Chapter Thirty-One
RHYS
FEAR AND rage rush through me as I see Dunn lower his hands and turn toward Kinley and Jax with the gun in his hand. The metal flashes in the beam of Mason’s flashlight, and I don’t think, I just shoot.
My only thought is to ensure Kinley’s safety.
As soon as he goes down, Mason takes three large steps toward him and kicks the gun away from him, his gun aimed at Dunn’s head, as I turn to look for Kinley. Jax is shielding her body with his, his arm over her head, and I run toward them.
“Kinley!” Her name bursts from my lips. I don’t consciously say her name, it just flows out on a rush of panic combined with relief as I plow over plants and wires to get to her.
“Rhys.” She turns in Jax’s arms, and he holds her up as she falls toward me.
I’ve never been so scared in my life. When I heard the gunshot and then her scream, my heart jumped into my throat, and I just knew I’d lost her.
Pulling her against me, holding her tight like my life depends on it, I duck my head to her neck, and her arms go around me, her fingers digging into the skin on my shoulder blades.
“Fuck, baby, I thought I lost you. You fucking scared me.” I kiss her neck and put my lips next to her ear. “I love you, babydoll.”
The rain has turned into a drizzle, and I can taste blood on my lips. “Let me see.” I grab her shoulders and hold her away from me. “Flashlight.” I say in Jax’s direction.
He turns his light on her, and I see blood all over the side of her head and down her neck. The fucker almost killed her, the bullet grazed her head over her ear, but just half an inch could have taken her from me.
She’s looking up at my face, watching me, as I inspect the bloody gash on her head. Jax is standing next to me with the light, looking at it, too.
He shrugs his shoulder. “I’ve had worse.”
Grasping my chin, she makes me look at her as she slides her thumb over my lips. For seconds her eyes volley between mine before she whispers, “I love you, too.”
“I’m going to help Mason.” Jax mutters as he turns away, taking his light with him.
Snaking my arm around her waist, I pull her to me again and softly press my lips to hers.
“Do I call the cops or are we taking care of it?” I hear Mr. Harlow’s deep, gravely voice walking up behind Mason.
My first thought is, I wonder if they’ve ‘taken care of it’ before. My second thought is whether I would help them ‘take care of’ this if I didn’t need it for my case.
Would I cross lines I’ve never even considered crossing for her?
Yes, I fucking would.
Touching my forehead to hers, I smile and answer him, “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that. Call the cops, I need this for my case.” Lowering my voice, I say so Kinley can hear. “And to keep my job.”
“Is she okay?” Her dad asks, his voice getting closer.
Turning her toward him, I pick her up and carry her out of the garden. She’s covered in mud, blood, and she’s soaking wet.
Her arm goes across my shoulders. “I’m okay, Dad.” The adrenaline is wearing off, and her body is shaking.
“That’s an awful lot of blood for someone who claims to be okay.” He says, walking up to her with his flashlight to inspect her like a lion inspecting its cub.
“It’s just a scratch.” She says, the affection for her father obvious in her voice.
I’ve been grazed several times before when I was in the Rangers, and I know they burn like a motherfucker. When the adrenaline wears off completely, she’ll be singing a different tune.
Mr. Harlow stands in front of us and sets his hand on her cheek, looking at her face. I’m pretty sure the old man’s eyes are glassy as he looks at her, but he doesn’t say anything.
She grabs his hand on her cheek and smiles at him. “I’m fine, Dad, I promise.”
His gaze moves over her face for another second before he nods and gently pats her cheek before turning away.
She lays her head on my shoulder, and her trembling fingers clasp the area where my neck meets my shoulder as she pushes her nose against my neck and inhales. I kiss her forehead and walk toward the big house. “Come on, the paramedics will be here soon.”
Later in the ER room, Kinley is pissed. “You could have supported me.” She crosses her arms over her chest with a huff and looks at the wall across from me.
She looks small in the bed in the hospital gown and the five blankets piled around her because she was so cold. Being in pain or cold didn’t stop her from almost having a meltdown when they started shaving a small section of her hair from around the cut.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, I’m trying not to laugh at her. “It’s standard procedure, baby. They have to do that to prevent infection.”
Her eyebrows are pulled together so hard that they might become one, and her eyes flick back to me.
“I won’t be able to fix my hair into a half updo for months, and the holidays are coming.
I’m limited to only up or down, and even some of my up choices are now gone.
Couldn’t they have shaved a smaller section, closer to the cut? ”
Grabbing her hand from under her arm, she tries to pull away, but I hold fast, and when she gives up, I clasp it between mine. “Baby, they’re doctors, not hairdressers.”
“Whatever.” Her lips are pulled tight into a straight line, and she rolls her eyes to look away again.
“Sounds like you’re feeling better.” Mason’s voice has both of us turning our heads toward the door.
If looks could kill, Kinley’s condescending smirk would have incinerated him on the spot. “What do you know, Mason? You shave your hair off so you all look the same.”
“Whoa, whoa.” Jax walks in behind Mason with his hands up. “What do you mean ‘you all’?”
Another ‘fuck-you’ squint is given by Kinley. “You know what I mean! All you military, muscle-bound, tough-guy, jarhead types.”
I don’t think I’ve seen her so pissed.
Jax sets his hand over his heart. “I’ve been trying to bulk up, it means a lot you noticed.”
Mason is quiet and serious, standing next to the bed in his usual at-ease position with his hands tucked under his arms. “Why were you outside by yourself?”
Kinley’s eye-roll is so big her head moves with it. “I was coming to get you!”
“You could have called. Why didn’t you call?”
Answering for her, I lock eyes with Mason. “I wanted her out of the cabin and in the big house where it was safe while I contained Sanders. I told her to go to the house and send you, thinking Sanders was the only threat.”
His eyes stay locked with mine, the anger evident.
“Hey!” Kinley lets go of my hand and snaps her fingers at Mason, her anger just as palpable. When he looks at her, she nearly explodes. “I’m not a fucking child, Mason! Stop acting like I don’t have a goddamn brain in my head and I couldn’t possibly live on this Earth without you holding my hand.”
They have a stare-off for several long moments before Mason caves, and his face softens. “Do you know where I was when Marley was being beaten and raped?”
Kinley jerks her head like he slapped her, and her eyes go wide as shock replaces the anger.
Mason continues without an answer. “I was inside having fun and drinking with my friends, after I handed her the keys to my truck, instead of walking out to the parking lot with her. If I’d gone the extra step, been a little more protective, her life wouldn’t have been ruined.”
Kinley told me about the night of Mason and Marley’s senior prom, it was one of Marley’s classmates who caught her unaware and alone in the parking lot in the field. Mason walked up on the guy when he wondered what was taking so long, and nearly killed him after he pulled him off her.
She said the guilt nearly killed Mason, who barely left his twin’s side after that, and Marley never fully recovered and never trusted another man outside of her family until Jax.
Her eyes are still wide, and she swallows as her chin starts to wobble. “Mason, I…”
He steps to her other bedside and reaches for her hand, she quickly takes his hand.
“I’m not telling you that because I want you to feel guilty, Kins.
I’m telling you that because that night changed a part of me that will never back down, the part of me that takes care of the people I love.
You can be mad at me all you want, but I’ll never make a mistake like that again. ”
Her beautiful hazel eyes are sparkling with tears as she looks up at him. “I’m sorry.”
Leaning over and putting his hand on her shoulder, he gently kisses her temple and leans back enough that he can look her in the eye. “I don’t want you to be sorry, Kins, I want you to understand.”
She nods and sniffs. “I understand.” But then she hits back. “But you can’t keep blaming Rhys for things that are outside our control.” Her eyes volley between his for a moment, and her voice is soft and gentle. “I need you to stop. Do you understand?”
It’s written all over her face, she’s asking her brother to accept me. My tough as nails baby is standing up to her tough as nails brother - for me. I don’t want her to ever fight my battles for me, but my chest constricts at the depth of love I’m feeling for her right now.
The silent staring match doesn’t last long before he relents and nods once. “I understand.”
After Mason and Jax leave, she lets her head fall back onto the pillow behind her. Exhaustion makes her body sag, and I cup her cheek as I lean closer. “Baby, I don’t care about your hair.”
Before I can finish my thought, she angrily lifts her head and looks at me like she can’t believe I said that. “I work hard to look nice, Rhys.”
I love her clap-back, always like a little kitten swinging in the air with claws extended.
“And you always look beautiful.” I twist a piece of hair around my fingers.
“I love your hair.” Leaning forward, I kiss the corner of her eye.
“I love your eyes.” Next, I kiss her lips.
“I can’t express how much I love these lips. ”
The anger has drained from her face, and her head leans slightly into me to follow my lips after I pull away from the kiss. Sliding my lips across her jaw, I kiss her neck under her ear. “I love your voice.” Her breath comes quicker, and a soft hum vibrates in her chest.
Cupping her head between my hands, I kiss her again, and she sighs as I pull away. “What I’m trying to tell you is that the only thing that matters is that I still have you. I just got you. I have plans.”
Her lips curl up as she tilts her head into one of my palms. “Oh yeah? What plans?”
“If I tell you, I’d have to kill you. They’re on a need to know right now.”
“You said ‘plans’, plural. Can I have a hint for just one? Pretend it’s Christmas.”
Sliding my thumb across her beautiful, full lips, I let out an exasperated sigh.
“I do need to know what you thought of the pool house. Do you think you could paint in there? I know it’s not as nice as what you have at the ranch, but we can talk about any changes you want to make to turn it into a true art studio. ”
Her lips stretch across her face even more. “Really?”
“I don’t think I can go back to not having you with me every day.”
“You think you can handle it? I can be… difficult …sometimes.” She lifts a brow, and I remember the first night I met her, and I asked her if she’s always difficult.
“I love a challenge. And besides, someone has to eat all that junk food you stuffed my kitchen with.”
Her eyes lower as the smile falls from her face, and she looks at her hands on her lap. “What about when work gets stressful?”
“Look at me.” The command comes out rougher than I intend.
Her eyes flick back up to me, the green brilliant behind the gold.
“I will bring work home, that’s just part of who I am, but I promise you I will always make sure you know what’s going on, and I will never put any of that before me and you. You’re more important.”
Her smile comes back, and her eyes are shining. “Okay. Let’s do it.”