“Everyone knows Parker’s useless in a fight. That’s why you and Bruiser covered him. Don’t blame yourself for their decisions, Cole. Cut that shit.” Cole was Bruiser’s best friend, I think. There were simply too many people to keep track of, and I held my head in my hands.
“Wait, you said he’s in a coma?” Snapping to Spyder, my eyes boggled a little, and my stomach flipped in horror when he nodded. “What happened? Why? Wh–”
“Shut up and take a breath. Yeah?” My teeth rattled up my face and down my neck at Spyder’s snap, and he scowled at me darkly. “Parker took a bat to the face a couple of times. That idiot. His skull ain’t that thick. They put him in a medically induced coma until he’s in the clear. As for what happened . . . Bruiser was right . . . as usual.”
“That’s his job, right? To tell you when you’re being dumb, why didn’t you listen? When does being on the defensive ever work unless you’re pinned down! You weren’t pinned down!” I knew I wasn’t one to talk, but fury raced through my system and overwhelmed my common sense. Throwing myself over the edge of the bed, I poked Spyder hard in the chest, and he tensed. The air frosted over, and the silence was damning as venom dribbled from my lips. “How many times does he have to tell you you’re wrong before you realize you’re fucking wrong! You let this happen by ignoring the big picture to avoid some personal guilt!”
My shrill shriek echoed in the hospital room, and I went cold when the waves were replaced with a high-pitched ringing. Stepping away from Spyder, I tensed when he raised his arm, but he rubbed his head and the back of his neck. “I know that. You don’t gotta rub it in.”
“Someone does, Spyder, because this shit’s not inconsequential anymore.” Speaking up softly, Cole took my forearm, and I jumped as goosebumps blanketed my body. He smiled encouragingly, but I couldn’t breathe under the thick layer of dreariness before he turned to Spyder. “It’s not Bruiser’s ol’ lady’s job to pound nails in your coffin, but she’s right. You ignored Bruiser’s warnings, and look what happened. This is on you, Spyder. You need to take responsibility for it. They were going to your mom’s house, on your orders, when her safety should be a nonissue. What’s worse is now, we got the cops to deal with because we can’t keep this under wraps anymore.”
“What does that mean?” A woman spoke up almost flippantly, lifting her head from deep in her phone screen to frown. “Just tell them it was a drunken brawl. It’ll be fine.”
“A drunken brawl in the middle of the day on a public street?” Spyder snipes before she clicked her teeth, audibly annoyed, and rolled her eyes before she caught Spyder’s gaze. “We can’t lie our way outta this, Bailey.”
“You can lie about anything if you control the information. Plus, we’re gonna be dealing with cops from Saint George, not Provo.” Davey strokes his neck and shoulders with both hands, squeezing his head between powerful arms as he rocks back on his heels. Surprise rippled palpably through the room, and a man I didn’t recognize shook his head. “There aren’t any cameras on that street, and the doorbell camera on the house didn’t catch anything because Bruiser’s truck flipped. Also, why would the Hellraisers admit to getting the shit kicked outta them when they outnumbered you four to one? And a third thing is Mathew probably didn’t know about it.”
Bruiser’s sluggish mumble broke the tension in the atmosphere, and I turned to him as he lounged, drugged out of his mind. Concern speared my chest, but the man’s frustrated sigh stole my attention.
“I didn’t have to do anything. One of my buddies is a dispatcher and said they got a busy night. We talk about how horrible it is there all the time.” What? I shook my head viciously, turning to Bruiser as his head flopped to the side. “That all being said, Mathew’s losing control of his gang. That’s what’s really happening. I think you need to come up with a new plan.”
“We can’t bring them back. Parker can’t, anyway, but there’s too much risk bringing Bruiser back. The next step would be to cross town lines, and the obvious target is him. Bruiser’s beat up bad enough that if he had to defend himself, he’d fuck himself up.” Cole spoke up again, and my hand shot up like I was in middle school and excited about a question. He and Spyder shared a look before nodding at each other, and my mouth dried.
“My sister’s a nurse practitioner. I can take him home with me and have someone to call if I need help.” Relief slumped my shoulders when Spyder nodded reluctantly, and I sat on the edge of Bruiser’s bed. “Good. Okay. What about Parker? I can check on him, too, if you need.”
“I’m staying here with him.” My gaze flung to Cole, and maybe my intentions were written all over my face before he shook his head. “I’m gonna get a hotel. I’ve got some recouping of my own to do, and no offense, but it doesn’t involve sleeping on a sofa.”
“O-okay. Here. Take my num—” Bruiser grabbed my arm lightly, so lightly it was almost uncomfortable, and my breath hitched as I twisted. His eyes struggled to meet mine under heavy lids, and his smile drooped down his face like in a cartoon. My heart ached painfully, and he had to work to speak.
“My ride or die girl, huh?” I couldn’t hold my tears back even as Bruiser passed out cold right in front of me. Blinking back the sting in my eyes, I sniffled harshly before releasing a shuddering breath of stale air.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bruiser
“I won’t stand for this, Nicole. The second that guy can walk, he’s
