Smoked (The Invincibles 5)

* * *

When I came out, I didn’t see Hughes, but Siren was standing across the hallway.

“How are you feeling?” she asked at the same time she handed me a pill and a glass of water.

“Like a burning building fell on top of me. How about you? I had to have hurt you when I landed on top of you.”

“Come on,” she said, taking my arm and leading me back into the bedroom.

“Siren? You didn’t answer me.”

“I’m fine, Smoke. A little sore is all.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry for saving my life, you eejit.” She gently helped me back onto the bed and then walked around to lie next to me.

“Your uncle…what’s his name?”

“Gene O’Brien.”

“Right. He said you were on the phone.”

“I had a few calls to make.”

“Anything I need to know about?”

“I called to see how Jimmy Mallory was.”

“And?”

“It’s a miracle, but he’s alive.”

“He’s the shop owner.”

“The former shop. Not much left of it.”

“I can’t believe you went in there after him.”

“It’s what we’re trained to do, Smoke. I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing.”

“There were firefighters there. Why didn’t you tell them to go in.”

She shrugged. “I just reacted.”

“I could’ve lost you. I’d—”

“Smoke. Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Don’t act like this is more than it is.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means I know we were never what I thought we were. Not before, and not now.”

I wanted to argue with her, tell her I wanted us to be more, wanted us to be together, but she was righ