Page 15 of Hold Him Like Gravity

Fuckers.

I reached into the kit, finding an instant icepack, shaking it to activate it, then pressing it to her neck.

“Thanks,” she said, reaching up to hold it so my hands were free to find the little tube of saline and some gauze to clean up her lip. She sat like a champ, barely wincing, as I got rid of the blood.

“I’m not gonna put anything on it. Don’t want you swallowing that shit. But if it starts to look funky, you can put some ointment on it.”

“It’s not my first split lip,” she said, making my gaze shoot up to hers. “But thanks,” she added.

“How’s your stomach feeling?”

“It’s alright. It will probably be sore after some sleep, but it won’t keep me from working.”

“You’re not working tomorrow,” I said, watching as her brows furrowed.

“What? Why not?” she asked. “There were four of them,” she said, voice getting tight. “There was nothing I could do to fight them off.”

“Wasn’t expecting you to fight anyone off.”

“I know they took the money from the drawer—“

“Don’t give a fuck about the money,” I cut her off.

I didn’t.

The most the drawer could have had in it was a grand or so. Chump change, in the grand scheme of things.

What mattered was that someone thought they could come intomyshop and steal fromme.

“This has nothing to do with those fucks, save for you needing a few days off after that shit.”

“I can’t.”

“I’m telling ya you can.”

Her gaze lowered at that, staring at my stomach. “I can’t afford more days off.”

“You’ll get paid,” I said.

I mean, she got her pretty faced all fucked up because of me. Of course I’d fucking pay her for some time off.

“It’s not just that. There’s,” she started, sighing, “there’s tips when I work.”

“I see,” I said, zipping the kit, lowering down to a squat by her feet, plugging in the code for the safe under my desk, then reaching in to grab one stack, then another, and setting them on her thigh. “There. That should cover it,” I said, re-locking the safe.

“I… I can’t take that.”

“Yet, that’s exactly what you’re gonna do. In fact, I’m gonna take you home and make sure that money ends up there too.”

“You don’t have to walk me home.”

“Babe, I’m walking you home,” I said, shaking my head at her. “You got shit you need to get out of your locker?” I asked.

“I… yeah.”

“‘K. Get it. Then we’ll head out.”

With that, she rose, starting to set the cash on the desk before I shot her a raised brow, then keeping it in her hand as she left the room.

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