Page 6 of Thor
“Him!”I pointed to Thor.“The other guy’s beyond help.”
Not taking my word for it, the medic strode over to the stranger.After a quick inspection, he shook his head.“Dead.“As he talked, he dropped to one knee beside Thor, pulling a pair of scissors out of his kit.“Hey, Joker.We need to stop meeting like this.Did you notify the police?”
“Taken care of.”Joker moved back to give him room to work.
The ambulance driver joined him just as the medic sliced Thor’s shirt off him and lifted the shredded material away from the wound.“We need to wait for them?”
Joker shook his head.“Clear case of self-defense, and he’s in no condition to answer questions.They can talk to him at the hospital once he’s stable.”
The medic looked at me and I nodded my approval.“Do what you need to and get him to the ER.”
“Roger.”The driver maneuvered the ambulance around and pulled out a stretcher.I watched as they worked on Thor.I felt so damned helpless.Despite my unwillingness to commit, I couldn’t imagine my life without him.
“What the hell is going on out here?”The bartender pushed open the back door, his voice trailing off and his face going pale as he took in the scene.He looked young, early twenties at most.
“Cops are on the way,” Joker assured him.“Did you see these guys come out here?”
Visibly shaken, the bartender stared at the still body of the dead man.“Yeah.”
“Good.You can tell them what you saw when they get here.”
The bartender shook his head.“I don’t want to get involved.They could be the mob.They could come after me.”
Joker stalked over to the unfortunate guy.“Did I make it sound like you had a choice?You tell them what you saw.Two guys and a girl.My buddy following.Just tell them the truth and you’ll be fine.What’s your name?”
The bartender stared at Joker, his eyes as wide as saucers.“Johnny.Are those guys dead?”
“One is.One better not be.Go back inside and wait for the police.”
The unfortunate guy gulped and jerked his head in a nod before retreating into the bar.
I watched the door close behind him before meeting Joker’s gaze.“You scared the hell out of that kid.”
He shrugged.“As long as it worked.”
Joker skirted around Thor and the medics and came to put an arm around me.Watching the paramedic hook an IV into Thor’s arm, I took a deep breath.He would be okay.He had to be okay.I glanced up at Joker.“Where’s Cassie?”
“I called an Uber to take her home before I came out.Had a bad feeling and didn’t want to spook her.I’ll talk to her later.”
“Good.She seems nice.Sorry to ruin your day.”
“Not your fault.He was ambushed.”
I frowned.In the shock of seeing him like this, I hadn’t stopped to ask what happened.
“Ambushed?”
“Looked like a girl was in trouble.He followed her and her attackers out the door.When he didn’t come back, I came and found him holding his side in with one hand and fighting off some guy with the other.”He gestured at the man on the ground.“That guy was already down.The second guy was trying to finish Thor off.I’ll have Shadow check to see if there’s any cameras in the area that we can tap.We need to know who these guys are, and why the ambush.”
I frowned.“Where’s the second guy?”
“Ran like a scared pussy when I joined in.I would have followed him, but Thor looked like he needed my help more.”
I felt that sinking sensation in my gut again.I prayed it had nothing to do with my family.I might not like them, but I didn’t want the wrath of Riptide to fall on their heads.
“Thanks.For looking out for Thor, I mean.”I rested my head against him.
He shrugged.“We’re brothers.He’d do the same for me.”
