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He was lying on top of her and was not inclined to move since he was protecting her from any other shooter, but also because he had been hit when he jumped in front of Riss, and even though it was just a grazing hit, it stung like an SOB.
“We’re here,” Antonio said as they pulled up in front of the house. It was a stately villa and no one knew the Society owned it, which made it safe.
Cash rolled off Riss and groaned. “Get her inside and stay with her, Antonio. You know the room.”
Antonio looked down at him. “Where are you going?”
He moved his coat to show Antonio the growing blood stain on his shirt. “Dante is going to take me to the doctor.”
“Oh, my God. You’re bleeding. You’ve been shot!” Riss was on her knees staring down at him.
“I’m fine. It just needs to be cleaned and a few stitches. “Antonio,” he said and nodded at Riss.
The man grabbed her by the shoulders and stood her up. She struggled against him. “I want to stay with you. You need help.”
“Riss, go with Antonio. I’ll be back shortly. I’m fine. Go!”
Looking reluctant, she grabbed the bag and then let Antonio lead her out of the boat, but glanced back over her shoulder. Cash remained on the floor of the boat and Dante took off. Stupid. He hadn’t been fast enough. Riss was a distraction. Distractions get you dead. He needed to ignore this attraction and up his game.
It wasn’t the first time he’d been shot. This injury wasn’t even the most serious he’d suffered, but even a graze fucking stings. He stared at the sky as the boat sped along the canal. His pride stung worse than the bullet. Was he losing his edge? First Alicia was killed on his watch, and then he got hit. Was it time to hang up his gun belt? Disappear? None of those thoughts brought him any comfort but the scariest thought of all was what would’ve happened to Riss if he hadn’t been there?
* * *
Bear Walton snorted, “You want to be a tough guy and not take painkillers, then this is gonna hurt.” He grabbed a suture kit and ripped it open.
Cash glanced down at this side. It was just a graze, but he’d seen what happened to guys who didn’t take care of things like this. Infection set in very quickly. A couple of stitches and he’d be fine. “I can’t afford to be out of it at all, Doc. If I’m on painkillers, my reaction time is slow.”
Walton shook his head. “If this,” he said pointing to the wound, “is your fast reaction time, then I hate to see what your slow one is.”
“Someone would be dead if my reaction had been any slower.” That thought pricked his conscience like an ice pick. He took a breath and tried to clear that thought. Shirt off, he was sitting on an exam table in a space that looked more like a living room than something that belonged in a hospital. Rich hardwood floors and a pale wallpaper with small flowers. He could picture Riss using this décor scheme in her bedroom.
Jesus. The last thing he needed to think about right now was Riss’s bedroom. Or how she’d look in it. He shouldn’t be thinking about her at all.
Walton went to one of the wooden cabinets with glass doors that lined the two side walls. He pulled out a needle and then went to another one and pulled out a small bottle of something.
“I said no painkillers,” Cash demanded.
“I’m giving you a local anesthetic to numb the area while I set the stitches. It’s local, so it won’t affect the rest of you. Being in pain drains your energy. It’s better that you don’t try to tough it out now if you can avoid it. It’s gonna hurt when this wears off, so load up on ibuprofen.”
Cash nodded once. “Fine.” He winced as the doctor stuck a long needle in his side and then did the same thing again a couple more times. It was fucking stupid to wince over a little needle prick when a bullet had torn the flesh.
To distract himself, he said, “You’re new. I’ve been here before but saw someone else.” She’d been older and not too pleasant as Cash remembered it. She’d also had pictures painted on the blinds that covered the front two windows. When Cash had asked about it, she said she needed a view, and since she wasn’t allowed to open the blinds, it had been the best she could do. He glanced at those blinds now and found them blank. Did she take the others with her?
The doctor shook his head. “No not new, just not from here. I was on the island in the Caribbean for a while but needed a change. Now I’m assigned to Europe. I move from one destination to the next as needed.”
“Sounds like what I do.” Always moving. Here one day, gone the next. It had suited him in the beginning, but lately, that transient lifestyle was starting to wear on him. Cash’s sense of adventure has led him to the military and then to the Society but now adventure was getting a little old. He wanted to wake up in the same bed for a solid month. He hadn’t done that in years.
The doctor made neat, even stitches. “Do you ever get tired of it? The constant moving?” He glanced up and met Cash’s gaze for a second and then went back to stitching. It seemed like an innocuous question, but Cash stared at the man. Could he read minds? Was he a plant from Archer? Was Archer testing him? That was the thing about working for the Society, it was all smoke and mirrors hiding the sense that the surveillance was constant. Hard to tell who his friends were. Except the team. They’d had each other’s backs more than once. They were monster wranglers together.
“Sometimes,” was all Cash said.
He wasn’t about to elaborate. The answer was honest but not one that would create trouble for him. He trained his gaze on the marble fireplace at the far end of the room as Walton stitched up his side. There was a cream-colored couch in front of it which was also new. Poor choice of color. With all the blood that would be shed in that room, the white wouldn’t last long.
“There. Let me just clean you up and you can be on your way. Try to keep it dry. I’d say take it easy but I have a feeling that would just be a waste of breath. So, I’ll just say, I’m here if you need me but try not to need me.” He smirked then pointed a finger at Cash. “It’s not good for you.”
The stitched pulled as Cash gingerly slipped on his shirt. “Thanks, Doc. Hope to not see you again any time soon.”
The two men grinned as they shook hands and then Cash walked out to the hallway.
