Spike gave a chin bump. The piercings in his lips flashed in the light. “Dude, hurry up. We’ve gotta get you up to speed.”
Noodles turned back around without a word.
Bash crossed his arms over his chest and blew out a deep breath. “Yeah, hurry up. We don’t have a lot of time.”
Something passed between Forest and Ash, a rapid-fire silent language of eyes cutting back and forth. Evidently, Forest wasn’t the only one who knew where he’d spent the night.
Lifting a hand, he headed for the hall. “Um, where’s my stuff?”
“Second door to the left,” Forest growled. “Bathroom is all the way at the end of the hall.”
“Okay, won’t take me long.”
Forest gave him a push and joined the members of the band. “Whatcha looking at?” His deep baritone thundered through the room.
The rest of Angel Fire’s conversation was lost to Ryker as he tracked down his ruck and headed for the bathroom. He had to find a way to speak with Tia. She was going to freak out.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Bent
TIA
Tia caughtthe arctic glare Forest shot from where she stood by the showers. He corralled Ryker, tugging him in close for one of his monstrous hugs. She didn’t envy Ryker for whatever conversation followed. Forest only did that to people who pissed him off. At least he hadn’t caught Ryker leaving her barracks. That would have ignited a nuclear-level meltdown.
She’d made it all the way to the showers, only to realize she’d left shampoo behind. This time of day, there wasn’t anyone to borrow from, which left her to head back to her room and dig it out of her pack. The place smelled like sex and would need a good airing out. She left the door propped open while she searched. Late afternoon heat spilled through the open door, and sand billowed in on the gusting breeze. Despite the dirt, the air smelled fresh, clean, and full of promise for a bright future.
Returning to the showers, she enjoyed an unexpected privacy and luxuriated in limitless hot water. Not that she needed the heat. It was plenty hot outside as the sun baked the desert in its daily cycle of heat, followed by relentless cold. However, hot water wasn’t something she enjoyed in the field. There, it was cold water at best.At worst, a field shower with baby wipes. That reminded her to visit the exchange before it closed. She gave a soft laugh as water sluiced down her body. One item was no longer on her list. That was probably a good thing. No way was she slapping boxes of condoms down on the checkout counter. With Ryker’s stamina, they would run through box after box. Thanks to her IUD, pregnancy wasn’t a concern, and they’d had the STD talk. No need for condoms. Baby wipes though? Never enough of those.
After her shower, she had about an hour before it was time to meet Ryker for chow. She took advantage of her downtime and headed to the medical center, intent on checking in on the victims from the convoy. Several men in that Humvee had sustained injuries. She visited them, stopping by their beds, holding their hands, and asking if there was anything she could do or anyone they wanted her to call. Their unit would notify next of kin of their injuries, but she wanted to do something special for them.
After checking in with each of them, she found herself beside the bed of Angel Fire’s bassist. Bent’s arm had been splinted. He had a bandage wrapped around his head, and there was a splint on his leg. Funny, she hadn’t remembered a leg injury. His eyes were closed, but from the rhythm of his breathing, he was clearly resting and wasn’t asleep.
“How are you holding up?” She gripped his good hand and gave it a light squeeze.
He cracked open one eye, gave her the once-over, and then opened the other eye. “Much better now,” he said with a voice lined with pain.
“You sure? Are you in pain?”
“If you ask me to rate my pain on a scale of one to ten, I might reconsider giving you this kiss.”
“Which kiss?”
“The one I’m rocking in my head right now,” he said with a wince. “You’re fucking loving this kiss, by the way.”
She laughed and leaned down to kiss his brow. “There. How’s that?”
“Mine was way hotter than that,” he said with a frown. “Just saying.”
“I’m sure it was.” She turned his hand over and examined the scrapes. “You’re a little banged up.”
“Ya think?”
“What have they done for you? Did you go to surgery?”
“Hell if I know,” he admitted. “To be honest, I don’t remember anything. I kind of woke up in this bed a few hours ago.”
“Oh, that must’ve been terrifying,” she said. “No one’s talked to you?”
