Page 50 of Stand: Part One

Jaden just shrugged and turned her eyes back to her tablet.

I shook my head at her. “I’ll have Sid up your sleeping aids,” I mentioned as I crossed the room and removed my jacket.

I could feel Jaden’s eyes following me, her scrutiny burning a hole into my back as I unbuttoned my shirt.

“So,” she started, her voice laced with subtle amusement. “Who kicked your ass tonight?”

I shook my head, hiding my smirk from her. She was such a bold little brat, always ready to taunt me, always eager for a little confrontation. No one talks to me the way she does and lives long enough to take their next breath. Except maybe Scott.

Jaden had more courage in one little fist than all of my soldiers combined, and she was subjected to my fury more than any of them. After everything she had endured, it wouldn’t be surprising for her to shrink away into herself and become a meek little mouse afraid to voice even a whisper.

A mouse like Katherine.

But not my fiery little redhead. You could burn her over and over again, and she’d rise from the ashes every time, ready for another round.

And I fucking loved that about her.

“I’m not sure you can claim an ass-kicking if you didn’t survive the encounter,” I replied as I headed into the bathroom to shower quickly. I needed to wash away the blood and clean my wound before sewing it up.

When I was finished, I slipped on a pair of sweatpants and pulled out the suture kit from the closet. Looking back down at the wound, I noticed it was at an awkward angle, which would make holding the edges together more complicated.

Groaning, I turned toward the wall-length mirror to get a better look at what I was dealing with. I wish I’d just had one of Sid’s assistants handle it while I’d been down there.

And then I remembered I had my own little assistant sitting up in bed right now. Grabbing the kit, I left the closet and headed for my side of the bed. Jaden’s eyes instantly followed my every move.

“Here, since you’re awake, you can help me with this,” I said as I sat down and faced the headboard so she’d have better access to my left side.

She looked at me curiously, her gaze bouncing back and forth between the gaping wound and my face as I prepared the kit.

“What exactly do you want me to do? Kiss it better?” she snarked, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

I shook my head. “I want you to hold out those little paws of yours.”

The scowl on her face from my taunt was adorable as she begrudgingly complied. Grabbing the heavy-duty antiseptic spray, I gave each side of her hands a good spritz to disinfect them, then did the same to my own.

“Rub that in,” I told her.

She did while I secured the threaded curved needle between the teeth of the needle driver.

“Why didn’t you just have Sid stitch you up?” she asked as she inched closer to get a better look at the clear graze of a bullet through my side.

I considered whether I should tell her about tonight, about Daniel getting shot, but at some point, she would probably end up finding out anyway.

“Because he was busy removing a bullet from Daniel’s chest,” I answered.

She quickly glanced up at me, her eyes immediately searching for answers she had no right to.

“And how did that get there?” she asked, her voice taking on a hint of caution.

I cocked a brow. “The same way most bullets get there.”

She paused, her chin dipping into a slight nod as she mentally retreated from her line of questioning.

“Well, I’m glad for you that he’s okay.”

My gaze sharpened, catching her subtle remark about being happy for me.

“And what makes you think he’s okay?”