Chapter Eighty-Two
Blade
T he second Barrett mentioned the hospital seven years ago, she checked out.
Then the asshole stood, and her expression went so goddamn south, she looked like she was gonna lose it.
“Stand the fuck down,” I ordered, already aiming for her.
“Blade, she has a right to know.”
Her eyes rolled, and the woman went sideways.
I moved.
Catching her before she hit the floor, fucking livid with the lawyer, I yelled at the prick. “You think she doesn’t know exactly what the hell happened to her? Get the fuck out. Go do your goddamn job.” Holding her against my chest, I straightened.
“Blade—”
“GO.” Silently fucking cursing myself for not seeing this coming, I carried her limp body into the bathroom and walked directly into the shower.
Turning on the water, I stepped under the spray.
Her head jerked up, and she sputtered. Shocked, then wild with fear, her eyes sought me out.
My heart kickstarted. “Hey.”
She coughed, then started shivering like hell.
“It’ll warm up in a minute.”
“Blade,” she whispered.
“Right here, woman.” Fuck, my name sounded good on those lips of hers.
“Wh-what happened?”
“LOC.”
“What?”
“Loss of consciousness.”
She stared.
I rephrased. “You fainted.” I should’ve shut the lawyer down the second he’d opened his mouth, but the fucker wasn’t wrong. She had rights.
“I’m sorry.” She looked away from me.
“Don’t fucking do that.”
Some of her attitude came back as the shower heated up. “I can apologize if I want to.”
“I was talking about you turning away from me.” We had shit to discuss, but the woman was in my arms, and I wanted her eyes on me. I tested the waters. “Look at me, Georgia.”
She looked. Immediately. But the storm in her eyes told me all I needed to know.
This woman wasn’t Georgia anymore.
I started over. “Hey.”
Color flushed her cheeks. “Hi.”
My cock fucking pulsed. “Real answer. You good right now?”
“I’m—” She stopped herself, cleared her throat, and started again. “I’m… embarrassed, but otherwise okay right now.”
Lioness. That’s who she fucking was. “You got any questions about the shit the lawyer said?”
She looked down for a beat, then met my gaze again. “No. Thank you. But I can’t afford an attorney, so please tell him to stop whatever he was going to do.”
“You’re not paying him. Not open for discussion. And he’s gonna do his fucking job.” I wanted my hands on this woman for what I had to say next. “You good to stand a minute?”
“Yes.”
I set her down, then took her face in both hands. “I need you to hear what I’m about to say next.”
That fucking fear flooded back into her expression, and her throat moved with a hard swallow. “Okay.”
“It’s over, woman. Ashland and his entire crew are dead. Running from the cartel, the bullshit Ashland fed them about you taking their money, being fucking homeless—that’s all done. You don’t have to hide. No one’s coming after you. No jail. No strings. You’re free and clear.”
She blinked. Then tears rolled down her face. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
I didn’t want her gratitude. “Live your life, woman. Michigan, Miami, anywhere you want to go—do it.”
“What about you?” she asked so damn quiet, I had to shut it down.
“I have a life, woman.” I fucking didn’t. Shit she’d made me realize, but what I wanted and what this woman needed were worlds apart. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I wasn’t. I mean….” She pulled away and glanced at my soaked shirt that was hanging down to her knees. “I meant, what are you going to do about Charlie—or Church? And Reena?”
What I should’ve done two years ago. “I’m letting it go.”
She looked up. “For real?”
If this was the last shower I was getting with this woman, I wanted her to remember something good. “Arms up.” I grabbed the hem of my shirt.
She protested. “You didn’t answer my question.”
I stretched the truth. “Trace evidence is coming off you, woman. Clothes and boots are going. Starting with my shirt. Arms up.”
She raised her arms, but she didn’t drop the subject. “What about Reena’s house being empty all this time? That has to mean something.”
I pulled my T-shirt off her, tossed it aside, then dropped to a squat and downloaded the intel I had. “House is owned by a holding company. Construction firms, mostly. They have several empty properties they sit on until the market turns.” I gripped one of her boots. “Step out.”
She lifted her foot. “But what about how I called her phone and it went to your number?”
I no longer knew if I fucking cared. “What about it?” I yanked off the second boot, then reached for the waistband of her leggings and peeled them down. Christ , her lace thong matched her small-as-fuck bra. “Lift your foot.”
She braced her hands on my shoulders and did as I said. “You don’t seem like the type of person to let that go.”
This woman was going to be the death of me. “I’m a lot of shit, woman.” Like the lawyer said. “Most of it not good.” I tapped her other foot.
She lifted. “I don’t believe that.”
I yanked her pants off and tossed them on top of her boots. “Believe what you want.” Standing up, I grabbed the shampoo. “Head back.”
“What if Reena was kidnapped?” She tipped her face up.
I palmed her throat because I fucking could. Then I made sure all her hair was wet. “You said she left with the blond asshole.” I was done with this conversation. “Let it go, woman.” I dumped shampoo on her head.
I still needed to ask her about that night seven years ago. I wanted to know who the fuck else I needed to kill. But in that moment, she was wet, practically naked, and letting me tend to her without any mouth.
Not saying shit, I took the moment.
I washed a lioness’s hair.