But I had shielded Natty from all things terrible for so long that I couldn’t reconcile magically telling her the truth about him.
“You ready to head home?”
Michael’s voice caught my ear and I looked up from my computer. The night had been such a blur of worry and reading in my downtime that I hadn’t once looked at the clock since my lunch break ended. And holy hell, did time fly whenever I dove into those books.
“It’s already eight?” I asked.
He snickered. “Guess that book is good. Yeah, it’s a little before eight. Go ahead and clock out.”
And I sure as hell didn’t have to be asked twice.
I gathered my things and switched places with the older man before I tucked my purse beneath my arm. I gripped my book, ready to finish my chapter in the car before I headed to the house to help get Natty up and ready for school. I drew in a deep breath as I started for the doors of the E.R. Another full day down, inching me closer to my first paycheck where Natty and I would both be able to breathe again since we no longer had to worry about bills.
But I should’ve heeded the prickly feeling creeping down my neck as I headed for my car. I should’ve known that the saga of the other night wasn’t over. Because when a shadowy figure pushed off the driver’s side of my Jeep, I paused.
Only to find Dean’s eyes staring back at me with a look that could only be described as urgent.
Nine
Frost
“You were gone a while,” Stone said the second I walked through the door.
“Yeah, well,” I said as I puffed out my cheeks with a sigh, “that happens whenever you’re trying to lure the cartel away from someone’s place.”
Stone’s face sank. “What?”
I shook my head. “I went to the hospital, but I decided it was best to keep my distance. I didn’t talk to Lexi again, but I just sat. I had this feeling, you know. This feeling that because of the incident I stepped into the other night that they’d link her to me. Right?”
He nodded. “That’s the whole reason all of this kicked up, yeah.”
I went and sat at the kitchen table. “Yeah, so, I park, and I watch. And nothing happens. She comes out, I stay a few car lengths behind her to make sure she doesn’t see me, and I follow her home. No issues, but something still doesn’t feel right. Right?”
Stone sat in front of me. “Let me guess. They were already at her place.”
“Exactly. I saw the low-rider cruise by and knew exactly what was happening. Somehow, they already had her information. They already knew at least what apartment complex she’s in.”
Texas handed me a beer. “Complex? Not number?”
I took it from him. “Thanks. And no, I don’t think they know what number her building is. He was just riding up and down the main street in her complex.”
“Don’t they have gates for that shit?” Archer asked.
I scoffed. “You’d think so, but it was wide open when I eased on in behind her.”
Stone held his hand in the air. “Let’s get back on track. What happened after you spotted the car?”
I leaned back and took a long pull from my beer. “I caught the guy turning around at the dead end of the road and essentially played chicken with him. I revved my engine. Kicked up some burnt rubber. I pissed him off just enough for him to chase me out of the complex and we wove around town for a while.”
“Then what happened?” Texas asked as he sat down.
The guys gathered around me as I launched further into the story.
“No shots were fired. At least, none that I can recall right now. Everything was such a blur that before I knew it, I had weaved him into an alleyway that kept narrowing. He got his car stuck, he cursed at me for a while, then I mounted his car and flew over it before getting back out onto the road and high-tailing it back here.”
Archer chuckled. “So, you think you’re a badass, huh?”
Texas grinned. “It’s a pretty badass move.”
