Page 96 of Property of Player

Drae hauls ass, and we make the hour and a half drive in under an hour.

Slaughter has lost a lot of blood and is slipping into unconsciousness by the time we arrive.

We carry him inside and rush him to the cot the doc and his nurse have ready and waiting. Doc has every man’s blood type on file, and he’s got blood at the ready.

In less than a minute, he’s got Slaughter hooked to an IV. Doc is an old friend of my father’s and was a medic in Afghanistan and an ER trauma doctor. He’s done this before, and Gage has complete faith in his abilities.

I wrap an arm around Taylor and lead her to my room, closing the door behind us. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” She rubs her upper arms.

But she’s not fine. She’s traumatized. Her eyes dart around the room, and she won’t look at me.

I cup her face and tilt her head to mine, pressing my forehead to hers. “You’re safe here.”

She wraps her arms around me, and I hold her as she cries, all the emotions pouring out. I stroke her head and back, whispering how much I love her and promising I’ll never let this happen again.

Finally, she settles, and I guide her to my bed. I lay with her for a long time.

“Taylor, I need to go check on Slaughter.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“No, babe. I want you to wait here. If Doc’s finished up, I want him to look at your burn. Make sure it’s not infected.”

“It’s not.”

“Still want him to take a look.” I stand, then lean over her, brushing the hair from her forehead and kissing her. “I won’t be gone long.”

Moving into the main room, I check the time. It’s almost dawn. We’ve been here less than an hour, and Doc’s got Slaughter’s wound closed and bandaged, and his vitals stable.

Everyone is standing around, and the mood of the room is quiet. Everyone waiting to hear if their brother is okay. None of us talk until Doc gives Gage the news that Slaughter will recover.

After he’s through, I pull him to the side and ask him to check Taylor’s arm.

He follows me to my room, and I tap on the door, then swing it open.

Taylor sits up from the bed.

“This is Dr. Kyle O’Brien.” I introduce the man. “This is Taylor Reed.”

“I hear you’ve got a bad burn, Ms. Reed.” He squats in front of her, and she holds her arm out, pulling up her sleeve.

He undoes the tape and lifts the gauze, studying it. “Let me have Judy clean it and put some more ointment on it. How’s your pain?”

“The hospital gave me a prescription for painkillers and an antibiotic.”

“You’ve been taking them?”

“Yes. Well, except for the last twenty-four hours.”

“It looks good. It’s healing. I’ll be stopping by later today to check on Slaughter, but Judy is going to stay and monitor him. If your prescription runs out, I can write you another. I’ll check on you again when I return.” He studies her eyes. “You’ve been through it; you should rest.”

“I’ll make sure she does,” I say. He stands and I shake his hand. “Thanks, Doc.”

After he leaves, there’s a tap on the door, and I let Judy in. She’s young with a bright smile. While she’s treating Taylor’s arm, I tell her I’ve got to talk to Gage and slip out of the room.

I find him at the end of the bar, sipping a drink with Drae at his side.