Page 3

Chapter three

“You got lucky. From what I’m able to see without my equipment, the bullets missed anything vital. No major blood vessels were hit, and you have no broken or shattered bones. They went straight through, which means we don’t have to worry about digging out some bullets,” the doctor says, snapping off his bloody gloves and tossing them in the trash can Steel set up beside him. “I’m going to leave some antibiotics with you and some medicine to help ease your pain. It’s only to be taken every four to six hours, as needed. Make sure the wounds stay clean and dry. Wash them with soap and water daily, then pat the area dry. Do not use peroxide or alcohol because it can slow down the healing process. You can apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly, and I’m leaving some non-stick bandages for you to use.” He pulls gauze, Band-Aids, gloves, and other items from his medical bag and sets them at the foot of the bed, then he continues to deliver his precise and standard instructions in a flat voice.

“You can use an ice pack for fifteen to twenty minutes every hour to help with the swelling. Just a bag of crushed ice covered with a towel will do. Whoever changes the bandages needs to make sure to wash their hands after removing an old dressing and before cleaning the wounds. No shower for twenty-four hours, and when you take one, don’t soak the area. If you need to get clean tonight, you’ll have to take a sponge bath.”

“What about movin’ around, doc?” Steel asks.

“Ideally, she’d keep it elevated for at least three days before doing much to help reduce the swelling, but considering the life you lead and the way you wanted this hushed, that’s not going to be possible.” He glances up at Steel. “Is that correct?”

Steel’s eyes turn flinty, and he drawls, “Well, doc, considerin’ the life I lead and the way I wanted this hushed, I’d say you’re probably correct in that assumption.” I didn’t know it was possible for someone’s eyes to turn harder, but those green orbs darken with anger and become concrete. “What you’re not correct in assumin’ is, just because you’re friends with my parents, don’t mean I won’t erase you from the equation if you don’t learn some goddamn respect. You don’t get to judge any fuckin’ thing I do considerin’ the reason you owed me the favor.”

The doctor’s face flushes and fear flashes in his eyes for a split second before he blanks them, giving Steel a nod. “Understood. Rest your leg as much as possible, don’t lift anything heavy, and try not to overexert it.” After snapping on a clean pair of gloves, he begins to pull out the IV for my dehydration, antibiotics, and pain medicine. “How long will you be here? I’d like to bring my portable X-ray machine just to be sure I didn’t miss anything. I may be a trauma surgeon, but I’ve never had to do this in a setting that wasn’t my hospital.”

“Can you get it here in the morning?”

Doctor Tom’s lips tighten, but he gives a sharp nod. “If that’s what I have to work with, I’ll make it happen. I’m going to get these vials to the lab for a blood count and metabolic panel. I’ve got a few people in there who owe me favors and will keep this between us, so I’ll have them put a rush on it. They should be able to get it back to me before I get out here in the morning. We were lucky tonight that she didn’t lose enough blood to need a transfusion.”

“Fuckin’ looked like she did,” Steel snaps. “Her pulse was weak, and you see the color of her skin.”

Tom gives a tight smile. “You were also in a tense situation, which was going to make it seem grimmer than it was.” He holds up a hand when Steel opens his mouth, and I have to fight a smile when he narrows his eyes at the ballsy man. “Don’t get me wrong, Steel. Her wounds are not something to take lightly, but it would’ve been a lot worse if the bullet had hit something vital. Her pulse was slightly elevated and her blood pressure was a bit high when I got here, but they’re back to normal now.”

Once he has his supplies cleaned and put back in his case, except for what he’s leaving for us, he snaps it closed and stands. “You’re not out of the woods yet, ma’am.”

I wince at his phrase. Oh, if only he knew how true his statement is.

“I know. I’ll take it easy the best I can. Trust me, I don’t want to make it any worse than it already is.”

“Keep an eye out for infections. If you end up with one, you’re going to need to get to a doctor. Any redness or swelling around the wound or red streaks that lead away from the wound, you need to get to emergency. Be on the lookout for an increased amount of drainage. If it becomes thick, has a foul odor, or is green, yellow, or tan. Running a fever that’s one hundred degrees or more for longer than four hours is also a concern.”

He walks into the bathroom, and I hear the water turn on in the sink.

Well, that was a rather abrupt ending, but I can’t really blame him. He’s here under duress because he owed Steel a favor. There’s not a lot I know about the Dirty Mavericks because that’s a part of himself that Steel has kept away from me for some reason. I know the minimum, which is who they are, where they’re from, and their names. Well, the only one I know by their real name is Steel. One night, when we were fucking and I screamed out his name, he growled, “Jericho,” and demanded that anytime we’re in the bed, that’s what I better be crying out.

Does Emmy Lou know his real name?

My drowsy eyes slide over to where he’s leaned against the wall. His broody green eyes are locked onto me, and he’s got a sharp scowl on his face while his arms are folded across his thick chest.

The chest that is bare under his cut.

Oh, he’s freaking gorgeous, and that tattoo in the middle of his chest wasn’t there the last time I had him naked in my bed. Neither was the one that I catch peeking out along the right side of his ribs.

I run my tongue across my lips.

What is that one playing peek-a-boo?

“Keep lookin’ at me like that, Hummingbird, and I’m liable to eat you for dinner,” Steel rumbles.

His words startle me, and I jerk my eyes to his as a deep, wanton need settles into my core. He doesn’t look away from me, letting me see the fire that burns deep in the depths of his eyes.

I’m about to say to hell with it and beg him to fuck me, but the damn doctor chooses that moment to stroll back in from the bathroom.

“Last thing before I leave, and I’m sure this is common sense if you hang out with Steel. If you feel short of breath, lightheaded, any chest pains, cough up blood, or are bleeding excessively, make sure to call nine-one-one. You’ll also want immediate care if your leg or arm is numb, pale, or cool to the touch as well as if it feels warm, tender, and painful. You’ve got the pain medicine and antibiotics I’m leaving you, but you can also take ibuprofen in between your dosage hours to help decrease any pain. He has my number if you run into any issues. I’ll be back in the morning to get some X-rays and to go over the results of your lab work. Have a good night, miss.”

“You too,” I murmur.

Steel straightens from his perch against the wall. “Walk you out, doc.” He glances at me. “Only be a few minutes.”

As I wait for him to come back, my mind drifts to earlier and the murder I was unfortunate enough to witness. If it wasn’t for me stumbling upon them, that poor man, Swirly, would be buried out in those woods alone for the rest of eternity, or until his flesh and bones end up as scavenger food. I’m thankful I was able to get everything captured on film because that means Swirly will be able to get justice and his murderer will be behind bars.

Killer.

It’s not hard to figure out how he got his road name.

Hopefully, by the time I’m able to go back there and get the roll of film, the pictures will be salvageable. Then I’ll have to find somewhere I can set up a dark room so I can develop them. I hid the film somewhere only I know about until it could be safely recovered. It’s not that I don’t trust Steel, but those pictures are the only bargaining chip I have to keep me alive if Killer and his buddies catch me.

Steel locks the door, flips the deadbolt, hooks the chain, and then puts a chair under the door handle. When I lift a brow, he shrugs. “The more we have keepin’ someone out, the longer we can protect ourselves.”

He walks around and shuts off all the lights except the one on the small dresser. Its dim bulb casts a soft glow through the room, giving it a more intimate feel than I’m sure Steel wants.

Steel stops beside the bed and squats down, running a finger across my cheek. “Want to try to get cleaned up before you go to sleep?”

I blow out a breath, already imagining how it’ll feel to not have dirt, blood, and whatever else I managed to catch out in the woods, all over my skin. “I don’t think I can make it in there, and I’m not supposed to get these wet.”

“Heard the doc, babe. Sponge bath only. Didn’t answer my question.”

I raise a brow and smirk. “Are you gonna wash me down, bossman?”

“Can you handle that?”

Oh, dear lord. That grit in his voice is fucking sinful. I love hearing it, especially when he’s talking filthy to me.

“Oh, I can handle you, bossman,” I flirt back, tossing him a wink.

He mutters something under his breath as he climbs to his feet, but he doesn’t hide the way he has to rearrange his dick inside his pants. I can’t imagine it’s the most comfortable when it swells within the tight confines of his jeans.

After banging around in the cabinets and not coming up with anything that can be used as a basin, he improvises by taking the small trash can and sticking a new trash bag in it before filling it up with water. The only washcloth we have is the standard one you’d find at any motel. It’s scratchy as hell, but it’ll get the job done. Normally, when I stay in places like this during my travels to shoot locations, I make sure to bring my own things. Considering I didn’t expect my outing today to end with me running from someone intent on killing me and getting patched up from gunshots in a run-down motel, I didn’t exactly pack necessities.

Steel grabs one of the chairs sitting at the scuffed-up table by the door and carries it to the bathroom. Then he’s back at my side, and before I have time to process what’s happening, he’s sliding his arms underneath me. His touch is surprisingly gentle for the rough man he is.

He’s careful not to jar my leg too much as he carries me to the bathroom. Sitting in the middle of the tub is the chair he grabbed. He’s stuck a towel underneath the legs so it doesn’t slide around while I’m in the tub, and the makeshift basin he created is sitting beside it.

Steel places me on the chair carefully. “Good with being naked so I can make sure you’re as clean as we can get you?”

Getting naked for this man for something other than fun times? That’s going to be interesting.

I shake my head and then help him pull his t-shirt off me.

What I thought was a gunshot wound to my shoulder was only a graze. The doctor made sure to remove the pieces of my shirt that were embedded in it, then he sterilized it with alcohol and antibiotic cream and put a sterile bandage over it. He told me I was lucky enough that it didn’t need stitches.

He removes my sports bra with clinical detachment, setting it on the back of the toilet with the shirt. No matter how much he tries to hide it, or how hard he tries to act unaffected, he’s unable to hide the heat that flares in his eyes or the bulge in his jeans.

Something happens when his eyes fall to my breasts. His body becomes rigid and his facial expression sharper, and the heat that was in the depths seconds ago is now extinguished.

I don’t understand the sudden change until his finger reaches out to trace the words that are inked just under the edge of my left breast. It is a quote from r.h. Sin that I found not long after things between us were finished for good —All she wanted was the effort she gave.

Since I didn’t have it when we were whatever we were, he knows he’s likely the reason I got it. It’s why his demeanor changed as soon as he was able to read the words.

It’ll really hit home when he catches the other quote under my other breast— She chose herself because you refused to.

I didn’t have them done with malicious intent. They’re reminders to never settle for anything less than what I’m worth. I deserve someone who will match my effort, and I deserve to have someone choose me. Sure, Steel is the one who taught me the lesson, but I’m the one who needed the reminder.

Steel keeps his eyes averted after that, and I’m fine with it. It was easy for us to fall back into the routine of flirtatious banter, heated looks, and dreams that will never come to fruition.

“Tell me what’s goin’ on. Start from the beginning,” Steel orders as he carefully maneuvers my panties off me.

It’s probably a good idea that he’s trying to distract us, because right now, the only thing on my mind is the fact that I’m sitting here completely naked in front of him for the first time in so long.

So, while he’s gently washing the blood, dirt, and other filth away, I start at the beginning. “There’s this spot in the woods not far from my house that I’ve been wanting to take pictures of. You know the ones I’m talking about?” He nods but stays focused on cleaning me. “I’d already been out there for a while, and the sun was almost down by the time I stumbled upon them. I wasn’t sure what was going on at first, but something was urging me to keep quiet, so I took my boots off before I went farther. As soon as I saw them, I began to take pictures because I knew . . . I just knew something bad was about to happen.” I swallow tightly. “I didn’t expect to capture someone’s murder, Steel, but I couldn’t turn away when I heard the fear in the man’s voice. Swirly. That’s what they called him.” His head jerks up at the name and his hand stills. “The one who shot him . . . Swirly called him Killer.”

“Fuck,” Steel bursts out causing me to flinch.

It jars my leg, and I let out a whimper as the wound stings.

“Shit. You okay?”

“Yeah.” I blow out a breath. “By that reaction, you know who I’m talking about?”

Steel grunts as an expression so dark crosses his face, and the fear I’d been shoving back slithers through my system. Killer isn’t a good person. That much is obvious from the lack of remorse he had for shooting a man in the head point blank, but the look on Steel’s face tells me that isn’t even half of it.

“Most people consider the devil the evilest of evil. Killer is worse than that, Lee. The man doesn’t give a fuck who you are. Man, woman, child, animal . . . he’ll kill you for accidentally brushin’ against him, and he’ll do it in fuckin’ public. Motherfucker has been in and out of prison so many damn times, but for reasons that aren’t hard to figure out, the charges never stick. Then the person responsible for puttin’ him there end up floatin’ down the river without eyes, ears, and tongue.”

“See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” I murmur.

Steel resumes washing the grime from me as he continues our conversation. “Killer and his club are the last fuckin’ people you want comin’ after you.”

Moisture gathers in my eyes as I stare down at the top of his head. “No matter what that man did, he doesn’t deserve to be left for the animals to gnaw on. Someone has to lead recovery teams to his body.”

“Goddammit, Lee. Knew you and your fuckin’ soft-ass heart would land you in a situation like this. You think they’re just goin’ to leave his body there now that there’s a witness? They’re goin’ to move it somewhere else and still come after you.”

“It’s not like I was looking to stumble upon them, Jericho. I was out shooting like always and heard the terror in that man’s voice. I had to make sure he was okay. When I realized I wasn’t going to be able to do that, I had to do whatever I could to help find him justice, which was only going to happen by capturing everything on camera. What I had to witness isn’t something I’m going to just forget. It’s burned into my fucking brain, and it’s all I see when I close my eyes,” I finish softly.

He knows how bad it’s messed with me if I’m cursing.

I find myself staring up at the ceiling as he lathers up my hair. The soothing movements and gentle scratching on my scalp calm me. My eyes drift closed until he tilts my head to the left to rinse the soap out of my hair. It takes longer doing it this way, but I don’t care because it feels good to have someone take care of me.

Someone?

No. I don’t want just anyone to take care of me. I want him.

My Steel.

My Jericho.

My bossman.

Even after the bullshit toxicity I walked away from three years ago.

Sadly, I think it’s always going to be him.

“Come on, Hummingbird,” he murmurs. “Let’s get you to bed. Got to hit the road after the doc comes in the morning.”

He dries me off the best he can, wrapping one threadbare towel around my body and another around my hair. Then he carries me back to the sleeping area and places me in bed.

“Can’t do anything about your underwear, but I should have a clean shirt in the Bronco. You’ll be good until I get back?” I nod, and he places the gun he left me with in the vehicle on the nightstand beside me. “Something feels off, you aim to kill. Can’t have you lockin’ the door because you’re not supposed to be on your feet, and it’ll take too long to get it unlocked. So, stick with your gut. I’ll announce myself if there’s nothing wrong out there.”

“I could just sleep in the towel, ya know.”

He shakes his head with a glare. “That thing will come undone in the middle of you sleepin’ and I’ll be left starin’ at your tits until I fall asleep. There’s only so many times I can turn away before my control snaps and I’m nibblin’ on them dusty pink nipples. Puttin’ a shirt on you is the only way to keep that from happenin’.”

“Bet you didn’t think about underwear and my pussy on display either did you,” I mutter as he stomps out the door.

It’s only minutes before he’s back and helping me slide a warm, clean shirt on. His jaw sharpens when his eyes drop to my thighs.

Just thought of that, did you, bossman?

After checking everything to make sure we’re safe for the night, Steel settles into bed. He’s lying on his back with his hands folded behind his head, staring up at the ceiling, and I’m on my side staring at him.

There were so many times back then that we would do this, and it was something I never tired of. Despite how rough and gritty Steel is, he’s always been the most beautiful to me. He’s an asshole, sometimes to major proportions, but I’ve also been graced with his sweet and gentle sides too. Those were the parts that I fell in love with, which then made me fall in love with his churlish side too.

Steel rolls his head to peer over at me. “Why call me?”

The huskiness in his voice hits me right between my thighs. “Honestly? You’re the first person I thought of. Somewhere inside, I knew you’d do whatever you could to help me.”

His eyes heat up. “Didn’t think of your brother?”

“Not until after I’d already called you,” I admit.

“You thought of me first?” he murmurs, something in his eyes making my heart race.

“I did,” I croak.

After staring at me in silence for a few minutes, he slams the shutters over his eyes and nods. “Smart move. Get some sleep. Got a long day tomorrow. Appearance needs to change drastically if we’re goin’ to have any chance at hidin’ you until I can figure shit out.”

“Oh, I get to be somebody new? No one can say my life is boring, that’s for sure,” I mumble as my eyes drift closed.

My hair jerks a little, and I smile sleepily at the familiar feeling. Whenever Steel stayed over, he would grab a piece of my hair and wrap it around his finger repeatedly as we were going to sleep.

Is this something he does with her ?

Does Heather get this part of him too?

Just the thought of him giving her something that belongs to me has my eyes heating.

Why does she get him? Why does she get all the pieces of him that I crave so badly?

Parents split up and co-parent healthily all the time. If I was that important to him, wouldn’t that be something he would consider doing?

Shoot.

Even the thought makes me feel selfish.

Truthfully, I’m not sure I’d be able to let him do it, for the same reason he’s always gone back to Heather.

Lyric.

His precious daughter whom I know nothing about.

Steel refuses to tell me anything about her because sharing any piece of her, even if it’s just her favorite color, would make things too real between us. And Steel doesn’t do real.

Not with me.

He’d told me a little about her when he was trying to keep me lucid on the phone, but sadly, I only remember bits and pieces. Like her beautiful name, which I just know her daddy picked out, and that she’s got his green eyes. I remember that much.

He tugs on the hair wrapped around his finger. “Shut your mind down, Hummingbird, and go to sleep. Tomorrow is goin’ to be a long day.”

“Hey, Steel?”

A calloused finger settles against my lips. “Not now. Go to sleep.”

“Bossy man,” I mumble, my thoughts drifting away as I let sleep pull me into a slumber.