Page 38 of Tone Deaf
Fig gets to his feet and carefully helps me up, but my vision whirls around and I’m about to pass out. Strong hands on my waist steady me. When my vision clears, I see it’s Dom.
“Are you two alright?” Pen asks with trepidation. “Callum, you okay?”
“I’m good,” Lyric replies, brushing off the back of his black pants.
I’m not okay. Far from it. But I lie. “Slightly banged my good elbow, but I’m okay.” I rub at my right arm.
“Fig, get Callum back in the house,” Dom commands. “Shit—Pen, you’re shot.”
“It’s only a graze,” Pen utters, glancing down at his thigh.
Pen’s been shot twice now, thanks to that bastard. “I’m going to kill Brian, once I get my hands on that asshole,” I grate out between clenched teeth. “This is all his fault.”
“The vehicle is gone,” one of Dean’s men says as he pulls out his phone. “Want me to call the cops?”
Dom and Pen look at each for a second before Dom shakes his head. “No, Joel. We’re not staying here. Get your team ready. Once Pen is patched up, we’re out of here.”
“You got it,” he says and takes off toward the rest of his team.
“Where are we going?” I ask, as Lyric bends slightly to look at Pen’s wound.
“It doesn’t look bad, but I won’t know for sure until he pulls down his jeans,” he says, and that makes me laugh. Not a full belly one, but a soft chuckle that I can’t help.
Lyric looks up at me, confusion on his face. “I’ll explain when we get on the road.”
I turn toward the house and freeze in place. “My house,” I groan as I swallow down the rising bile. My home has bullet wounds. Everywhere I look, there are holes in the stone façade and cedar.
“Come on,” Lyric says as he and Dom lead me to the sofa. I slowly sit, but my eyes are on Pen.
Dom looks around the room, like he might catch a ghost or something before his gaze settles back on me. “We’re heading to San Fran,” Dom says calmly. Although, I see there’s an underlying hard edge to his jaw. He may not be happy about it, but I’m glad we’re heading to San Francisco. At least I’ll be withmy friends. Then maybe I can call my mum and see how she’s faring too.
“We think it’s the safest place for you,” Pen adds, looking around the room while Lyric cleans his wound. “But we’re not saying anything more until we get in the car. John found several bugs in the house.”
My eyes go wide—someone planted bugs in my house? No wonder Dom and Pen have been looking around the room.
“It’s only a flesh wound,” Lyric confirms as he slathers ointment over the injury, covers it with a big gauze pad, and then tapes it. “Done.”
“Good. Now go pack up and be ready to leave in an hour,” Dom says as he pulls out his cell phone.
“So, am I coming along for the ride?” Lyric asks with a pinched expression. The way his lips have thinned, I don’t think he’s ecstatic about the news.
“Yes, Lyric, you’re coming with us,” Dom says with a tone that brooks no argument.
“But I was told?—”
Pen cuts Lyric off. “Like Dom said, you’re coming with us. Please go get ready because we’re leaving here as soon as we can.”
“Is that going to be okay, Lyric?” I ask, feeling terrible that he has no say in the matter.
“Do I have a choice?” He stands, glaring at the two men.
“No,” Dom and Pen say in unison.
Lyric huffs before he strides to his room and slams the door.
“He hasn’t been here a full day, do you really think he needs to come?” I ask, eyeballing Dom, then Pen. “He has no idea what is going on. I don’t want to bring another person into this shit.”
“Too late. He’s involved,” Pen says sadly.