“Well, you look like shit,” I comment. Watson’s hooked up to a number of machines that bleep and whir, his eyes heavy and his skin pale.
He looks like death warmed up.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
After Kaia left her father’s room, she excused herself to the bathroom and with her mother still in the cafeteria, I thought I’d stop in and see how the bastard’s doing. And to give him a few pointers for when the cops come knocking.
“Wondered how long it would take you to come here.” Watson blinks wearily as though he’s bored, but it’s probably just theanaesthesia wearing off.
I stand there for a moment, me looking at Watson, him looking back at me. It’s like one of those stand-offs in a Clint Eastwood movie where we wait to see who’ll draw their weapon first, tumbleweed rolling across the road between them.
“Say what you came to say, Hunt,” he grunts, his voice thick and hoarse.
I round the side of the bed, placing myself down in the seat next to his bed. I stretch out my legs, crossing my ankles.
“First off, I wanna thank you.”
His brows raise. “Thank me?”
“For shooting Naylor. For saving Kaia’s life,andmine.”
He’s silent for a moment, thinking on my words. “I suppose I should thank you too, for not leaving me there to bleed out, for bringing me to the hospital.”
“I didn’t do it for you. I’d have gladly left you there to bleed out on the floor but I did it for your daughter. Everything I do is for her.”
“Hm…”
My eyes narrow. “You don’t believe me?”
“Everything you do is for one person only, and that’s yourself,” he snaps.
“You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?” I shoot back, calling him out on his hypocrisy. “I admit, my intentions towards Kaia were questionable when we met. I planned on using her to get to you, to force you to back away from the club, to stop you riding our asses so hard. I’m not proud of it and I hate myself for it.” A twang of guilt strikes my chest, like it always does when I’m reminded of what I did. “I never intended to fall in love with her, but she makes me a betterman. She makes mewantto be better, forher. And it turns out I didn’t need to use her after all.”
“And why is that?”
I lean forward, my elbows resting on my knees. “We know everything Watson. The little deal you had going with Grimes to keep the fact she’s not yours under wraps, not to mention you rigging a public vote to get Collins elected as sheriff.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I think you do. All you need to do is keep your mouth shut and there won’t be a problem.”
“And if I don’t?”
“How do you think a money trail to a known criminal gang that spans two decades looks?”
“Hm… You’re going to blackmail me too, Hunt?”
“Not blackmail. Quid pro quo, if you will. Sort of like, you scratch my back, I scratch yours. Allie gets her job back at the station, we both know she’s an asset to this town and the Sheriff’s department, her relationship to Myles isn’t a conflict of interest and you know it. Get rid of Collins. Cut the strings to your little puppet, I don’t give a fuck how you do it, but it’s him or you. Your choice.”
“Any other requests?”
“What happened today never happened. I don’t care what you tell the cops, tell them it was a mugging or drive by shooting or tell them nothing, I don’t care. Naylor’s name is never mentioned again. The least amount of questions the better. Do we have a deal?”
He sighs. “I suppose you’ve given me no choice.”
“There’s always a choice, just don’t make the wrong one and we’ll be fine.”
The door opens and Kaia’s mother steps in her eyes flickingbetween us both. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
