Page 76 of Wild Card
“’M fine,” I protested.
Bailey came up on my other side. “You should probably check on Banshee, right?”
“She’s not with Holden?” Gray said, surprised.
“Left her cozied up with Sugar motherin’ her,” I mumbled. “She’s fine.”
Cool air hit my face as my brothers distracted me just long enough to get me outside. Damn it. I sucked in a lungful, my head clearing a little. I shook off Bailey, but Gray’s grip on my upper arm was like a vice.
He dragged me toward Holden’s GTO. He and Bailey must have come over together.
“Did Holden send you over here to check up on me?” I demanded. “I hate when he does that shit.”
“No. He didn’t know you were going out. Is that why you didn’t take Banshee over there tonight?”
“Fuck you, man. Of course not.”
Guilt prickled all along my skin. I’d almost taken her to Holden. They were bonding nicely, and I was happy to see it. But she really had been curled up with Sugar in my bed when I got ready to leave. She’d barely lifted her head when I went out the door, and I’d figured it was good for her.
She was settling down and trusting that she was safe.
But part of me had been glad because Holden was like a fucking mother hen, and he’d be full of questions about where I was going and whether he needed to worry about me.
Not that I’d escaped my meddling brothers, anyway.
“Sorry,” Gray said, sounding abashed. “I shouldn’t have suggested you’d ever do wrong by any of your animals.”
“No, you fucking shouldn’t have.”
My words lacked force. I was too tired and drunk to get riled up. My urge to fight had deserted me. The fun phase of being drunk was gone, leaving me wanting to find my bed and pass the fuck out.
Gray and Bailey got me into the back seat of the GTO. I slumped against the window and closed my eyes. In a blink, we were at the junkyard. I didn’t even remember climbing out of the car, but suddenly, we were outside my RV. Gray held me up while Bailey opened the door.
I staggered up the steps, banging into the doorframe with my shoulder and cursing. I made it two steps inside and tripped over Taz.
I crashed to the floor. “Sonuva!”
Gray leaned through the doorway. “You okay? Need help into bed?”
“Taz tripped me,” I muttered. “Tiny little demon.”
“Ha!” Gray said, voice triumphant. “I knew he was evil. Nice to see him unleash on someone else for a change.”
Taz, who’d been licking my hand, turned toward Gray with a snarl as if he’d understood him.
“Don’t drown in your vomit,” Gray said hurriedly. “Good night!”
He slammed the door shut.
I chuckled. “Good boy, Taz.”
Banshee nosed at my hair with concern, while Sugar huffed at the sight of me. Fucking Loki took a stroll over my back.
“All right, okay,” I muttered, pushing onto my hands and knees. “I’ll go to bed.”
With my whole crew of critters nudging me along—all while Sugar silently judged my drunk ass—I got to my feet and staggered the few steps to my bed.
I collapsed on top of the blankets. My dogs piled in around me.
