“I said… I need…the room,” Finn grinds out.
The nurse bristles, her eyes ablaze. But we all know she’s not going to fight. Not when one of The Kings is issuing orders.
After she’s gone, Finn looks at me. “J, get that gauze on the shelf.”
All the concern I had flees my body at once. Maybe rather than chasing that thug off, I should have asked him to pummel Finn into the floor. He’s beyond obnoxious. How does anyone put up with this?
“J,” Finn calls again.
I remain in place, considering whether I should let him bleed out or not. “I’m not a doctor. Let the woman with the nursing degree do this.”
Finn stares me down. He doesn’t have to say anything to be frightening. His blank eyes stare right through a person, as if he’s completely detached from his humanity. It’s as if he’s waiting for a reason to snap.
And I don’t want to be that reason.
I obediently reach for the gauze. “Don’t blame me if you end up unconscious on the floor.”
Finn rips his preppy vest off and unbuttons his shirt.
I snap the pin keeping the gauze together and unroll it. “Whowerethose guys?”
“I don’t know. Maybe they were anti-fans who hated Dad’s last album?”
My lips twitch, but the laughter dies when Finn undoes his shirt and shrugs it off. He’s wearing a white undershirt that’s stained with blood. The gauze wrapped around his arm is soaked too.
“Oh my gosh.” I cover my mouth in horror.
Finn rolls his muscular shoulders and makes a pained face. “Do they have any Tylenol in here?”
“Finn, you need a doctor.”
He juts his chin at the gauze. “Take this off and replace it with the new one.”
“Finn.”
He looks up with a hard expression, and my knees start shaking, but I maintain eye contact. He could kill me, sure. But not right now. He’s too weak from the fight.
“The hospital will ask too many questions. It’s not as bad as it looks.”
I hesitate a moment before giving in and undoing the gauze. Some parts of the fabric are sticking to dried blood, and Finn hisses when I peel it away.
“Gentle,” he growls like a wild animal.
“Don’t get into fights with criminals, and then you won’t have to be patched up by someone without a medical degree,” I answer sharply.
He grunts.
I continue prying at the old, bloody gauze. “Why did you just sit there and let the guy punch you like that? You were dodging him before.”
Silence meets my question.
I jerk the gauze roughly.
“Ah!” Finn jolts and then glares at me.
“Sorry,” I say in a syrupy-sweet voice. “Did that hurt?”
“You’re enjoying this,” he grumbles.
