into gear. She left her seat before Garrett had finished speaking, and I got up to help her collect her things.
As a competitive gymnast in high school, Joss had trained her body to be flexible and agile. It’s a set of skills she puts to good use now, and there are places she can get to that the rest of us couldn’t even think about. She’s also an ace with a whip. The one she fastened into the holster at her hip was woven with silver so that she could use it to take down a vamp. Girly though she was, there was no mistaking that Joss was a little can of whoop-ass.
“I’ll go get Gabe. We can help,” I said. I handed her the set of keys she had left on the coffee table.
Joss shook her head. “I got this. It’s not far from here. If it’s bad, I’ll let y’all know.”
I nodded and stayed behind as she hurried out the door, but I didn’t bother sitting back down. Garrett was speaking into his headset, telling Casey to get back to headquarters. There was a first aid kit in a closet near the front door, so I pulled it out to have it ready and waiting. I spent the next few minutes pacing, waiting for Casey to get back. If he was sounding the retreat, it must have gotten hairy for them. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was optimistic since he was still able to drive himself.
After what felt like an eon passed, I heard the slam of a car door outside and I turned around from where I was wearing out the tile floor. I opened the front door and gasped.
It wasn’t like it was unusual for any of us to come back to headquarters after a rough night with a few bumps and bruises, but Casey was worse off than I had ever seen him. I thought he might drop like a rock right there on the porch. Moving to his side, I slid an arm around his waist to help support his weight.
“C’mon big guy. Let’s get you sat down,” I told him as I steered him toward the sitting area.
With a nonverbal sound of assent, he swayed unsteadily next to me. It felt like he was trying not to let me help him as much as he needed me to, but I didn’t call him on it. He looked relieved when we reached the couch and he could get off his feet.
“Case, do I need to take you to the hospital?” I asked, concerned that his injuries needed more attention than what I could deliver. Like any of us, I knew enough from watching Meredith to get by, but I was no doctor.
“No, not that bad,” he insisted. “Just need to catch my breath.”
I turned and went into the kitchen to get him a glass of water and to take a couple of ice packs from the freezer. The least I could do was patch him up as best as I could.
After a few seconds of rummaging, I found ibuprofen tablets in the first aid kit. “Here. Take these.” I settled down to kneel on the floor in front of him as I offered two of the pills in one hand and the glass of water in the other.
After swallowing both tablets with a swig of the water, he murmured, “Thanks.”
I took the glass back from him and set it behind me on the coffee table. Since he didn’t look like he would refuse help from me like he did the hospital, I set to work cleaning up his face. I took his chin between my thumb and forefinger to steady my aim and dabbed at a streak of drying blood that originated at the corner of one eyebrow. My movements were careful, but I could feel him wince at the contact.
“They worked you over pretty good, huh?” A note of sympathy played in my question.
Casey didn’t answer me right away, so I kept working in silence.
“Just one. It was a girl,” he finally said, his voice hushed.
I waited to see if he would continue.
“A young woman,” he corrected. “That did this to me.”
Was. I read between the lines of what he was saying straight to what he was not saying. Still working on the cut near his temple, I raised my eyebrows slightly to show my surprise that he had been dealt this kind of damage by a female. Not to sell short my own gender, but regular girls don’t go around
As a competitive gymnast in high school, Joss had trained her body to be flexible and agile. It’s a set of skills she puts to good use now, and there are places she can get to that the rest of us couldn’t even think about. She’s also an ace with a whip. The one she fastened into the holster at her hip was woven with silver so that she could use it to take down a vamp. Girly though she was, there was no mistaking that Joss was a little can of whoop-ass.
“I’ll go get Gabe. We can help,” I said. I handed her the set of keys she had left on the coffee table.
Joss shook her head. “I got this. It’s not far from here. If it’s bad, I’ll let y’all know.”
I nodded and stayed behind as she hurried out the door, but I didn’t bother sitting back down. Garrett was speaking into his headset, telling Casey to get back to headquarters. There was a first aid kit in a closet near the front door, so I pulled it out to have it ready and waiting. I spent the next few minutes pacing, waiting for Casey to get back. If he was sounding the retreat, it must have gotten hairy for them. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was optimistic since he was still able to drive himself.
After what felt like an eon passed, I heard the slam of a car door outside and I turned around from where I was wearing out the tile floor. I opened the front door and gasped.
It wasn’t like it was unusual for any of us to come back to headquarters after a rough night with a few bumps and bruises, but Casey was worse off than I had ever seen him. I thought he might drop like a rock right there on the porch. Moving to his side, I slid an arm around his waist to help support his weight.
“C’mon big guy. Let’s get you sat down,” I told him as I steered him toward the sitting area.
With a nonverbal sound of assent, he swayed unsteadily next to me. It felt like he was trying not to let me help him as much as he needed me to, but I didn’t call him on it. He looked relieved when we reached the couch and he could get off his feet.
“Case, do I need to take you to the hospital?” I asked, concerned that his injuries needed more attention than what I could deliver. Like any of us, I knew enough from watching Meredith to get by, but I was no doctor.
“No, not that bad,” he insisted. “Just need to catch my breath.”
I turned and went into the kitchen to get him a glass of water and to take a couple of ice packs from the freezer. The least I could do was patch him up as best as I could.
After a few seconds of rummaging, I found ibuprofen tablets in the first aid kit. “Here. Take these.” I settled down to kneel on the floor in front of him as I offered two of the pills in one hand and the glass of water in the other.
After swallowing both tablets with a swig of the water, he murmured, “Thanks.”
I took the glass back from him and set it behind me on the coffee table. Since he didn’t look like he would refuse help from me like he did the hospital, I set to work cleaning up his face. I took his chin between my thumb and forefinger to steady my aim and dabbed at a streak of drying blood that originated at the corner of one eyebrow. My movements were careful, but I could feel him wince at the contact.
“They worked you over pretty good, huh?” A note of sympathy played in my question.
Casey didn’t answer me right away, so I kept working in silence.
“Just one. It was a girl,” he finally said, his voice hushed.
I waited to see if he would continue.
“A young woman,” he corrected. “That did this to me.”
Was. I read between the lines of what he was saying straight to what he was not saying. Still working on the cut near his temple, I raised my eyebrows slightly to show my surprise that he had been dealt this kind of damage by a female. Not to sell short my own gender, but regular girls don’t go around
Similar Books
