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“I’m fine,” Cat said, looking as if she wished the ground would open up and swallow her.
Denise gave Bones a speculative glance before turning to Cat. “Do you want us to move your seat?”
Cat’s brows furrowed before understanding dawned. Then, she shook her head once.No.
Bones relaxed until that infuriating bloke ran up to her.
“Cristine!” Noah took her hand. “Is it bad?”
“I’m fine, just embarrassed,” she said, pulling her hand away. “Go back to your seat. Let’s not make more of a scene.”
Noah hesitated, but Cat’s firm nod had him saying, “All right,” and leaving after caressing her cheek.
Bones’s hands weren’t on his glass. That’s the only reason his didn’t shatter, too.
“Really,” Cat said to Denise, who still gave her a worried look. “I’m going to the ladies’ room to wash my hand and throw away these pieces.”
Denise rose. “I’ll go with you.”
“Don’t,” Cat said, and gave a deliberate glance at Bones.
Denise’s brows went up. Bones’s didn’t, but he was surprised, too. She suddenlywantedhim to come after her?
At Cat’s nod to Denise’s unspoken question, Denise said, “Cris, would you go with Cristine to see if they have any bandages? Randy says…that you have a great deal of experience with bleeding wounds,” she finished with a suppressed laugh.
Cheeky vixen. No wonder she and Cat were mates.
“Are you a doctor?” Felicity said with even more interest.
“Back in London I was many things,” Bones replied. Let her make of that what she would.
Cat swung by the bar before leaving the ballroom. “Gin,” she said, dropping a $100 bill. “The whole bottle.”
The bartender gave a concerned look at her bloody hand. “Miss, maybe you should slow down-”
Bones fired up his gaze. “Give the lady the bottle, mate.”
The bartender handed it over without another word.
Cat didn’t go to the ladies’ room. She took Bones outside to the parking lot, drinking the entire way. Her blood soon left red streaks across the bottle, but Bones said nothing until she stopped at the furthest corner of the parking lot. Low-hanging trees shaded much of the country club from view, though the warm breeze carried the sounds of music and laughter to them.
“Better now?” Bones asked when the bottle was half empty.
She gave a humorless laugh. “Not hardly. I don’t know how long my mom will keep quiet, but in case you didn’t notice, she wants to call in the troops and have you skewered over an open flame with a silver stick, so you have to leave.”
“No,” he said simply.
“Are youtryingto get killed?” she snapped. “One call to my boss, Bones! That’s all it’ll take, and believe me, my mom’s probably caressing her phone and fantasizing about it now.”
Her concern for him would be touching, if it hadn’t also led to the most miserable years of his life.
“Sods like your boss have chased me most of my undead life, yet I’m still here while they’re not. Neither your mum nor your boss scares me, is that clear? Now, unless you want to have our very overdue talk here, I suggest we return to the reception.”
“Or you could just leave,” she muttered.
Like hell.
“Forget about me skulking off. Or you, for that matter. I found you days ago. There’s a reason you didn’t know that before now. Try to vanish in a misguided attempt to protect me, and it’ll be a short flight. Then, we’ll be having our conversation under far less pleasant circumstances because I have damn well waited long enough to have this out with you.”
