I scramble to my feet as anger flows through me. Once I’m up, I take a step closer to Rhett and glare up at him.
“I don’t know what your problem is, but I don’t appreciate how you talk to me,” I hiss. “Keep it up and I’ll stop pulling my punches.”
Rhett laughs coldly before he spits. The wad hits the ground by my foot.
“You want to know what myproblemis?” he asks, his words spoken slow and measured. “I’ll tell you what it is. If trouble is hunting you down and finds you here, I’m willing to bet that’sa fucking death sentence for all of us, isn’t it? I don’t want to dieforyou orbecause ofyou. I’d put a bullet in your goddamn head right now if I knew Ledger wouldn’t turn around and do the same to me. Underanyother circumstances, he’d agree that you had to go. So would Wes and so would Santi here.”
My heart drops and my stomach follows. Rhett actually has a point. They could get hurt because of me. They didn’t ask for this arrangement, any more than I did. Guilt hits me in the chest, making me feel ill. The lingering fight still rushing through my vein dies away and my shoulders sag in defeat.
“I’d leave before any of you could get hurt,” I promise him, solemnly. “If I knew trouble was coming, I’d lure it away from you.”
“Yeah, well, life isn’t that generous to give us a warning when something bad’s about to happen—is it?” Rhett jerks his head toward the house. “Go back inside and stay out of our way.”
Santi, who quietly watched our exchange, suddenly straightens.
“We’ll see you tomorrow, Blair,” he adds with a bright smile.
I give him a nod and turn back. Stupidly, tears sting my eyes. Why am I crying? Because I got called out? Because I put my nose in someone else’s business? God, I deserved that. Maybe it’s best if I just stay out of everyone’s way.
Maybe then, no one will get hurt.
Chapter 15
Wesley
Iwipe my hand down my face as I let out a sigh.
“What did I tell you about getting your hand too close to the blade, Dominic?” I ask as my arm drops back down to my side.
It’s hard not to glare at the kid, but damn, where the hell is his common sense? The boy lacks it—that’s for sure. His blood is everywhere, from the floor of the shop below, up the stairs, and down the hallway, all the way to my office. The company uniform, which is a long sleeve shirt with the Gnarly Pines logo, is covered in blood as well. He looks like a walking crime scene.
He looks from the arm he’s holding close to his chest to up at me.
“I didn’t mean to! But I thought I could snag the branch before it could get stuck in the gears,” Dominic says, his words a little slurred and slow.
He’s in shock. I don’t blame him, that blade got him good. If we don’t get him to a hospital soon, I may have a fainter on my hands.
“Well, learned your lesson didn’t you? That machine is made to handle all sorts of things. A twig in the gear wouldn’t have done anything,” I tell him, trying to keep my patience in check.
At eighteen, you’d think the boy would understand the importance of staying away from large, sharp blades made for cutting wood. I never should’ve put him on the line. This was my mistake. As much as I want to blame him, it’s myself that’s at fault here.
“A-am I going to lose my arm?” Dominic asks, his voice growing softer.
Before I have a chance to respond, the door opens and Blair steps inside with a first aid kit in her hand and Ledger right on her heels. She gives me a warm smile but heads straight to Dominic, who looks up at her with the first inklings of fear he hadn’t wanted me to see.
“Dominic,” Ledger greets. “My friend Blair here is a nurse and when I heard about your injury I asked her if she’d come take a look at it. Blair, this is Dominic.”
“Miss Blair, ma’am, I don’t want to lose my arm. Can you save it?” he asks her as she approaches.
The smile she gives him is warm, and when she speaks it’s slow and filled with kindness. “Let’s see what I’m working with. If I can’t do anything, I’m sure the local emergency room can help.”
“But I don’t got any insurance,” Dominic objects. “I can’t afford to go to the?—”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Ledger says, cutting him off. “I’ll take care of whatever hospital bills occur if it gets to that point.”
Blair shoots him a pleased smile before she gets to work pulling away the blood-soaked towel. Ledger steps away from her and over to me.
“Have you started your report about this yet?” he asks.
