Текст книги "Cole"
Автор книги: Tess Oliver
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Текущая страница: 23 (всего у книги 24 страниц)
Chapter 24
After three days on the job, like any new animal in the herd, I’d set the tone between Megan and me. She’d made several attempts at trying to prove that she was in charge, but like with the tip ordeal, none of it worked. So she settled on just ignoring me, with only the occasional sneer and grunt of disapproval to connect us. Charlie and I, on the other hand, got along really well, even if she tended to be a bit silly at times.
Charlie and I were moving mindlessly through our morning routine, talking and laughing and taking advantage of the hour before Megan’s arrival.
“You know, Cody and I are going to this club tonight, and there’s this friend he’s been dying to match you up with,” Charlie said as she wiped off the napkin holders. “Trey is a total hottie, and I just know you’d love him. You two would be perfect for each other.”
I finished stacking menus and plopped them into the basket near the register. “That is really cool of you to think of me, Charlie, but I’m sort of just getting over something.”
“Oh, Sweetie, I had no idea. Was it a bad break up?”
I had to think about the question. It was hard to define something as a break up when there hadn’t truly been a relationship, but my heart had sure suffered the pain of a bad one. “Let’s just say it was complicated and definitely not something I ever want to relive.”
The door flew open and Megan came scurrying in looking as if a demon was chasing her. “Shit, why’d he have to be there today when my hair looks like crap?” She ran past us to the bathroom in the back.
Charlie glanced toward the window. “Her dream guy must have shown up to work. There’ll be no living with her today.”
The morning crowd was light which was good because Megan was too preoccupied with her hair and make-up to pay much mind to the few customers she had. This time I honestly could have been owed half her tips. Of course, I was fairly certain it would be minimal. Her customers had waited a ridiculous amount of time for their food, and she’d disappeared immediately after nearly throwing down the breakfast specials in front of two men. By the time she’d delivered it, the food was cold, and I’d had to deal with the complaint.
Megan popped out of the back without her apron and a shiny new layer of lipstick. “Cover my tables a second,” she called, “I’m going to the end of the block to get a paper.” She flew out of the diner as quickly as she’d entered.
“A second? I’ve been watching her tables all morning,” I said.
Charlie shook her head. “That girl has never read a paper in her life. She just wants to sashay past the construction site to catch his attention. Sort of like a peacock in heat.”
I laughed. “Well, for both our sakes, let’s hope he asks her out soon. Something tells me she’s the type of girl who can obsess about a guy.” I grabbed the coffee pot to refill the cups at Megan’s tables.
“You think? Gee, what gave it away?”
A few moments later, Megan came strolling back inside, humming to herself as she tied back on her apron.
“That’s a mighty small newspaper you picked up,” Charlie quipped. “Can’t even see it.”
Megan waved off the comment. “They were out of papers.”
Readying the diner for the lunch crowd was more of the same. Megan kept flitting over to the window to peer outside while Charlie and I picked up the slack. One day of this was amusing, but if this guy decided to keep showing up at the site, this whole thing could get old fast. Megan was obviously the type of person who took advantage of the fact that the owner rarely came in to check on things. And she had no qualms about letting Charlie and I do her share of the work. But I wasn’t going to put up with it for long.
The cook, Garth, rarely asked for help, but I’d volunteered to help cut tomatoes and wash lettuce before the lunch crowd. I’d just finished with the last head of lettuce as the first of the lunch wave started streaming in. The energy and tension surrounding Megan was palpable and it seemed this would be a rather entertaining shift.
“He’s coming,” she squealed to Charlie and then she raced back to the bathroom to check her hair and make-up. Seconds later, she emerged finely tuned and ready to attack. She tied on her apron, took a deep breath, and walked out of the kitchen area.
I piled the lettuce in the colander. “Well, Garth, I need to get out front.”
“Thanks for your help, Eden.”
I tied on my apron, plucked some menus from the basket, and showed a handful of customers to a table. “I’ll be right back with some water.” I walked behind the counter and leaned down to grab out some glasses. As I straightened, two of the glasses slipped from my hand and bounced off the rubber work mat. Jude looked as shocked as I felt. We stared at each other for a moment, and Megan caught the intense but silent exchange. She slid past me and whispered into my ear. “Hands off, Bitch.”
I ignored her warning and walked over to Jude. “How is she?” I asked.
His gaze drifted over my face as if he was painting a picture in his mind. “She’s doing better. She’s on some medication, but it’s too early to tell how well it’s working. She misses you.” His long lashes dropped down, and he looked at his plate a moment before looking back up at me. “I miss you.”
Megan came up behind me. “Uh, table three is waiting for their order,” she said sharply.
I turned away and tried to get back to work but it was a struggle. My hands were shaking from the brief encounter and just seeing him again had sent my adrenaline into overdrive. I snuck around the corner to the kitchen to gather my composure before attempting to carry hot plates of food. I braced my hands on the work counter, closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths to calm myself, but Megan came back to find me, obliterating my attempt.
“I knew you were a snake the second I saw you,” Megan sneered. Her ridiculous drama was the last thing I needed.
“Not now, Megan.” I took one last steadying breath and steeled myself against the fact that Jude was sitting at the counter just a few feet away from the food window. Without glancing his way, I scooted to the window and grabbed the three plates, hoping they were the meals my customers had ordered.
My mind was in a flurry of emotion. Miraculously, I delivered the plates to the table without dropping them. Megan was leaning over the counter pouring Jude another cola. She had a smile plastered across her face as she talked to him. I was actually grateful that she was keeping him occupied.
The remainder of the lunch hour was a blur. Somehow I’d managed to serve my tables with only one or two casualties, including a plate of wheat toast and a jar of strawberry jam. Jude sat at the counter for an hour, and I could feel his gaze on me every time I returned to the food window. But I didn’t look at him. Looking at him meant breaking down my resistance. Of course, ignoring his presence was a bit like ignoring a giant, glowing meteor sitting in the center of the room.
Megan watched me with a hawkish stare, and I wondered how she’d managed to get any other customers served with the amount of attention she was paying to the one at the counter. From the corner of my eye, as I reset a table with utensils, I saw Jude pay at the register. Megan laughed wildly about something he said. He was leaving and I had no idea if I’d see him again. My willpower failed and I looked his way. He headed to the door but stopped and looked back at me long and hard before walking out. The breath I’d been holding flowed out of me. Megan had caught the exchange but this time looked more defeated than angry.
I was relieved when the last of the lunch rush had dwindled. My heart had finally settled to a steady beat, and the absurd trembling in my hands had finally gone away. But I desperately needed a moment alone.
“Charlie, I’m going to take a quick break,” I said and slid into the restroom. The cool water from the sink did nothing to stop the tears that burned my eyes. I sat there alone for a good ten minutes sorting out everything that was going on in my head.
At one point, I convinced myself that I’d overreacted and that I shouldn’t have walked out on them. But then I would replay the horrible moments when Jude had blamed me for everything, and I went right back to feeling justified in having left.
I stepped out of the bathroom still in a haze of mind debates when Charlie grabbed my arm and pushed me back inside. She shut the door behind her. “What on earth was that all about?” she asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“Megan is so pissed, she’s ready to spit bullets.”
“So what else is new? What has you in such a lather?” Charlie often didn’t make sense when she explained things, but this was silly even for her.
“Well, he gave Megan a really big tip and everything, so he must like her. But the guy didn’t take his eyes off you the entire time.” She took advantage of our cozy meeting in the crummy little bathroom to check her hair in the mirror. “And, boy, did Megan notice. She was shooting death rays out of those blue eyes of hers all the way across the dining room.”
“He tipped her big because he’s rich, and he was watching me because we know each other. I used to work for his dad.” I decided not to say anymore. I’d signed a stupid contract when I got hired on that basically told me to seal my mouth shut about the family business even after I left their employment. I was regretting everything about the job now.
“He’s rich?” Apparently that was the only piece of my confession that’d caught her attention. “No wonder he hands out twenty dollar bills like they are quarters.”
“Don’t tell Megan. It’ll only make her more rabid about him. Let her think it’s because he likes her. That will make life easier for all of us.” I reached for the doorknob hoping our clandestine meeting was over.
“Just watch yourself around her, Eden. She can be real mean when she wants, and after today, I think she’s gonna have it out for you.”
Charlie had been right about Megan’s anger. The glares she impaled me with could have cut glass. She finally finished her work and threw her apron dramatically on the hook. “I’m out of this hell hole for the day.” In case we hadn’t realized that she was mad, she made a point of smacking the door open as she left.
My shoulders relaxed. I couldn’t have been happier to see the backside of her.
“She’s not going far,” Charlie commented as she finished sweeping.
“What do you mean? Does she live nearby?” That thought bugged me.
“No, she lives across town, but when she gets a good tip, she goes next door to the bar and hangs out with some of the creeps over there. Sometimes the construction workers head over there after work to play pool and have beers . . . including you-know-who.” Charlie went to the door and peeked out. “But I don’t see his motorcycle out there, so he must have skipped it today.”
It was stupid for me to even think about it or care about it, but I wondered if Jude had been playing pool, possibly even with my new nemesis Megan, the night of the disastrous cookie party.
I helped Rick finish the pots and pans, and Charlie took off to go visit her mother. The quiet in the shop once everyone had gone was comforting but lonely. I went upstairs to shower and halfway through the torturously slow trickle of water, I decided I needed to hear my mom’s voice.
I towel-dried my hair, combed it back, and stuck some coins into the pocket of my jeans. Work had slowed across the street, and I didn’t see any sign of Jude. I locked the diner behind me and then headed to the phone booth.
I’d barely reached the first corner of the bar when Megan stepped out onto the sidewalk with two guys sporting greasy hair and an array of tattoos. She’d changed into a very small tank top and shorts. Her long nails were gripped around one of the guy’s arms.
“Ooh, look what the diner coughed up,” Megan sneered.
I ignored her and focused on my phone booth destination. She muttered something to the guys, and they all had a good round of laughter over her clever comments, whatever they were. I tucked myself into the booth and took a surreptitious glance toward the bar. Thankfully, they’d gone back inside.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Mom.”
“Edie! Is everything all right?”
I’d worked up an enthusiastic yes, but there was no way I could fake feelings with my mom.
“Edie,” she repeated in a tone that assured me she knew everything was not fine.
“I’m lonely, Mom, but I think I’m going to try and stick this out for a bit longer. But . . .”
“But, nothing. Edie come home now. It’s so nice up here. The cabin is small, but we can take turns sleeping on the floor.”
The lump in my throat made it hard to talk. “How are Janie and Sophie?”
“Janie took a walk with your dad and Sophie’s sleeping. She got stung by a bee, so she’s sleepy from the Benadryl.”
“Is she all right?”
“She’s fine.” She chuckled into the phone. “But by the way she howled, I was sure she’d lost a limb or something. Scared the crap out of me. She went to pick a wildflower and the bee surprised her.”
“Sounds like she surprised the bee.”
Mom chuckled again, and I realized I totally missed our laugh sessions. There was a long pause, and even though we were both silent, it felt as if we were speaking to each other.
“Mom, I’ve got to try this being on my own thing for awhile longer.”
“I know, Edie. But come home if it doesn’t work out.”
“I will. Kiss everyone for me.”
I skirted back past the bar as quickly as possible. Something about Megan’s two unsavory buddies had me feeling uneasy. Suddenly, I was acutely aware of how alone I was, and Charlie’s warning about Megan splashed through my mind. I quickly unlocked the door, scooted inside, and turned to shut the door but a boot stopped my process. I froze in alarm until I recognized the green eyes staring back at me through the opening.
“Shit, Jude, you scared me.” He stepped inside. I locked the door behind him and pressed my face against the window to peer down the sidewalk to the bar. There was no one out front.
“Who are you looking for?” Jude asked.
“Megan, the girl I work with. She hates me, and now she really hates me, so the last thing I need is for her to see me talking to you.”
He sat on the stool at the counter. “How did I get involved in this?”
“Really? Oh my gosh, guys are so clueless. Megan is so nuts about you, she’s ready to pick out a china pattern.”
“You mean that chick who waits on me in here? I’ve hardly ever said hello to her.”
“Well, you leave her generous tips, and she seems to have decided that that means a serious commitment.”
“I always leave big tips.” He pulled out his phone, sent a text, and then leaned his elbows back on the counter. “Anyhow, I didn’t come here to talk about her.”
“Why did you come?”
He stared at me with that expression I could swear he spent time working on in the mirror. “I’m an ass,” he said.
“No argument here.”
“I was upset and I lashed out at you and it was wrong. I was pissed at myself, and for some stupid reason, I took it out on you.”
“You could have just reached into my chest and ripped my heart out. It would have hurt less.”
He leaned forward. “Come back, Eden. Finley’s been asking for you. She really tore me a new one when she found out why you left.”
“So, this is just a ploy to save your own ass.”
He jumped off the stool and took hold of my arm. “No, this is a ploy to save my heart.”
I stared down at his fingers wrapped around my arm. His face was near mine, but I was not going to give in. I was not going to look up at him because if I did, anything could happen. His phone rang and he released me to answer it.
“Hey. Yeah. Hold on.” He stretched out his arm to hand me the phone. “It’s Finley.”
I had no idea the impact just hearing she was on the other end of the line would have on me. I stared at the phone slightly stunned and then reached over and picked it up.
“Hey,” I pushed the syllable out of my throat.
“Eden?”
“Yep, it’s me.” This time the words came out through sobs.
“Do you hate me?” she asked and her words broke too.
“Never.”
“Is my brother, the ass, standing there listening in?” she asked.
“Yes, yes he is.” I wiped my eyes.
“I told you he was an ass.”
“You did warn me.”
“But he really cares for you, Eden. Frankly, I can’t stand to see him mope around here like Mr. Poopy Pants.”
A laugh spurted from my mouth.
“Is she calling me Mr. Poopy Pants again?” Jude reached for the phone, but I waved his arm away.
“Eden, I want you to come back. I think it will really help me. I confess, the medicine is already helping me feel better. It makes me feel kind of numb but a good numb. Like I could let some things go and not go ballistic about them.”
“That’s great, Finley.”
“So will you?”
I paused and looked at Jude. Everything about him still stole my breath, but I wasn’t sure if I could handle all of it again. “I’ll think about, Finley.”
“I’ve only got one more thing to say then. Come back, come back, come back.”
“Actually, that’s three things.”
“No, it’s me remember. Three times is once in my world, otherwise I would have repeated come back nine times, which I could still do if it would help convince you.”
I smiled. “You sound good, Finley. Like your old, quirky self.”
“Thanks . . . I think. Promise me you’ll think about it.”
“I will.”
She hung up. I handed Jude the phone and raised my brow at him. “You play dirty.”
“Yep, I guess I sort of do.” He looked toward the small staircase that led up to my room. “Are you staying here by yourself?”
I shrugged slightly embarrassed at my situation. “The rent is free as long as I’m here to open up early. The owner’s a nice, old man, but the place is too much for him to run.”
“It’s not safe, Eden. This neighborhood sucks, and the lock on that door can be snapped with one good shove.” He took hold of my hand and even though he only touched my fingers, I could feel it through my entire body. “Come home with me, Valley.” It was the first time he’d used the nickname since that horrid night, and while I’d always thought of it as humorous and even a bit annoying, the sound of it now made my heart ache for him.
“I need some time to think about it, Jude.” I looked around the place. “I’m on my own here, working at this diner, and I kind of like it. Independence feels good.”
“But you will think about it?” He walked to door and looked back. “Lock this thing as soon as I walk out.”
“Yes, Sir.”
He looked at me as if there was nothing in the world he wanted more than to kiss me and there was nothing I wanted more, but the incident was still too fresh. And he knew it, just like he knew he was going to leave without that kiss. He pointed at the lock. “Don’t forget.” He walked out and turned in the direction of the bar, and I wondered if that was where he was headed. Then he crossed the street to the construction site. I watched him for a moment and then dragged my tired legs upstairs.
The onion smell was particularly stubborn, and I had to go through the torturously slow process of washing my hair twice. Getting up before five had made me super tired in the late afternoon and with a completely unwatchable television set, I fell asleep with a towel wrapped around my wet hair and my mind wrapped around Jude King.
Chapter 25
A high-pitched scream woke me from a sound sleep. I jolted up in bed, and the towel unraveled and fell onto the floor. The room was dark. I felt for the light switch and flipped it on. A frightening stillness followed, and I listened over my pounding heart for another noise but silence followed. Momentarily, I wondered if the scream had just been part of a dream and then I heard voices down below on the sidewalk. I pressed my face against the window to get a better view of the bar next door. Several of the street lights overhead were broken, and the sidewalk was dimly lit but I could see several figures rustling around in front of the bar. Then I heard a scream again. It was Megan.
I scrambled to put on my shoes. I raced downstairs, unlocked the door, and ran down the sidewalk. A hulking guy, with a neck the circumference of a telephone pole and a shoulder span that rivaled the width of the building behind him, held Megan tightly around the waist. She looked as if she’d been shocked out of a drunken stupor. Her lids were heavy and her head lulled forward and backward, but the expression on her face was terror. Two other massive guys stood nearby watching in amusement as the guy picked Megan up and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. She screamed again and pounded the guy with her her fists.
“Let her go, you mindless ape,” I yelled. “I just called the cops, and they’ll be here any minute.” As I spoke the threat, I truly wished I’d taken the time to do just that. Unfortunately, reason and common sense had left me during my rush downstairs.
The guy rumbled out a laugh that nearly shook the sidewalk. “Hey, look, another little girl to play with.”
One of his giant buddies smashed his cigarette out with his boot and lumbered toward me. I stumbled backward, turned, and scrambled back toward the diner. I’d just reached the door as his thick fingers took hold of my arm. I swung my fist around and nailed him on the side of the head.
“You bitch.” He took hold of my wrist, and I just waited for my frail bones to crack beneath the pressure of his fingers. I flailed my free arm at his head again, but he threw up a rock solid forearm to stop the impact.
“Let me go!” Several cars drove past and the drivers glanced our way, but no one seemed inclined to step out and help. The size of our attackers was a definite deterrent. It was as if their mothers had filled their baby bottles with steroids.
My attacker dragged me back toward the guy who had Megan still draped over his shoulder. I heard a door slam somewhere across the street and hoped someone was coming to our rescue.
A groan of nausea came from behind the beast holding Megan, and then with her head hanging upside down, she puked all over the back of the guy’s pants. He threw her down to the ground with a vicious thud. I struggled to free myself but it was impossible.
“Let her go now, and I won’t have to wipe up that puke with your ugly face.”
Tears flowed before Jude had gotten the first words out. I hadn’t seen him walk up, but I could feel him standing behind me.
The attention on the otherwise deserted sidewalk had turned to the guy who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The jerk holding me pushed me aside and I spun around. Jude was standing with his hands in his jeans pockets, facing down all three guys as if they were made of paper. His gaze softened as he glanced toward me. “You all right?”
I nodded. “There are too many.” The pleading tone in my voice had no effect.
Jude looked over at Megan. “Peel her up off the sidewalk and drag her into that diner. Lock the door behind you.”
The guy with puke on his pants shoved the sleeves of his jacket up over his forearms. “Yeah, girlie, you’re not going want to see this.”
“Go, Eden,” Jude said.
My heart was slamming against my chest as I ran over and grabbed hold of Megan’s arm and pulled her to her feet. She moaned in pain and both her knees were bleeding as she stumbled toward the diner. I shoved her through the door and looked back through blurry, wet eyes.
The guy drew back his arm and threw his fist at Jude. Sobriety was on Jude’s side. He easily ducked out of the way, and the giant staggered forward. Jude raised his foot and shoved the guy face first into the sidewalk.
His two friends lunged toward Jude.
“Jude!” I screamed, hoping to warn him, but it had the opposite effect. And in the split second that I’d had his attention, the other two jumped him. Jude managed to throw one of them off just as the other landed a solid punch to Jude’s face. The first guy had recuperated and rage steamed off of him as he stooped over, roared with anger, and plowed into Jude as if he was on the football field taking out an opponent. Only in this game there was no ref and no rules. Jude groaned as the guy slammed him hard against the building.
My feet took off before my brain had even told me to move. The sidewalk seemed to have magically stretched and it felt as if it took me forever to reach them, and in that time, I wondered just what the hell I would do once I got there. My adrenaline rocketed me into the air and I jumped on the guy’s back and clawed his face. He threw me off with hardly any effort, and I fell back hard on the sidewalk.
Annoying little pest gone, the guy concentrated on his real prey. Jude had held his own for a few minutes but the three against one scenario had definitely turned the odds against him. Blood dripped from Jude’s mouth and nose as he staggered forward to hit the guy in front of him. I was still at ground level and with his drunken state to help me, I kicked my leg and toppled one of the beasts. He fell to his knees with a thud, and I could have sworn the sidewalk shook from the impact. The guy pushed to his feet and swung around with a look that told me to get the hell up and run.
It was time to do what I should have done in the first place. I raced to the diner to call the police, but before I reached the door, headlights lit up the sidewalk. I twisted back around. The scene on the sidewalk looked as if it was under the spotlight on a stage. Two of the guys had taken hold of Jude and the third one was pummeling him, seemingly ignorant of the car that had pulled up in front of the bar. I squinted into the harsh headlights, hoping it was a police car. But, oddly enough, it was a limousine.
The car door opened and a familiar figure stepped out. The guy administering the beating finally stopped and looked around at the person standing next to the limo. Then another figure stepped out of the car, and this one made the three attackers look petite. I’d seen Nicky King’s bodyguard once but the sight of him slapped the breath from me. He had to be close to seven feet tall, and I half expected the sleeves and legs of his shirt and pants to be tattered, his Hulk transformation complete.
I wandered over to the scene, wondering if I’d been knocked senseless by the fall to the sidewalk or if I was actually witnessing the sight in front of me. The two guys holding a rather bloody and limp looking Jude kept their hold on their victim, but their mouths dropped open in a perfectly suited apelike fashion.
“I don’t fucking believe it,” one of the guys muttered, “it’s Nicky King.”
“You better fucking believe it,” Nicky answered in that awesome British accent, “and that’s my kid you’re beating the shit out of.” Nicky’s bodyguard took several steps toward them, and they released Jude and stumbled back with eyes as wide as marbles. Jude sank to the ground. “Jude!” I ran to him and dropped to my knees.
“Hey,” he said weakly.
I winced at the pain in his tone. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, but everything from chin up hurts like hell and the ribs ain’t feeling great either.”
“I wish there was something I could do to help.”
He shifted his green eyes toward me with minimal movement of his face and head. “I’m sure I can think of something.”
Conveniently having missed all of the fight action, some of the bar patrons finally emerged from the dark saloon to see what was going on. Immediately phones came out of pockets and an excited murmur rolled down the line of onlookers. Never mind that a guy was slumped on the sidewalk with a swollen face and blood loss, there was a rock star standing in front of their bar.
As fast as the phones were lifted for pictures, the humongous body guard stepped in front of Nicky, shielding him like a brick wall. His voice was as impressive and frightening as his size. “Unless you want to lose those phones, you’ll put them back in your pockets now.” The group of curious spectators moved fast to follow his command.
Seconds later, and fashionably late, a police car pulled up. The officers stepped out and looked just as star struck as everyone else on the sidewalk. I half expected them to pull out their book of citations for an autograph. It was fascinating to see everyone’s reaction. Maybe my dad wasn’t that far out of the norm.
One of the officers gained his composure quicker than the other. He assessed the scene and pointed to the three jerks standing in the shadows of the building. “You three sit down right where you are with hands behind your heads.” They followed his command immediately. Nicky walked over to talk to policemen.
Jude rested against me. “You were right,” he mumbled through his swollen mouth.
“There were too many. What happened to locking the door?”
“I did lock it.”
“I meant for you to lock it once you were behind it.”
I lifted his hand and traced my fingertip over his swollen knuckles. “I did, but then Megan screamed, and after that things went to hell.” I kissed his knuckles. “This time I deserve the blame,” I said. “I ran out to help Megan, but I should have just called the police instead. Where did you come from anyway?”
He lifted a weak arm and pointed toward the trailer across the street. “I decided to stay in the construction trailer and keep an eye on you.”
“You stayed because of me?”
“Yeah, Valley, I did. Does that take me off the shit list?”
“Maybe.” I leaned over and kissed the edge of his jaw, the only spot without swelling or blood.
“I think I’m going to need a lot more first aid than that to fix everything that hurts, Doc.” He gave me his hand. “Help me up, and we’ll talk about my personalized medical treatment later.” He groaned in pain as he pressed his arm against his rib cage. It took some effort for him to stand.
“You’ve been beaten senseless and yet you’re completely focused on sex,” I said, with a certain degree of amazement.
He turned to face me. One of his eyes was swollen and there was an ugly gash above it. “Uh, yeah.” He reached up with the back of his hand and wiped away the blood from his mouth. “I’m not too proud to accept pity sex either.”
Nicky walked over with the two policemen. “Jude, do you need an ambulance. I was just telling these officers how you were jumped by these drunken bar patrons.”
