Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109695 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Chapter 23
Serenity
It seemed to take forever before Dix was done with Nate’s leg. I’d finally gotten used to hearing bits of metal hitting the pan on the stainless steel tray. He’d said Nate was lucky that it wasn’t worse, but it looked pretty bad to me.
Finally, Dix said he was done with Nate’s wounds. “Before you go, how long has it been since you had a tetanus shot?”
Nate shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Okay. Stay put. I’ll be right back.”
After he left, I ventured to Nate’s side to see the damage.
He lifted his head to look, but couldn’t see much. “How does it look?”
“Not too bad. There’re stitches in only a couple of places, and a bunch of bandages on the rest. Does it hurt much?”
“Not yet. I’m sure once the numbness wears off, it will.” Nate swiveled off the table, and got to his feet.
Dix returned with two syringes. “One is for tetanus, and the other’s an antibiotic. Hold still.” He stuck one in Nate’s arm, and the other in his backside. “Okay. You’re good to go. I’ll take the stitches out in a week. In the meantime, try not to tear them.”
“Thanks.”
After Dix left, I helped steady Nate while he got dressed. Once his boots and jacket were on, we stepped out of the clinic. The sun was coming up, and it promised to be another beautiful day.
I took Nate’s arm. “Dix didn’t seem to mind getting called in to work. He must make the big bucks.”
“Vanetti’s generous when it comes to things like that. He takes care of his own.”
“Yes. I’m finding that out.” I unlocked the car and we both got in. After buckling my seatbelt, I turned his way. “Do you have another pair of pants at my house?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. I’ll head home then.”
“Sounds good.” He shook his head and let out a sigh. “So… how many times has that bastard tried to kill me now?”
“Let’s see… five or six?”
“This has got to stop.”
“Yeah, for sure. We need a lucky break. I wish I’d helped more. I mean… yeah, I saw the vision of Johnny holding a gun on Razor, but I wish I’d seen it sooner, so we could have warned him and avoided the whole thing.”
“Hey. It kept me and Razor alive, so don’t be too hard on yourself. You know, for a brief moment, right before he threw the grenade, there was something familiar about Johnny. I can’t place it, but I must know him from somewhere.”
“That’s encouraging. Maybe it’ll come to you.”
“Yeah. Maybe.”
A few minutes later, I pulled into the garage, and we hurried into the house. Stone left to change out of his bloody pants and clean up. I decided to cook some breakfast. He’d left his phone on the counter, and it began to buzz. I glanced at it and found the name, Aubree, on the caller ID. Wasn’t that his ex-girlfriend?
A spike of jealousy hit me in the chest, and I contemplated answering it to tell her to get lost. It stopped ringing before I could decide, which was probably for the best. Still, she needed to leave him alone and move on.
I began whipping up eggs and milk for French toast, and had two pieces in the pan when Stone limped out. He’d washed all the grime off his face, but he hadn’t shaved, which gave him that totally hot, dangerous, and sexy vibe.
Would I ever get tired of looking at him? Swallowing, I dished the toast onto a plate, and put two more in before glancing his way. “You want to make the coffee?”
“Sure.”
While he got to work, I motioned to his phone. “You missed a call from Aubree.”
He raised a brow. “Oh. I should have called her back by now, but I keep forgetting.”
“What for?”
He shrugged. “I was on the phone with her in the apartment right before you saved my ass.”
My brows dipped. “Oh?”
“Yeah. She and I have been done for several months now, but she keeps calling me.”
“About what?”
He shrugged. “Um, that day it was about a pair of earrings that she thought she’d left in the living room. I was looking for them when you knocked me down.”
“Earrings she’d left there several months ago? That you never noticed before?” I shook my head. “I’m not buying it.”
His eyes narrowed. “So… what? You think she’s in on it?”
“Did she hear what happened? The gunshots and everything?”
“Probably. I dropped the phone when it happened, so she would’ve been on the line. When I found it later, there were several missed calls from her. I was going to let her know I was okay, but I forgot.”
I grimaced. “It’s got to be her. She must be the link… she must have set you up. She got you in the living room at the right time so Johnny could take a shot at you. She knows where you go to the gym, she knows what kind of motorcycle you ride, your schedule. All of it. It makes perfect sense now. Didn’t you wonder how the shooter knew where you’d be standing?”