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ONE

EASTON

“…white male, mid-forties, complaining of chest pain, difficulty breathing, and some minor face swelling. Caller was unable to provide any more information.”

I take a deep breath and fight the urge to smash my face against the truck window. Every other time we’ve been lacking information, we’ve walked into a complete and total shitshow.

And yeah, I know it’s part of the job. I get that bit. I’ve been doing this too long to have different expectations. But is it too much to ask that a rational, non-panicking person call 911 in an emergency? Even once a month would be great.

“You’re talking out loud,” Logan says, giving me a look. “And yeah, it’s too much.”

“Stop being reasonable. It’s so annoying.”

He offers me a tight, tense smile, which I know has nothing to do with me. He just got back from a trip to see his family, and he’s been acting a little…weird. He’s never been the most chatty guy, but he’s been even more quiet and stoic since his return, and I don’t like it.

It’s also a very stark contrast to Ozzie’s very nervous energy. He’s holding on to an oh-shit-grip, face pale, eyes wide, biting his lip so hard it’s probably going to start bleeding soon. It’s such a funny look on his face, considering he’s a relatively big guy with scruff that makes him look like he should be, I don’t know, chopping logs or herding cattle.

“Ozzie!” I bark.

He jolts, then lets out a bray of nervous laughter that sounds a bit like a dying donkey, and then his face goes bright red. “Sorry, boss.”

“Not the boss,” I remind him, though I guess I’m his senior, so… “Can you breathe, man? You’re looking a little pale.”

He nods and breathes almost frantically for a second. I let him. When he gets dizzy, he’ll stop.

Which he does.

“Whoa.”

Logan rolls his eyes. “Relax, rookie.”

Ozzie’s eyes flicker over to Logan, who is also a rookie but definitely doesn’t behave like one. “What if this is it?”

I snort as Kelsey takes a sharp right, and we all jostle around for a second. She’s our best driver though, so she keeps full control of the truck. She’s going a bit fast, but I know for a fact that she has a bet going with Benny about who gets there first on calls, and right now, she’s in the lead by three.

Turning my gaze back to Ozzie, I lift a brow. “Do you mean, like, the end? What if this is the end? We’re all going to die in a fiery crash or…”

“You are so dramatic,” North mutters, not looking up from his phone. He’s probably sexting my brother. He and Leo are insufferable, and as happy as I am for them, it annoys the absolute fuck out of me how happy they are.

And it’s not jealousy.

Okay, it’s not all jealousy. Maybe like twenty-six percent, but that’s it. The rest is just being annoyed having to watch them sucking face anytime I’m within a hundred feet of them.

Ozzie takes a breath. “No. I mean, what if this is the call.”

“You’re gonna have to be a bit more specific, rookie,” I tell him, reaching over to pat his knee.

He swallows heavily, then shakes his head. “I don’t want to.”

“Why?”

He looks me in my eyes so fucking deep for a second, it feels like he’s touching my soul, and holy fuck is that weird. I blink and sit back.

“Can you not?”

He turns his gaze down toward his feet. “Sorry. I just don’t want to upset you.”

“Oz, my precious little rookie-bear,” I tell him, slugging him in the arm so he looks up again, “what is wrong?”