Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
She tried her best to hide the bruises with makeup.
Still they showed through. Lottie could already hear the comments.
Who did that to you? I hope whoever hit you got theirs.
I hope you left that jerk. The worse would be seeing Razor and Hemlock, mostly Razor.
She knew the way the man was about women being handled roughly.
But no one had handled her in any way. The wine had been the culprit.
That was something she was struggling with.
She’d never been a heavy drinker, lately it had become every night.
As soon as she got home from her shift at the clinic.
Whether it was six in the evening or six in the morning, she was drinking to go to sleep.
Drinking when she took a bath. When she ate.
Any excuse to have a glass of wine she had managed to find it.
Checking the time, Lottie saw she needed to finish getting dressed. She hadn’t done any grocery shopping in the past few weeks, and she wanted food. There was a small diner on her way to the clinic. She’d stop in and grab something to go. Maybe have a coffee while she waited.
After putting on her scrubs, Lottie walked to the door where her work shoes sat on the shoe mat and put them on. Looking around, she took her purse from the side table and headed out the door.
It took her twenty minutes to get to the pastry shop, another twenty to get waited on.
Then she stood watching the clock as she waited on her to-go order.
“I sure hope he got his, sweetie.” Lottie closed her eyes hearing the first of many comments she had predicted she’d hear.
Nodding at the older woman walking passed her she kept her mouth shut.
Finally, with her order in hand, she headed to work. She didn’t hesitate when she arrived. She just pushed the door open and stepped inside. The sound of the door’s bell chiming, Lottie growled under her breath. She was starting to hate the dame bell.
Hemlock stood talking to Gretchen about some changes he wanted to make to how they approached patients when they came in. The receptionist didn’t have the best bedside manner. She could be rude and abrupt when dealing with some of the patients.
When the bell rang, he looked to see who was walking into the clinic.
Smiling he started to greet Lottie with a friendly hello when he caught sight of her face.
Excusing himself from speaking with Gretchen, he opened the door leading from the waiting room to the back.
Taking her by the elbow, Hemlock led her towards one of the offices.
Lottie tried to get her arm away from him. “Hemlock, let go…”
“Don’t. Just keep walking,” he told her as he thought about who could have done this to her.
From what he knew about his co-worker she wasn’t dating anyone.
He’d have to give Razor a heads up. The last thing he needed was for the brother to see Lottie looking like a battered woman without notice.
No matter what the man said he was half in love with Lottie.
Closing the door he turned and faced her. “Talk to me.”
“It’s nothing, Hemlock. Just an accident at the apartment,” she told him, not wanting to get into it. Technically Hemlock was her co-worker, but she knew he was trying to buy out the older doctor. If he did that, then he could act like her boss. For now, the big brother act was annoying her.
“Lottie, it’s not nothing. If you fell and hit your face or head, we should geta scan done.”
Done with the lecture she stopped him, “I don’t have a brother, and I don’t need one. It was an accident and I’m fine. Leave it alone.”
Digging in the paper bag from the diner she shoved a paper wrapped breakfast sandwich towards him. “I brought you a ham, egg, and cheese biscuit.” When he took it, she snapped one last comment before walking out of the room. “You’re welcome.”
Storming out of the room, Lottie calmed herself down long enough to bring the receptionist her breakfast sandwich before she stalked back down the hall to hide until she was needed.
Hemlock stood holding the sandwich. On one hand, he wanted to leave things be, but he knew Razor would give him a heads up if the shoe was on the other foot. With that thought, he took out his phone and called the brother.
* * *
Razor sat in his apartment, savoring the warmth of his coffee as he gazed out over the river.
The peaceful moment was shattered when the phone rang in the other room.
He closed his eyes briefly, wishing for just one uninterrupted morning.
With a sigh, he rose and walked into the kitchen, retrieving his phone just as the ringing ceased.
Seeing Hemlock's name in the call log sent a ripple of unease through him. Wasting no time, he called back.
“Hemlock. Is everything okay?”
That was a loaded question, Hemlock thought. “With the clinic, yes.”
Razor’s jaw tightened. If the clinic was fine, then the problem had to be elsewhere. If it were the chapter, Vicious or Teller would’ve called. “Then what’s the problem?”
“Lottie.”
The name hit him like a punch to the gut. He’d seen her Friday… at The Red Door. But nothing had seemed off then. “What about her?” His voice came out sharper than intended.
“She said it was an accident.”
“Hemlock! What happened to Lottie?” His stomach churned. For fuck’s sake.
“Her face is bruised on one side. I asked what happened, and she brushed it off. Said it was no big deal. An accident at the apartment, that’s all.”
Razor’s grip on the phone tightened until his knuckles turned white. If someone had laid hands on Lottie, they were going to wish they hadn’t. “Thanks for the heads-up, brother.”
“Yep. I didn’t want you to come in and be blindsided when you see her.”
Hanging up, Razor knew his morning was well and truly over.
He drained the last of his coffee, barely tasting it, before rinsing the cup out in the sink.
His thoughts churned as he grabbed his keys and headed for the door.
She might not have wanted to talk to Hemlock, but she’d talk to him.
Even if he had to pull the truth out of her stubborn ass.
Twenty minutes later, he walked through the back door of the clinic. His aim was to find Lottie and get to the bottom of things. Rounding the corner, he came up short when a patient room door flew open, and Lottie stepped out running smack into him.
Lottie looked up locking eyes with Razor. Her breath hitched, and she immediately averted her face, muttering an apology. When he took her by the hand, dragging her towards an office, her pulse quickened. “I have to let Doctor Primo know the patient’s waiting.”
Razor didn’t slow, his grip firm but not painful. He threw the door open and barked, “Hemlock!”
Hemlock peered from within the storage room, eyebrows raised. “Tell Primo the patient’s waiting in room two.” Before he got a response, Razor shut the door and leaned against it, blocking Lottie’s exit. His piercing eyes pinned her in place. “What happened to your face?”
“I was relaxing in the tub with a pizza and a bottle of wine.” She tried to sound casual, brushing her hair behind her ear. “When I got out, I tripped trying not to step on the plate or the bottle.”
“And?” His arms crossed as he loomed closer.
“I fell against the counter and hit my face.”
Razor moved closer still, his eyes narrowing as he reached out and tilted her chin up. She stiffened but didn’t pull away in time. Even with the makeup, he could see the dark purple marks. His thumb hovered just below the bruise. “You must have hit it hard to have bruises this deep.”
“I thought I cracked my face.” Her voice wavered slightly, betraying her nerves.
“I want a scan, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Fine.” She crossed her arms defensively. “But it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Razor raised an eyebrow and reached for the bruise again. Lottie flinched, stepping back quickly to avoid his touch. A muscle in his jaw ticked. “I see it doesn’t hurt.”
“Asshole.” Her defiance flared, though her voice lacked its usual bite.
“You know, Lottie,” he said, leaning against the desk now, “I would have expected you to be out on the town on a Friday night.” His tone was probing, testing her.
“I don’t go out that much these days.” Her eyes flicked away as she sidestepped him, inching toward the door.
Razor watched her closely, his gaze drilling into her as she pulled the door open and slipped out. She’d get the scan when she had time, but she wouldn’t be discussing her home life with him.
Watching Lottie scurry away would’ve been funny if he hadn’t seen the pain lingering in her eyes.