Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
King
Bennett and Aven mill about behind the farmhouse. A large fishpond stretches before them. In the distance, horses graze in front of a hazy sunset backdrop. Frogs croak, and Aven laughs at something Bennett says.
I’m too far off to discern the joke, both physically and mentally.
It’s been a long day. The women were in no state to continue after their booze-laden brunch, save Eve.
She stuck to water while the rest of the hens drank themselves dizzy.
Once the last bird rises from her nesting box, we’ll let the lot of them have a final scratch in the dirt before we set off again.
“You got any fish in this pond?” Bennett shouts toward me.
I study the vase in his hand. “Indeed. I’d forgo the pond.” I point to a knoll in the distance. “That spot would be much better. The horses might get a nibble of her, but nothing else will.”
“You hear that, Ma? You get to be horse shit now.” He pats the vase and walks away with Aven in tow.
I’m impressed with how Bennett and Ezra have accepted their brother and sister into the fold.
The two of them had grown so close via their mutual hatred for their father and their similar hobbies, and I worried they wouldn’t have the space to let anyone else in.
Leave it to Jim to show me that they had room for not only their family, but for love lives as well.
My chest tightens as I consider what that final moment will be like when they encounter the man who doesn’t deserve their forgiveness, but who will probably grovel for it anyway. I nudge the dirt with my sneaker.
“Pathetic,” I whisper.
Ice Pick wanders from the farmhouse and starts up the hill toward Bennett and Aven.
I did a little digging into the Ice Pick side quest, just as I said I would, but I spent most of my alone time staring at those pictures again.
Then I tortured myself some more by reading the letters a second time.
Or was it my third? I’ve lost count. I only know that each time I peek behind the curtain, I grow more and more afraid of how this tragedy might end.
“You ready to head out?” Josie asks behind me. Her footsteps crunch dry grass as she comes closer.
I don’t turn around. “Is someone finally awake again?”
Leaning against an old fence post, I skip a flat rock across the water. Josie steps closer and does the same, but her rock sinks after the first impact.
I steal a few glances as she searches for another stone. A pale pink t-shirt hangs off her shoulder, exposing her black bra strap. Her tiny cotton shorts contain all but the perfect sliver of cheek. I want to get on my knees and bite that supple skin.
“That’s a good one. Down there.” I wiggle my finger at the ground.
Josie bends lower, searching. “I don’t see anything.”
“Yes, like that,” I say, and she stands upright and scowls at me, realizing my game. She goes back to searching again, facing her perfect ass away from me this time.
Across the water, movement drags my attention away from Josie. The men make their pilgrimage to the holy knoll, but as they near the top, Ice Pick slips in what I can only assume is a fresh mound of horse droppings.
Down he goes, ass over teakettle. He ragdolls a few more times before rolling as his body shape requires. He lands on his ass a few feet from the opposite end of the pond.
He pats his head and looks down at his gut before giving me a thumbs up. “I’m okay!”
I sigh and return the gesture.
“He’s lucky to be alive,” Josie says as she chooses a smooth stone. “He could have broken his neck at least five times just now.”
“Yes, well, he’d need a neck for that, now, wouldn’t he?”
“God, what is wrong with you? You’re so mean. Are you sure you didn’t sleep with his girl?”
“We’ve established I didn’t, and if you ask again, I’ll be forced to punish you.”
She laughs in my face. “Oh no, what will you do? Tie me up and eat my pussy until I come again? Please don’t do that!”
My hand shoots out, and I grip that loose ponytail hanging from her head. With a growl, I snatch it backward, exposing her throat to me. “Worse, my beauty. I’ll deny you any pleasure at all.”
She finally starts to fight against me as I bend close to her lips. As she pushes me away, I can only smile down at her. What did the kids say back in the day? Payback’s a bitch?
Yeah. That.
“You wouldn’t dare try to kiss me.” Her eyes narrow as I release her hair. “The girls told me what you did in the arena last night. Sounds like someone was willing to sacrifice their life for someone else. Pretty sure that’s love, King.”
“Bollocks. Wasn’t a real gun.”
She shrugs and adjusts her ponytail. “You didn’t know that, yet you still stepped into the danger zone.”
“Hate to disappoint you, Ice Man, but you and your chums have it all wrong. I didn’t—”
“If I can’t have her, nobody can.”
Our heads jerk toward the sound of a voice. Blayne stands a few feet away, gun drawn. But I’m not afraid. I’ve seen a more convincing tough-guy act from a five-year-old in a standoff with his mum at the sweets counter. If I were a betting man—and I am—I’d wager it all that this is staged.
In fact, I’m willing to wager Josie’s life.
I take a step to the side before Blayne can pull the trigger. Gunfire pierces the air a split second later, and Josie jerks back with a scream. Then she lets out another scream, this one much more frantic.
“You piece of shit, you let him shoot me!” She starts panting, but I don’t turn around. She isn’t fooling me. “Oh, I feel . . . lightheaded.”
“Shit,” Blayne says. He drops the gun and runs his hands through his curly hair, but his fingers tangle instantly. “They said it was a prop gun!”
For a serial killer, he sure does look pale in the face at the thought of shooting someone. But again, this must be part of the act. I must admit, it’s far more convincing than his opening line.
Unfortunately, as I turn, I realize too late that she wasn’t kidding and he’s no longer acting. The bullet only grazed the meaty part of her shoulder, but it’s deep enough that it needs tending.
Damn, it’s a lucky thing I moved. If I hadn’t, that would have been right in line with . . .
My heart.
I push the thought away as I scoop Josie into my arms. Blayne keeps repeating how the bullets were supposed to be blanks, how the gun wasn’t supposed to fire an actual round. Even if he’s telling the truth, it doesn’t matter right now. We need to stop this bleeding.
“Go find Grim and Rose and tell them to hoof it to my RV,” I say to him.
He scrambles to his feet and takes off toward the farmhouse.
“And tell them to bring the medical supplies!”
Clutching Josie to my chest, I pick my way through the brush and into the backyard.
She’ll be more comfortable writhing in pain in the privacy of our RV.
That’s why I didn’t opt to take her into the farmhouse.
Being witnessed in the throes of passion is fine, but she’d prefer no one see her in this state.
Not to mention, we’re already behind, and we need to get moving the moment her arm is patched up. I’ll deal with Blayne later. For now, she’s my focus.
Her eyes flutter open. She takes one look at her arm and passes out again. I hear the AOL signoff in my head.
Goodbye.
“What a mess you’ve gotten yourself into now.” I adjust my grip as she starts to come to again. “Stick with me, my beauty. The bullet just grazed your arm. Might leave a scar, but at least you’ll walk away with your life.”
Sweat pops onto her forehead as she comes round fully. “Shit, it hurts. Why’s it so fucking hot?”
“That’s the adrenaline. You’re having a hot flash. It’ll pass if you just give it time, and not long now.”
She goes quiet, which forces me to listen to my heavy-ass breathing as I cart her up one hill after another. By the time we reach the RVs, I’m thoroughly winded. I blame Jim for fucking up my gym regimen.
I set her on her feet as we reach the RV. The bleeding has mostly stopped, and she’s gotten hold of herself again. As I pull the keys from my pocket, she limps along behind me. I want to be patient with her melodrama, I really do, but why is she limping?
“There’s nothing wrong with your damn legs. Why are you walking like that?” I open the door and help her inside.
She trudges to the bed in the back, hobbling the entire way. “I don’t fucking know. My arm hurts, and my legs are being sympathetic. I’m sorry I’m not reacting the way you hoped. This is my first time as a shooting victim!”
Footsteps clomp up the RV stairs, and Grim and Rose appear behind me. I glance over my shoulder as I roll up her shirt sleeve. She pulls the bobby pin from her bra and secures the fabric out of the way.
“Is this the patient?” Grim asks.
“No, it’s the other woman with a gunshot wound,” Josie grits out.
Grim turns to leave. “Best of luck with your injury, little crab.”
Rose stands in his way, arms folded over her chest. She shakes her head and points a wrinkled finger toward Josie, directing him back the way he came.
He curses in German and does as he’s told. Rose follows him and takes a seat beside Josie on the bed. Grim holds a light, illuminating the work surface so that Rose can clean the wound and stitch it closed.
I snatch off my leather belt in one swipe and offer it to Josie to bite down on, but she shakes her head. My indomitable little filly. Can’t stand the sight of her own blood, and she limps when you shoot her in the arm, but she’s tough as nails when it comes to getting stitched up.
Sweat pops onto her forehead again as Rose numbs the area. I fetch a cloth and a bowl of ice water, then sit at her other side. Without a word, I dip the cloth into the ice bath and use it to cool her skin. Josie closes her eyes, and her breathing slows.
Rose is a quick seamstress, and Josie is patched up beautifully within minutes. She leans back to admire her work. Satisfied, she nods at Grim and takes his hand, where she scrawls a message into his palm.
He turns to Josie. “Keep it clean, and you should not have any problems. The wound’s appearance is worse than the risk it poses to your health. If you could avoid walking into bullets in the future, this is advisable.”
“First off, I didn’t walk into a bullet. Second, Mister Romantic over here moved out of the way.” She hikes her thumb toward me. “If you’re going to cast blame, at least aim in the right direction.”
Grim looks at Rose to defend him, but she just smiles and shrugs. Even I can read the meaning behind that: She’s got you there, old man.
Rose pulls Grim’s hand to her chest, and she scrawls something on his palm. She wears a smile the entire time. When she finishes, he shakes his head.
She writes something else, the smile gone.
Grim sighs.
“Rose would like to invite the two of you to join us for dinner when we arrive at our next stop.”
She pushes his shoulder.
“Our treat,” he grumbles.
Josie responds before I can. “After you stitched up my arm, I don’t see how we can say no. But please, it’s on us.”
“By us, you mean me,” I mutter.
“King!”
Right, right. I should be grateful they helped the little brat at all. “Our treat,” I say to Rose. “In fact, I’ll plan the whole thing.”
I have just the place in mind.