Page 121 of Riot's Thorn
But it never comes because there’s apopI recognize from being near too many shoot-outs lately, and then warm, thick liquid is coating my face, and I’m falling forward.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
RIOT
“Shh. It’s okay, Little Thorn,” I whisper with her curled into me on the couch.
I’m not being gentle for Parker’s sake; she seems to be fine. It’s me who’s losing my shit, but she’s kind enough to not point it out and let me do what I need to do. I don’t have a safe place in her cabin, so this will have to do.
“I knew you’d come for me,” she says, and I bury my nose in her hair, inhaling her comforting scent.
“Always. I’ll always come for you.” We stay like that until Dutch and Golden show up and I have to help them take out the trash.
“Can I shower while you do whatever you have to do?”
“Yeah.” I lift her into my arms as carefully as possible. Any healing she’s done since Bart got to her is gone, and we’re back to square one. “I’ll stay and help.”
She grins. “You just want to see me naked.”
That would usually amuse me, but I still have the image ofhimholding her up by her hair, seconds from slapping her across the face, on a loop in my mind. She doesn’t need me adding to her trauma, so I push down the rage and say, “I’ll never turn down a peep show.”
“Don’t I know it.” She lifts onto her toes and kisses the corner of my mouth. “But I’m okay. I’ll be here when you’re done.”
“Call out if you need anything.”
Golden, Dillon, and Dutch help me remove the chair and rug splattered with blood, putting them in the back of the van to be destroyed. I won’t bother replacing either one, since I plan to have her back home with me soon. She can sell this place, keep it for a getaway, or burn it to the ground for all I care. No matter what, she’ll never live here again.
Back in the living room, Golden and Dutch get Roland to his feet. Now that some time has passed, I’m glad I had the self-control to not kill the guy. . . yet. He doesn’t deserve a quick death.
He catches my gaze and smirks. Pretty soon, he won’t find anything amusing because the death I have planned for him is especially gruesome. Until then, I need to restrain myself. But that doesn’t mean I can’t wipe that grin from his ugly ass face. I punch him across the jaw, relishing in the stream of blood that flies from his mouth. It’s even more satisfying when he spits out a tooth.
“Keep him alive until I can get to the Honey Pot.”
“Fucking gladly,” Dutch says, flipping the hair off his forehead.
“Is she okay?” Golden asks, always the caregiver.
“She will be.”
“Are you?”
I stare at him, unsure how to answer. There’s something ugly inside me right now, something I’m not sure how to get out. I want to rage, I want to cry, I want to beat the shit out of someone—mostly Roland. But they’re all fighting to get out at the same time, and it’s creating a whirlwind of emotion.
“Hold on a second. I’ll be right back,” Golden says.
My brothers force a cursing Roland out the front door and into the van. Due to the adrenaline, he’s not fully feeling the pain of getting shot in the shoulder, but he will be, very soon. And I’m fucking thankful for that knowledge.
Seconds later, Golden’s back with a pair of headphones and his sunglasses. “It’s hard to dim the light when there aren’t any blinds, but the sunglasses will do the trick, and these are noise canceling. Oh, and here’s a peppermint. Sometimes, the cooling sensation and the strong flavor shock to one sense can calm down the others.”
I stare at him blankly, not understanding how he knew about my unique issues. “Okay.”
“If I had to recommend anywhere to chill out, I think that corner over there looks good. It’s a little darker, and there’s not a lot to look at or anything.” He points to a spot between the couch and the loveseat. Again, I just stare. “Oh, um, one of Ty’s friends gets a little overwhelmed sometimes, and his dad told me what to do. I figured it’d work for you too.”
I take his offerings. “Thank you.”
“No problem. See ya later.”
I put the headphones on, press the button for noise cancellation, and place the sunglasses over my eyes. Sitting in the spot Golden suggested, I pop the peppermint into my mouth, surprised when he’s right. The flavor is too strong, but the cooling sensation is nice. I’ll have to remember that.
