Page 23

“First aid kit?” Beam asked.
Taz ran from the room and returned just as I was removing my shirt that was now covered in blood. She pushed Beam away and set to work cleaning my wound.
Though I wanted to tell her I was fine, and I could see Beam wanted to protest, I smiled at him.
“Send the info to Tex.” I told him.
He hesitated.
“Beam?” I called, softly.
“I don’t want you leave you with—” Beam cleared his throat.
“I’m okay.” I promised. “Go.”
“Khap.” He nodded.
I focused on everything else but at Taz touching me. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth at the pain and the burn from the disinfectant but otherwise I said nothing.
“He doesn’t trust me with you.”
I frowned. “He’s my partner. He doesn’t trust anyone with me.”
“You don’t have to be strong, you know?” Taz asked. “You were shot.”
“I’m fine.”
“I know you’re angry at me.” She continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “And it took me a while to figure out why. I’m not sleeping with Darby.”
“It doesn’t matter.” My voice cracked. “At least not anymore. It took me a while to get it—to understand and to come to terms with it. But I have now—I just need a moment to exhale.”
She placed a bandage over the wound, and I stood.
“I’m going to clean up.” I told her. “When I come back, I’ll explain what I found.”
“We’re going to have to talk about this!” Taz snapped. “You can’t keep walking around as if I don’t exist.”
“What do you want from me?” I growled.
“Why are you guys yelling?” Darby hollered from the top of the stairs.
“Seriously, stay out of this!” I yelled.
“Not if you’re shouting at her.” He descended the stairs.
I clenched my fist but didn’t move.
“Keep him away from me.” I told Taz in Thai. “Keep him away from me or you’ll both regret it.”
With that, I turned on my heels and left the two of them together.
Knowing that man was alive made me angry. And even if she wasn’t sleeping with him now, she had and would probably again and that drove me crazy.
I wanted to dunk my head under the shower, but I couldn’t.
Sighing, I cleaned up, changed, and made my way back down the stairs. Darby was still there and every time I looked up, he was scowling at me.
I didn’t care.