8. Liar #3
“I don’t date,” I said, feeling very small, very panicked. The button had fallen to the floor, now stained red from his blood. He’d been shot after I dragged my psycho stalker into his life. “I shouldn’t have gone to your house and brought my problems to you.”
“Is that why you don’t date, because you’re worried about dragging people into your mess?
” He squeezed my hand gently, sending a little bit of comfort and warmth through my chilled limbs.
“I’m in it. Let’s do damage control. Deep breath, Kitten.
We’re going to my place, grabbing my first aid kit, and then we’re going to drive to Vegas in that sweet Camaro of yours.
Can you drive while I bandage myself up?
You’re still hurt, I know. I hate that he hurt you.
I reported him, but protection is slower than a psycho, and he’s in a hurry to take you.
Usually psychos build up to that kind of thing slowly.
How long ago was he stalking you? Were you hiding from him? ”
I clung to his hand even though I was hurting myself with how tight I was squeezing.
“I’ve moved a lot of times, but I haven’t heard from him for a few years.
I thought that maybe he died. He used to be sickly, but he must have gotten better.
” My breathing hitched and I realized that I was hyperventilating. “He shot you. He actually shot you.”
“Easy, Kitten. It’s just a flesh wound.”
I whirled around to glare at him. “You could have been killed!”
His eyes were cold for the first time. “But I wasn’t, and you weren’t taken and enslaved. Not even Christina was harmed, which is a pity. I wouldn’t have gotten shot at all if I didn’t have to deal with her.”
“No, you wouldn’t have been shot at all if you didn’t have to deal with me. I’ll have to move again.” My breathing hitched.
“That’s what I’m saying. Come with me to Vegas. I have friends there that the craziest psycho couldn’t get through. I’ll be safe. You’ll be safe. We’ll have time to track down this… person and take care of any future threats.”
“Why did you say marriage?”
He sighed heavily. “The French poetry. He wants to make you his virginal bride. I’m not the kind of person who marries, but I would love to disappoint your special psycho.”
“I could be wrong, but I don’t think that marriage should be based on that kind of thing.”
“Shared goals. We have more and more common goals the more I get to know you. Marriage in Las Vegas isn’t exactly permanent, and it can be a useful tool if used judiciously.”
I snorted. “The judicious use of marriage? Mr. Honey, I don’t even know your last name.”
“Hammer. I’m Nix Hammer of the Huntington Hammers.”
I nodded. I’d heard of the family. “Your father, wasn’t he a senator?”
“You have a good memory for trivialities.”
“That explains the French. And you went into home health care?” I started laughing. “Your poor mother.”
“That’s exactly what people say when they meet her. Poor thing. And then they drop dead from terror.”
I laughed harder. “Okay. Sure. Let’s go get married in Vegas. I’ll just pack up my favorite board and some pillows.”
“Are you hysterical or earnest? I can’t tell.”
I leaned over and kissed his cheek. He smelled so good, spicy and sweet, my new favorite aftershave. “Both. I am definitely both. Also terrified. How could things have escalated so quickly?”
“Tipping point? He was probably waiting for the right time to approach, but sped things up when he saw me. We were getting slightly friendly. That must have threatened him as well as Christina, although why she’d care who you were or weren’t seeing is beyond me.
Maybe she has a secret passion for your skateboarding skills and worries that a relationship would diminish the time and energy you were able to channel into your art. ”
“That makes sense. I threw my phone out because he’s probably tracking it. That’s probably how he found us when we were vulnerable. Also, I don’t want to ever touch anything he’s touched ever again.”
“That’s logic. I’m so sorry that you have to deal with this, sweetheart.
I should tell you the details of my mother’s deal before you agree.
You have to monogamous for six months, that is, if you choose to be intimate with anyone, that person has to be me.
Also, you’ll have a settlement at the end, some ridiculous sum of money that has no strings attached.
If that’s not enough to see you settled comfortably, I’ll make sure that you get what you need. ”
I sighed heavily. He had no idea how fast you could go through millions when you had special treatments. Luckily for him, I was all done with treatments and was just waiting around to die. I could do that in Las Vegas as well as anywhere else.
“And if something happens to me, if I should die or?—”
He squeezed my hand, but gently, so gently. “He’s not going to hurt you.”
“But if something happens to me before the time is up, your mother has to count the bargain, correct?”
He sighed heavily. “Yes. I’m certainly never doing this again. Getting shot is bad enough, but dealing with Christina’s oppressive breasts is untenable.”
I put my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, trying not to smell his blood. “Can I be like this for a minute? Does it hurt you?”
“No, honey, it doesn’t hurt. You could never hurt me.” He kissed my hair, a brush of his lips that made breathing a little bit easier.
“You’ve clearly never had someone run over your toes with a skateboard. I like to ride around in the living room in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep.”
“That is the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard. I’m looking forward to it.”
I sighed heavily breathing in his delicious scent. “Sex. Did you want a marriage filled with hayrides?”
“Is that what hayrides means? College was worth the tuition. If that’s what you want, I’m sure I can muster up the necessary enthusiasm, but let’s start with safety and then maybe dating. Then maybe we can find out how well things work in the bedroom. I’m fully fine with six months of celibacy.”
“But how could I possibly resist you? You’re the prettiest man I’ve ever seen.”
He cleared his throat. “It’s the bloody wounds. Seriously, Kitten, calling a man pretty isn’t exactly a compliment. Manly, handsome, arrogant, sexy…”
“Ah. My apologies, handsome manly man. Hammer. Sunshine Ray Hammer? Sounds like some kind of superhero weapon.”
“Sunshine Death-Hammer. I, ah, legally changed my name to Death-Hammer when I was eighteen.”
I raised my head to stare at him. “Wow.”
“You could keep your name,” he offered, sounding embarrassed.
“Sunshine Death-Hammer is the best. What a way to go. Nix Death-Hammer, that’s a supervillain name.”
“Thanks. I was eighteen. I got a few embarrassing tattoos too.”
“Oooh. Exciting.”
He grimaced at me. “That arm is aching pretty good. Here we are.” He pulled up in front of his house, put the truck in park, and then slumped over the steering wheel.
“Nix? Nix?” I rubbed his shoulder, but he didn’t move. Was he dead? No. People didn’t die that quickly in real life. I had to fix this, to fix him.
I grabbed his keys and ran to his house, adrenaline flooding my system. It was almost as empty as the last time I’d been there, and in the bedroom were the unpacked boxes and the first aid kit.
I went through it hurriedly. With my medical history, I knew my way around all the equipment.
I got out everything I’d need and packed a quick duffel bag for him, and then went back out to the truck.
There wasn’t too much blood. He should recover soon enough.
Logically, I knew that, but my champion was still slumped over the steering wheel looking pale and waxy.
I exhaled a long breath and examined his wound while he stayed passed out on the steering wheel, and then I did quick stitches, because he was right, there was no bullet in there.
After I stitched him, I went to my house and got all the stuff I’d need for my medical care, put it in my own box, packed the trunk of my Camaro with it and everything else I’d grabbed, including my favorite board, the last one my dad had given me.
I left my aunt a quick note and grabbed my keys.
I drove the Camaro two doors down and then had the awesome task of moving him into my backseat.
The man weighed a ton, but parked right next to him, I was able to maneuver him into the passenger’s seat.
Before we left, I stabbed his leg with a needle, making sure that he had a nice comfortable rest before I pulled out, put the foot on the gas and drove the heck out of Dodge.