Chapter 10

ten

. . .

Bishop

I hadn't expected it to be so hard, watching her dance with Walker. But for the first time since, hell, I can't remember when, I wanted it to be me out there. There was no denying the attraction between us. I'd seen it in her eyes out by the swing. Sadly for me, she wasn't an option, not when I had a job to do.

Speaking of . . .

I cracked my neck and warily eyed the patrons pushing closer to me and my corner table. I'd wanted something that gave me a view of the entire bar but wouldn't allow anyone to sneak up on me. Somewhere I could remain out of sight and out of the way. But I hadn't anticipated a crowd of this magnitude. My mistake. I should've once I saw the name of the band that was playing. It wouldn't have done much, but maybe it would have given me a second to mentally prepare myself for all the jostling.

River swayed in Walker's embrace, her smile bright and a little dazed from the alcohol as he held her close enough no one bothered her. Good man. I had to give him credit. Sure, he'd been crafty about getting a kiss from her, but the guy wouldn't risk her safety by getting sloppy drunk either. He hadn't even tried to order another drink after she stole his. Though I was willing to bet even if she'd allowed him to take his second shot, it wouldn't have done much. He was a big boy. Not as big as me, but then, most weren't.

She said something to him, something he didn't much like if the set of his jaw and stiffness in his shoulders were anything to go by. Then the crowd surged, multiple people moving in all different directions, obscuring my view. Alarm rang through me, causing my heart to pick up speed as I rose and tried to catch sight of them among the sea of cowboy hats.

Instinct drove me from my table when I saw a man slam into Walker's side. Something was wrong. My gut said so. It was too calculated a move, and there was something about the guy that didn't fit in with the crowd despite his Western attire.

It was a hit.

Pushing through the people in my way, I headed straight for Walker and River, my suspicions confirmed when he staggered back and River gasped.

"Walker! Jesus, you're bleeding!"

"Nah, darlin'. I'll be fine. Barely a flesh wound," Walker said, lifting a hand covered in blood. He blanched. "Fuck."

His shirt was soaked, the stain on his side dark and growing by the second. It was bad. Really damn bad. The band was still playing, the people around us oblivious to Walker's dire straits. That worked in our favor for the moment for more reasons than one. We didn't need to create a panic, but we also didn't want to telegraph to whoever did this that they'd failed.

River arrived at the same conclusion because she grappled with her pocket, likely attempting to pull out her cell phone. I stopped her with a hand. Police were the last thing we needed.

"Come with me," I growled.

Her confused green gaze met mine. "Sterling? What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?"

Throwing Walker's arm over my shoulder, I helped him out of the crowded bar, hoping we could just play it off like he was drunk off his ass. Walker was losing blood fast, and his ramblings grew more incoherent by the second.

"Didn't even do anything to earn it this time. No fair," he slurred, his voice weak.

I barely paid him any mind as I scanned the crowd, seeking out other potential threats. I wouldn't hesitate to drop Walker on his ass if I needed to throw River over my shoulder and make a run for it. He'd signed up for this life. She hadn't.

"This time?" River asked. "Jesus, Walker. Do you regularly get shivved on your dates?"

"Only the good ones."

Unlocking my Escalade, I opened the back, thankful I hadn't bothered to put the seats back up.

"Help me lay him down?"

River nodded, eager to help.

Together we managed to get him inside without too much issue. Fucker would still likely cost me an arm and a leg in detailing fees. Blood was a bitch to get out.

Without a word, I ripped open his shirt so I could get eyes on what I was working with.

"Watch where you put your hands, buddy. There's only one person getting into these pants tonight."

"No one is getting in your pants tonight, Walker," River said, her exasperation heavy in her voice.

"Spoilsport." His muttered complaint was cut off by a hiss of pain as he tried to sit up.

"Lie down, you dumbass," I barked.

"Walker, please listen to him. He's trying to help you." Panic had River's pretty features pulled tight as she glanced from me to Walker. "I'll call the ambulance."

"No," both Walker and I said at the same time.

She looked between us. "But . . ."

"9-1-1 means a recording. We don't need to deal with that. If you call anyone, call Cross, but only do that if it looks like I'm dying. You don't want to push that button unless there's no other choice."

"No one's dying. I've got this. Hand me that bag," I told River, jerking my chin toward my field kit.

It didn't take more than a glance to tell the wound was deep and needed to be stitched up. At least it was a relatively clean laceration, the edges of his skin smooth rather than jagged. That would make things easier. I didn't have any sutures with me, but I could probably patch him up enough to get him back to the ranch, where I could deal with the injury properly.

"Well shit, I didn't realize you were a boy scout, Bishop," Walker said, watching me grab what I needed out of my bag.

"Be fucking thankful." I opened a pack of sterile gauze and handed it to River. "Here. I need you to?—"

"Apply pressure. I know." She took the gauze with steady hands and pressed hard into Walker's injured side.

The man let out a hoarse cry of agony, but our girl didn't flinch. She was rock solid, unwavering, and more together than I expected. I guess I'd underestimated her.

Sensing my attention, she spared me a brief look. "It's not my first rodeo. My friend Bear?—"

"You mean your boyfriend ?" Walker interrupted with a noticeable sulk.

Boyfriend? Everything inside me protested the new information. There were already two Stetson-wearing obstacles keeping me from her. I didn't want to deal with some Alaskan lumberjack named Bear.

"What? I don't have a..." She trailed off, looking a bit guilty. "I forgot I said that."

"Did you lie to piss off my brother?" Walker asked with a chuckle that turned into another hiss.

"Serves him right."

"What about Bear?" I asked, more interested in how she'd become well-versed in emergency triage.

"He's the road captain of the Timberline MC. Those guys can get rowdy, and they have plenty of enemies."

I let out a low whistle. That was a fucking understatement. Their crew was well-known and dangerous. Worry crept through my mind. How the fuck had my siren gotten involved with those guys? I was really at risk of falling into lust with this woman. Hell, I was probably already there. God knew I'd never been so attracted to someone. She was a distraction I couldn't afford.

Unaware of my musings, she lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Anyway, I've helped clean up my share of the aftermath. Sort of comes with the territory."

"You make a real pretty nurse," Walker said, definitely out of it now.

Shit. He was still losing blood, the gauze River had pressed to his wound already saturated. I passed her two more packets and said, "Keep that pressure. We've gotta get back to the lodge. I need to stitch him up. Keep him awake and talking, siren. You hear me?"

Nodding, she did as I asked, and I bolted for the driver's seat.

"Wait, we can't leave my truck."

"Hush up, Walker. We can send someone to pick it up in the morning."

"But she's my baby."

"And she will still be after you're not bleeding all over the damn place."

I started the car and peeled out of the parking lot, going as fast as I could toward Twisted Cross Ranch. If Cross's baby brother died on my watch, all hell would break loose.

"It was a good thing you were there tonight," River said, talking to me over her shoulder. "What a coincidence."

Yeah. Coincidence.

"Unless you're secretly Walker's bodyguard or something. The two of you make a cute couple."

I wasn't sure who was more offended by her teasing comment.

"I could do so much better than him," Walker protested.

"I'm not his bodyguard."

"So you're just obsessed with me. I get it. I'm irre... irrestistible... no, that's wrong."

"I think you added a few letters. But you're right. You are irresistible. Tell me more about why Bishop isn't good enough for you."

I barely suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. I knew she was just doing as I'd asked and keeping him talking, but this was a subject I really wasn't interested in.

Still, I couldn't stop myself from muttering, "Who says he's good enough for me?"

"First off, he's too grumpy."

River laughed.

"I get enough of that with Cross."

"Isn't that the truth," she murmured.

"You know, he was never the same after you ran off."

Keeping my eyes on the road, I tuned in to their conversation as much as I could. She didn't need to be mixed up in their shit, but I wondered how embroiled she already was.

"Neither was I."

"Ever think you picked the wrong brother?"

I checked on them in the rearview just in time to see her stiffen before she sighed and whispered, "More than I care to admit."

Walker nodded sagely. "Yeah. I thought... think so too. But it's okay, ladybug. I'll give you another shot at me."

River's eyes slid to mine in the mirror. Her cheeks turned bright pink. "Maybe I'm not interested in settling down."

I wasn't sure who those words were for, but they certainly had my attention.

"Your loss. I'm a fucking catch."

"You have to be hard to catch for it to be worth it, Walker," I grumbled.

"Are you slut shaming me?"

"Nope. Just calling it like I see it." I returned my attention to the road. We were maybe another five minutes out from the ranch. Less if I floored it.

"Sterling, the gauze is soaked through. How long until we're there?" River's voice was laced with fear.

I floored it.

"Everything okay in there?" I called, knocking on the bathroom door a few hours later.

The water cut off, and River was still drying her hands when she opened it.

My gaze raked over her, taking in the bloodstained clothes and those haunted eyes. "You should get changed. You're covered in blood."

She swallowed thickly, fighting the tears she'd been trying to keep at bay. "Is he okay?"

I nodded. "He is. He's out now, but I got him all stitched up. Wound's clean. Risk of infection is low, but I'll keep an eye on it. And that ranch hand who met us at the gate, Billy, he already called Cross, who said he's on his way back. I'm sure with his connections, he'll be able to get his hands on any antibiotics his brother might need."

Cross Industries had added a pharmaceutical company to their list of holdings years ago, and Cross Transport and Freight's two primary products were beef and pills. The legal kind. It was a lucrative move, allowing them to make money from the product and its delivery. It also ensured a level of control most outfits lacked. That meant if Daniel Cross Jr. needed something, he could damn well get it. It also meant he had the means to hide all manner of sins, but that wasn't the point right now.

"Siren? Did you hear me? He's gonna be fine."

She blinked, the stress of the evening taking its toll. "Thank you for taking care of him, Sterling."

"I'd say it was my pleasure, but..." I reached out hesitantly, placing a light hand on her shoulder, proud of myself for braving the physical contact. It wasn't so bad when I was the one doing the touching. "You're shaking like a leaf. Come on. Let me walk you to your room."

"Okay, thanks. I just... I don't want to leave him."

She cast a look at Walker, asleep in his bed, a little pale but far better than he'd been in the back of the car.

"I promise he's okay. Cross'll be here soon, and the last thing you want is to let him see you like this."

She gave a weak little laugh as she plucked at her ruined shirt. "So much for the new clothes. I'm probably going to have to burn these."

It felt cruel to agree with her, so I just herded her toward the door. I didn't want to give her up, but the truth was tonight had been rough for all of us. There'd be consequences, and if I knew anything about Cross, someone would pay the price for his brother getting hurt.

"Thank you for helping. I mean it," she murmured as her hand went for the doorknob. She paused before turning to face me. "I'm so glad you're here, Sterling."

I was still trying to come up with a response to that when her lips feathered over mine. It happened so fast I wasn't even sure she'd done it except that she froze and blinked up at me.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I did that. God, you must think I'm shameless. Catching me kissing both Cross brothers in the same day, although technically, I only really kissed Walker. Cross kissed me, and I bit him?—"

I cut off her rambling by taking her chin between my thumb and forefinger and leaning in. "Guess that means it's my turn."

I don't know where the impulse came from, only that the second her mouth hit mine, I needed a real taste. Her lips were soft as velvet and so fucking perfect I never wanted to leave. She sighed into me, her mouth opening just enough to invite me in. My tongue slid inside as I tasted her and deepened our kiss.

It wasn't enough. I needed more. I needed everything.

River lit a fire in me that had long been extinguished. She didn't just make me feel like a man again; she made me feel human. Whole. Unbroken. I'd had to turn off so many parts of myself just to survive that sometimes it seemed like I was barely functioning. But not with her.It made her fucking irresistible. I'd known her less than a handful of days, but I could no more deny the hold she had on me then I could my need to breathe.

She reached up to touch me, and I flinched, breaking our kiss. I fucking flinched and ruined everything. "God, siren, I?—"

The front door slammed hard enough the sound echoed through the house as Cross hollered, "River! Walker! Where the fuck is everyone?"