“Bailey cut her hand pretty bad. I think she’s gonna need stitches.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“What’s wrong?” Rafe asked when Holt ended the call.
“Bailey’s hurt. She cut her hand. Rex thinks she needs to go to the hospital.”
“Let me get dressed.”
Three minutes later, they were pulling into the B and B parking lot. A minute after that, Holt was kneeling on the couch in front of Bailey.
“How bad is it?”
She held out her hand, and he gently unwrapped the towel to see that she’d sliced an impressive gash into the side of her middle finger.
“Well, at least it’s still attached.” Holt stood. “Let’s get you to the emergency room.”
Bailey stood, but the instant she saw Rafe standing in the living room doorway, she went still. It didn’t take a doctor to understand why. Rafe was white as a sheet, as though he’d just encountered a ghost from his past.
“Breathe,” Holt insisted, moving to Rafe. “Breathe, now. Slow.”
Rafe looked at Bailey. “I’m—I’m sorry.”
A second later, Rafe was racing out the door.
“Son of a bitch,” Rex growled.
“You need to go after him,” Holt told Rex. “We were talking.” He swallowed. “I think I might’ve coaxed open some ancient wounds. He needs you right now.”
Rex nodded. “I’ll take care of him. You get her to the hospital.”
Holt put his arm around Bailey and helped her out to his truck.
“Is he gonna be okay?” she asked when he strapped her seat belt across her.
The woman never ceased to amaze him. Of course she would be on her way to the hospital with a physical injury and worried about someone else.
“Yeah. But coming face to face with your demons after you’ve avoided them most of your life … it’s not easy.”
He got in, started the SUV, and backed out of the driveway.
“I find it hard to believe that walking into that house could be that traumatic. I don’t get it. It’s so different.”
“Not in Rafe’s mind, it’s not. But I don’t think it was walking in that did it. We were talking about the past when Rex called.”
Bailey’s big hazel eyes were on him. “About what specifically?”
He hated that he couldn’t share with her, but it wasn’t his place.
“Oh, I get it. Rafe opens up to you, but I’m still shut out.”
“That’s not what happened.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, cradling her hand. “Whatever.”
“Bailey…”
“No. Just take me to the hospital. I don’t wanna talk about it.”
