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“I was in the fucking shower, asshole. Just like I said. What? You want me to be by her side every fucking second of every fucking day?” As I spat the words out, I knew that I would be. No one was going to hurt Bou again on my watch.
Celt shifted his weight. “I didn’t say that, but...”
“Boys. Spare me the macho bullshit. We’re all upset. I can’t take care of her.” Doc said, shaking his head. “Can’t come back today. My ol’ lady wants to ride out to the coast as soon as I get back. And you know that means everyone else can blow off. When she asks, the fucking world can burn around us while I give her everything her little heart desires.”
“Fine,” Celt said. “Give me the keys, and I’ll get Bou back home where she belongs.”
Doc uncrossed his ankles and recrossed them, folding his tatted-up arms over his chest. “Don’t you have other shit to deal with? Namely the body on the floor? You’re the cop here, Celt. Now I don’t want to tell anyone how to do their job, but it seems you have someone here keeping an eye on Bou while you sort out this mess.” He waved vaguely in the direction of the body. “Besides, it’s not as if he’s going to be able to leave town until you take an official statement.”
Shit. I did not need this. “How long do I need to keep this cast on, Doc?”
“I brought a removable leg brace with me. You’ll still have to wear it for six weeks but it means you can ride if you have to be somewhere,”
I thought about it. I did need to be in Mexico, but Bou needed me here more. At least for the time being. “No.”
Doc nodded. “Good, because I’m already late for Kimmers. Celt. What say you?”
Celt’s eyes flickered between me and Doc’s then back to the body. “Shit man. I don’t like it, but I have this mess to deal with. I need to go to the station, and I only have the bike so I can’t do anything right now. When I’m back, have Bou’s bags packed. I’m taking her home with me where I can keep an eye on her properly.” He looked at me as he spoke, as though I’d fucked up my job or something. “Don’t touch the body. Don’t touch anything. I’ll be back later.” He stepped out through the door, straddled his bike and started it up. Then without another glance at either of us, he rolled off in a cloud of dust.
Doc turned to me. “He’ll calm down.”
I wasn’t so sure, but I couldn’t blame him.
“You did a good job in there. With Bou I mean.”
“Thanks, man.” I didn’t need the validation, but I’d take it.
“You need to look after yourself too.” He nodded to my shirt that was spotted with blood at the shoulder. This time my blood. Celt must have popped my stitches as he manhandled me into the shop.
Doc pulled up the sleeve of my t-shirt to look at the wound. “I’m not going to stitch you up again, There’s not much blood. Keep it clean, If you want that removable leg brace, I’ll bring it across another time.”
“Thanks, Doc,” I repeated as he hopped into his car.
“Call me if you need anything. Just wait a few hours unless it’s an emergency. Kim’s already going to be on the warpath with me for being late.”
I waved as he pulled out onto the road then closed the door behind me. The last thing I needed was to be spotted by one of the AX3 crew. Not now. This morning I had every intension of leaving, but now I had a dead body with my name on it... and Bou.
Bou! She needed me. I headed back through the studio and into the room. I didn’t care what Celt thought or wanted. It was my fault I didn’t get to her in time, and it was my fault she was lying in the bed. I was responsible and like Celt had said earlier. I wasn’t going to let her out of my sight for a second. I owed her that much.
19
Bou
“He can calm his tits!” I said to Wilde, wincing at the pain that zinged from my split lip. My overprotective brother wasn’t about to take me anywhere. I pulled the blanket under my arms and pushed myself up in bed, ignoring the pain between my legs. My eyes flitted over the gorgeous man leaning on the windowsill, his arms folded against his broad chest. His black T-shirt sleeves stretched to their bounds over broad tatted biceps.A muscle in his jawline, just above that brightly colored rose tattoo on his neck, ticked, then he smiled with one side of his mouth.
“What?” I croaked.
“Nada.” He chuckled. “Just assumed that’d be your reaction. Doc too.”
“Doc was here?”
“Yeah, cleaned you up and put those”—he pointed to his lips—“thingys on your cuts.”
I reached up to feel them with my fingers. My lips were tight and swollen and had little paper-like bandages holding them in place. I fingered my cheek just below my eye and hissed at the pain.
“Yeah, the fucker really did a number,” Wilde said.
I remembered Wilde appearing in the middle of the ordeal, firing a few rounds, and Luke falling away, so I couldn’t put together who the fuck had given him a shiner too. “Where’d you get yo . . .” I started to point to my own eye as indication of the bruise on Wilde’s, but trailed off as understanding dawned. Sharply inhaling, I snapped, “My fucking hot-headed brother!”
