a hug. His gear smells like smoke, but it’s not as bad as after some of the scenes we’ve been on together. “Everything good over there?”

“I think Elio’s shaken up, and”—I drop my voice—“Rune thinks his ex put a tracker on his car. I was wondering if you can head back to the station and grab your truck—bring Elio’s wheelchair and supplies and shit to my place?”

His eyes widen. “Your place?”

Right. Fuck. Uh… “I have an extra room. And it’s downstairs. And the kid likes me, so…”

“Dude. You don’t have to sell me on you being a good guy. I’m just surprised he said yes.”

I nod and bite the inside of my cheek. “Well, can we keep this between us? I think he’s worried about his ex finding out, so the fewer people who know, the better.”