Page 62 of I Want Crazy (Loco, Texas 3)

She didn’t argue, just held on to him and he couldn’t stop stroking her as he made the 911 call. The dispatcher kept asking him questions as he watched Ray use the ropes on Will. The idiot started coming to and squinted up at Red and Jessie with fiery hatred.

“You bitch,” Will rasped. “I should have just paid someone to kill you instead of making it personal.”

When Red finally hung up, he was tempted to tell Ray to turn Will loose so he could beat the hell out of him, but Jessie beat him to it.

She pulled away from Red and stood over Will with clenched fists. “It was already personal for me, you prick.”

Before he could stop her, she’d kicked Will in the ribs.

“That is for the video,” she said, regaining her balance before winding up to kick him again. “This is for following me here and tormenting me.” She gave him a harder kick to the stomach.

“And this”—her boot hit his face with enough force to knock his head back— “is for trying to kill me.”

Red caught her and pulled her away from Will as the parking lot flooded with lights from squad cars and emergency vehicles. Ray hauled Will toward the waiting police officers none too gently, while Red followed behind with Jessie in his arms.

As the fire department went to work on the bar, Red held Jessie against his chest. Pretty soon, the front of his shirt was soaked, and he realized she was crying.

He kissed the top of her head gently. “I’m

sorry about the bar.”

Her shoulders shook with the force of her sobs, and when Finn started toward them, Red waved him away. “The ambulance is here. Why don’t we go get you checked out?”

“I’m…okay,” she said hoarsely.

“I’d rather have a doctor’s opinion on that.”

“Why did you come back?”

He couldn’t tell her the truth, not now. Not amid all this pain and horror. “Because I’m stubborn and don’t listen.”

He caught the ghost of a smile before she laid her cheek on his chest. “Thank you.”

“What are you thanking me for?” he said gruffly. “If I hadn’t left at all, none of this would have happened.”

She stroked his cheek, the tender light in her eyes making his heart squeeze. “You left because I asked you to. You were honoring my wishes. But, what I’m thanking you for is for being such a good man.”

He blinked and rubbed his eyes as they stung with tears. “Damn smoke.”

* * *

The doctors gave her the okay to go home. Ray was in the waiting room, along with Rand, April, and Jake.

“You guys didn’t have to come down here.”

“Are you kidding? I want to get my hands on the son of a bitch!” Rand cried, reaching out to hug her. “You poor thing. Your face looks like it hurts.”

Rand’s concern made Jessie want to weep. She’d forgotten what it was like to have friends who showed up when you really needed them. “It does, but the headache that goes along with it is worse.”

“I can’t believe this happened,” April said next to them.

“Well, the good news is that bastard isn’t going to enjoy freedom for a long time,” Jake said.

Red stole Jessie away from Rand and April and snuggled her back in his arms. “He won’t be enjoying any crap-tastic soy lattes, that’s for sure.”

An hour later, Red was tucking her into his bed. As he sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand, her chest tightened at the intense look on his face.

“I thought you were going to be dead. I thought I was going to walk through those doors and find you on the ground, not breathing.”

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