“There’s nothin’ we can do.”
I yanked off his t-shirt that I’d drunkenly pul ed on before I’d fal en into bed what seemed like only minutes ago and I turned to the chest of drawers, pul ed out a bra and put it on while I glared at him.
“Let’s go.”
He stared at me a beat then bent to grab his jeans from the floor.
Within five minutes we were out the backdoor and in the garage. I was yanking open the passenger side door to Eddie’s red Dodge Ram when Eddie shoved it closed. I turned to him, mouth open to ask him what he was doing when he put a hand to my bel y and pushed me up against the truck, fol owing me there and pinning me with his body.
His forehead came to mine, his one hand between us at my bel y, his other hand came to my neck and we just stood there looking into each other’s eyes and breathing.
“Fuck,” Eddie murmured.
“I love you,” I told him.
His mouth touched mine and with his lips stil there, he said, “Me too.”
I nodded, my forehead rol ing against his. He took in a deep breath, moved away, we got in the truck and he drove us to Denver Health.
*
Indy “Hey, gorgeous,” Lee said in my ear.
I opened my eyes and in the dark I could see his hips clad in jeans on the bed beside me.
I was tangled up in the sheets. This meant I’d been sleeping alone for awhile. I was an active sleeper. If Lee was with me he control ed it by pinning me deliciously to the bed with his hard body. Sometime between me drunkenly fal ing into bed wearing nothing but my underwear and now, Lee had been somewhere.
I came up on my elbow and Lee reached out and turned on the light.
I stared as he did it.
Lee’s work had no office hours but he went to pains to make certain this didn’t affect me. Never in five months of living together had he turned on the light when he got home in the dead of night which happened a lot. Every time he came home he woke me up, as he’d promised, to let me know he was okay but he’d never turned on the light.
My eyes moved to him and my heart started beating hard in my chest.
Lee was sitting there, for that I could be thankful. But a lot of people I loved had dangerous jobs, Hank for one, Eddie for another, my Dad, who was a cop, Lee’s Dad, who was a cop too, then there was Lee’s whole workforce.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Jules has been shot.”
I sucked in breath, not expecting to hear that, and came up to a sitting position.
Lee’s eyes moved with me, never leaving mine. “Chest and gut. It isn’t good. She’s at Denver Health. Vance wanted to go get her uncle but I told him we’d do it.”
“Of course,” I mumbled, pul ing the sheets away from my body.
Lee’s hands took mine and my eyes went back to his.
“Vance didn’t agree. Said he needed to do it. I want you to be there for him and Nick. They’re gonna need you. Vance agreed to that.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Hurry, Vance is waiting downstairs.”
I flew from the bed, got dressed faster than I ever had in my life and ran downstairs.
Vance was standing, staring out the front window. I noticed he was wearing one of Lee’s sweaters and I didn’t want to know what that meant.
Lee was on the phone.
Lee said, “Gotta go,” into the phone when he saw me and flipped it shut.
Vance’s eyes moved to mine and I felt my stomach pitch by what I saw in his.
Or more to the point, what I didn’t.
I bit my top lip and swal owed then released it.
“Hey Vance,” I said.
He lifted his chin.
“Let’s go,” Lee was already moving to the backdoor.
Lee had the Explorer blocking the back al ey. I wanted to sit in the back but Vance opened the front door for me and motioned me in.
“You…” I started.
He shook his head.
I didn’t delay any further.
Lee drove the two blocks to Jules’s house while I was turned in my seat to Vance. “What do you want me to do?” Vance was looking out the window but when I asked my question his eyes moved to mine again and he said, “Just be you.”
I nodded, not real y knowing what that meant but thinking I could at least do that.
Lee stopped and idled and Vance was out the door. I looked at Lee. He jerked his chin toward my door. I nodded again and trailed Vance to Nick’s door.
Vance knocked and I stood next to him. I felt stupid just standing next to him so I reached out and touched his hand with my knuckles. Immediately his hand twisted and his fingers closed over mine hard. I bit my upper lip again as his hand crushed mine but I didn’t make a peep.
The outside light came on, the door opened and Nick stood there. He looked through the screen at Vance then at me then back to Vance.
Vance and I watched as he closed his eyes tight and before Vance or I could say a word he opened his eyes again and I had to suck in both of my lips at the pain written on his face.
Then he pushed open the screen door and he said,
“Come in and sit while I get dressed.”
*