Total pages in book: 125
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121728 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
“Hear you on that. I’ll give it some thought, too, since I owe him for what he did to Mel. He deserves the karma bus to hit him and drag him into the next state.”
A coldness sank deep into Decker’s bones. “It won’t be the next state.”
“Even better. Leave Val with us as long as you’d like. She’ll be fine. Plus, we got the Dobies for her to play with. She’ll love Minx and Jinx. They’ll help take her mind off what happened.”
“Hopefully.” Decker scrubbed a hand over his head. “Thanks, brother. Owe you one. Or a million.”
“You can make it up to me by changing your fucking cat’s name.”
“Anything but that.”
Finn snorted. “All right. Looks like your brothers in black and gray are finishing up here. We want to get Val back to our place ASAP and see if she’ll get some sleep.”
Decker’s voice was thick when he said, “Call me when you get her settled in. I want to talk to her before she goes to sleep.”
“You got it, brother.”
“Finn…”
“She’ll be fine.”
He hoped to fuck Finn was right.
“Concentrate on Sloane and her sister for now. We got everything else handled here.”
“Finn…”
“I’ll call you later and you can talk to your girl then. When you’re not about to bust a fucking blood vessel.”
He blew out a harsh breath. His BAMC brother was right. It might be better to wait to talk to Val until he wasn’t raging internally. She was upset enough without him adding to it without meaning to. “Okay.”
Once the call ended, he stared at the phone for a minute longer, unable to rein in his dark and dangerous thoughts.
Once he beat them back as best as he could, he nodded to himself and headed back to Sloane’s side to wait for the doctor.
The curtains separated enough for a hand holding a large coffee to slip through. Then Crew’s salt-and-pepper head appeared next, before he stepped through the opening. “Damn, Sloane, that looks like it hurts.”
“It’s just a scratch,” she returned with one side of her mouth pulled up.
“Be right back,” Decker assured Sloane before grabbing the coffee and a handful of Crew’s shirt to yank him back out of the room. They headed down the hall far enough so Sloane couldn’t hear them.
Crew’s easy expression turned hard. “Jesus, brother, she took a beating. What’s the diagnosis?”
“Death.”
One eyebrow shot up the task force leader’s forehead. “I assume you mean to whoever did this.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Not sure that’s realistic. And I’m also not sure you should be saying it out loud. Or to me.”
“Sometimes the truth is difficult to hear.” He took a sip of the still searing hot coffee. “She somehow has no broken bones, but plenty of swelling, bruises and road rash. She also has a minor concussion from him either kicking her in the head or jumping out of the moving vehicle.”
“Damn,” Crew breathed. “The woman was brave, that’s for damn sure.”
“Fight or flight. She did both.”
“She might be a bit banged up, but at least she’s alive.”
“Yeah,” Decker agreed. “They have her on pain meds and hope to release her once the doctor has a chance to go over the rest of the tests. Full moon has them running ragged.”
“She’s going home with you, right?”
Decker frowned. “Where else would she go?”
Crew stared at him for a few seconds. “Her parents?”
“Fuck them.”
His brow dropped low. “You met them?”
“No. And at this point, I have no desire to,” Decker admitted.
“Okay, then… That’s a story for another time.”
“Yeah it is, but it mostly stems from the favor I’m about to ask you.”
“Shoot.”
“I need you to go up and check on Sloane’s sister Sadie. I told her not to move from that bed, but…”
“But she’s an addict and hasn’t had a fix in a while,” Crew finished.
“Yeah. She’s in room 416. If I go up right now, I might say or do something that’ll have me wearing metal bracelets.”
Crew stared at him a few seconds more, then nodded. “Understood. I’ll be back.”
“Thanks, brother.” Decker stood watching Crew’s retreating back until he disappeared from view, then he sucked in a breath and headed back to Sloane.
He paused right outside the closed curtain when a text lit up his phone. The message was from Nox about Finn. The feline, not the human.
Fractured rib. Broken leg. Casting it now. Needs rest and contained in a small area. They’re keeping him til you guys are home and can take care of him. You good with that?
Decker texted him back. Yes. Tell them to do whatever needs done to get him better.
Will do.
Thanks, brother.
Got your six, Deck.
He pushed through the curtain and announced, “Finn will be okay. Broken leg and fractured rib. They’re going to keep him at the vet’s until we’re home and settled.”
“I never thought a cat would protect his owner like that.” Her voice was still a bit raspy and the pain meds also had her sounding a bit loopy, but at least now she wasn’t in a bunch of pain.