Page 45 of Cowboy Heat

“He showed up at my door before I called. Then I grabbed him to help me here since I didn’t know what was going on. I figured the more able-bodied people the better.”

Damien Guidry isn’t his brother. I don’t know who he is past that, but him not being Guidry was enough to grab him by the scruff and tell him to drive to Kissy’s, since I didn’t know the way. Then, one look through the windows around the house, and I gave him clear instructions that, I’m happy to see, he followed. “Bang on the door. Don’t stop until you hear me say come in. I need a distraction and something to muffle the noise of me breaking in.”

I don’t know their history, and I’m not sure if this upsets Kissy, but she takes the explanation without comment.

I finish cutting the tape from her pants so she can move. I stand to look at her cheek next. I’m gentle as I run my thumb under the cut.

Blood is still coming out, but not too much.

“It won’t scar,” I tell her. “Just might be a pain for a few days.”

She has her own kind of quickness. One that doesn’t alert my defenses.

Kissy’s hand mirrors mine until she takes my face in hers. She looks at my scar. We both know it.

I’ve seen the thing hundreds of times in the mirror since the explosion happened, and yet I feel like it’s fresh as she inspects the shiny skin.

“Scars aren’t so bad,” she whispers.

I don’t know what to say.

Kissy drops her hand. Her voice has a flatness to it when she speaks again. She’s shutting down, if I had to guess. Sometimes, it’s the only way you can make it through a situation. “You came,” she says simply.

I nod. “I pay attention,” I say back just as simply.

Sirens sound in the distance. Kissy’s eyebrow goes up.

“I wasn’t sure how far away you lived,” I explain. “I called them as soon as I got off the phone with you.”

Damien makes a noise. “And that’s my cue.”

I turn to see him moving toward the door already.

I’m about to say something, but Kissy beats me to it.

“The man. He wanted to know where Guidry was.”

It stops Damien in his tracks. He looks at Kissy with new eyes. “For real?”

She nods.

They stare at each other for a few seconds.

A conversation I can’t follow.

“Fuuuuck,” Damien lets out long and low. He turns around and goes to the unconscious man. Kissy does too. I gently take her wrist to keep her away just in case.

She meets my eye with purpose. “We need to see his face before the sheriff gets here.”

She tries to have a conversation with me now in this one look, but I’m missing information.

But not her emphasis on the word “sheriff.”

I let her go but move in front of her.

Damien isn’t too excited to uncover the mystery man’s face. He moves aside to let me do the deed.

Big Man is still dead to the world while I pull off his mask.