“Says the devil woman,” Hulk calls back, thankfully still behind the mostly closed door. “Pretty sure you were trying to take off half the skin on my back along with the stitches.”
“Quit whining. Do you need me to help you dress now too?” I call back, unable to help myself.
“No. Go away and leave me be. I don’t need your harping.”
Bullet glances at me. “Seems like he’s in a better mood,” he remarks, his lips quirking into a knowing smile. “I need to talkto him quickly, so I’ll make sure he doesn’t overdo it. I think the girls are down in the kitchen working on lunch.”
“I need to clean up the mess Hulk left downstairs, then I’ll go and check in with them,” I tell him. I look at Sawyer. “Up for helping me?”
“Sure. I don’t have anything else to do.” Then he turns to head downstairs.
I roll my eyes at Bullet, who chuckles. “I remember those years. I think Sniper was coming in behind me so he can help if you need him before he goes to try and sweet talk my woman into giving him a taste of whatever they’re cooking.”
I nod and walk out into the hall. I turn my head quickly when I see Hulk emerging, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. A shame to cover that up, but I suppose it’s for the best. His eyes catch mine, and the sexy smile that pulls on his face is enough to have me turning away and hurrying behind Sawyer.
Hulk is my patient and I need to remember that before I cross a line I shouldn’t. No matter how tempting it might be or how much the chemistry between us begs to be let loose.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
HULK
God, any boy who thinks about dating this girl is in for a world of surprise and craziness. I almost feel sorry for them.
“Why doI get the feeling that things are about to get a hell of a lot more interesting around here?” Bullet asks drily as he watches me stiffly get on a pair of sweatpants. “You need help getting a shirt on?”
“I’m going to try and leave nothing on my skin for a little longer. Avery said that the stitches can come out in a couple of days and then I’ll be back to normal and can start to sleep on my back again.”
“Good.” He arches a brow at me. “You sure you’re good? You’re not pushing yourself too hard?”
“Prez, I’ve been down in that med bay only because you’ve been asking me to, not because I feel like I need to be. Trust me, I’m not pushing myself hard enough. I need to get back to doingnormal shit so I can get back to top shape faster. I promise I won’t overdo it, but I’m done lying down and doing nothing.”
He nods, respect in his eyes. “Alright. I understand that.”
“Good. What did you need to talk to me about? Something else come to light?” I keep my voice low, just in case someone else is listening.
He shakes his head. “Nothing yet. We’re keeping someone on the kids as much as we can. No one else was available to help him look for his sister so I stepped in.”
“You really think that someone could hurt them?” I ask tightly, my chest constricting slightly. I’ve seen these kids face down the barrel of Nikolai’s gun, so I know they’re made of tough stuff. Still, they shouldn’t be in the middle of this mess.
“I don’t put it past any of them. Just before we came up, I saw a couple of the Misfits coming back into the room and their eyes zeroed on him. Could be curiosity, but I’m not taking a chance. We’re going to have Church tonight. You think you’ll be up to it?”
I nod. “Who will be watching the kids and Avery?”
“I asked Crypt.”
“He’s up for it?” I ask, frowning.
“It’s been a couple of weeks and Medic cleared him. He’s still got some symptoms from the concussion, but Medic said that as long as he’s inside working and not on his bike for a little bit longer, he should be alright.”
“What if our rat manages to catch him by surprise and hit him on the head again? One more time and he might just be dead.” It’s an unpleasant, but very real, worry.
“Crypt is hypervigilant, but I’ve got people keeping an eye on him,” Bullet assures me. “Theo and him have gotten closer, and when he’s not around, Thea is often with him. Even with a bum arm, she’s deadly. And if she’s there, Sniper’s not normally far. Either way, we’re all on edge, but we’re all on alert too.”
“Does Avery know the danger she’s in?”
He sighs. “I told her that until we know that Vlad isn’t going to come after her, that she and the kids will have a guard, but she doesn’t know about our in-house issues. I don’t need to freak her out anymore than she is. She barely came to us in the first place, and she’s our only link to that place and Vlad right now that we can mostly trust.”
“Mostly?”
