He got Maisie to grab Katie, then helped me to the bathroom, and I heard them talking in the family room, but their voices were too low to hear what they were saying.
Fuck, I’d messed up big time.
It wasn’t long before Hatch came in to help me again and his face was grim.
“Scale of one to ten, how pissed is she?” I asked as I washed my hands.
“She’s hurt,” he said.
“Jesus, that’s worse.”
“Yep.”
“Is she still here?”
“No. You’re gonna have to give her some time. She’s given of herself a whole hell of a lot, Razor, and this is how you treat her? Don’t think I have to drive home the fact that all of that’s a fuckin’ dick move.”
I sighed. “No, you really don’t.”
He wheeled me to the family room, helping me into the recliner, then grabbed me a beer. Maisie had made herself scarce which really didn’t bode well for me, and I knew I had a lot of penance to do this coming week.
Jesus, I was an asshole.
I was on my second beer when the doorbell pealed, and Hatch frowned, pulling out his cell phone and checking the camera. “Well, fuck me in the ass.”
“What’s wrong?”
“You’ll see.” He rose to his feet and headed to the door, and I heard heavy footsteps on the hardwoods and craned my head to see my sergeant storm into the room.
Well, shit.
Billy ‘Flea’ Jameson was Katie’s twin brother and built like a brick shit house, and when his fist connected with my jaw, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.
“Enough!” Hatch bellowed, pulling him off me before he could hit me again.
“You made my sister cry, asshole, you’re lucky I didn’t do more. If you weren’t already in that cast, I’d put you in one.”
I rubbed my jaw just as Maisie came rushing into the room. “What the devil is going on?”
“Sit down, brother,” Hatch said, shoving him into the chair on the opposite side of the room. When he looked like he might get up again, Hatch laid his hand on his shoulder. “Hit him again, and you’ll deal with me.”
Flea let out a growl, but took a seat.
“You hit Razor?” Maisie squeaked.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Flea said. “He made Kate cry, and I couldn’t let it stand.”
Maisie turned to me and raised an eyebrow. “Well, I have to admit, darling, you deserved that.”
“Babe, you’re not helping,” Hatch said in exasperation.
She shrugged, pulling open the freezer and grabbing an icepack. “I’m just telling it like it is. Razor needs to get a handle on not only his anger, but his entitlement, and if getting a punch in the face helps him do it, so be it,” she said, walking over to me.
“Maisie,” Hatch admonished, but I could tell he was trying to hold back a smile.
“Which side, darling?” she asked me, and I pointed to my left.
She gently settled the icepack to my jaw and held it as she smiled sweetly, like she hadn’t just said she was happy I’d gotten my bell rung.
