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I shake my head. “I was kind of busy. Put her down.” I put my gun down as he sets Maven on her feet and extends a hand to me. “I’m Wilder. Sorry about that, man. Shit’s crazy around here right now.”
“So I gathered based on Ace’s briefing. Don’t ever apologize about protecting your woman.”
“I’m not his woman,” Maven says in an angry voice even as she comes to me. She runs her hands all over my body, starting with my face and working her way down, checking for herself that I’m okay.
“I’m his hostage,” she grunts when she gets to my right arm. “You’re shot, Wilder. What the fuck? Who shot you?”
Her eyes are wide, and I can see the tears starting to pool in her eyes.
I grip her with my left hand. “I’m fine, Maven. It’s not a gunshot wound, babe. It’s just a flesh wound.”
It stings like a motherfucker, but I’ll live and hopefully fall asleep tonight with my body wrapped around hers.
Stone snorts, and I glare at him.
“It’s awoundto yourflesh, made by a goddamn gun, Wilder. Don’t argue semantics with me right now. Does it hurt?” She presses her thumb all around the red, angry wound. “It looks bad.”
“You gonna kiss it and make it better?” I wiggle my brows and smile, trying to make her feel less stressed and scared.
My words earn me a smack right to the wound I just minimized, and my eyes start to water. “Don’t play games with me, Wilder. How’s the pain?”
“Well, now, it hurts like a motherfucker,” I grunt and grab my arm.
“Sorry,” she says when she realizes what she’s done. “You need medical attention. Now.” She turns to Stone. “We have to take him to a hospital. The closest one is five miles east of here.”
“No,” both Stone and I shout at the same time.
“Yes,” she says, glaring at both of us, daring one of us to say differently.
“Yo,” Ace calls out as he steps through the front door with Joaquin and Shades behind him. “You did some damage in there, brother. We need to get the fuck outta here before the cops show up.”
I nod and grab Maven with my good arm, helping her into the truck before she starts asking questions I’m not ready to answer. I pull out the keys, and Stone snatches them from my hand.
“What the fuck, man?”
“Hop in beside your girl. She’s freaked out. I’ll drive us back to the clubhouse.”
Relief washes over me at his words. “Thanks.”
“Happy to help.” He flashes a grin over the top of the truck and hops in with a grunt. “This truck made for a shortie?”
I laugh. “I’ll be sure to let Ace know you said so.” This truck is his baby, and he doesn’t tolerate insults about it.
“The hospital is the other way,” Maven says over the roar of the engine. “He’s shot, and he needs a hospital, Viking.”
“Viking?” Stone’s lips curve into a grin.
“Yeah. You’re big and blond and slightly terrifying. Now, turn and go the other way. Please.”
“No hospital, Mave. The doctors will report the gunshot to the cops, and I don’t have time for that.”
“But the people that shot you,” she began, and I cut her off with a light squeeze to her thigh.
“They are taken care of, babe. I promise. I’ll take care of the Iron Kings myself.”
“That sounds ominous,” she pouts and folds her arms. “Was Cyrus in there?”
I shake my head to give myself time to figure out how to lie to her without lying to her. I don’t want to hurt Maven after all she’s been through and finding out I put a few holes in him would do just that.
