Page 82 of Crash and Burn
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Marley
“How are you feeling?”I sit in the chair next to Diesel’s bed.
“I’m in some pain, but it’s nothin’ I can’t handle.” Diesel smirks at me.
“Have you talked to Tink? Does she know you were shot?”
His smile falters and he turns his head away from me. “No, I haven’t.”
“You better call her before you leave here. She’ll want to hear about it from you,” I tell him.
“I know, I will. I don’t want her to worry about me,” he admits.
“She’s probably already worried about you,” I mutter.
His eyes search mine.
“Is there anything we can do for you before we head out,” Rascal asks Diesel, changing the subject.
Diesel turns his attention to Rascal. “Nah, I’m gonna fuckin’ smoke and sleep until it’s time to go home.”
“And call Tink,” I remind him.
“Yeah,” he agrees. “And call Tink.”
“Take care, bro. We’ll see you in a couple days,” Rascal says.
“Have a safe trip home,” Diesel calls out as we leave his room. Downstairs we find Clutch and Saint.
“The SUV is packed up and ready to go,” Saint announces.
“You all are leaving already,” Catriona asks.
“Yeah, we need to get Marley back home,” Rascal tells her.
“Damn, I’m heading out to meet with Saoirse to have some fun with Paula,” she says.
“Make sure that bitch suffers,” I insist.
“Slow and painful.” Catriona grins. “We’ll let you know if we get any information out of her.”
“Appreciate it, Cat,” Rascal responds.
“Anytime! Take care of your new lady. She’s a tough one.” Catriona winks at me, walking out the front door.
“I like her.” I giggle.
“The whole Murphy clan are pretty awesome,” Rascal tells me. “They’re good people.”
We’re on the road by two o’clock. Rascal and I are in the backseat of the SUV while Clutch drives and Saint rides shotgun. Once we’re on the highway, I lay across the backseat, resting my head on Rascal’s lap. He runs his fingers through my hair, coaxing me to sleep.
This is it. This is where I’m meant to be. Everything I’ve been through was to get me to here, with Rascal. After the last couple weeks we’ve had, I’m realizing more and more there’s no one else I’d rather be with. I drift into a peaceful sleep.
A few hours later, I wake up as we’re pulling into a Texas Roadhouse parking lot. I sit up, stretching my arms.
“Have a nice nap?” Rascal’s grinning at me.
