Page 103 of Deathtoll
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope for some last-minute hand-to-hand combat between the two of us.”
She flashed him an incredulous look. “You got Mordocai. I got Asael. That’s how partnerships work. We share.”
Partnership.Murph liked the sound of that. “Screw him.” He picked up his gun. “Let’s go.”
Her gaze slid to his chest. She flinched. “I think I should call an ambulance for you.”
“I’m not going to the hospital over a broken fingernail.” He swallowed the blood running down his throat.
“Ripped out fingernail. Among other injuries.” She scooped his clothes up from the floor, started to hand them over, but then noticed the shape they were in and dropped them again. “Now what?”
He pulled her back, careful not to get blood on her, although, she didn’t seem to care. God, he’d missed this—the smell of her, the feel of her, her pliant softness. “I’m naked and I have a beautiful woman in my arms. Sounds like the beginning of something great.”
He kissed her cheek and wiped off the small smudge of blood his lips left behind. He’d forgotten about his tooth there for a second. Dammit, he wanted to kiss her. Badly. So much that it hurt to have to hold back. “Sorry.”
Before she could respond, an explosion shook the ground, startling them apart.
“The bombs were on a timer.” He swore. “The detonator was for show. Let’s go.”
She grabbed his arm. “Naked?”
“There are work overalls upstairs.”
She pressed her lips together, as if marshaling her arguments, but in the end, she nodded. “You clean up in the bathroom under the stairs, and I’ll find you something to wear.”
She took off, and he headed to the bathroom. When he caught sight of himself in the chipped mirror over the sink, he did a doubletake. He looked like an extra from a B-rated horror flick. Blood covered his chin. His chest too, from all those cuts. He looked like someone had tried to skin him.
Okay. So kissing Kate would definitely have to wait.
He washed off and used an ancient roll of paper towels on the sink to dab himself dry. Some of the cuts still oozed, but nothing was gushing.
By the time he left the small bathroom, Kate was there with a pair of worn blue overalls and a first aid kit. “Found it on the wall by the front door, next to the fire extinguisher.”
She handed him the clothes first. “Relatively clean. I shook out the dust, but you’re going to have to bathe in disinfectant at the earliest opportunity. Hope you know when you got your last tetanus shot.”
Murph kicked off his boots—which Asael had left on—then stepped into the much-needed covering and pulled it up. He slipped Asael’s phone into his pocket. “That’s going straight to the FBI.”
“You think they can track down the guy on the other end of the call?” Kate held out the first aid kit.
Murph waved it away, yanked up the front zipper of his overalls, then put his boots back on. “I trust Cirelli to give it a hell of a good try.”
Then he headed back to the table, stepped over Asael, accidentally kicking him in the head, and grabbed the bloody jar. He picked out his tooth, put it over the hole in his mouth, and bit down to force the root back into place.
Hurt like a sonofabitch, but it seemed to stop the bleeding.
Kate rushed to him. “What are you doing?”
When Murph turned, he accidentally kicked Asael in the head again. Accidentally even harder. “If you get a tooth knocked out, sometimes it can be saved if you put it back.” He went for the stairs. “You have a car up front?”
“I ran.”
“All the way?” He was never going to be able to thank her enough. She’d come back for him. God, he loved her. And the second they had a minute alone together… “I have an Altima stashed around the corner. I’ll take you home where you’ll be safe, then I’ll head over to see what I can do to help at the parade.”
“I’m not the kind of woman who stays home safe while others are being hurt.” She kept up with him. “Especially when my sister and parents could be in danger. I’ll drive. And you’re not getting out of the car.”
He smiled at her as they stepped outside. Then snapped his mouth closed. His teeth were probably bloody. “I’m not the kind of guy who doesn’t get out of the car.”
“I know.” She smiled back at him. “It’s one of the things I love about you.”
