Warrior Wolf (Protection, Inc 4)

She snatched up the gun and pointed it in his general direction. “Get away from my mate!”

The stranger put his hands in the air. He didn’t smile, but something about his body language suggested that he was only doing it to humor her. “Easy. I’m a friend.”

Raluca wasn’t taking any chances. “Back off.”

Patiently, the dark-eyed man said, “I have medical training. I can help him. Feel free to hold me at gunpoint while I’m doing it, if you like.”

Raluca hesitated. The offer to help Nick was tempting, but she had no idea who the man was or if he could be trusted. And once he got close, he could easily disarm her.

Nick moved in her arms, then caught himself with a groan. His eyes fluttered open, his gaze drifting from her to the man before them.

“What’re you doing here?” Nick mumbled.

“Well, I’m trying to help you,” the stranger replied. Gesturing at Raluca, he said, “But I’ve hit a bit of a roadblock.”

“Let him,” Nick said to Raluca.

“You know him?” Raluca asked. She’d normally trust Nick’s judgment, but he sounded dazed.

“Sort of. He’s a...” Nick looked uncertain, then settled on, “Well, Shane knows him.”

“Should I stand guard?” Raluca asked doubtfully. She could still hear fighting in the distance. Overhead, Lucas and Grigor were a pair of bright sparks in the sky, darting and flashing like shooting stars.

The man shook his head. “I’ll do that too. Anything comes close, I’ll be on it. You just keep holding him.”

Raluca glanced at Nick. He nodded his agreement, looking more clear-headed. “Shane trusts him.”

She laid down the gun.

The dark-eyed man came forward and began examining Nick in a way that made it obvious that he did, in fact, have medical training. She could feel Nick trying not to flinch, though the man’s touch seemed gentle. Since Nick was done with the gun, she took his left hand in hers. He gripped it hard every time the man touched an especially painful spot. The stranger’s dark gaze flicked to their hands every time; nothing seemed to escape him.

Hoping to distract Nick, she asked, “That was Price, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. Fucking coward. He nearly got me, though.” Nick managed the faintest flicker of a smile. “But you wreaked vengeance on him, just like you said you would. Not fiery, but you can’t have everything.”

“Who’s Price?” the stranger asked.

“The black wolf,” Nick said. When the stranger continued to look puzzled, Nick added, “An old enemy.”

“He did all that to you?” the man asked incredulously.

“No, Price just bit me,” Nick said. “Before that, I jumped off a building. And then I got shot.”

“Oh. Well, that explains everything.” The stranger spoke in the same gently sardonic tone as when he’d offered to let Raluca hold him at gunpoint. “You really ought to go to the nearest ER —”

“No!” Nick exclaimed.

The man went on as if Nick hadn’t said a thing, “But since you can’t, have someone take you to Dr. Bedford. It’s a long haul, but you need a doctor, not just a paramedic. Your leg’s broken in at least three places. I can splint it, but you need to get it set by someone with more training than me. And soon, before it starts healing crooked.”

“I know. My shoulder too, right?”

The dark-eyed man shook his head. “That’s just dislocated. I can fix that for you right now.”

Nick flinched. “Oh, fuck. Yeah, go ahead. Get it over with.”

The man’s eyebrows rose. “What do you think I’m going to do? Pull on it?”

“Aren’t you? That’s how I’ve seen it done.”