Walker shakes his head. “Jolene wouldn’t even think of it. You’re her only child.”
“Maybe, but she’d maim me real good, and I’d rather not go through that,” Hudson argues back.
“Just let the boy do his job, Walk,” Levi demands with his mouth quirked in annoyance. “You can’t do your job when half of your body is broken, let alone when you’re bleeding all over the place.”
Walker glares at Levi, unwilling to admit that he’s right. He waves his hand at his injured arm, giving Hudson the go-ahead to continue.
Hudson beams a triumphant smile in my direction. “Thanks, Harding.” With the green light, Hudson stitches up the cut.
Walker doesn’t flinch or wince once, and he refuses to let Hudson numb the area. I study Walker’s face the entire time, waiting to jump in and help, but I hold myself back. Hudsonsteps out after he has Walker looking like he’s close to being mummified.
Walker finally seems to let some of the exhaustion slip in.
“What happened?” I ask.
Walker answers, “Someone tried to run me off the road.”
“Tried?” My voice rises an octave, conveying my outrage at Walker’s attempt to downplay the situation.
“It looks like they were successful,” Levi mutters.
I huff in frustration as I reach for an alcohol wipe and start to clean off some of the dried blood on Walker’s cheek. Walker’s fists loosen, and he sinks backward, leaning against the wall of the ambulance.
“You don’t need to baby me,” he disputes in a low voice, his objection only meant for me.
I snag another wipe and gently swab along his jawline, avoiding the bruise there. “You’d do the same thing if our roles were reversed.”
Walker’s fingers wrap around my wrist, but he doesn’t push me away. Memorizing the warmth of his skin on mine, my heart clenches in my chest.
My eyes meet his aqua gaze, and my breath catches. Even sitting, he’s still taller than me. Peering down at me, his attention flicks to my lips.
“How’re you doing?”
The question at my back causes us to jump apart, neither of us realizing we had drifted closer together.
Deputy McCreedy waits wedged between Levi and Santiago to talk to Walker. Her muscles flick angrily in her jaw as she sneers at me.
“Fine,” Walker answers. “Did you finish with the scene?” His tone is mechanical, lacking the warmth of hers.
Tessa’s glare softens as her attention switches to Walker. “Ridge is?—”
Walker stays in sheriff mode. “You have seniority, Tessa. He shouldn’t be alone.” He reaches for his shirt, fastening each button. “When you’re done gathering the evidence, send it off to the lab in Jackson. You should be able to pull paint samples from my truck, where the other driver hit me. From there, we should be able to narrow down the make and model.”
Tessa schools her features, acting as if she’s unaffected by the reprimand. “On it, boss.” Before she leaves, her eyes narrow on how close Walker and I are sitting. Her nostrils flare as she stomps away.
Santiago and Levi share a look. I have zero clue what it means, but they seem highly amused by whatever thought was passed between them.
When they face Walker and me again, their somber mood returns. Levi steps an inch closer. “Did you get a look at the driver or the car?”
Reaching for his jacket, Walker finishes with his shirt. “Are you interrogating me?”
“Yeah. Get over it,” Levi retorts.
“We were deputized, remember?” Santiago pulls his coat aside and points to a badge clipped to his belt.
Walker sighs, rising to his feet. “Yep. Regretting it.”
He can’t stand to his full height and has to do a bulky shuffle until he’s able to hop down from the ambulance. Santiago and Levi step back to make room for him, and I follow behind.
