“Should we start again?” Steve asked.
She nodded and moved to stand in front of him.
“This time I need you to pull up your shirt on that side, so I have a clear view of the muscles as we manipulate it,” he said.
With help, she pulled her shirt up and over her head. The tube bra was as good as a sports bra, and it was far less revealing than the stupid hospital gowns she had been forced to wear in the hospital.
Steve guided her through the motions as he manipulated the shoulder. They worked for about ten minutes before he stopped.
“So we’re going to stop here today,” he said and made a few notes on the chart. “I’ll need to speak with the nurse at your doctor’s office. There might be more to this inflammation than just being banged around. It’s hot to the touch and where that can come from stress, it can also come from infection.”
“Infection?” It seemed a little strange since the wound had been healed for weeks.
“It can happen sometimes when shrapnel from the gun or bone has time to work itself around.” Steve gathered his things as he spoke. “Can you come in today?”
“Yes, but what does that mean?” She put her hand on his arm. “Am I going to have to have surgery?”
“Likely not,” he said. “Some antibiotics should clear it right up. But that will be up to your doctor.”
The door to her apartment burst open, revealing Finn. Anger radiated off of him.
“Well your boyfriend is home, so I’ll be taking off. Don’t forget to call the doctor’s office. They can fit you in.” Steve smiled at them both.
“Oh, he’s not my–” she started.
“Doctor’s appointment?” Finn asked, cutting her off. He stepped over to her and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just my shoulder,” she said and watched Steve walk out and shut the door behind him. “What the hell are you doing here? Is this about the note?”
“Note?”
“The note on my door,” she said and walked over to retrieve it.
Finn followed close behind and took the note out of her hand when she held it out.
He opened it up and stared at it. “When did you get this?”
She shrugged. “Steve noticed it on the door when he came. It was folded up, so no one would notice what it actually said.”
“Did Steve see who brought it?”
She ignored his sarcastic tone when he said Steve’s name. “No.” She shook her head but stopped to look at him. “Wait, if you weren’t here for the note, why’d you come bursting into my apartment like that?”
His face turned red as she spoke.
“Why the hell were you prancing around in your bra while that guy was here?” he countered.
Alyssa looked down at her tube bra. She had totally forgotten to put her shirt back on in all the craziness.
“He’s a therapist,” she said in annoyance. “Sometimes they have to see the way the muscle moves.”
“So he asked you to take off your shirt?” His face darkened.
“No,” she said, grabbing her shirt and sling. “I took it off because it’s easier when they want to look at it.” She stared at him for a moment. “The fabric rubs against the scars, and it hurts,” she said quietly.
“What’s wrong with your shoulder? Why do you have to see the doctor?” he asked quietly.
“Maybe infection.” She struggled to put her shirt back on. When his hand skimmed her ribs, she jumped.
“Just let me help you,” he said near her ear.
She nodded and took his help.
“Is it serious?” he asked.
She maneuvered her arm through the hole. “Serious enough they want me to come in today.”
“So we take you to the doctor.”
“What about the note?” She slipped the sling back on.
“I’ll have Liam look into it.” He picked up her phone and handed it to her. “Make the appointment. I can take you right now.”
Alyssa dialed the number, slightly confused. He spent last night saying she couldn’t count on him, only to prove to her how much she could count on him.
She talked quietly to the nurse on the phone, who seemed more than a little happy that she was going to be in so soon. It made her wonder what Steve wasn’t telling her.
“Okay,” she said and slipped the phone in her pocket.
She toed on some sandals and looked back to him.
“Ready.”
They made their way down the elevator to the car. Liam leaned lazily against the side of his Jeep.
“Saw the big guy leave pretty quick,” he said with a slight grin.
Finn ignored him and turned to Alyssa.
“Can you wait for me in my car?” he asked.
She nodded and shot them both a suspicious look.
When she was far enough away, he turned back to Liam.
“What’s going on?” Liam said with concern.
Finn pulled out the note that had been left and opened it up.
“What the fuck is this?” He took the note from Finn.
Finn looked over his shoulder as she climbed into his car. “That’s what I’d like to find out.”
“You know what this gun is right?” Liam looked over to Finn.
Finn nodded his head and looked grimly at the sheet. “A Taurus. A Judge revolver.”
Liam pointed to the slashes on the handle of the gun. “Looks like the holder of this has got seven under his belt. That’s not far off from you.”
Finn grimaced. His kills weren’t something he wore with pride. Each one had taken a little something out of him.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” Liam said and laid the paper out on the hood of the car. “It’s obvious the gun is a message for us, but the red lettering…” He looked up to Finn. “That’s obviously for her.”
Finn nodded. He had thought the same thing.
“You think they’ve seen us going in and out?” Liam asked.
“Had to,” he said and scrubbed his face. “Must have seen me go into her house overnight, and then she didn’t stay here last night.”
“Think it’s Ennis?” Liam asked.
Finn shook his head. “It’s not like him. The style is wrong.”
“Maybe the Russians,” he said and shrugged his shoulders. “We’re still collecting intel on them. I’ve asked Ryder to keep an ear out and Kace to talk to some of his old cop buddies.”
“You think it’s wise to get Reed’s men in on this?” Finn asked. “We’re even now, and this is going to get messy in a way he won’t like.”
Liam pointed to the paper on the car. “This involves us all,” he said. “When they come into our neighborhoods and threaten us, it’s not good for anyone.”
Finn nodded. He knew this was true. Besides, with all this shit with his brother, he was going to need all the help he could get.
“Okay,” he said. “Just keep me posted. We’re off to the doctor.”
Liam gave a nod and hoped into his Jeep.
Finn looked around him as he strolled to his car. The bastard that did this was around there somewhere, and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on him.
Chapter Ten
Alyssa sat in the small private waiting room with Finn. Once again she was sitting with her shirt off, and it was in no way sexual. For someone who was regularly not getting any, she wouldn’t have thought she’d be spending so much time half naked.
Finn paced the room, more nervous than she had been. He insisted on coming in, and it was really more annoying than anything. The more the doctor spoke, the more anxious he had become.
While she had to admit that the thought of surgery wasn’t top of her list, it could really be far worse. At least this time, she had been able to come in on her own.
There was a quick knock at the door, and Finn came to stand behind her.
“Well the good news is that the x-ray didn’t show any bone or metal fragments.” The doctor placed the scans on a lighted boar
d and showed the area. “The bad news is that there is a hairline fracture.”
“What does that mean?” Finn asked before she could even form the thought.
“It doesn’t mean surgery if that’s what you’re worried over,” the doctor said and smiled at them both. “However, the infection is pretty extensive.” He turned to Alyssa. “You must have been in quite a lot of pain.”
Alyssa nodded. It hadn’t seemed like much at the time, but it seemed silly that she waited.
“I’d like to give you a heavy dose of intravenous antibiotics. That will help kick-start things. Then, we’re going to send you home with an oral antibiotic.” He smiled at her. “And no more playing super-woman. You need to rest, you do it. No tripping down stairs.” He looked over to Finn.
Alyssa watched as Finn clenched his teeth and looked away.
She reached out and touched the doctor’s arm. “I was with my friend Haley at the mall when it happened. I was in a relationship like that before, but I respect myself more now and wouldn’t allow that to happen again.”
She smiled and looked over to Finn. He sat in the chair, sullen and not looking at her.
The doctor smiled and patted her hand. “I’m glad to hear it.”
He nodded to them and left the room. Within minutes, the bubbly nurse was in with an IV and the antibiotics.
She giggled as she swished around Finn, making sure to bend over a little further than necessary. To his credit, Finn stared at his phone.
Irritation crept over her as she watched the brazen nurse. When she came over to place in the IV line, she missed the vein three times, still trying to get Finn’s attention.
“You keep poking fucking holes in my woman, and I’m going to get angry,” Finn said quietly. For the first time since the nurse walked in, he was giving her his undivided attention, and it wasn’t what she expected at all.
Alyssa didn’t want to smile, but the corners of her mouth lifted a little.
The nurse was very careful with the next poke and hit the vein. She placed some tape over it and scurried out of the room.
Alyssa leaned back on the table and looked at him. He wasn’t really doing anything spectacular. Just sitting there, checking his work email through his phone. Finn glanced up to her and furrowed his brow.
“You okay?” he asked quietly.
She nodded. “Just a little cold.”
Finn hopped up and opened the door. The same nurse was standing outside talking to another nurse.
“She said she’s cold,” he said, worry in his voice.
The nurse looked over at Alyssa and wrinkled her nose, clearly not impressed with what she saw.
“Oh that’s just the IV,” she said and turned back to the other nurse.
“Well I think she’d like a blanket,” he said with a hint of menace.
The nurse scrambled around the counter to get a blanket. The nurse handed it to Finn, and he gave her a winning smile.
“Thanks,” he said.
When he turned around, the irritation was evident on his face. He shut the door.
Finn stood next to her and then opened up the blanket.
“You really didn’t have to do that,” she said quietly.
Finn spread the blanket out and covered her up. When he placed the ends over her shoulders, he looked her in the eye for a moment.
She jumped a little when his hand found hers and pulled it out from under the blanket. Purple dots swelled up on her hand.
“She didn’t have to do this,” he said and brought her hand to his mouth.
Her heart leapt into her throat as he kissed her battered and bruised hand.
“Being around me seems to cause you nothing but pain,” he said and placed her hand back under the blanket.
Alyssa took in a breath and let it out.
“I don’t see it that way,” she said to him as he took his seat again.
Finn looked over to her. Pain echoed in his eyes.
“You should,” he said.
She turned her head back to stare at the ceiling. He was just never going to get it, no matter what she said.
“You don’t have to wait if you don’t want to,” she said to the ceiling.
“I’m good,” he said simple.
She turned to look at him. He didn’t really look good. He was furiously typing back a message on his phone. Clearly something was going on, and he was needed.
“Really,” she said. “You don’t have to wait. I could just call Liam when I’m done.”
Finn stopped tapping on his phone to look over at her. “You just received a death threat. Just after some thug trailed you with a gun. No fucking way I’m leaving your side.”
She was a little stunned by how blunt he was. He didn’t want her to be near him because she might get hurt, but he didn’t want to let her out of his sight because he might get hurt.
Alyssa sighed and looked back up at the ceiling. It felt like only a couple of minutes before Finn brushed a hand along her forehead.
“You’re all finished,” he said quietly.
She blinked a few times before her eyes were able to focus on him.
“How long was I out?” she asked, her voice still husky from sleep.
“About forty minutes,” he said.
Her eyes shot wide open. “That long?”
“The doctor came in, and they decided to just let you rest and give you another round of fluids and antibiotics,” he said and smiled down at her. “He said you were likely trying to fight the infection, and it made you extra tired.”
She sat up and yawned. If she was being honest, she was more than a little tired. With everything that had been going on, she hadn’t really gotten the best sleep.
“Come on, princess,” he said to her. “Let’s get you home.”
Alyssa took his hand and slid off the table.
“No way,” she said, struggling not to yawn again. “We’ve got to get to work.”
Finn frowned and ushered her to the door. “No, I need to get to work. You need to get some sleep.”
“Finn Kelly,” she said. Exasperation crept into her tone. “You don’t control me. Now either you take me to work, or I’m going to walk there.”
She nearly laughed as he mumbled more than a few choice words. Nurses and patients watched them as they walked through the hall. She had to admit, they really did look interesting.
Scary mobster and his little fairy.
She giggled to herself.
They pushed through the front, and she was surprised to see it was already dusk. She hadn’t really gotten much of anything done.
Finn helped her into the car and then came around to his side.
“You find this all amusing, don’t you?” Finn turned to watch her.
“A little,” she said simply and smiled.
“You know,” he said. “No one get away with talking to me like you do.”
Alyssa watched as they pulled away.
“But how many people actually try to talk back to you?”
She could see he was thinking it over.
“People don’t bother because they know what will happen,” he said finally.
“So you’ve killed a man for talking back?” she asked
Finn squirmed in his seat. “No.”
“Oh, so you would?” she said and smiled.
He sighed loudly. “No.”
“So, really, they operate on the fear of what you might do.” She turned to him. His hand twitched on the steering wheel. “You see,” she said. “I understand things quite well, and I also know you. You aren’t that kind of man.”
“I’ve killed people,” he said quietly.
Alyssa thought on that. She had figured he had but still wasn’t totally sure.
“Are you scared of me?” he asked, keeping his eyes on the road the whole time.
“No,” she said firmly. “You’re a man with compassion and common sense. If you’ve killed men, they were likely very bad men.”
; Finn scoffed at her logic. “We’re all bad men, Alyssa,” he said bitterly. “None of us is worth the cost.”
Alyssa placed her left hand on his arm.
“I’ve said it before,” she said. “I’ll say it again. I believe in you. Even if you refuse to believe to in yourself.”
They drove the rest of the way in silence.
Finn stopped the car in front of the club, and she jumped out. He was just going to give her some lame excuse why she shouldn’t believe in him, and she didn’t want to hear it. She would believe in who she wanted, when she wanted.
She raced into the club without looking back at him. When the bar came into sight, she smiled. For the next four hours, she wouldn’t have to worry about Finn and his expectations.
* * *
Despite the fact she’d been hoping for a busy evening, things had been fairly slow all night. The infection was making her more tired than normal, and her shoulder was starting to hurt again.
She pulled out her water to take a drink when her new favorite customer came into view. She’d almost forgotten about him in the recent whirlwind of activity. She smiled and pulled out a whiskey bottle.
“Hello, Dylan.” She smiled and placed the drink in front of him. “How’s my favorite customer?”
“I’m surprised you remember my name.” He chuckled and sat at the end of the bar.
“I always remember names,” she smiled.
Alyssa stared at the handsome man and wondered if he had a girlfriend.
Dylan took a drink and looked around. “Little dead in here tonight.”
She nodded. “I think it’s just the mid-month lull. Normally we’re hopping.”
That wasn’t quite true. Things had been slow for a bit, though it did seem like they were picking up again overall, however slowly. She certainly didn’t want to scare him off by suggesting some people were afraid of a clash with the Russians though.
He set his drink down and stared intently at her. “That’s good. It’s a new place, and I wouldn’t want it to close down.”
“Oh I don’t think you have to worry about that,” she smiled. “The owner is actually looking to expand. Just waiting on the okay from the city council.”
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