She glanced back at me, a little surprised. “You don’t have to?—”
“I know,” I cut in, a little harder than I had meant.
I started pushing the chair down the hallway. The wheels squeaked softly on the polished floor. Neither of us spoke until we had passed through the maze of corridors and were back in her room. Inside, JD was sitting with Moose. Both of them looked up as we entered.
I nodded at JD. “Prez?”
“Tex,” he replied, giving me a curt nod back.
Rowan’s fingers tightened slightly against the thin hospital blanket. JD and Moose stood up.
“It’s okay, we just came to check on you and make sure you were okay,” JD explained.
“Doc says she’s going to be fine,” I replied.
“That’s good. That’s real good,” JD said. “Tex, can I talk to you outside?”
He and Moose left the room, and when Rowan tried to stand up, I leaned down and scooped her up in my arms in one gentle movement and carried her over to the bed. Her arms automatically came up around my neck, and I laid her gently in the bed, pulling the covers up around her. I could see the dried blood in her hair and down her neck and I pushed away the panic that the sight of it gave me.
“I’ll be right back.”
Rowan looked hesitant, her eyes wide and fearful. “Okay.”
“Hey,” I said, touching the bottom of her chin and lifting her face up, “I’ll be right outside the door. I’ll be two minutes and then I’ll be back.”
I headed outside, closing the door with a soft click behind me. JD was pacing slowly, and he looked up when I came out. I held out a hand and he shook it.
“This is some fucked-up shit,” I said, and Moose snorted on a dry laugh.
“‘Fucked-up shit’ is one way of putting it.”
“Still got no news on the one that got away,” JD said, and I could see the tension in his shoulders, “there’s more out there though. They’re like fuckin’ weeds that keep growing back.”
“How did this happen?” I snapped, and JD narrowed his eyes. “I thought you said we had it all covered.”
“Remember who you’re talking to, brother,” he warned but all his warning did was make me angrier. “We did what we could,Tex. We got two of ‘em, and now two of ‘em ain’t breathing after I set the boys on them.”
“They fuckin’ shot her, prez,” I replied abruptly, barely able to contain my anger. “We used her as bait and she nearly died.”
“I know,” he said with a shake of his head.
“How did they get through?”
JD sighed heavily. “We lost some men last night. She wasn’t the only one who got shot.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, giving myself a second to breathe through my anger. When I opened my eyes, he was staring at me, waiting patiently.
“I know you need to stay with her, but I’m also having some men posted on the ranch too. I’m guessing she ain’t going to want to stay at the clubhouse.”
I shook my head. “Ain’t no way. Even after all this.”
It would have been a hell of a lot easier if she did, but I wasn’t about to ask her. She’d been shot and nearly killed and her ranch set fire to. There was no way she was going to leave it. I cracked my knuckles wanting to take my rage out on something or someone.
“I need to get back in there to her,” I said,
JD scowled at me. “Who the fuck are you and what have you done with Tex? I leave you alone with a woman for two days and you’re already pussy-whipped and setting up home?”
“It’s not like that,” I argued.
