“Nae. I’m following mybrathair.”
“Erika and James were supposed to follow ‘em.Och,feckit.” I hang up. I’m digging through the hall closet for a towel when my cousin Blythe answers. He agrees to check in on the house. While I trust Camdyn to keep my wee clan safe, I need to stay on guard.
I leave Chevelle a short text that I’ll be home soon. Climbing into the shower, I wash off the blood and glare at the wee wound. Three minutes later, I wrap a towel around me and sit on the bathroom counter. I’m looping the string for the stitches when there’s movement at the front door. Clutching the towel in one hand, I grab my gun, hop down, and move along the hallway. The front door, located near the refrigerator, opens. The redhead I’ve ignored strolls in.
“Och, Erika?”
“Aye, Leith is back!” She raises her arms with a silly smile on her face. “I had to see thisshitewith my own eyes. Ye’re one of us now! Not afraid to get down and dirty.”
I ignore her. “Witare ye doin’ here, lass? Ye’re supposed to be following Knox.”
“Eh, and visit my da?Feckthat.” She leaves the door wide open, coming closer to me. Eyeing my rib, she mumbles, “Shite, that’s gonna leave a scar. Ya need help?”
“Nae. I got it.” I head to the bathroom to grab the needle and thread.
When I return to the kitchen, she gestures with her hands. “Are ye still hot ‘bout Chevelle and me?”
“Nae. Just need to make myself look more presentable. Then I’m headed home.”
Her eyebrows pinch together. “Home? But Brody told me we were celebrating yer accomp—”
“LittleBrody needs to shut hisfeckin’geggie! I’m guessing he’s telling ya the wrong information. I had theeejitI’m looking for trapped. I’ll get ‘em again. Party's postponed.”
Erika places a brown-paper bag on the counter. “Hmmm, so Chevelle’s seeing things the clan way.”
I ignore her question. With my back against the cupboards, I hold my towel together with one hand. The other hand presses against the countertop, and I hoist myself onto the ledge.
Rolling her eyes, Erika stalks to the door she’d left open in her surprise.
“Erika, leave the screen door open. It’s one of those nights, ya know?”
“Aye.” She clicks her tongue, walking back to the cupboard. I grab a few glasses as she removes vodka from the bag. “When Brody told me tonight, I was halfway to the state border. Turned around. Knox and Firth got a couple of goodheidson their shoulders. So, I told myself I’ll see to this. My da can give me a black eye for not being there.”
“Ewan still hounding ya?” I take the bottle from her hand. The dull ache in my side intensifies as I let the liquid run down my wound.
“Yeah.” She frowns and nods, setting up our glasses as I hand the bottle over. “A wee bit. Better now that I’m under Big Brody and Nan’s wings.”
“Aye, he likes to keep an eye on his good friends.” I pull the needle through my skin, getting to work.
“Sheesh, Leith, that was an underhanded statement.”
I give her a pointed look. “McFarlands have to make sure us MacKenzies are in order. We’refeckin’dogs. There I said it. Wasn’t being sly, Erika. But if yefeckin’need blunt, there ya go.”
“Hmmm.” She hands over my cup then takes a generous sip of her own. “Aye, right. I was the sly one. That’s the game I had to play with yer wife.”
“Did ya?” If I weren’t dealing with searing pain in my side, I’d laugh. Getting the bullet out while in the shower had proven a lot more difficult than I thought.
“Chevelle’s so wrapped up in ya that she didna see the eyes I have for her. She really is a bonny lass.”
“Mybonny lass, Erika.”
“Aye.” She offers a wry smile. “And very entertaining when she’s a crabbit.”
I nod. “Bloody beautiful when furious.”I wonder how beautiful she’ll look tonight when I tell her.“I need to hurry up. Blythe is on the way.”
Erika’s still harping on about how Chevelle is standoffish and how they were supposed to talk and become sisters when my cell phone rings. At the sight of the attorney’s name, I order Erika, “Wheesht!”
Into the receiver, I mutter, “Wendy, I doubted ye’d call unless—”