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grateful for his hold on her as she leaned forward and screeched at the sampan owners in Mandarin. Their eyes widened and they flipped on the tiny motor at the back of their boat, quickly making way for the rig.
    “Did they not understand what the siren means?” Eli asked as she slid back through the window and settled into the driver’s seat.
    “No, they understood just fine. But we have so many emergencies that they tune us out after a while.”
    “Then what did you say to get them to move like that?”
    “I threatened to cut off their balls and use them as hood ornaments.”
    “It occurs to me that you might not be kidding.”
    “Oh, Trevor was right. You are fresh .” She reached over and tousled his hair. Mistake. It was silk between her fingers and she had this flash of fantasy about running her fingers through it as he did a few things to her that may or may not have involved melted mockolate.
    “Jeez! Look out!”
    Cacy’s hands snapped back to the wheel, and she swerved to avoid an overcrowded NMOB. “Sorry.”
    “Four-three-six, kindly tell me what the fuck you’re doing up there,” Len’s voice spat over the wireless. His flashers painted their rear view. Freaking tailgater.
    Cacy hit the “Reply” key to open the line. “Breaking in the new guy. He likes it rough.”
    Eli didn’t turn to the window quickly enough to hide his smile.
    Len treated them to a truly uninspired string of curses until he heard Cacy snoring over the wireless. He hit the “Mute” key so hard the crack resounded through the cab of their rig.
    “Now that we’re alone again,” Cacy said sweetly, “tell me—did Dec go over canal-site protocol this afternoon?”
    She swung the ambulance into the High Street Canal, which was barely wide enough for two AVs shoulder to shoulder. Massive skyscrapers jutted up on either side, rimmed by wide sidewalks and a low wall to keep people from falling into the water. Up ahead, she could already see the accident. This was going to be bad.
    “He was very thorough, Lieutenant. Both triage and rules of engagement with third-party threats,” Eli said briskly as he leaned forward to peer through the windshield, game face on. Cacy could tell he was already trying to spot the victims.
    “Yeah, well, the fire crews are so overstretched these days that they only make it to half the calls. It looks like we might be on our own on this one, so keep your eyes open.”
    Behind them, Len and two other units made the turn from the Main Canal and motored into the High Street Canal. The flashing lights were reflected in the glass storefronts, but they weren’t necessary at the moment. The canal and sidewalks were empty. The city’s residents knew what happened after accidents and hadn’t stuck around.
    Cacy took a moment to survey the scene; there were a few bodies in the water, but many of them had been hurled onto the sidewalk or against the canal wall. The AV must have been going ungodly fast. It was overturned in the canal, surrounded by the demolished NMOB. She cursed under her breath as she reversed the water jets and spun the rig around in the last intersection before they reached the wreckage. The canal walls seemed high and close as she backed up the rig to the edge of the accident site, listening closely for the chiming alert that would tell her if she was about to hit organic material in the canal. Like a body.
    Len’s voice came over the wireless again. “Just heard from Fire and Police. They’re on their way but advised it will be a minimum of ten till they’re on scene. You want to sit in the rig and wait?”
    “With all due respect, Len—hell, no,” yelled Cacy, pulling to a stop and reaching for her gloves and goggles.
    Eli clearly shared her attitude. He had already zipped on his gloves, strapped on his goggles, and climbed into the back, where he grabbed a med kit and swung open the rear doors.
    “Don’t forget your tranq gun!” she called, getting on her own gear and