Page 103 of Property of Rattler

Bullseye just dips his head by way of thank you, and takes his offering from him. While Rattler looks on bemused, his prez and I place half the ice on the plastic the prospect’s just brought, wrap it in a sheet, and gently place it over Rattler’s left leg. Then use the bag the rest was in and another sheet to do the same to his right.

Prez looks at Flynn whose legs now resemble burritos. After clearing his throat, he says in an unexpectedly sympathetic tone, “What happened yesterday was fucked up. Got to be playing on your mind, Brother. You need anything, just let me know.” He swipes his hand back through his hair. “Think we all thought our geese were cooked for a moment.” He shudders. “Winchester still goes to see someone at the VA from time to time when his PTSD flares up. You think you need someone to talk to, you just let me know okay?”

Flynn glances at me, his eyes narrowed, but I act innocent, hoping even if he realises I gave away that he’d had a nightmare, he knows I had his best interest at heart. Then, just as fast, he switches his attention back to Bullseye.

“Thanks, Prez,” he tells him. “If it gets too bad, I will.”

“Just shout if you need Bronwyn for anything.”

Flynn raises his chin.

Then, with one final tight-lipped assessment of his injured brother, and a chin lift to me, Bullseye leaves.

Hoping Flynn is going to ignore that I tattled to his prez, breezily I head him off. “In twenty minutes, I’ll remove the ice. Hopefully it won’t melt too much, and we can do it again in a couple of hours.” I try to talk about mundane things to lighten the atmosphere,

“Rather have your warm body beside me,” he grumbles, his words making my concern that he’d blame me for outing him to his prez vanish.

“Are you hungry? Can I get you something to eat?”

“What’s the time?” he asks.

“Getting on four o’clock.”

“It will be another hour or so until the club girls start making dinner. I can wait until then.” When I bite my lip, he notices. “Ames, I get you don’t want to face them. I’ll text the prospect to bring us some food.” He’s right. I don’t want to seethem, especially knowing they got into trouble last night. They’ll probably blame me for telling on them. But then thoughts about myself fade, as his brow furrows, and for a moment he seems lost in thought.

“What’s up?

“We can’t keep staying here. Freak only said we can stay for another night.” He shudders as he lets breath out.

I remember something he’d told me. “You said you had a house?”

His lips press together. “I do, but I only just bought it. It needs a ton of work to make it habitable, new wiring for a start.” An apologetic look comes over his face. “We might have to go to my room in the bunkhouse.”

“I don’t mind where we are.” As long as I’m with him. Part of me feels responsible for looking after him now. It’s not only that my feelings have again softened toward him, but that it’s my fault he was hurt. If it wasn’t for me, Malachi would never have had reason to harm him.

His eyes narrow as he looks toward me. “There’s only a shared bathroom.”

“I can make do. But it will be harder for you.”

“I’ll manage.” He taps the side of the bed. “Come lie with me.”

The corners of my mouth turn up. “Not looking to get frostbite.” I pull up a chair to the side of the bed and sit on that instead. When he reaches out his hand, I take it in mine.

After a moment, he turns wistful. “I wish we never had to leave the cabin.”

“We were always going to have to come back to real life.” But I know how he feels. After we’d gotten over the initial awkwardness, it had been comfortable and easy being together.

He tries to shift position and grimaces, his face looks strained, his forehead creased. I move my hand to gently stroke his cheek, and he leans into my touch. For minutes we don’tspeak. Until I glance at his clock and see that the twenty minutes are up.

I stand. “I’ll keep the ice wrapped in the sheets. Hopefully it will stay cold enough to use again in a couple of hours.”

“Ames?”

“Yeah, Flynn?”

He gives a small shake of his head. “Not what I was going to say, but I love that you’ve started using my name again.” Holding out his hand for me to take, he explains, “My legal name’s just for you. I wouldn’t want anyone else to use it.”

I think that’s the point when the ice the club girls had caused to form around my heart melts completely. No one has ever made me feel special before. I wouldn’t have thought it would only take just one syllable.