Page 57 of Sawyer
When she handed him the towel, he pressed it against the gash on the side of his chest. That man had tried to stab her Daddy in the heart.
“Here, Half-Pint, help Daddy hold the towel against the cut.”
The door opened, and Ravage stalked in. Narrowing his eyes, he took in the scene, then asked, “You good?”
What the heck kind of question was that? No, he wasn’t “good.” He was as far from “good” as he could be.
Sawyer nodded. “I will be when Bones gets here. You catch him?”
She rolled her eyes. Men!
The thud of Ravage’s helmet hitting the kitchen counter echoed around the room. The biker sat on the arm of the couch. “Fuck no. Sorry, man, I was too far behind him. He turned a corner, and I lost him on one of the side streets. Plate number was scratched off, but I’m still lookin’ for the Ducati from before. I’ve searched half the town so far, but it shouldn’t be too much longer. There aren’t that many people in this town who are gonna fork over the cash for a Ducati Monster. I’ll find it.”
If they were looking for someone in Elk Jaw, she could help. She was the only one from here, after all. Sawyer had saved her twice now. She should do her part.
“Ducati? Like the motorcycle? I can try walking the parking lot at the Videotopia once the bar gets crowded. Maybe I can spot it.”
Sawyer squeezed her hand. “Little girl, I would hate to have to spank that ass of yours right now. It would hurt like a mother, but not as much as it would hurt losing you because you put yourself in harm’s way trying to help. So, please, for me. Don’t ever say anything like that again. Or at least not until I’m healed enough to take care of the situation.”
If that was what he wanted, that was what she would do. “There were times in prison when Mama Sam was always by my side. Wherever fights, or worse, broke out, she always seemed to be there to make sure I didn’t get hurt.”
Sawyer frowned. “Mama Sam? You’ve talked about her before. You connected with her in prison?” I did. We sat together at meals,and she always stayed close during recreation times. She knew everyone and everything that happened there. Usually, before it even happened. No one messed with Mama Sam and her crew.”
“I’m glad she was there for you, babygirl.”
It seemed like an eternity, but only fifteen minutes had passed when Reid arrived with a doctor she assumed was Bones.
Bones assessed Sawyer’s wounds and offered a crooked grin. “That’s a deep cut, Sawyer, but I bet you’ve had worse. What kind of knife was it?”
“Oh, um… I think it came from my kitchen. I have a chef’s knife like the one he had, anyway. It’s supposed to be the sharpest chef's knife in the world.”
All the men were staring at her. She wanted to crawl onto the recliner next to her Daddy.
Bones looked back at Sawyer’s chest. “Well, I’d say the advertising is accurate. I don’t think I’ve seen a cleaner slice outside of the operating room. Okay, Sawyer. I have happy drugs here that will make you feel better while I stitch this up.”
Sawyer held up a hand. “Just numb it, Bones. I don’t want any meds that will slow my reaction time. We don’t know if the people coming after Lele are done. I need to be alert.”
That was a horrible idea. Wasn’t he already in enough pain? She couldn’t let him suffer even more. Not because of her. “Daddy, no! I’ll be fine. I’m not leaving your side.”
He tried to smile. “Hush, Half-Pint. It’s going to be okay. You being here, holding my hand, is all I need. Daddy’s going to be fine.”
“It’s the middle of the day,” Reid said. “We have plenty of time to get her moved to Darling. I’ll call the guys and get everyone here to load up whatever your Little girl wants to take with her. We’ll watch out for her.”
Sawyer’s voice was weary when he spoke. “If someone had tried to hurt Winnie, would you hand her protection off tosomeone else? I already know the answer to that, so don’t try to lie. I’ll be fine.”
“Well, none of us is going anywhere,” the biker called from the kitchen bar.
Sawyer smirked. “Good to know.”
“Stubborn jackass,” Bones said as he held up a syringe and drew numbing medicine from a tiny bottle. “This only needs three stitches, but you’ll still need to be careful.”
Lele’s mind spun. They were talking about moving her to Darling. No one asked her if she wanted to move. She wouldn't be very feminist if she just sat there and did as she was told. But that was exactly what she was going to do.
She had spent one whole day lying to herself. Telling herself that Sawyer wasn't the man for her. Daddy for her. And she'd been miserable all day.
Had he made mistakes, absolutely. And they would be having a long talk about that. But when a man is willing to jump in front of a knife, to be cut for you? To put his life on the line to save yours? It was a little silly to doubt his love now.
She didn't doubt Sawyer’s love any longer. And the relief that brought almost sent her to her knees. He loved her, and she’d almost lost him. This stabbing was her fault. She was supposed to be gone all week. If she hadn’t insisted on coming home, Sawyer wouldn’t have been wounded.
