“Nah, I had gone through her shit before I got into bed. I found her gun, unloaded it, and made sure there wasn’t one in the chamber, knowing she would probably go right for it.”
“At least you were thinking with a little bit of your brain that night instead of your dick.” I shrug my uninjured shoulder, and he asks, “What have the doctors said so far?”
“Nothing, except I need to get the bullets out. After that, I’m going home.”
“I’ll stay until you’re released.”
“Oh, I’m going home tonight, even if I’m not cleared by the doctor. Kirsten and I have plans.”
“You need to rest and get some distance from that woman before she gets you killed.”
“This isn’t her fault. It’s Bowen’s, and whichever cops he’s been working with to come after her. Now, go apologize and go home.”
Creed arches a dark eyebrow. “You never would’ve spoken to me like that before her.”
“Well, maybe I should have. Sometimes you’re a dick,” I reply with a grin, making him chuckle.
“Hey,” Kirsten says when she pokes her head into my room. “Are you up for a visitor?”
“I’m always up for you,” I tell her. “Where have you been? Getting your head checked out?”
“No. I was outside talking to Bryan before Creed came and actually apologized to me. I’m sure you put him up to that.” She walks in but leaves the door open before she crouches in front of me. “How are you really? And why aren’t you in the bed?”
“I’m fine,” I say, though my back teeth grind together so loudly even she hears it at the mention of her ex.
“Bryan asked about you, and I wanted to know if he had found out anything about the men in the car.”
“Has he?”
“Yes. He has their names. They were traffic cops in one of their personal vehicles.”
“Wow. So, three cops are dead after trying to take you out.”
“Any chance they’ll give up now?” she asks when she stands.
“I don’t know,” I tell her honestly, then pull her down onto my lap, since there’s no other chair in the room, and the hospital bed is too far away. “We need to set up that meeting with Bowen’s sister.”
“Right. That’s on me. I’ve been distracted the past few days, and it almost got you killed.”
“I’m fine,” I assure her, then look at the blood in the back of her hair, combing my fingers through it to feel if there’s a knot. “I’m more worried about your head. You must have knocked it hard if you were brave enough to slap the boss of bosses.”
Kirsten wrinkles her nose but doesn’t wince in pain at my touch. “I can’t believe Creed came snitching to you about that.”
“What were you thinking, sweetheart?”
“I was thinking that he needed to shut the hell up.”
“Obviously.”
Her shoulders slump. “I shouldn’t have hit him. He apologized, and so did I before he left. I should’ve walked away from him. Before I met you, I would have.”
“So, you’re saying I’m a bad influence on you.”
“I feel…protective of you, and I got pissed when he mentioned that this, what’s going on between us, is just sex.”
“It’s not.”
“I didn’t think so either, but when he was running his mouth, I started to have doubts.”
