Crucible Steele (Daggers & Steele Book 5) (27 page)

Rodgers and Quinto both voiced their agreement, as well as Rodgers voicing a sentiment about Allison possibly killing him for not sending word that he wasn’t dead.
Oh, the irony…
After some hems and haws, they nodded their heads and waved their goodbyes and headed for the door.

Shay hopped off the edge of her desk and donned her jacket, which she’d draped over the back of her chair.

“You’re
way
too chipper given how long you’ve been up,” I said as we started for the exit.

“And why wouldn’t I be?” she said with a smile. “I mean, I suppose I could fixate on the fact that I’ve been up and working for over twenty-four hours, and in that period I was kidnapped and imprisoned in an underground dungeon. However, I choose to think of the positives. That I was rescued from said dungeon by a handsome if somewhat self-centered knight with childlike sensibilities. That we solved our murders, taking down a powerful smuggling ring at the same time. And that it’s morning. As you know, I’m a morning person. Apparently that doesn’t change even when you’ve been up for as long as I have.”

“Speaking of the first point,” I said, “be on the lookout for the Captain’s watchful eye. He suspended me for having an old friend get murdered. He might do the same to you after your kidnapping. You know—to protect your fragile female psyche.”

“Same as yours?”

“Touché,” I said.

I pushed against the station’s front doors, holding them open for Shay before stepping on through. As they swung closed behind me I heard a trickle of a shout.

“Baggers! I mean, Daggers!”

I paused on the 5
^th
Street Precinct’s front steps and turned. A moment later, the double doors burst open. In their wake came Kyra, dressed in a brown leather jacket and slim chinos, both of which had been marred by scrapes and scuffs and spattered blood. A bandage, partially stained red, covered her left hand.

Before I knew it, she’d enveloped me in a hug.

“Thank you!” she said. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you. If you hadn’t stopped Bonesaw and figured out what he’d done with me, I swear that lug would’ve split me into quarters and turned me into elf jerky. Even under the best of circumstances, he would’ve left me to rot and sold my bones for glue. I mean, I’d heard the stories about him going in, but I’d never guessed he was
that
bad. I thought his act was largely just that. Goes to show what I know…”

Kyra pulled away, possibly noticing my wooden stance or the unsure look on my face or perhaps even Shay’s close presence.

“Oh…sorry,” said Kyra. “I’m interrupting.”

“No, it’s alright,” I said. “I’m glad to see that other than your finger, you’re safe and sound—and apparently okay with the fact that I’m a little more righteous than you originally thought.”

Kyra waved a hand. “Water under the bridge. Besides, I wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.”

I glanced at her wrists, which obviously weren’t cuffed. “So I assume your deposition went well.”

“Wasn’t my first, and it won’t be my last,” she said. “But that’s besides the point. I just wanted to thank you for saving my life, and I don’t mean that lightly. I owe you one…
Baggers.”

She leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek. I felt it redden as she pulled back. She gave me a teensy finger wave as she left before blending into the traffic on 5
^th
Street.

I turned to Steele, who stood there with a smile on her face. I felt my second cheek grow warm. “She wasn’t that goofy
or
friendly during our Wyvern encounters, if you’re wondering. I’m thinking the medic gave her some painkillers and they’re starting to take effect.”

“So, how does it feel to have saved two pretty elf girls in one day?” asked Steele. “I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that’s a first.”

I blinked. “You’re…not jealous?”

“Of what?”

My brain wasn’t working right thanks to the sleep deprivation. Either that, or Steele’s wasn’t. “The kiss.”

“Why would I be?” said Steele. “She pecked you on the cheek. After what you did for her, I’d say it was deserved. I
would
be jealous, on the other hand, if she’d done this.”

Shay closed and kissed me. Her lilac perfume filled my nostrils. Her hair brushed against my face, and her slim nose pressed against the side of my own. But it was her lips—soft, warm, and coursing with everything I loved about her—that consumed me. I felt them on my own, wet and welcoming and ever so expressive. Tender. Loving. And along with their embrace, they imparted knowledge that our moment in the dark was neither an illusion nor a mistake.

After a few seconds or perhaps a lifetime, she stepped back. She pulled away the hand she’d cupped the side of my face with, which I hadn’t even noticed until now.

“So,” she said. “How about breakfast before we head home?”

I blinked again. “Huh?”

“Or lunch, depending on how you want to define it. We could meet somewhere in the middle and call it brunch, even if we don’t spring for waffles and eggs and smoked fish.”

I tried to collect my thoughts through the blinding wave of kiss-induced emotions. “I…uh…”

“What is it?” asked Shay. “Are you really so against the concept of brunch?”

“No, no,” I said. “I’m just…struggling to understand what we’ve got here. For so long we’ve had this will we, won’t we, back and forth dynamic that I’m trying to understand where we’ve landed.”

Shay sighed and shook her head, but her smile never faded. “Daggers, I know it’s your job to over think things—that’s why you manage to solve crimes which would cause others to beat their heads against a wall—but it can be trying in other life areas, you know that?”

I caught her gist, but sometimes I needed things spelled out for me. “What are you saying?”

“I’m here, and I’m interested. Both in you and in a hot meal.”

“So, whatever’s going on,” I said, “we’ll figure it out as we go along?”

“Exactly.”

The emotions in my chest had started to settle, at least enough for whatever rational senses I had to break through and take charge. Take it one step at a time, and enjoy the ride? I could handle that. You bet I could.

“I do have one more question,” I said.

“And that is?”

I smiled. “Where should we eat?”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hi. I’m Alex P. Berg, a mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writer and the author of
Crucible Steele
. If you enjoyed this Daggers & Steele mystery, be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next novel in the series,
Steele-Faced
, in which our eponymous duo’s relationship smolders as they work together to unravel a tangled web of lies.

Want
more
exciting adventures, head-scratching mysteries, and snarky dialogue? Check out two of my other series:

*
The Tau Ceti Transmutation
(Rich Weed #1): Follow private detective Rich Weed and his trusty android sidekick Carl in this pulp-inspired science fiction mystery set in the year 3330.

*
The Black Mast Murder
(Driftwood #1): Mystery and intrigue rule the high seas in this
Pirates of the Caribbean
-style adventure featuring constable John “Driftwood” Malarkey and his supernaturally-gifted wife, Gwen.

***

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