Vicious Rebel (82 Street Vandals #2) - Heather Long Page 0,17

He’s tired. It’s been a long day and night. Let us take him, clean him up, and Doc can put him on IV fluids. I don’t suppose you can stick around and keep an eye on him?”

The actual niceness in Jasper’s tone caught me flatfooted. And I wasn’t alone. Kestrel’s brows raised, but Vaughn looked more amused than surprised. He rubbed his thumb against his lower lip, and it took effort to not track the motion.

“Well, after that sweet talk, how can I resist?” Doc said almost lightly and shot me a grin. I couldn’t help it—a smile escaped with another laugh hot on its heels. This was probably one of the most bizarre situations I’d ever been in.

One of… No, the most bizarre. Period.

I licked my lips and shifted so that Jasper could haul Freddie up. Doc rescued the bucket and handed it off to Liam, who just took it and carried it into the kitchen. The dynamics present were as foreign to me as the thoughts Kestrel kept hidden away or the mumbled ravings that Freddie spilled.

“You know, I told them about the playground and the sandbox,” he was saying to Jasper, patting his chest as Jasper all but carried him. The size differential between them seemed even more exaggerated. “They just don’t get why tag was important, or why I was always safe when you were it because you always got the others first… Wait!”

Jasper slowed.

“Someone feed Boo-Boo,” Freddie ordered, trying to swing around to look at me. “I put her in Vaughn’s room so she could watch TV—Oh, hey, Boo-Boo! You’re not supposed to be down here, Jasper said keep you out of the way so you were safe.”

The lines of Jasper’s back had gone stiff as a board. “Leave it, Freddie. C’mon.”

“Fuck, I screwed up again, Hawk. Didn’t I? I didn’t get pinched. I promise. I wouldn’t even have followed that pussy, except she said they had better ribs at the pig and poke place down in the Bowery. Besides, the prettiest pussy is right here, so I don’t need to follow pussy.”

“Freddie,” Jasper growled. “Shut up. It’s fine. Let’s get you upstairs…”

I didn’t get the rest of it, but Freddie hadn’t shut up as Jasper hauled him out. Doc let out a sigh. “Someone grab my med kit and bag from the truck?”

Kestrel held out his hand for the keys that Doc tossed, then he nodded to me before he headed up the stairs. Kestrel spun on one heel and stalked back out. Then it was me, Vaughn, Rome, and Liam.

“Come on, Dove,” Vaughn said, holding out a hand. “Let’s get you cleaned up, then we’ll get food.”

“I’ll get food,” Rome said, and I looked over at him. He’d said so little. “What do you want?”

His gaze was on me, not them.

“I’ll get it,” Liam cut in. “And she can eat whatever the hell we get her.”

Rome flipped him off but didn’t look away from me. “You want ribs?”

“Is it safe to go out?” It was the only question that came to mind. Because even as I wiped my damp hands against my leggings, Liam’s earlier words and Freddie’s ramblings collided. There was blood on Vaughn too. He’d narrowed the distance to where I sat, and I had little choice but to take his hand.

Not that I minded. The warmth of his skin sliding over mine sent another shudder through my system. Today had been…a lot. On so many levels.

“It’ll be fine. I’m fast,” Rome told me. “What do you want, Starling?”

Liam rolled his eyes. But I hadn’t missed the way his mouth tightened or the fact he flexed his fists. More, the temperature in the room shifted as Vaughn tucked me behind him and Rome put himself between us and Liam.

“Is there a place that does grilled cheese and fries?” Honestly, it sounded like the best thing ever. Way too many carbs, but I didn’t care.

Liam and Rome glanced at each other.

“There’s a diner on 86th and Grand,” Vaughn said. “It’s safe.”

“What about everyone else?” Okay, I should have just let it go and not pushed, but I wasn’t the only one here. The corners of Rome’s mouth curved, and he gave me a shrug.

“Don’t worry, Hellspawn. They’re not so fucking delicate in their choices.”

Rome thumped his brother, and Liam, the ass, laughed.

“We’ll get pizza,” was all Rome said, and then he shoved at his brother and it was just me and Vaughn.

With my hand in his, Vaughn led the way upstairs, and