Page 40 of Dirty Dancer

“He had new arrivals today,” I said, more stating it than asking but I glanced at Kel for his nod of confirmation. The safe houses offered shelter and protection to abused women, teens, and children. They kept Doc busy and he thrived on being able to do something. “He take Theo with him?”

Kellan nodded. Doc’s schedule meant Theo didn’t always get to hang with Doc as often as he wanted. It also meant we made time for him. Another reason I respected Doc’s work, his devotion to it didn’t take a damn thing away from any of us, not Theo, not Hellspawn, hell not Freddie.

It was also why I was more than happy to invest. I had my accountants already setting up a cash stream so Doc could access it at his discretion. Not everyone could do the work he did. So it was better to make sure he had all the resources at his disposal.

“He’ll be here,” I said, then folded my arms as I fought the urge to go over and sweep Hellspawn up and steal her away for the night. We were all giving her and Freddie a lot of space for the dance they were doing. Didn’t mean I didn’twantthe timewith her too, but I could be patient. Freddieneededher attention and fuck knew, I wanted it to work for them.

“Yep,” Kellan said, tucking the phone away. Jasper drifted over to stand on the other side of Kel.

“I know she described this, but am I the only one feeling a little tense at the moment?”

“No,” I said in the same moment as Kellan. In front of us, Hellspawn was in a hand stand and she was using herfeetto pick up the bow, along with the arrow she had set up to have it notched.

Every controlled motion elongated her legs and showed off the muscle definition in them. More, the lines of her arms stood out in sharp relief as she maneuvered on her hands. The problem was the angle. How the hell was she supposed to see her shot?

I wasn’t the only one canting my head to track her movements. “She’s been practicing,” I repeated the earlier phrase, more as a reminder to myself than to them.

“Yeah,” Jasper said, rubbing a hand over his mouth as though masking his response. “That’s not really making me feel better at the moment.”

“No,” Kellan said slowly. Hellspawn had the bow and arrow aimed at the target.

“Clear,” Vaughn said as he moved away. She had the arrow nocked, but she wasn’t drawing back on the string.

“Why is she doing this again?” For some reason, sweat gathered at the back of my neck and slid down my spine. I knew all the reasons, I could tick them off easily. At the same time…

“Challenges,” Kellan responded.

“Pushing herself,” Jasper added.

“She’s good,” Freddie said and I hadn’t even realized he’d drifted over to join us as she got into position. The guys weren’t saying anything so I assumed this was part of the process. If shewas essentially aiming at the target she didn’t have to correct anymore?

There was no fucking reason to be this nervous. Hellspawn could do this. She could do any goddamn thing she set her mind to. The mental castigation only got me so far, I still held my breath when she pulled back on the string.

Without hesitation, she fired and the arrow thwocked against the target, but outside of the ring and it bounced to the floor.

“Dammit,” she swore.

“Three degrees to the left,” Rome told her as he crossed over to set another arrow in place for her. The whole time, she maintained her position, upside down, on her hands, back arched with her legs angled so she could grip the bow and arrow.

“Got it,” she murmured, the softness of her voice underscoring her concentration. She shifted her position and it was just a gradual one. Three degrees to the left.

“Clear,” Vaughn repeated.

Good plan. Make sure she knew she wasn’t going to accidentally shoot one of us. The next five seconds ticked by almost endlessly as she pulled back on the string and then the arrow flew.

This time it struck the target, and inside the ring. I wasn’t alone in cheering even as Jasper whistled.

“Another two degrees,” was all Rome said and I shook my head. She needed a break from that angle but she took the next arrow and had it set up.

Vaughn called clear and the arrow flew. This one struck the inside ring, right on it, but still inside.

“Nailed it,” Vaughn called and she lowered the bow slowly, setting it down before she rolled the rest of the way and to her feet.

Jasper had her up and swung her around. “That was amazing. You’re also absolutely crazy.”

Her laughter was the perfect response. Sweat soaked her face and left her hair damp. She hugged Jasper and locked gazes with me over his shoulder.

“Looking good, Hellspawn.” The compliment only made her smile widen.

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