Page 47 of The Bad Brother

“Now go with Austin to get my emergency trauma kit out of the trunk of my car,” Sloane says “My keys are right there next to my duffle.

Frowning, River shakes her head. “But?—”

“River, I need you to help Austin get my trauma kit,” Sloane says, in that sameI’m in chargetone. “We’ll be fine until you get back.”

River hesitates but only for a moment before she rushes out the door, Austin close behind. As soon as the doorbangs shut behind them, Sloane looks down at me. “Stabbed or slashed?”

“Slashed.” Feeling my mouth twitch at her blasé tone, I match it. “Blade slid right through me. If I had to guess it was a razorblade of some kind.”

Giving me a nod, Sloane sighs. “These towels are completely saturated. I think it would be better if you?—”

“I’m not going to the hospital, Peach,” I tell her in a matter-of-fact tone. “If you don’t want to help?—”

“I’m a doctor,” she says, her tone just pointed enough to dig at me. “Wanthas nothing to do with it.” Shaking her head on a sigh, Sloane circles around to stand behind me, hand still pressed against my back. Reaching out, she snags a fresh towel off the stack River brought down. “If the laceration is anywhere near your spine, I’m calling 911,” she tells me, letting me know she doesn’t give a shit about my feelings when it comes to hospitals. If she thinks it’s warranted, she’s making the call with or without my consent. Before I can argue with her, she lifts the bloody towel pressed to my back.

“Well?” Spinal injury wasn’t on my radar but now that she said it, I’m suddenly worried.

“Close,” she tells me while applying a fresh towel to my back. “But not close enough to cause concern.”

“I guess you’d know,” I tell her quietly. “You’re the doctor.” When she doesn’t say anything back likethat’s right I amoroh, so now that you’re bleeding out on my kitchen floor, you suddenly believe me,I feel even shittier. “Colt called youDr. Merrickwhen he saw you the other morning,” I say by way of explanation. “I’m sorry. I saw you sitting there with River that day and I thought?—”

“I know what you thought,” she says quietly. “You made it abundantly clear.”

“I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life,” I say, telling her the truth. “I wanted you. I wanted you so fucking bad, that I… but then I saw your bracelet and…” Running out of truth, I lift a hand to give my face a rough swipe, glad she’s standing behind me and I can’t see her face. “I reacted badly. I treated you like shit and I’m sorry. For everything.”

“How many times have you been in here while I was at work?” she asks. I don’t have to ask her how she knows I was in here. I bought out a grocery store and stuffed it into her kitchen cabinets. She’d have to be blind and stupid not to notice.

“Three.” I tell her the truth again. “This morning after you left and again this afternoon. The first time doesn’t really count, I guess, since you were here.” Saying it pulls up the memory of her sleeping on the couch in my T-shirt. No panties. Freshly fucked pussy exposed. How badly I wanted to bury my face between her legs and wake her up with my tongue. Feel her pussy work itself against my mouth while I licked her clean. Hear her moan my name while she came on my face. “Sloane?—”

Before I can give a voice to whatever the fuck kind of nonsense that’s about to come out my mouth, I hear Austin and River pound their way up the stairs. Looking up, I see River carrying what looks like a large red tackle box, Austin hot on her heels. “Is this it?” she asks, her color slipping about three shades when she sees the wad of blood-soaked towels on the counter next to me. “I?—”

“Yes,” Sloane says, that commanding tone of herspulling River back from the edge. “That’s it. Go ahead and set it on the counter, thank you, River.”

I look past River to Austin standing quietly behind her. He hasn’t said anything this entire time and I know the guilt is eating at him. The sooner we get back to business as usual, the better off everyone will be. “What’s the situation downstairs?”

“Quiet. Everyone tore out of here when…” Almost as pale as River, Austin shakes his head. “Jen, I?—”

“This isn’t your fault,” I tell him. “This is on me. I got sloppy. I should’ve been paying attention and I wasn’t.”

Austin frowns at me like I just lied to him. “But it’s my job to make sure that no one?—”

“I need you to take River home.” Trusting him to take care of River for me will do more to show him that I don’t blame him for what happened than my telling him ever will. “Take her home and make sure she’s safely inside before you leave, alright?” After tonight, there’s nothing I wouldn’t put past my brother. Hurting River to get to me is absolutely something he would do.

Austin looks at River before looking back at me because he understands. He knows what I’m worried about. “Alright.”

Looking at River, I give her what I hope passes for a reassuring smile. “Sloane says I’m going to be okay,” I tell her. “She’s going to stitch me up and send me home.” When I saystitch me up, River sways on her feet but manages to stay upright. Like it’s her cue, Sloane places a light hand on my shoulder.

“I promise you he’s going to be okay, River,” she says ina tone full of confidence and reassurance. “This is what I do, remember?”

“Yes,” River says, giving her a jerky nod. “Okay.”

“Let Austin take you home. I’ll call you tomorrow. I’ll come get you for your shift. We’ll stop at June’s on the way back—how’s that sound?” June’s is a diner not far from the police station that serves cinnamon rolls as big as dinner plates. I watched in awe while Riv’s housed three in one sitting, the first day I met her.

Eyes wide and glistening with unshed tears, River swallows hard before answering. “Sounds good.”

Giving Austin a quickget her out of herelook, I watch while he pulls River out the door. This time when it closes behind them, it’s with a quiet click.

IF I HAD TO GUESS, JENSEN IS RIGHT. IT’Sa clean cut. Whatever was used to cut him slid right through him which means it’ll be an easy stitch. The downside is that the wound is deep enough to need internal stitches to ensure proper healing.

---