Straight Flushed (Hot Pursuit #1)(56)

“Ugh, yeah, I think I do.” He groaned and continued to rub his stomach.

“Want me to bring a bowl up to you?”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll come down. I need a change of scenery. One thing though.” He looked at me and ran his fingers over his lips.

I could barely breathe and fought to look him in the eye. “What?”

“I’m not taking any more of that stuff.” He choked back a gag. “I don’t understand how people get addicted to that crap if it makes you feel like this.”

I shrugged and stopped holding my breath. “I guess it affects different people in different ways. I don’t like it either. Come on. Let’s get some food in your stomach.”

I walked down the stairs first, and my mind wanted to drift back to the kiss, but I stopped myself. He was clearly unaware of what had happened, and I wasn’t going to mention it. I looked up over my lashes toward the ceiling and said a silent thank you to the man upstairs. The best thing for everyone, especially me, was to forget that kiss ever happened.

In the kitchen, Vance sat down at the table, and I went through his cupboards. I grabbed a can of chunky homestyle chicken soup. I pulled back the lid and warmed the bowl in the microwave. I placed the steaming soup on the table then sat across from him.

“Thanks for staying, Di.” He paused and glanced down into his bowl. “Even though I’m embarrassed about what happened upstairs.”

My heart stopped and my skin flushed while he shoveled a large spoonful of noodles into his mouth. “Huh?”

A drip of broth ran down his chin, and I handed him a napkin, but he quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand before my fingers touched the paper. “Well, generally I don’t like to have an audience when I’m tossing my cookies. It’s kind of humiliating.”

“Oh.” I exhaled and smiled. “You threw up? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He huffed out a small laugh and shot me a sideways glance. “Thanks.”

He scarfed down the soup in record time then I grabbed the bowl and set it in the dishwasher. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah, a little. My stomach still isn’t settled completely, but it’s better than it was. My head still feels like it’s in the clouds.”

“You should probably drink some more water to flush the medicine out and get some more sleep. I bet you’ll feel better in the morning.”

“God, I hope so. I feel like I have the worst hangover known to mankind.”

“Come on, you should go back to bed. I’ll go and let you get some rest.”

He nodded and took his time standing up. Once he was upright, he held onto the chair for extra support.

“You’re not going to pass out, are you?” I asked.

“I hope not. You’ll never let me live it down if I do.” He inhaled a deep breath and took his first step but wobbled.

I rushed to his side. “Put your arm over my shoulder and I’ll help you to the stairs. Please don’t pass out. I’m going to be honest here, it’ll freak me out.”

He laughed nervously. “I’ll try not to.”

I helped him to the stairs, and little by little he climbed to the top by himself without passing out. He slipped back into his bed while I went and got him a fresh glass of water. When I came back, he was sitting up.

“Want me to check your dressing or anything before I go?” I asked.

He looked at his shoulder. “No, it’s fine. I’m not sure I want anyone to touch it yet. It’s gonna hurt like a bitch tomorrow.”

I thought about cracking a joke, inquiring what exactly a bitch hurts like, but I figured he’d appreciate a more genuine response. “You sure? I don’t mind. Blood doesn’t bother me.” I paused. “Well, unless it’s pouring out of your body.”

“Positive.” Then he inhaled a deep breath and was silent for a moment. “Di, I don’t like what’s going on. The accident, the thing with Miss Red, me getting shot, I don’t like the feeling I have in the pit of my stomach.”

“I know. I have it too. But we’ll get through it. We’re smarter than the average bears.”

“Maybe, but all this violence.” He shook his head. “I know it’s part of our job, but this is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.” I laughed uncomfortably. I hoped Stephen had a great revelation waiting for me when I got home, but if he didn’t, I planned on telling Vance who was in my apartment and why. I hated keeping secrets from him. “I don’t want to relive today, or the last couple weeks for that matter. Rest and I’ll call you in the morning.” I tucked my hair behind my ears.

He studied me for a second then looked over to the side of the bed where I’d laid next to him. “Hey, can you do me a favor before you leave?”

“Sure.”

He squinted. “Would you go down and grab me some crackers or something? I feel like I need a little more food in my stomach.”

“Of course.”

“I think there are some Saltines on top of my fridge. If they’re not there then they might be in the back corner of the pantry.”

“Okay, I’ll find them. Be right back.”

I went to the kitchen and checked the top of the fridge, but there wasn’t anything there. I opened his pantry and crammed in the corner were various foods: sugary cereals, lots of pasta and sauces, but no crackers. I crouched down and dug through a pile of stuff on the floor. If the apocalypse ever came, I was coming to his house. I finally found the signature red box and pulled out a sleeve of crackers. I picked up a few things that had fallen to the floor during my rummaging and headed for the stairs.