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Threats were popped off more than bullets as the McCoy posse blasted them with promises of death and destruction. When the smoke cleared, Trouble had four wounded. The McCoys had left behind their dead and while there were bodies to count, only one mattered as far as Harley was concerned.
As he stood over the man who had led his men to their deaths, Harley couldn’t help but notice the dark blood pooling at Tony McCoy’s sides. It was as if the evil drained from the man’s body in a slow and articulate manner.
His final words left his lips in much the same way, delivered as a promise more than a threat. “My father…he’ll keep coming. He’ll keep coming until he kills you all.”
* * * *
Draegan pulled curbside next to the infirmary He gave Doc a peculiar look before he said, “I would’ve told you but…”
“Told me what?”
“You’ll see.”
A few minutes later, they unlocked the infirmary and Draegan opened the back passenger door and leaned inside the vehicle. “Come on, hon. It’s safe now.”
Doc peered around Draegan’s large form, observing as he helped the young woman away from the floorboard. Her hair tumbled in front of her face as Draegan pulled her from the backseat, cradling her small body in his arms. “I could use a little help here.”
“Of course,” Doc said, rushing to the infirmary’s back door. He propped it open with a stick and entered the back of the building, flipping switches and turning on the lights as he hurried to one of three examining rooms. Draegan followed a few paces behind. He placed the woman on the large table and backed away.
Even before she looked up, Doc recognized her. “Sable?” His heart hammered in his chest. He pushed aside her mangled hair and cupped her chin. “Honey, who did this to you?”
“I’ll wait outside for the others,” Draegan said softly, backing out of the room.
Doc didn’t care where Draegan waited. What mattered most was checking her out. He needed to make sure she was okay. He ran his hands up and down her arms. “Are you hurt anywhere?”
What a dumb question. Was she hurt anywhere? Some bastard had made sure she felt the pain of his wrath from head to toe!
“Doc,” she whisp
ered, slowly lifting her face to his.
He gasped as soon as they made eye contact. Her face was swollen, her high cheeks already bruised. Her upper lip was split.
“Oh, baby,” he whispered, feeling those unexplainable feelings rising inside him again. He’d only spent one night with her, but it had been enough to know that he wanted the opportunity to see her again, to spend time with her alone and with the others. There was something special about her and he’d known it from the moment he’d spotted her in the bar. “Who did this to you?”
He knew so little about her situation, so little about her life. Still, he wanted to hear the truth straight from her. He didn’t want to read her file. He didn’t want the others to come in with more knowledge, more information about the woman he cared about, the woman he only wanted to hold in his arms and protect.
He carefully cradled her face in his hands and stared into those mesmerizing eyes, now watered down with tears. “Why didn’t you come to us sooner?”
“I tried,” she whispered, nuzzling his hand. “I had a plan.”
“A plan?” He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
She whimpered when he pulled away and he immediately decided they could talk later. Whatever he needed to know, it would all unfold in its own time. For now, he wanted to hold her. He needed to help her. More than anything else, he wanted her to feel safe.
“Can I hold you?” He placed his hands on her shoulders, drawing her near.
She collapsed against him. And as soon as his arms locked around her trembling form, she burst into tears. “I was afraid, Doc. I was afraid I screwed everything up and you wouldn’t want me here.”
“Shh,” he whispered, caressing her matted hair. He winced then as he thought of what might have been in those once well groomed strands. Instead of pulling away, he drew her still closer, holding on tight and fighting that mad demon rising inside him, the one that wanted to inflict pain on others, the one destined to fight for the woman he wanted to hold. “Give me a name, Sable.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
He grabbed her shoulders and searched her eyes. “I want a name, Sable. We’ll all want one. Whoever did this to you will pay.”
“That’s already been taken care of,” Draegan said, returning to the room. “Tony McCoy is dead.”
“What?” Sable acted as if the breath had been knocked out of her. Her eyes darted one way or the other and she shook her head repeatedly. “That can’t be.”
