“Don’t mention that he’s a stone-cold killer?” Downy asked. “Because he is. Wonder where he learned that from?”
Damn, he’d gone there.
But it was understandable that Downy was still bitter about it. His baby, Ares, had almost gotten killed by the man’s son. Downy was allowed to say something.
Patman picked up the hat that he’d been wearing. The one that’d been knocked to the floor when he’d taken my left fist to his jaw. Then he walked out the door without another word.
“He was lucky you used your left hand instead of your right,” Louis muttered as he took in my fist. “Did you break it?”
It sure the fuck felt like it.
Worth it.
Soooo worth it.
Downy looked at me with a shake of his head. “That was fucking stupid.”
I shrugged my shoulder. “I don’t give a fuck.”
Downy rolled his eyes. “Y’all are a bunch of fucking children. Take the rest of the day off. Go get that checked out, and for God’s sake, stay the fuck away from Patman.”
I couldn’t promise that, and he knew it.
If Patman chose to poke the bear, the bear would goddamn eat him.
“Get checked out for what?” I asked, clenching and unclenching my hand.
“For your hand, moron,” Louis muttered. “Fuck me. That looks broken.”
It was only as I looked at my hand that I’d punched Patman with that I saw all the bruising.
“That’s why I used my left hand,” I admitted. “Can still do all the fun stuff like shoot people and drive.”
“Shoot people and drive.” Downy shook his head. “Get out of here. Don’t think to take the day off tomorrow, either.”
“I’ll take him,” Malachi said. “I had shit I needed to do at the hospital anyway.”
My brow went up. “You did?”
He nodded. “I heard that one of the nurses up there might’ve gotten ahold of my dog that my parents gave up for adoption when I was set to deploy. I want to follow a lead.”
I shrugged and said, “Fine by me.”
Snatching up what was left of my reports, I was just about to leave when Downy’s words stopped me.
“Luke and I did a little digging last night after the event took place. Patman used to be partners with Baker Hughes. I had to ask a couple of old-timers this, but looks like they fought over Adrianna Hughes, and Baker won.”
“Is Adrianna the mom?” Louis asked the question that was on the tip of my tongue.
“Sure is,” Downy confirmed. “And from what I understand, the only reason Adrianna had turned him down at the time was because of her best friend. Which just so happens to be Taryn Patman.”
I groaned. “Messy.”
“Messy indeed,” Downy confirmed.Chapter 15
Let’s get shit faced while the sun is out.
-Aurora to Hastings
Hastings
“Hello?” I answered distractedly.
My hero was sucking on my heroine’s nipples, his fingers buried deep in her pussy, and they were about to get it on. Outside.
Right in the middle of everything and everyone.
Though, my heroine and hero were at a camp out on the beach and there was no light to be seen except for moonlight.
“Um, yeah.” There was a gruff male’s voice on the other end. “Is this Hastings?”
The scene in my head started to slip away from my grasp.
I frowned as I said, “This is she.”
Her? Was it this is she? Or this is her? I could never remember.
“Yeah, this is Malachi, one of Sammy’s friends?” He paused. “We’re on the SWAT team together. I’m in 377B at what you call ‘cop row?’”
I tilted my head and looked away from my computer screen.
At the mention of Sammy, my heart started to speed.
“Yes,” I said. “I know who you are.”
And I did.
I knew who all of them were.
I made it my business to know.
If they were living around me, I wanted to know who they were.
That was that.
I was also getting to know their women, and even their animals. But, as far as I knew, Malachi didn’t have a woman.
Though, he’d recently acquired a dog that he started to pay a pet deposit for.
“Yeah, there’s no easy way to say this but, I’m at the hospital with Sammy,” he said. “Sammy’s fine, but he’s gonna need someone to drive him home. He got into a little bind today, and I have to get back on duty.”
I was up and out of my seat in seconds.
“I’ll be right there.” I paused. “Which hospital?”
Then I smacked myself in the forehead. The other hospital in Kilgore, Mercy, had slowly started to be shut down over the last month. My sister had been let go from her job, and had recently moved over to the freestanding one in Longview.
Mercy no longer had an Emergency Department.
“The—” he started to say, but I interrupted him.
“I’ll be there in a bit,” I said.
“Okay,” he said, sounding amused.
I wasn’t amused.
I was flustered.
Which had to be the reason why I got up out of my chair and decided that only putting leggings on as well as a pair of UGG boots was the best course of action.