Page 31 of Lane

Lane lay on the table while I grabbed scissors and cut open his jeans. The bullet went through his outer thigh. Nothing major was hit. There was blood, of course, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was when he came inside. I also could have been overreacting because it was Lane. I would have done the same for Raiden.

Instead of asking for more details, which I wouldn’t be given, I went to work on the wound. They talked, but I drowned them out. Whatever they said went in one ear and out the other, while I focused on Lane. I’d heard a lot of conversations over the years, none of them fazing me. Jordan knew I wouldn’t breathe a word of what I’d heard. If I was going to do that, I would have a long time ago.

Once Lane was stitched, I placed gauze over the wound and began cleaning the room. I didn’t get far.

Lane’s hand grabbed my wrist as I walked past. “Al, look at me.”

I stopped and met his eyes with mine. “I’m okay.”

“I know because I took care of you.”

“You did, but I need you to see and hear me. I’ve dealt with worse.”

“That’s not the comfort you think it is.”

He offered me a lopsided smile. “Yeah, but I’m touching you, so I’m calling it a win.”

“You’re incorrigible.” I hated it, but I had to pull away to finish cleaning. I wanted to touch him with my bare skin. The gloves would get in the way.

Lane wouldn’t listen and immediately stood once I was done. He limped to the door, where Raiden caught him around the waist again. “I’m all right, Ray. I can walk.”

“You should sit.”

“Sure.”

“Stay here tonight,” Jordan cut in.

“Huh?” Lane asked.

“You and Raiden. We’ve already dealt with the asshole who shot you and the men he was with. I’m going home to shower the blood off myself and wrap my arms around my partners.”

I hadn’t looked closely at Jordan until then. He had blood splattered on the front of his jacket and white shirt. He usually changed, but with Lane shot, he probably rushed to leave once he killed the men who caused this problem. I had no doubt he killed them. Jordan wasn’t the type to let people walk away for this.

“You’re serious,” Lane said. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“Jesus, just stay the fuck here,” Jordan growled. “Let Alton watch over you and return home by Monday morning. We have shit to do.”

“Aye, aye, captain.”

Jordan stepped forward, fisting Lane’s shirt. I started to move toward them, but Oleander reached for me and shook his head when I looked at him.

“I’m a breath away from killing someone else,” Jordan said as he got in Lane’s face. “You want to be my second, then learn I’m the one in charge. You don’t get to talk to me that way in any situation that isn’t just you and me in my building. You’re lucky we’re where we are right now. That disrespect will get us both killed.” He shoved Lane as he let him go, causing Lane to stumble a step.

Lane wasn’t scared or even irritated, at least from what I could see. “I’m sorry. You have to remember I wasn’t allowed to have a voice in anything. Now I got ahead of myself and forgot what I’ve learned.”

“I’m not trying to dictate your life, but there has to be rules, and that’s one of them. You can’t become a liability. If something happened to you, fuck, I’d have to answer to Hartley, and that’s worse than if I took a goddamn bullet.”

“I’ll do better next time.”

“See that you do. I can’t kill you, but I can make your life a living hell.” If Jordan took Lane out, I wasn’t sure if Hartley could forgive him. “Let’s go,” he barked at Oleander and Vincent. They filed out of the room, my back door slamming shut so hard it rattled.

The trees in my yard and the alley behind it provided cover. Not much in winter with the leaves gone. It was still something.

“Second?” Raiden asked, his voice dripping with anger. I turned to look at him and saw the way his eyes were intenton Lane. Raiden’s hands fisted by his sides. “You couldn’t have fucking told me that?”

“Why would I, when I have no clue if it will happen?”

“You want to be in a relationship with Alton and me, right?”

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