Walker (Bowen Boys, #1)(12)

The first step on her injured leg nearly took her breath away. She almost fell over the catheter tubing and had to count to ten when she came down oddly on her leg. Once she was moving toward what she hoped was the bathroom, things didn’t get much better.

Sweat poured off her, but she knew she’d have to get over it. But before she could get inside and the door closed, she was being scooped up into someone’s arms and held while she tried to fight back.

“Don’t hurt yourself. It’s me.” She glared at Walker when he laughed. “You’re a hellcat, aren’t you? I thought I said to stay put.”

“I’m not a dog to mindlessly obey chauvinistic men like you. Put me down.” He did, but back on the bed. “I’m leaving before he wakes up. He’s not going to be happy with me when he does. And I’m reasonably sure he hated me in the first place.”

His entire demeanor changed. “What did he say to you? So help me, if he hurt you in any way, I will rip his throat out.”

“She looks like she could hold her own with him.” George walked in and smiled at her. “Pissed you off, did he? Good for you. Come on, Walker. Let’s get him to safer grounds so you can pick the glass out.”

“She thinks she’s leaving. I can’t…she can’t leave just yet. She’s not fully he—”

“She’s sitting right here, you moronic *. And if you have something to say about me or something you assume that I will do, then I would prefer that you said it to me and not around me.”

George laughed and didn’t seem fazed when Walker glared at him. “Oh, she’ll do just fine. Just fine indeed.” George laughed again as he continued. “I’ll sit with her for a spell. Your mother is getting the kitchen ready for your surgery.”

Lynne watched two more men come in and pick Khan up as if he didn’t weigh a ton. The other two, more than likely brothers to Khan and Walker because of their matching looks, seemed to find it funny that she had knocked the man on his ass. She looked over at George. “Is he going to be all right?”

George nodded.

“He attacked without provocation. He’s lucky that I didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?”

She looked away. She’d nearly said lucky she didn’t shoot him.

“Lynne, you’ve never told us who those men were that hurt you. We can’t help you if you don’t let—”

“He kissed me.” She didn’t know why she blurted that out, but once she did it seemed to open a damn. “I don’t know why, but he made me feel things… Why would he kiss me and Khan come in and attack like that?”

“He was hurt. Khan was hurt by a… by someone much like you. He is bitter and cold and I despair of him ever getting over her.” He looked through the open door when there was cursing from beyond it. “He needs someone to love him so that he’ll trust again.”

Lynne was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that he said someone like her. What did this man know or think he knew? She had to get out of here and short of taking the catheter with her on her own, she was coming up short on plans.

~~~

Walker would have taken the glass out without numbing his brother’s head, but his mother was standing right there. She was eyeing him as if she knew what he had been planning. She more than likely did. Walker stretched his neck muscles again and tried to gentle his hands.

“You’re trying to slow this down on purpose just so I can’t get up. Well it won’t work. She’s leaving right now.”

His mom hit Khan in the back of the head hard and then glared at him when he looked ready to stand up. “You’ll sit right there or so help me, Khan Bowen, I will take you to the wood shed.” She hit him again in the shoulder. “What were you thinking attacking your brother like that? Were you hoping to scare that poor woman so much she’d run?”

“She doesn’t belong here. And he told me that he wasn’t going to claim her. And what did I see when I walked into that bedroom? He was all over her. Practically throwing her back on the bed and mating with her.”

Walker growled and pulled a large piece of glass from Khan’s head without trying to be gentle. He threw down his instruments and stepped away from Khan before he murdered him. “I’m releasing her today.” Walker left them standing there to go to the bedroom where Lynne was. She was sitting in the bed looking out the window, and his dad was going a mile a minute.

“Hello, son. Get Khan straightened out?”

He nodded at his dad as he pulled out is cell. “Hello, Jane, this is Doctor Bowen. Could you please make arrangements to come to my parents’ home? I have a patient that needs to be dismissed.” He didn’t look at Caitlynne or his dad as she made arrangements to come right over. “She’ll need a ride back to her home. Can you give her a lift?”

After everything was settled, he turned to the two of them. His father looked sad, but Caitlynne looked…he was thinking she looked like she had nothing on her mind, but that wasn’t right either. She looked indifferent, maybe even bored. He started to speak when his dad stood up.

“Well, I guess…I guess it was nice meeting you, Lynne. I’m sorry that you couldn’t recuperate here, but things…” He looked at him then at Caitlynne again. “Things aren’t always what you hope for.”