Page 48 of Wilde In His Arms

All the kids nodded.

Well, he’d earned their trust and he wouldn’t break it.

Now all he had to do was get fixed up at the hospital and get some rest so he could do right by these kids.

And so he was well enough to kiss Aria’s socks off the second she got here.Because damn he missed her, and this incident had been yet another really close call.Too close.

The thought of never seeing her again hurt his heart so much, he vowed he’d do anything to keep her.

Chapter eighteen

Javierspeddowntheroad, his hand covering the gash cutting across the meaty part of his shoulder near his neck.An inch separated the gash and certain death.If he’d been hit in the neck, he’d be dead.

Instead, he’d lost four kids, one of his men, and his sister.He worried about what they’d do with his mother, too.

He slammed the heel of his hand on the steering wheel, once, twice, three times.“Fuck!”Blood stained his shirt and seeped through his hand, but he’d managed to get away from his mother’s house before other agents descended on the property and arrested him.

His sister’s lifeless body flashed before his eyes.He wiped the back of his hand across his eyes and the tears that gathered there.He’d been shocked to see her go after the agent like that.He’d thought she’d let him handle it.He had a gun, after all.

She’d been fierce, but ultimately died for her recklessness.

You don’t bring a knife to a gun fight.

Stupid woman.

But she was his sister and he loved her in his way.

When she’d gotten tired of living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to make ends meet, he’d come up with the plan to use the resort.He already had clients who were members.He even gave her the glowing recommendation that got her the job.The operation worked seamlessly.No one was the wiser until Agent Gunn started sniffing around.Now everything was fucked.

Well, Agent Gunn wouldn’t get away with killing his sister, arresting his mother, or messing with his business.

He slammed his hand on the steering wheel again.

Retribution was coming.

But first, he pulled out his phone and called the doc.

“Pike, it’s me.I need your help.Where you at?”

“I’m visiting family.Out of town.”Like that mattered.

“I pay you well to take care of things like this and it can’t wait.So give me an address.Better yet, send me a pin of where you want to meet, and it better be soon, I’m fucking bleeding everywhere.”

“Oh.Uh.Let me see.I’ll meet you halfway.But I don’t have all my supplies.What’s happened, so I know what I’ll need?”

“I’ve been shot, but it’s just a deep graze.Top of my shoulder.Near my neck.”

“Oh.Okay.I can clean and stitch that.I’m sending you a location now.I’ll meet you there.”

Javier hung up and tapped the pin, then headed for the doctor.He’d get himself fixed up, then he’d get his business back on track and eliminate the FBI threat trying to take him down.

Chapter nineteen

Ariasprintedtotheinformation desk in the hospital lobby, barely remembering Mason and Lyric were following behind her.“Which room is Nick Gunn in?”She didn’t have time for pleasantries, or being polite.She just needed to see him.

“Are you family?”

“Yes.”She held up her thumb and raised her arm to indicate behind her.“That’s his brother and sister-in-law.”She had no idea what she was to him.At the moment, labels didn’t matter.

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