Rock Me Deeper (Licks of Leather #5) - Jenna Jacob Page 0,48
Denton. Cole and Brad are bringing in the other guys from their team as well as a surveillance guru who’ll set up a wireless perimeter around the ranch. Then we’re all going to hunker down until they find Zattman and this shit show blows over.”
Fuck.
Caris was going to blame herself for all this. She’d toss a fucking shit-ton of guilt on her shoulders and likely crumble beneath the weight of it all.
“What is Mia telling Caris?”
“About this shit?” I nodded. “Not a fucking thing. Cole, Brad, Mia, and I decided you should be the one to tell her. After all, she is your girl.”
I wish.
“Pussy,” I groused as Caris hurried up beside him.
“Cole said you wanted me to ride in the ambulance with you.”
“I do.” I smiled, hoping it reached my eyes. “I want you with me at all times, angel.”
“I’ll find you some nose plugs for when he has to take a shit.” Ozzy smirked.
Caris wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, he’s on his own for that.”
“Ignore him, angel. We all do.”
When the EMTs started loading me into the ambulance, Ozzy flipped me off with a grin, slung his arm around Mia’s shoulders, and led her to the limo.
Caris climbed in after the gurney was locked in place and slid her slender fingers through mine. Then with sirens screaming and lights flashing, we headed to the hospital.
The doctor and nurses were professional but, as always, a bit star-struck when Ozzy, Mia, and two big bodyguards came into the room to check on me. After a wonderful injection that sent me straight to la-la land, they patched me up. Two hours later, I was wheeled to the limo with a bottle of pain pills, antibiotics, extra gauze, and a mile-long list of instructions and restrictions.
It was after eight p.m. when the jet finally touched down in Denton. And as we piled into yet another limo, I realized Caris’s suitcases were missing.
“Where’s your luggage?”
“Oh, shit.” She blanched. “Back at my house, if it’s even still there. I should probably call Trudy, but…what on earth am I going to tell her, Syd?”
Loving the way she still nibbled on her bottom lip while pondering, I squeezed her hand. “Tell her the truth. The cat’s out of the bag anyway, angel.”
“What do you mean?”
Being as gentle and reassuring as I could, I explained how we were all going to be staying at the ranch. As expected, Caris piled all the blame on her shoulders. But after I told her how the band would have more time to work on our new album, some of the tension left her body.
After hitting a fast-food drive-thru, we headed toward the ranch. I pulled my cell phone—which somehow survived my landing on it—from my pocket and passed it to Caris.
“Call Trudy. Ask if she’ll go pick up your luggage and hold it for you.”
“Don’t worry, Caris,” Mia piped up. “The three of us shipped our luggage to the ranch this morning. When it’s delivered tomorrow, I’ll whip out my laptop and we’ll order a you a whole new wardrobe.”
“Um, sweetheart?” Ozzy grinned. “I’m sure the others brought their computers with them. You won’t have to wait until tomorrow.”
Mia rolled her eyes and shrugged. “Then we can start ordering tonight if you want.”
“Thank you, but there’s no rush. It can wait until tomorrow.”
“Works for me. It’s been a long day.”
Too long. I was exhausted and ready to crawl into a nice, comfy bed…with Caris.
Dream on, fucker, a negative voice in my head scoffed.
Caris held my phone in her hand, staring at the screen for several long minutes. Long enough for Mia to curl in against Ozzy’s chest and close her eyes. Long enough for Cole and Brad to lean their heads back and catch a short nap, as well.
Even I was having a hard time keeping my eyes open now that I had a full belly. Of course, the pain pills Caris insisted I swallow after we ate probably had a lot to do with it, as well. They’d erased the wicked throbbing of my shoulder.
As she punched in Trudy’s number on my phone, I let my heavy lids slide shut and listened as she relayed the entire clusterfuck that had ensued since Mia knocked on her front door.
I barely remembered Trudy, other than she owned the café. My years in Diamond City, there was never money for luxuries like eating out. But prior to that, I remember many times there wasn’t any food at all. My mind started wandering down