Rock Chick Reckoning (Rock Chick #6)(7)

I stared. It was the kind of room where you stared. You couldn’t do anything else.

“Holy shit! Stel a! What are you doing here?” That was Indy.

I looked at her and saw the room already held a number of people. Luke and Mace, of course. Also Indy, her neighbors Tod and Stevie (a g*y couple I knew from meeting them at Indy’s many parties which I attended back in the days pre-Mace), Ava, Daisy (a new-ish addition to the club, I’d met her too, she looked just like Dol y Parton, but a younger version and yes, she even had the enormous hooters) and Al y. They were al standing and they al turned to me.

“What’s on your leg?” Al y asked, her eyes on my leg.

Effing hel , how could I forget about my hip?

“Is that… blood?” Tod’s eyes were huge and his hand went to his chest.

“She’s been shot!” Daisy screeched.

My eyes flew to Mace. He was standing several feet in front of me, his back to me and, at Daisy’s words, his head whipped around.

“It’s nothing,” I told them, backing away.

Mace had turned and he was bearing down, gaining ground and I kept edging backward. I ran into something and turned to see a man wearing glasses, tal , dark hair, some gray and his hands settled on my shoulders, ending my retreat. I looked into his blue eyes, they were kind but I also got the impression that he wasn’t going to let me go anywhere.

“I’m okay,” I told this man I didn’t know.

Different hands came to the top of my hip. My gaze swung down and I saw strong, long-fingered hands I knew real y wel . I looked up from the hands and Mace was in my space.

“Mace, let me go. I’m fine,” I said as he bent slightly to the side, tilting my hip gently toward his gaze and he looked at the wound. I looked too. There was a lot more blood than I expected. It was everywhere.

When I looked back up, everyone had gathered around.

“I’m total y fine,” I repeated.

Mace straightened and his eyes came to mine.

“Hunky dory?” he asked, his voice low and sounding a bit cheesed off.

“Hunky dory.” I nodded.

Then without warning, I was lifted up, found myself cradled in Mace’s arms and he started striding back into the big room.

“What the –?” I began to yel .

“Privacy,” Mace clipped at Daisy, interrupting me.

“Through here. I’l get a first aid kit,” Daisy replied, racing along beside us.

“First aid! Girlie, she needs a doctor.” Tod was racing alongside us too.

“She doesn’t need a doctor, she needs a hospital.” Stevie was on Tod’s heels.

“I don’t f**king believe this shit. Someone shot Stel a,” Al y snapped, trailing along as wel .

Juno woofed, trotting with the pack, obviously agreeing with Al y.

“We need to boil water. We need clean towels,” Ava announced, fol owing too.

“She ain’t birthin’ no baby! She’s got a gunshot wound!” Indy shouted.

“I know that!” Ava shouted back. “But we need a sterile environment.”

Lord save me from wel -intentioned Rock Chicks.

Daisy took us to another, smal er room which had also been decorated with a heavy medieval hand and Mace stopped and turned.

I saw Luke cut off our fol owers and declare, “Private,” right before he shut the door in their faces leaving Daisy, Mace, Luke and me in the room.

“This is no big deal,” I announced.

Mace set me on my feet but his hands went back, firm, to my h*ps just below my waist, making it clear I was not to move away.

“Should we cut off the jeans?” Mace asked.

“No! These are my lucky Levi’s!” I yel ed, trying to jerk my h*ps from his hands (this didn’t work).

Okay, so, maybe the jeans weren’t so lucky since I’d been shot in them stil , I didn’t want them cut up.

“Would be optimal but we’l peel ‘em off, see how it goes.” Luke ignored my outburst.

“I’l get the first aid. I know a doctor who’l come here,” Daisy said.

“Get it and cal him,” Mace ordered.

“You betcha,” Daisy replied and her eyes found mine.

“We’l get you taken care of, sugar bunch, not to worry.” Then she was off.

Mace’s hands were at my fly.

“Hey! What’re you doing?” I snapped and slapped at his hands. He caught my wrists and gave them a smal jerk so I stopped struggling.

“Stel a, we have to get the jeans off and see the wound,” Mace explained calmly.

Nope. That was not gonna happen.

“No you don’t. Let me cal Floyd. He and Emily wil –”

“You aren’t cal ing Floyd,” Mace stated.

“I am,” I retorted and shook my hair angrily for good measure.

“You aren’t,” Mace repeated.

“I am!” I shouted.

I started struggling, got my wrists free and then started slapping his hands again.

This went on for half a second before he caught my wrists again and pul ed them around my back. The front of my body hit the front of his and I stil ed at the shock of it.

“Cuff her,” Mace said to Luke.

I unstil ed.