20. Talon #2
“What?” She wiped her hands on her dress and then stopped and looked up.
“Oh. I’m so sorry. I ruined the dress.”
Fuck, she looked like the angel Knox had already nicknamed her.
I couldn’t look away. The heavy breathing of three other bastards was the only sound for a few more seconds.
Ronan was the first to speak.
“We can get you another one. Do you feel better now?”
She straightened her spine and looked at me.
“Yes. Wait. No. Goddamn it. Talon needs to go to the hospital.”
She started toward me when one of the assholes behind her seemed to grow a pair.
“Shit,” Jett said as he sprinted around the table a second too late. The guy held a knife to her throat.
“Look. I didn’t steal anything. It was all him. Let me go, and she won’t get hurt. I don’t want any trouble with the Barones.”
The guy didn’t know Jett from Ronan from Mark. He was low enough he probably wasn’t actually a part of Mark’s scheme.
Mark did the reporting, so no matter what, it fell on him. The problem?
“Listen here, what’s your name?” I asked.
He hesitated but answered.
“Ray.”
I nodded, ignoring the sting in my side.
Margaux’s hands fought to keep his arm away from her neck with only moderate success.
“Ray, you might have been innocent a few minutes ago, but now?”
While the guy was busy watching me, Knox had shifted his stance, and before the guy could blink, he had his gun to the guy's temple.
“You touched what was ours.”
And he fired. Margaux winced, and I should have yelled at Knox for killing the guy so close to her because even with the silencer it was going to be too much. We were going to have to talk about safety.
The knife dropped, and then Margaux let go of his arm before his dead weight pulled her with him.
Knox reached for her, wrapping her in his arms and picking her up before anyone could say anything else.
“Shit. Shit. Shit. I swear, it wasn’t much. I swear. I’ll pay you back.”
Mark was just blabbering now.
“Anyone else involved, Mark? It seems silly to take the blame for everyone,” Ronan said.
Knox walked by still holding Margaux and pulled his knife out of Mark's hand. Mark screamed.
Knox stopped by Jett.
“What part of watch her did you not get?”
Jett backed down.
“I swear I was. It wasn’t like you guys didn’t watch her stab him too. It was fucking hot. How was I supposed to know that Ray suddenly ate his confidence pills.”
They both glanced at the other guy while Ronan kept his gun to Mark’s temple.
“Fuck. There’s another guy. I don’t know his name. He just meets me at the lounge at the Pelican. He always wears a purple handkerchief in his suit pocket. Fuck. He’s the mastermind. He approached me. Swear to god. I don’t know who else. That’s it. I can take you to him.”
Every breath I took was becoming a bit more noticeable when the damn knife shifted. Shit. This was ruining my night.
Margaux struggled to get out of Knox’s arms, and he was fighting her every step of the way.
“No. I need to get to Talon. He needs a doctor.”
She was so damn cute when she was worried about me. I stepped back, leaning against something more solid than my legs.
“I’ll be fine, princess. Promise.”
She glanced at me.
“You’re bleeding. A lot.”
Knox looked my way and he shook his head.
“Shit. You are bleeding a lot. Guess you don’t have to dig the hole today.”
I grabbed my phone and texted the doctor who was loyal to our family.
“Grab some barrels and deal with this tomorrow. Doc can meet us in thirty.”
Not the worst pain I’d ever been in, but the blade had obviously hit something it maybe shouldn’t have. Fucking hell. I hated when the lightheadedness caught up.
Ronan grabbed Mark up and someone shot the other guy.
“Well, Mark, let’s go for a field trip so my boy here can get fixed up.”
Mark’s body crumpled the second Ronan hit him just right and he blacked out.
“Come on, Talon, I’ll get you to the car.”
I reached up and brushed a spec of blood off her cheek, pretending like I wasn’t worried my legs would stop helping me at any second.
“Whatever you say, princess.”
I stumbled a bit noticing I was losing blood a little faster than expected. Jett grabbed my other side.
“Help me lay him down in the back, Margaux,” Jett said. His voice had a serious note to it, telling me this wasn’t a scratch.
She stood next to me on the side without the knife, and I hated that I actually leaned a little on the girl that barely made it to my shoulder.
“You’re kind of short to be of much use.”
I was doing everything I could just to keep myself from passing out.
“Talon, shut up. If you’re good, maybe I’ll kiss your ouchy. But if you’re an asshole, I’m just going to shove that knife in deeper.”
The rain should have been cold on my skin, and maybe that was the first red flag of the moment.
“Margaux, I think you should tell the boys to call the doctor. I’m not feeling too good.”
I registered her hand gripping my arm like she was making a huge difference. Then again, maybe she was the only reason I was walking straight. I wasn’t having a lot of rational thoughts at the moment.
Time wasn’t really registering at this point. I followed the orders that she gave, slipping against the bumper, but someone caught me.
“Talon, hold on there, buddy.”
Jett.
“We need to go to a hospital.”
Margaux.
I felt the warmth of her hands against my cold, clammy skin.
“Princess, do me a favor. I don’t think I can feel my lips.”
I felt the intake of air as her stomach moved. I must have been laying on her lap. I didn’t care. I just knew she was with me.
“You’re an idiot, Talon.”
But she leaned down and I enjoyed the warmth, the softest touch of her lips against mine.
I wanted to pull her back to me as she sat up, but I was feeling pretty fucking tired. At least the thing didn’t hurt right now.
“Talon, if you die on me, I will kill myself just to come haunt your damn ghost.”
I needed to focus on her words. Sleep was sounding better and better.
“I’ll be in hell, princess. You won’t enjoy that vacation.”
I was pretty certain her hands were running over my cheeks right now, but I was cold and numb.
“Talon?”
I heard my name, but it felt like a million miles away. I guess if I had to go, at least it was with her holding me.