Page 76 of Tempt

Theo’s eyes flicked to mine. “No, you can stay. Get this over with.”

He nodded once and got to work, pulling out latex gloves, a needle and thread, and disinfectant.

“What happened?” For some reason I couldn’t seem to move from where I’d stopped on the other side of the table. It was like my feet were cemented into the wood flooring.

“Things didn’t exactly go as planned.”

“I can see that.”

He winced as Martin tilted his chin and cleaned the cut above Theo’s eye. “We learned a few things.”

Somehow I knew I wasn’t going to like what he’d learned.

“Turns out Dan Christie still wants me dead.”

Why did he sound so excited? “Is that why you look like a prize fighter?”

Martin pressed the ice pack to Theo’s chin again. “Ice, sir. You have enough going on, at least keep the ice on it.”

Theo gave Martin a look, but did as he was told. “Yes, this is why I look like hell. But really, you should see the other guys. Am I right?”

Martin harrumphed. “He is correct. We, as you would say Miss Riley, kicked their ass.”

I normally loved it when Martin made fun of my Americanisms, but today it just made me sad. “How many people want you dead? How do we handle this?” It was one thing when Toni was the only one left with a vendetta, but Dan was something else entirely.

Theo looked up at Martin again and my stomach churned. “The good news is that Dan wants something more than he wants me dead.”

I closed my eyes and let the anger wash over me. This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen. I was supposed to fall in love with a wonderful, somewhat flawed, sexy guy. We’d fight some, love some more, and live happily ever after with our condo in the city, two dogs, and maybe a kid. Simple. Easy.

Not criminal organizations wanting us dead.

This wasn’t the plan.

But I couldn’t say that to Theo. Instead I balled up my fists and took a couple of calming breaths. “What does he want?” I asked through gritted teeth. (I really needed to stop doing that. I was going to need dental work at the rate I was going.)

Theo didn’t answer. Martin had the needle in his eyebrow, pulling the thread through. Theo’s knuckles were white as he gripped the arms of the chair, but his eyes were locked firmly on mine. Pleading with me to understand. Begging me to love him after he told me the news.

I wanted to freak out and lose my shit. I wanted to scream and cry and break all the windows in the flat. Instead I stood perfectly still, watching Martin put five stitches in Theo’s head. “Where else is he hurt? He looks like he has a broken rib.” Theo had been favoring his left side ever since he sat down.

“Indeed. I believe he has two cracked ribs. The knuckles will heal. He probably has bruises everywhere. I know I do.”

I forgot that Martin wasn’t just the guy who stood by Theo. If there had been a fight, Martin had been in it too.

“Is anyone else hurt?”

“A couple of broken fingers and ribs. Nothing major.” Martin finished the last stitch and cut the thread, then busied himself with putting things away and cleaning himself up while Theo and I stared at each other.

Why were words always so hard to find when they were the most important?

“He wants me to do a job,” Theo said quietly.

Martin paused his hand washing long enough for me to register his surprise. Apparently even he was still shocked by how much Theo trusted me.

“It’s a setup,” I said.

Theo nodded. “It is.”

“What are you going to do?”