Tritium Gambit (Max and Miranda Book 1) by Erik Hyrkas Page A

awesome!”
    Miranda whispered something to herself that I couldn’t hear. She might have said something like ship, but I couldn’t tell. She stood unsteadily, testing her bandaged leg. “Well, we can’t sit here all cozy and comfy while Tyler is being eaten.”
    “ Well, when you put it like that...” I looked for a place to recline.
    “ Come on, Chuck Norris,” she said.
    “ He prefers to be called sheriff,” I pointed out.
    She coughed. “Max, you and I are leaving. The sheriff has his own worries.”
    “ You can barely walk,” I said.
    “ I think it’s a fracture, and you probably shouldn’t walk on it until you have it properly looked at,” John said.
    She shook her head. “I’m fine. Bruce Lee and I have business to take care of.”
    “ Are you sure? You know that I can fix that, right?” I asked.
    She looked at me. “You can fix my broken leg?”
    “ Sure. You know how I am able to heal really fast?”
    She looked cautiously at me. “Yes.”
    “ Well, I can heal other people, too.”
    She started to take another step toward the door, winced, and turned around. She hobbled back to the recliner. “Fine. This is your one and only chance to play doctor. Make it count.”
    I pulled the emergency knife out of my boot.
    She looked like she might change her mind. “What are you going to do with that?”
    I stabbed myself in the forearm, sinking the knife to the hilt. I inhaled to manage my pain. When I pulled the blade out, it was covered with my blood. The wound healed as I watched.
    Miranda looked a little pale. “I am not going to drink that.”
    “ Gross,” I said.
    I quickly flipped the blade in my hand and stabbed her in her broken shin. There was a small explosion behind my eyes and the world rocked. I lost track of my surroundings for a moment then, and when I opened my eyes, I was lying on a broken table. The room was empty and I realized that Miranda had managed to knock me out cold. No flirting this time like when she hit me before. From my vantage point on the floor, I could see feet at the kitchen table in the next room.
    “ This is delicious,” I heard Miranda say. “What’s in it?”
    “ It’s a family recipe, but I have to say, it actually tastes a little different than usual,” John answered. “Slightly spicier.”
    Probably the evil apple I spit into it, I thought. I found my knife lodged three inches into my thigh. I took it out, cleaned it off, and returned it to my boot. My thigh burned as it healed. I closed my eyes momentarily as the pain flared and then subsided.
    I walked into the kitchen. “Sorry that I went to sleep on the job.”
    “ No problem,” she said, and I saw her smile return. “You should try John’s stew!”
    “ I’m really not that hungry, thanks.”
    She took another big bite. “Your loss.”
    “ I thought you were worried about Tyler being eaten.”
    She shoveled in a few more bites. “I’m so hungry.”
    “ That’d be the hormones from my blood kicking in,” I murmured. I cleared my throat. “You might notice some changes in your behavior for the next day or two, but probably not longer than that.”
    “ I feel great!” Then she seemed to really notice me. “You know, you’re kind of hot.”
    “ Yeah, I know. Don’t worry; you’ll be back to normal in no time.”
    A beeping sound emitted from John’s pocket. The sheriff stood and pulled out a device that resembled a universal remote. “Well, whatever the creature is, I’ve got it!” He pressed a button on the remote and the beeping stopped.
    “ What happened?” I asked.
    “ One of my traps was set off,” John said. “I put a few of them down in different places where I suspected it’s been moving.”
    “ How far away is the trap?” Miranda asked between bites.
    He glanced at the readout on his remote. “A few miles away,” John replied. “We’ll actually be crossing back into my jurisdiction to check this trap.” He marched toward the door and I followed.
    “