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ChapterTwenty-Six
“You really should be having this done at the hospital,” Doctor Mateo Gonzalez—Angelo’s brother—grumbled.
Mateo was the only doctor Laz knew personally, and he reluctantly came to the hotel to stitch him back up. Some of Laz’s sutures had come undone, and since his gunshot wound hadn’t completely healed, he’d had to get them redone. His shoulder and arm throbbed like a bitch, but at least the numbing cream that Mateo had used helped with the pain.
“The entrance wound is fine. No sutures are needed. Unfortunately, the exit wound is open; but doesn’t appear to be infected. If you notice any discharge, swelling, or if it looks or feels like something is wrong, don’t call me. Get to the hospital immediately.”
“It’ll be fine,” Laz said absently, ignoring Mateo’s grumbling about how he never listens.
Laz’s attention was on Journey, asleep on the king-size bed. She hadn’t said much in the last hour, and he was worried about her. Wanting to keep an eye on her and touch her, he had moved his chair from the dining area to the bedroom, needing to be close. Holding her hand, he gently rubbed his thumb over her soft skin.
“Are you sure she’s all right?”
Before the doctor started stitching him up, Laz had demanded he check Journey first. Besides a massive bruise on her hip and a few on her arms, she was okay.
“Yeah, she’s going to be all right, and it’s not unusual to crash after an adrenaline rush.”
One minute she seemed okay, and then on the way to their hotel room, she was light-headed and exhausted.
“I told you I was fine,” Journey said sleepily without opening her eyes.
Laz smiled when she squeezed his hand.
He released a pent-up breath that he’d been holding for what seemed like hours.
He couldn’t stop thinking about how the situation could’ve turned out differently, especially after learning that Tony had been the one to kill Journey’s witness, Fred. Laz didn’t know the man had that type of gangster behavior in him. Tony always came across like a choirboy, doing the right thing and not causing trouble.
Now more than ever, Laz was glad he’d gotten to Journey before anything else happened to her. He’d had more scares this past week than he’d had his entire life. When he couldn’t find her, Hamilton and Kenton had joined in on the search. They all feared Tony had taken her from the building, and Laz was prepared to do anything to find her.
He had searched the bathrooms and the other spaces thatSave Our Boyshad rented out. It wasn’t until he went down one level that he heard Journey screaming. From there, he’d been on autopilot. The moment he reached the hallway, he saw the back of Tony’s body, and it was as if someone had waved a red scarf in front of him. Laz charged.
Had Hamilton and Kenton not shown up when they had, he was sure he would’ve killed the bastard. Hell, he still might. All Laz had to do was make a call. Whether Tony was walking down the street or behind bars, there were people who could get to him anywhere and end his worthless life.
I can’t make the call.
If Tony ended up dead in the near future, Journey would assume he had something to do with it. Nope, he wouldn’t stoop to Tony’s level and order a hit. He didn’t have to. The man wasn’t made for prison, and it gave Laz pleasure knowing that he’d probably get his ass kicked more than a few times while locked up.
“Sit still,” Mateo demanded, and Laz flinched when he felt a pinch at the back of his shoulder. “Almost done.”
“This has been a long-ass night,” Laz said to no one in particular.
Instead of taking him and Journey down to the police station for questioning, Ted agreed to do it in their hotel suite. Per protocol, they’d been separated, with Laz being questioned in the bedroom and Journey in the living room area.
Laz had thought it odd when Kenton had insisted that Ted get someone other than Remy to question Journey. It wasn’t until after the cops left that Kenton filled him in on the altercation between Jay and the asshole Remy. All the more reason why Laz hated the detective. Hopefully, he wouldn’t have any more dealings with the man.
“All right, I’m done,” Mateo said. He scooted his chair back and stood over Laz, inspecting the stitching one last time. “I think you’re good to go, but can you please try to refrain from fighting? That wound will never close up if you keep pulling the sutures loose.”
“Fine. No more fighting,” Laz said quietly as he eased his hand out of Journey’s grasp. She had finally fallen asleep, and he didn’t want to wake her.
Mateo gathered his equipment, and he and Laz moved to the living room. Laz was surprised to see that Hamilton and Dakota were still there. While Hamilton was murmuring on his cell phone, Dakota was dozing on the sofa.
“On a serious note,” Mateo said when he was ready to leave, “I’m glad you guys are all right.”
“Thanks, man. Me too. It’s been a rough few days. I appreciate you doing a house call.”
“No problem. You know I’m always here for you and the guys, but I’m thinking about getting Mase to put me on retainer. “
Laz snorted. “Our own resident doctor. Sounds good to me.”
