“She asked Blood to take her to your place to pack a bag.”
Undertaker barely got the words out before Shades was running out the door.
****
Blood heard the roar of the motorcycle before he saw it. One bike roaring up fast. Only one person that could be. Shades. The bike tore up the drive. Yup. One pissed off man, come to get his ol’ lady.
Blood stood up and waited by his bike, he knew what was coming. He gave a quick glance up at the bedroom window. Skylar peered out. His eyes slid back to Shades as he dropped his kickstand. He hobbled a bit pulling his leg off the bike, and Blood knew what it cost him to ride that bike out here. He knew the pain of riding with cracked ribs. It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch.
Shades strode toward him, a bit of a limp in his gait. He didn’t say a word before throwing his first punch, a brutal right hook that put Blood on the ground.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Shades snarled down at him.
Blood rubbed his jaw, still on the ground, and looked up at Shades. “I let you have that one, ‘cause I deserved it, but I get up I’m gonna hurt you.”
“Then you better stay the fuck down.”
“Shades—”
“You’re fucking lucky I found you out here and not inside.”
“Shades, I wouldn’t do that. I just gave her a ride. She looked like she was about to lose it. She needed you. I wanted to break in that meeting and get you, but she wouldn’t let me.”
“Get out of here,” Shades hissed, and Blood saw him reach a hand to his ribs, and he knew he was in some wicked pain.
“She’s in there packing her shit. Maybe I’ll stick around in case you can’t change her mind.”
“Get the fuck out or you’ll be looking down the barrel of my gun.”
“DKs took your piece,” Blood reminded him with a grin.
“You think I don’t have half a dozen more inside?”
“All right, Brother, but just so you know, you ever fuck up, I’ll be right here for her, picking up the fucking pieces.” Then he turned toward the window just quick enough to see her shadow pull back, and he knew she’d heard every word. He shouted, “You hear that, Princess, I’m just a phone call away.”
Shades stood there a moment, clutching his side with one hand, his eyes drifting up to the window. And then his eyes returned to Blood. “She ain’t ever gonna make that call.”
Blood watched him hobble inside before climbing to his feet. He pulled his phone out, his thumb moving over the screen and put it to his ear.
A moment later, Undertaker growled in his ear, “Yeah.”
“Thanks for the heads-up.”
Undertaker’s chuckle came through the phone. “Knew you could take care of yourself.”
Blood reached up and moved his jaw back and forth. “He’s got one hell of a right hook, I’ll give him that. If I didn’t have facial hair, there’d be an imprint of an Evil Dead ring visible on my jaw tomorrow.”
Undertaker chuckled again. “She okay?”
“Haven’t heard any screamin’ yet. You want me to stay?”
“I want you to make sure she’s okay. Knows if she needs me, I’m here for her.”
“I made sure she knows I’m just a phone call away. And I ain’t interested in stickin’ around till I hear the bed springs squeak and the headboard hittin’ the wall.”
“Christ, Blood, that’s my daughter. I don’t want that image in my fucking head.”
It was Blood’s turn to chuckle. “Just sayin’, that’s where this is endin’. We both know it.”