I couldn’t. Where would be the thrill and excitement in life? I might not have had a choice when I started this job, but I’d opted to renew my last contract for this very reason. Living dangerously had become a habit. I’d gotten used to the taste of blood, and now it was like a daily multivitamin.
“There’s Kit to think of now.”
“We’re just going to break the team up?”
I stared at him. “At some point, we have to stop. It might not be now or even a year from now, but you get we can’t do this forever, right? We’ll always be challenged. Someone will always want to take us out to claim our spot in this business. And one day, they just might.”
“I’ve never heard you speak this way, Sully.”
“I lost two people close to me, Liam—my brother and my father. I can’t lose anyone else I care about.”
“The Grimaldos will be out for blood. If you wanted to retire, you just made it difficult to do so for a while. They won’t care if you’re inactive. They will come after us.”
“If they figure out it’s us.”
“Let’s hope they don’t. I need to get on home.”
“You don’t have to leave. You can stay the night.”
The guest room was always ready for him. He shook his head. “Not tonight. I think I need to get laid. I’ll get our guy out to repaint the car tomorrow, then take it to the junkyard to get it scrapped.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Call me later and let me know how Kit’s doing.”
Liam left, and I sat in the hall alone, waiting. I hated not knowing what was happening in the room, but Liam was right that I should respect Kit’s wish for privacy.
The door opened, and I scrambled to my feet. “Is he okay?” I asked Doc.
“Such a nice young man,” he said.
“Yes, but is he okay?”
Doc nodded. “He should be fine. You were right. He dislocated his shoulder. It’s back in the right position, but Kit should wear a sling to prevent movement for a week or two. Tomorrow, I want you to take him to my private practice, and I’ll conduct an x-ray so I can be certain there’s no tissue or nerve damage. ”
“Anything else?”
“It’s important for him to rest. He can take any over-the-counter pain relievers when the sedative I gave him wears off. When I see him tomorrow, I’ll give him some exercises he should do after a couple of days to maintain the range of motion for his shoulder.”
“He doesn’t have other injuries? Just the shoulder?”
“Bruises, but nothing a few days of rest won’t heal. I must warn you they’ll get worse first. That’s natural, but time will fix it.”
“Thank you. I’ll take him tomorrow.”
“Good. We open at nine. Be there at eight, so we can get you out of the way before patients start to filter in.”
“You can let yourself out?”
“I would think after eight years I can. Take care of that one, Matthews.”
He headed for the stairs, and I walked into the bedroom. Kit sat propped up against the headboard, a sheet around his waist, leaving his torso bare. His arm was in a black sling that stretched across his naked chest and under his other arm. His right side was already showing discoloration.
“It’s not that bad,” he said softly.
I sat on the bed next to him. “It’s going to look worse.”
“It doesn’t matter how I look. I’m fine.”