”
I looked up from my hands and Tommy had a cup of coffee in his hand.
I took it from him. “ What ’ s in it? ”
“ I take my coffee like my woman, black as night. ”
“ Thanks, ” I said.
I held the hot cup between my hands and looked at the floor again.
“ How long is this going to take? ” Danny asked. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded.
I looked at him. “ Are you fucking kidding, man? Doctors are trying to save his life. Who cares how long it takes? ”
Danny pushed from the wall. “ I was just asking, Wes. Calm the fuck down, buddy. ”
I stood up. “ Don ’ t buddy me. Where the fuck were you? ”
“ Me? ” Danny asked. “ What about you? All of a sudden you ’ re married and go off to a cabin for a night. I smell bullshit everywhere I step near you. ”
I threw the coffee to the floor. It splashed everywhere.
I stepped toward Danny and he put his hand out, egging me on. “ Yeah, come on, Wes. Come on. ”
“ Do you realize the heat this is going to cause? ” I asked. “ I shouldn ’ t even be this involved. ”
“ But you are, ” Tommy said. “ Your brother-in-law did it. ”
Brother-in-law. That ’ s a goddamn lie!
I gritted my teeth.
“ Leave it to you, Wes, ” Danny said. “ Some scrub of a fighter to fuck all this up. ”
“ Danny! ” Tommy bellowed.
That was it for me. Next thing I knew, I threw a right hook and socked Danny in the face. He then slammed into the wall and stumbled away. He looked surprised for about a second and then looking fucking pissed. He came at me and we tangled up right there in the waiting room outside the surgery wing.
I turned and pushed, sending Danny into the spilled coffee. His legs twisted as his shoes slipped on the coffee. He went down on his ass, right in the coffee, splashing it.
“ Fuck, ” Tommy said, putting a hand to my chest. “ Knock it off. Both of you. This is about Aton. If he doesn ’ t come out of that surgery with a pulse, this is going to be really bad. Really fucking bad. ”
I punched Tommy ’ s hand away. “ You think I don ’ t know that? ”
“ You ’ re fucked either way, ” Danny said. “ Irishman. You stink of shit. ”
Tommy looked at me. “ Don ’ t, Wes. For Aton ’ s sake. ”
“ What ’ s happening out here? ” a nurse asked as she came rushing to the room.
“ My friend here slipped in some spilled coffee, ” Tommy said.
“ What happened to his face? ” the nurse asked.
Danny ’ s left cheek was red and swollen.
“ He ’ s allergic to coffee, ” Tommy said. “ Must have splashed on his face. ”
“ Can someone get me a fucking towel? ” Danny growled. “ Christ. ”
I had to laugh to myself as I shook my head. Danny looked like a complete fool on the ground, sitting in coffee, but it was far better than what I had intended on doing to his face.
I wanted to fight anything with a pulse. Normally, when I got into that kind of mood, I would turn to the bedroom to relieve some tension. I didn ’ t even want that. Because of freaking Rose. I swore I ’ d never let beauty overcome the truth. I had seen some powerful guys get taken down because they fell for some woman.
That would never happen to me.
She was lucky I dropped her off when I did.
Christ, what have I done?
Her brother shot Aton. I could have kept her. I could have used her right now to get to Luke. The Assassin. The masked fighter that had killed Shane. The emotions all rose with me.
Even watching Danny clean himself up didn ’ t help. Hell, even when he stepped right back in the coffee and slipped again, almost taking the nurse to the ground, didn ’ t help me smile.
I was devastated. My blood was rich and pure like the rest of them. Not like the family Aton belonged to. No matter my loyalty or ability to throw a decent punch, it wouldn ’ t help a damn thing when the foot came down. I was Irish blood, nothing but a worthless street fighter.
“ You look like shit, ” Tommy said
I looked up from my hands and Tommy had a cup of coffee in his hand.
I took it from him. “ What ’ s in it? ”
“ I take my coffee like my woman, black as night. ”
“ Thanks, ” I said.
I held the hot cup between my hands and looked at the floor again.
“ How long is this going to take? ” Danny asked. He leaned against the wall with his arms folded.
I looked at him. “ Are you fucking kidding, man? Doctors are trying to save his life. Who cares how long it takes? ”
Danny pushed from the wall. “ I was just asking, Wes. Calm the fuck down, buddy. ”
I stood up. “ Don ’ t buddy me. Where the fuck were you? ”
“ Me? ” Danny asked. “ What about you? All of a sudden you ’ re married and go off to a cabin for a night. I smell bullshit everywhere I step near you. ”
I threw the coffee to the floor. It splashed everywhere.
I stepped toward Danny and he put his hand out, egging me on. “ Yeah, come on, Wes. Come on. ”
“ Do you realize the heat this is going to cause? ” I asked. “ I shouldn ’ t even be this involved. ”
“ But you are, ” Tommy said. “ Your brother-in-law did it. ”
Brother-in-law. That ’ s a goddamn lie!
I gritted my teeth.
“ Leave it to you, Wes, ” Danny said. “ Some scrub of a fighter to fuck all this up. ”
“ Danny! ” Tommy bellowed.
That was it for me. Next thing I knew, I threw a right hook and socked Danny in the face. He then slammed into the wall and stumbled away. He looked surprised for about a second and then looking fucking pissed. He came at me and we tangled up right there in the waiting room outside the surgery wing.
I turned and pushed, sending Danny into the spilled coffee. His legs twisted as his shoes slipped on the coffee. He went down on his ass, right in the coffee, splashing it.
“ Fuck, ” Tommy said, putting a hand to my chest. “ Knock it off. Both of you. This is about Aton. If he doesn ’ t come out of that surgery with a pulse, this is going to be really bad. Really fucking bad. ”
I punched Tommy ’ s hand away. “ You think I don ’ t know that? ”
“ You ’ re fucked either way, ” Danny said. “ Irishman. You stink of shit. ”
Tommy looked at me. “ Don ’ t, Wes. For Aton ’ s sake. ”
“ What ’ s happening out here? ” a nurse asked as she came rushing to the room.
“ My friend here slipped in some spilled coffee, ” Tommy said.
“ What happened to his face? ” the nurse asked.
Danny ’ s left cheek was red and swollen.
“ He ’ s allergic to coffee, ” Tommy said. “ Must have splashed on his face. ”
“ Can someone get me a fucking towel? ” Danny growled. “ Christ. ”
I had to laugh to myself as I shook my head. Danny looked like a complete fool on the ground, sitting in coffee, but it was far better than what I had intended on doing to his face.
I wanted to fight anything with a pulse. Normally, when I got into that kind of mood, I would turn to the bedroom to relieve some tension. I didn ’ t even want that. Because of freaking Rose. I swore I ’ d never let beauty overcome the truth. I had seen some powerful guys get taken down because they fell for some woman.
That would never happen to me.
She was lucky I dropped her off when I did.
Christ, what have I done?
Her brother shot Aton. I could have kept her. I could have used her right now to get to Luke. The Assassin. The masked fighter that had killed Shane. The emotions all rose with me.
Even watching Danny clean himself up didn ’ t help. Hell, even when he stepped right back in the coffee and slipped again, almost taking the nurse to the ground, didn ’ t help me smile.
I was devastated. My blood was rich and pure like the rest of them. Not like the family Aton belonged to. No matter my loyalty or ability to throw a decent punch, it wouldn ’ t help a damn thing when the foot came down. I was Irish blood, nothing but a worthless street fighter.
“ You look like shit, ” Tommy said
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