Talon (Uncompromising #1)(6)

I fought not to react but my words still came out clipped. “That wasn’t safe.”

She gave me the slight shrug again. “It was safer than going home.”

My hatred of Randy rose to a new level. “What happened to your leg?”

“He was behind me when I ran.” She shifted her weight to her good leg. “The knife was in his hand. It wasn’t intentional.”

What? “You’re cut?”

Her head down, her hand braced on the desk, she nodded.

“Show me,” I demanded.

She shrunk back a foot. “My pant leg won’t roll up that high.”

My nostrils flared and my hands fisted. “Take your pants off.”

She glanced at the closed door then bit her bottom lip.

I forced my muscles to relax and dropped my shoulders, faking the appearance of calm. “I’ve seen it all before.”

“I know,” she said hesitantly.

My eyes narrowed. “What the hell does that mean?”

Her striking blue gaze met mine. “You have a reputation.”

She was fucking stabbed and she was worried about my goddamn reputation? “Then you know if I was tryin’ to get in your pants, I wouldn’t have to ask.”

I was half surprised when she gingerly pushed her pants down to her knees. Smooth, tan, beautiful thighs, I only had a second to look before the clinical side took over and I peeled back what looked like paper towels from a public restroom and a bunch of blood-soaked Band-Aids.

The cut ran on the outside of her right thigh from two inches above her knee to just below her hip, where there was a deeper incision from a stab wound. Intentional or not, the fucking bastard had stabbed her.

I put pressure on the outside of the puncture wound, looking for infection. “Did you clean this?” I barked, too angry to hold back my voice.

She jumped. “Sorta.”

Motherfucker. “You need stitches.”

“No insurance.” She reached to pull her pants up, and the deepest part of the wound oozed.

“Wait.” Goddamn it. I weighed my options. “Alright, you’ve got two choices. I can deal with your leg here and we can let the walk-in handle your face and arm or you can have the clinic take care of everythin’.”

She didn’t hesitate. “Leg here.”

I nodded. “Be right back.” I went out to my car and grabbed my medical kit. I was almost back to the office when Kendall stopped me.

“She okay?” Occasionally Kendall had a heart. The other ninety-nine point nine percent of the time she was a pain in the ass.

“She’s gonna be. What do you know about Randy Carter?” I hated even saying the fucker’s name.

Kendall shrugged. “Works at the garage, is a shit mechanic, drinks his life away and gambles on pool games he loses. Why?”

Kendall knew most of the guys at the garage. Bikers were her thing. “Can you find out if he’s been at work?”

A rare, slow smile spread across her face and she grabbed her purse from behind the counter. “Can and will. You going to teach him a lesson?”

“Ask discreetly,” I warned, purposely not answering her.

“What do you think this is? Amateur hour?”

I had no fucking idea. I knew next to nothing about Kendall except that everyone who knew her was as tight-lipped as if she were in the witness protection program. I didn’t even know where she lived because I paid her in cash. “Don’t say shit to Candle either.” Candle owned the garage where Randy worked and he’d come with the nickname when I’d met him. Rumor had it he’d killed a man with a candle. I didn’t want to know how.

“Oh, please.” She rolled her eyes.

“I mean it.” Kendall was tight with Candle. I didn’t need her running her mouth. “I’m not ready to let the cat out of the bag yet that Nic’s here.”

Kendal raised her eyebrows. “Just Nic? No pet name yet? What, she’s not pretty enough for you?”

I locked down my expression.

“I knew it.” She gloated, making a come-here gesture with her hand. “’Fess up.”

“Siren.” I didn’t know why I fucking told her.

Kendall laughed. She actually laughed. “How telling.”

Not amused, I silently cursed Candle. He’d introduced me to Kendall after fixing my bike for free and not-so-gently told me to hire her. “I’ve never seen you laugh,” I accused.

“I’ve never seen you fall for a woman,” she said smugly.

Ignoring the twist in my gut, I pasted on a fake smile. “Lotta things I like to do with women but fallin’ ain’t one of ’em.”

“Hundred bucks says you eat those words and her cunt.”