I blink a few times to clear the vision.
“KITTEN!”
That gets my attention. I open fire on the fuckers who are way too close for comfort. I hit the driver, the passenger, and hopefully the motherfucker in the backseat, but there’s no telling because the second after I hit the driver, the truck runs off the road, mows down a street sign, and flips upside down in a ditch.
Ryker screeches to a stop.
“We need to be sure,” I glare at him in the rearview mirror.
“We need to get you both to a hospital.”
“No hospitals,” Drum moans. “They’ll find me again!”
“Go back,” I point to the crash site. “We need to take those fuckers out.”
Ryker is about to argue with me when the truck explodes. A fireball stretches into the sky—a concussive wave of heat ripples over our bullet-riddled car.
“Happy?” Ryker quirks a brow.
“Maybe,” I bite my lip. “We need to be sure no one got out.”
“Can’t,” Ryker nods to Drum. “He’s lost too much blood. Needs a doctor.”
I sigh and allow the rifle to fall on the floor. I lay down on the seat, keeping my injured shoulder above my heart and trying to ignore the churning questions in my brain.
Chapter 25
“He brought a knife to a bitch-slapping.”
-Cat
“The bullet went clean through,” the veterinarian - Garrison - finishes his stitches on me. “That’s the good news. The bad news is, I think you have a concussion. I’d need a cat scan to be sure. And as you can see, you’re much bigger than my typical patient.”
I snicker, looking around the exam room built for small animals. “Catscan. Ha!”
“Glad to see your sense of humor has returned,” a muscle tics in Ryker’s jaw.
Garrison looks between us. “How do you two know each other?”
“Co-workers,” Ryker glares at the vet. “That’s it.”
For some reason, the way he says this feels like a punch in the gut. And speaking of guts…
“How’s our mystery patient?”
“He’ll survive. Only lost a little blood,” Garrison puts a fresh bandage on my shoulder. “He’ll be out for a few hours. Then, you can interrogate him.”
“Thanks, man,” Ryker claps him on the back. “Appreciate it.”
“Anything for you,” he nods, then heads into the next room.
“How do you know him?” I point to the door.
“Served together.”
I raise my eyebrows, waiting for further explanations, but it’s not forthcoming per usual.
“I need to call in,” I reach for my phone. “Premy has to be dirty. She’s the only one who knew where we were.”
