“Not if I kick it first. Come on, hotshot, get up,” I taunted. I was baiting him and he knew it. I didn’t care, I just needed him to take it.
“Is there a camera in here? A recording device of some kind? Something I can use to prove that I was clearly against this?” he asked, glancing around the room.
“Here. Jot down your ass-covering statement on this piece of paper and then get your ass over here,” I demanded.
Jamie’s eyes widened and then a smile slowly spread across his face. “Did little miss Ember just say ass?” He covered his mouth with his hands, like he was trying to hold his laughter in.
I rolled my eyes, “Oh fuck off, pretty boy.”
He bent at the waist, pointed at me, and shook with silent laughter as he struggled to breathe. Finally, he managed to get out each word between laughs, “You. Said. Fuck.” More guffawing.
This went on for several minutes. I was starting to really lose my patience. “Are you done?”
He straightened and wiped his eyes, blowing out a long breath. “I think so.” He laughed some more. “Damn, I have never heard anybody say fuck as dainty and lady like as you did. Promise me something?” he chuckled.
“What?” I stupidly asked.
“Promise me you’ll say it again, just like that! Please!” He fell over on the couch in a fit of laughter again. Oh, I was so going to whoop his ass and not feel bad about it at all.
***
“I think the bleeding has finally stopped. I’m going to grab some fresh ice for you.” I quickly grabbed some ice from our tiny freezer, placed it in a plastic bag, and wrapped it in a towel for Jamie’s nose.
“Do you at least feel better now? I mean, am I in all this pain for no reason?” he griped.
“This definitely has provided me with a distraction,” I hedged.
“Not what I asked,” he said flatly.
“I’m still worried, like seriously worried, but I don’t feel like my insides are trying to crawl through my skin anymore.”
“I’ll take that as a yes then.”
“I’m really sorry Jamie. I didn’t mean to break your nose. I’ve grappled and sparred with Dash tons of times and nothing like this has ever happened,” I explained, truly upset that I hurt him. To really hurt him was never my intention.
He scoffed, “I have a hard time believing that Dash would go bare-knuckle with you.”
Well, didn’t that make me feel like an idiot. “Oh, I guess you’re right. I didn’t think about that.”
Ring! Ring! Ring!
I leaped from the couch to grab the phone, “Dash?”
A deep voice filled my ear, “Sorry, sweetie, it’s Bronze. Copper sent word for me to get you and Jamie to the hospital.”
“Why?” I shrieked. “Who’s hurt?”
“Besides that boy down there with a broken nose, I don’t know. He didn’t have time for details. Just said to get you there. Oh, and he told me to say, ‘Release the Flame.’”
“How did you know about that?” I asked.
“I just told you, Copper said to say that, said it was the passphrase.”
“Not that. About Jamie’s nose?” I huffed.
“I’ve been sitting outside this damn door the whole time watching you two on the monitors. There are four cameras in there. You didn’t know?”
“No, I did not. Wait! You’ve been outside the door the whole time? If you’ve been here, why were we locked in this shoebox?!” I yelled into the phone. I was furious. We’d been in there for hours, wondering if and when anyone would come back for us.
