Page 11 of His Claim

She held up the cup to me. “Don’t even need to thank me, Murphy. You’ve always been my favorite of the goons.”

Gravel let out a belly laugh and slapped his knee.

“We’re not goons,” I chuckled.

Ethel winked. “Sure.” She leaned against the counter and smiled. “I’m sure it’s a dumb question, but would you and Tatum like something to eat after you get cleaned up?”

I had heard stories of Ethel’s meals. They rivaled Meg’s, and Meg was the best cook, well, except for Bristol, who cooked at Wyndemere. “I wouldn’t say no if you cooked something.” I would eat a mustard-covered sock at this point.

Ethel laughed and moved to the fridge. “I’ll get cooking.” She looked at me and tipped her head to the side. “The other goons headed this way?” she asked.

I nodded and couldn’t hide my smile. “Yes, ma’am. Creed and Apollo.” As much as I hated being called a goon, I couldn’t be mad at Ethel when she said it. “You might want to make extra.”

She winked and opened the fridge. “Can do.”

Chapter Five

Tatum

“Oh, that’s gonna leave a mark.” I gingerly touched the cut above my eye and winced.

A knock sounded on the door. “You okay in there, baby girl?”

Murphy.

“Uh, yeah. Just give me one second.” I had taken a nice, hot, steamy thirty-minute shower that would have made the devil hot. I needed to scrub my body clean, and the only way to do that was with scorching hot water and lots of body wash.

Ethel had given me a set of clothes she said Gravel’s daughter had left the last time she visited, and they surprisingly fit perfectly.

I grabbed my dirty, torn clothes off of the floor and opened the door. “Hi.”

Murphy looked me up and down. “I think orange is your color.”

When Ethel had handed me the pale orange jogging pants and matching sweatshirt, I had been skeptical, but also thankful for the clean clothes. “I think anything is better than what I looked like half an hour ago.”

Murphy nodded. “I would have to agree, but I do think orange is your color.”

I tipped my head to the side. “Okay.” I looked him up and down. “Oh my god. I’m just standing fresh and clean while you’re still... not.”

Murphy chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. “Would you believe me if I said this wasn’t the first time I’ve looked like this?”

“After today, yes, I would believe that.” I always knew Murphy lived a life I had only read about in books, but seeing it firsthand was intense. Looking back, Murphy had handled the whole situation as if it was just another day. Me being there seemed to be the only thing to throw him off his game. “Uh, Ethel left you a clean towel on the counter, and I left the body wash and stuff I used in the shower for you.”

“Thanks, baby girl.”

I stepped to the side and tucked my chin to my chest. “I, uh, will just be... somewhere else.”

Murphy stepped into the bathroom and glanced back at me. “Ethel is in the kitchen cooking. You can hang out with her unless you want to lay down?”

I shook my head. “I got my second wind from the shower. I should be good for a couple of hours before I pass out.”

Murphy hesitated. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

“As well as one can be after being kidnapped and then rescued by my ex-boyfriend.” I pasted a smile on my face. “That was supposed to be funny.”

Murphy reached out and gently caressed my cheek. “I’m sorry you got caught up in all of this.”

I shrugged and resisted leaning into his touch. “It’s all good. You can’t really be blamed for the crazies coming out of the woodwork, right?”

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