Page 40 of Blue Moon

The photographer went back to groaning, and the other paparazzi were recording the scene so they could make a quick buck. Ryder could see the headlines now… Luna Maara involved in horror smash. Victim claims driver’s actions were deliberate.

And then she was beside him.

“Jorge, what have I told you a hundred times? That if you kept driving like that, you’d cause an accident, and now… Your leg looks gross.”

Vintage fuckin’ Luna.

“I thought I told you to stay in the car?” Ryder said to her.

“Yes, well, you’re not waving your gun around, so I figured it was safe.” She put her hands on her hips. “And nobody tells me what to do.”

Twenty people had their phones out now, recording. It took Ryder a moment to realise what Luna was doing, but when she gave him the briefest smile, he understood. That crazy, beautiful, wonderful woman. She was causing a distraction. For him. She knew he wanted to stay out of the public eye, so she was making herself the focal point.

“Guys, I mean seriously… Is a picture of me sitting in a car really worth losing your house to medical debt? If you’d asked me nicely, I’d have sent you a selfie.”

“My damn leg,” Jorge moaned.

“Is there an ambulance coming? Now I’m late for my appointment, and there are cars stopped everywhere.”

One of the other paparazzi peered down at Jorge’s leg and paled a shade. “You think we should hold up a blanket? Give him privacy?”

“You mean afford him the dignity you don’t allow me?” A sigh. “Sure, why not?” She flicked a hand in Ryder’s direction. “Rylan, find a blanket or something. Not my cashmere throw. That cost three thousand bucks.”

“I have a blanket,” a female bystander called, phone in one hand as she filmed the scene. “You want it?”

“I’d be grateful, ma’am.”

“Hey, Miss Luna, can I get a selfie?” she asked. “I mean, like, after he’s gone to the hospital or whatever.”

Luna beamed her perfect, fake smile. “Sure you can.”

Ryder focused on scanning for threats while they waited for the emergency services to arrive. Blackwood got there first, two uniformed colleagues, one male, one female, both scanning the crowd as they exited an SUV. Ryder had spoken with the guy once or twice—Randall—but he hadn’t met the brunette before.

“Anything we can do?” she asked.

“It’s a crush injury. The only blood is from a graze on his cheek. Figured we’d wait for the EMTs to bring painkillers.”

Every Blackwood vehicle was kitted out with a first-aid kit, and the SUV Ryder had been driving was no exception. But firstly, EMTs tended to get annoyed when civilians overstepped and started dosing patients with analgesics, and secondly, Ryder figured a little agony might make Jorge think twice about driving like an asshole next time.

Randall peered around the blanket. “Oh, it’s that guy. Yeah, no painkillers.”

“You know him?”

“When I was on Selina May’s security detail, we caught him hiding in her yard. Man’s a cockroach.”

“Can you get Ms. Maara out of here?”

“Sure thing.”

Luna took more convincing. Before she left the scene, she insisted on taking photos with all who wanted them, and then she told the police in no uncertain terms just how reckless Jorge was on the roads. Finally, Randall managed to herd her into the second SUV, and Ryder was left to deal with the cops alongside the brunette, who’d introduced herself as Gina. She seemed to know the officers in attendance, and she did most of the talking.

Once Jorge had been loaded into an ambulance, Gina politely but firmly insisted the cops watch the dashcam footage, and although Ryder was still kicking himself for not braking faster, it was clear the injuries had been self-inflicted. Jorge had been intent on taking pictures, his camera held up, when the moped appeared to hit a bump in the road. With only one hand on the handlebars, he hadn’t been able to correct his path in time to avoid the SUV.

“We won’t take any further action, but you could still face a civil suit,” the officer who seemed to be in charge said.

Gina gave him a genuine smile. “Thanks for getting to the bottom of this so quickly, Mike.”

“Damn paparazzi. This is the third incident this week, and between you and me, nobody’s gonna be upset if that guy’s laid up for a few months. Those fools get everywhere.”

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