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“He’s put a lid on his emotions for the time being. Shut them down enough to power through the night and have church. But I know Colt, and when his emotions blow, it’s going to bebad.”
“Oh,” I said, clasping my hands together and resting them in my lap.
“Any leads yet? On who this guy was?” Doc asked as she dropped another sliver of glass into the bowl. “Little numbing agent and then I’ll get to stitching.”
“Not officially,” Mia said.
“I see.” Doc picked up a vial of clear liquid and a needle.
“Are we just going to talk around what we’re all thinking?” I demanded.
“And what are we thinking?” Mia asked, her glassy eyes focusing on me.
“Little pinch,” Doc said to Mia as she numbed the area she was about to stitch.
“It was the cartel,” I said. “You know it was the cartel. And you know it was a hit on you.”
“Well, you get ten points for bluntness,” Mia said. “Wait, you know about the cartel?”
“I know the club is at war with the cartel,” I said.
Mia shook her head and even Doc paused her ministrations to look at me.
“There’s something you’re not saying,” Mia said. “You jumped immediately to the cartel. Not some random guy with a gun. Why? What do you know that you’re not telling us?”
I nibbled my lip, realizing there was no way I could get around what I knew.
What I wasn’t supposed to talk about.
“I can’t say,” I said. “I swore to Colt I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“Well, too late,” Mia said. “You know about the club’s beef with the cartel, which can only mean…you had your own run in with cartel. It’s why you’re staying here.”
I looked down at my lap and didn’t reply.
Mia rubbed her eye. “Doc, are you almost done? I’m losing steam here.”
“Almost,” Doc promised. “A few stitches and you’re done.”
“This is a fucking mess,” Mia said. “My bar is trashed. A gunman tried to…and South Paw…”
“He didn’t even think. He just went for his gun to try and protect us,” I said quietly.
Sadness swelled in my chest, permeating every spot between my ribs.
“Does he have any family?” I asked.
“Us,” Doc said. “We’re his family.”
“Funeral,” Mia murmured. “We have to plan a funeral. We have to do this right.”
“Let Joni and Brooklyn handle the details,” Doc suggested.
“Good idea,” Mia said. “Everyone will be here in the morning, anyway. It’ll be a madhouse. I miss my kids.”
Mia bowed her head and a moment later she sniffed.
“This isn’t my first rodeo. This is the life. South Paw patched in. He knew the world he was getting into. But goddamn, how many more people will I have to bury?” She shoved away from Doc’s touch and stood up from her chair.
