Bad Girl Bill (Atlantic Divide) (8 page)

Cursing the little shit on the bed, she staggered to her feet. She had no idea what hurt the most; all she knew was that she could feel pain radiate through her entire body, and her head throbbed. She shook her head to relieve the waves of dizziness about to overwhelm her and then dove headlong into the fray, focused and determined, as all hell broke loose.

Cody flung himself toward the shotgun at the same time Jack yelled a warning from behind her to get out of his way. Cody was beyond reason and as he snatched up his shotgun, Bill launched herself bodily at him, threw her arms around his upper thighs, and brought him crashing to the ground. The gun skidded across the floor, and the pair of them thrashed around as Bill tried to get a purchase on Cody’s obese, sweaty body.

She clambered her way up his fat belly, threw back her right arm, put her weight and temper behind it, and smacked him hard with the heel of one hand while she punched him once in the stomach with the other. As the breath rushed out of his lungs, she flipped him over onto his face, yanked his arm hard up his back, and straddled him. She dropped her weight down on top of him, and she heard his groan of defeat as he finally stopped struggling.

“Handcuffs! Jack, goddammit give me your handcuffs! I lost mine.” Breathless, she pulled Cody’s other arm behind his back, wrenched it up, and took the handcuffs Jack offered to her.

“Thanks for your help, partner,” she spat out. Jack just leaned back against the doorway where he’d been most the time, gun still in hand, smiling placidly.

“Well, the way I figured it, I was just going to shoot the bastard, but you leaped into my line of fire. I was waiting for a clean shot.” He drawled as he slid his gun back into its holster.

Staggering to her feet, she hauled Cody to his. Her tongue felt thick and fat as she read him his rights. Turning, she squinted blindly at Jack as a gush of hot, tannic blood filled her mouth and spilled from her lips.

Jack turned ashen and sucked in his breath.

“Fucking hell, Bill, you need an ambulance.”

* * * *

Michael relaxed on the porch swing with a cup of coffee in his hand, and a dog on each side of his legs. He watched with some amusement as Mac’s black Ferrari jolted along the rutted track into the yard, scraping the low-slung undercarriage.

He knew Mac liked him, but he also knew the man considered him trouble for his little sister. So he guessed he’d turned up to make sure they weren’t left alone together. It had been a long few days of manipulation and maneuvering between Mac and his brothers to ensure they were kept apart, but it seemed, Michael thought with a grin, he was starting to make it difficult for them. It was a bit like a game of chess. It amused him to watch their scheming. They had no idea what a master schemer he was.

It seemed their line of communication had let them down this time, and Mac must have believed it was Bill’s day off too.

Mac unfolded his long legs and pushed his huge frame out of the Ferrari, almost getting his shoulders stuck in the doorway. Michael laughed.

“You know you’re too big for that don’t you?”

“Sure.” Mac pushed his long, black hair back from his face and flicked his plait back over his shoulder. “But I look fantastic in it.”

“No, you look too big for it.”

Michael could see how Mac had become a legendary movie star; his ego was enormous, but he was still intelligent enough to be self-deprecating. He laughed as he sat on the swing making it creak and groan.

“It’s only rented. It goes back at the end of the week. I think my hair is starting to thin where it keeps rubbing against the roof.” They sat in silence for a moment.

“Where’s Bill?”

“I’m surprised you don’t know. You had a wasted journey. Bill’s out with Jack picking up some guy who shot up a store yesterday.”

Mac leaned forward. The seat grumbled loudly. He stood, gave it a disgusted look, and moved toward the house.

“More coffee?”

“That’d be good.”

They sat in Bill’s kitchen, drank her coffee, and Mac explained why he needed to bulk up for his next acting job on location in England. Michael wasn’t surprised to hear female eyes would be firmly fixed on Mac’s broad, waxed, oil-slicked chest. Sounded like being a good-guy action hero sucked.

“I knew a girl in England not far from where I’ll be on location. She was the love of my life when I was twenty-one.” Mac stared into the distance, regret in his eyes. “She had the most beautiful eyes you’ve ever seen.” His mouth quirked slightly. It seemed to Michael that Mac had gone into the right industry. His penchant for drama was effective.

“What happened?” Michael’s attention started to wane while he watched with rising curiosity as Jack’s Land Cruiser flew down the road toward the house, kicking up dust in its wake. Both men stood to peer out the window.

“Broke my heart and left me.” Mac shrugged, and he squinted. “Wanted to be a vet. Wonder if she ever made it.”

His voice tailed off as his little sister slammed out of one side of the Land Cruiser while Jack slammed out of the other, their voices raised and their long strides quickly covering the distance to the house.

“Uh-oh,” Mac murmured as he stepped toward the door.

The kitchen door flew open, and Bill strode in with two anxious dogs prancing by her side.

“Forget it, Jack, I’m not going to hospital.” She eyed the two motionless men in her kitchen. Blood streaked down her chin, and the front of her shirt and her speech was slurred and her face had been pummeled.

Mac reacted first. “What in hell’s name happened to you?” he yelled.

Michael wasn’t sure whether it was his place to do anything, but the sick feeling that hit him in the pit of his stomach as he saw her swollen, battered face rooted him to the spot while the other two men circled around her, trying to bully her into doing what they wanted her to do.

He knew they were concerned for her, but she wasn’t responding well. Her eyes were glazed, and she looked panicked as she backed up into Michael. Instinct had him bend down and simply scoop her into his arms.

“Quiet,” he commanded and carried her out of the kitchen away from the noise. Speechless, her mouth dropped open as he held her gently in his arms, but then the two men left standing in the kitchen were left speechless too.

It took them a split second and narrow-eyed glances before they hustled after them just in time to see Michael sit on her large blue sofa, cradling her in his arms. He shifted her body so she was comfortable on his lap and pushed her head firmly so her uninjured cheek rested on his shoulder.

“Shh…Jack, go and ring Kate, tell her what’s happened, and ask her to come now.” His voice calm and in charge, he instructed each of them in turn. “Mac, go and get some ice, a bag of peas, or something out of the freezer and wrap it in a towel…and a clean cloth to wipe this blood off.”

All three of them opened their mouths at once to argue.

“Do it!” he commanded.

She lifted her head, and he pushed it firmly into his shoulder again. He rested his chin on top and stroked her hair and ear in a slow, soothing motion.

“Stay where you are,” he instructed her.

Her face was a mess, and it made his gut wrench looking at the damage. He’d seen so many injuries in his time, but he didn’t think many affected him like this. It worried him that he seemed to feel responsible for her protection. It wasn’t natural.

Silent, he felt her relax as her hand came up to rest on his chest, and her fingers shook slightly as she rubbed the material of his T-shirt.

Mac returned with the ice, applied gentle pressure to her cheek, and knelt on the floor by her side.

“Sorry.” His smile was soft, his eyes apologetic. No further words were needed. She smiled back, closing her eyes, relaxing further into Michael’s chest.

“I’m okay.”

“Tell me what happened,” Michael said. She relayed the story as Mac adjusted the ice pack on her face and wiped the blood from her chin. Jack stood silent in the doorway looking uncomfortable and a little guilty.

By the time she’d finished the story, Kate came bustling through the house, baby in her arms and a black doctor’s bag dangling from one hand. Passing the baby to Jack, she moved Mac to one side, knelt by the sofa and turned Bill’s head to get a better view of her swollen and bruised face. Four people in the room sucked air in through their teeth, and Bill’s eyes got bigger.

“Jack says you won’t go to the hospital.” Kate’s voice was firm as she poked and prodded, turning Bill’s head this way and that.

“No point,” Bill muttered, her voice thick and unnatural. “They’ll only give me painkillers, a pat on the back, and tell me to get some rest. Nothing’s broken; it was only his fists.”

“Hmm…okay.” Kate pushed gently on Bill’s chin and looked inside her mouth, hissed a breath in through her teeth. She’d bitten down hard on the inside of her cheek, leaving it swollen and gashed, which was probably where all the blood on the front of her shirt had come from. Despite the initial blood washing around her gums, her teeth were all intact. “Are you allergic to anything?” Turning away, she rooted through her bag as Michael idly watched.

“No. Don’t think I’ve ever taken anything to be allergic to. You got some magic pills in there, Doc?”

With her back to her, Kate took a syringe out of her bag, filled it with clear liquid, and gave a nod to Michael.

“Something like that.” She swiped a cool wipe across the top of Bill’s shoulder and deftly injected the liquid into her arm before she could even protest.

“What the hell was that?”

At Bill’s sharp jerk, Michael’s arms tightened around her just in case she decided to knock his sister’s teeth out. Kate didn’t look in the least concerned. She merely raised her eyebrows at Bill like she was one of her adolescent patients and pushed a second needle into her arm.

“If you’re not going to the hospital, we might as well make you as comfortable as possible.” She paused for a moment, and her eyebrows lifted higher as though she realized for the first time Bill was snuggled in her brother’s arms. He convinced himself it was because Bill had seemed comfortable and was obviously suffering from shock, but the hard knock his heart had felt drained his own energy, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to move.

“I’ve given you a painkiller; it’ll act quicker than taking tablets, but it’s going to make you feel drowsy. I suggest no driving for the next twenty-four hours. I’ll leave you some strong painkillers, which you can take if you need them but not for the next eight hours.” She leaned in and flashed a small light in Bill’s eyes. “You don’t appear to have concussion. I also gave you a penicillin shot to stop any infection in your mouth. I’ll leave a five-day course of those.” She stood and patted Bill on the shoulder. “Anywhere else hurt?”

“Everywhere, but nothing broken, Doc, just bruises.”

“Okay. My job is done; keep the ice pack on it for a while to stop the swelling. If the pain increases, you get flashing lights, a headache, Michael will take you to the hospital. No arguments. I suggest you get some rest now.” She smiled briskly at Bill and turned to her husband, reclaiming their child.

“And I suggest you put your guilt behind you. She’s going to be okay.” She stepped into his open arms. Michael watched as Jack encompassed them both for a moment, wife and child.

As she walked toward the door, Kate turned and addressed the room at large, “Don’t leave Bill alone tonight.” As Michael opened his mouth to volunteer, Mac butted in.

“I’ll take care of her.” His sister raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him. It was obvious she was not in the keep-Michael-away-from-Bill club. “I have to leave tomorrow morning about six.”

“I have to be in work,” Jack volunteered.

Michael nodded. “I’ll be here.” He felt Bill’s head drop onto his shoulder, and her breath expelled gently as she drifted into oblivion.

It took over an hour before Michael realized his legs had gone to sleep and numbness had seeped through his shoulder with the weight of her pressed into him. She wasn’t what he would class a small woman, and she’d managed to give him a dead leg.

Mac picked her gently from Michael’s arms and took her to bed.

* * * *

Mac was tired and irritable the following morning.

“She slept well…I didn’t. I kept watching her all night long. She’s sleeping like a baby,” mumbled the warrior, finishing off his coffee. “She’s all yours.” He rinsed out his mug and as an afterthought, spun around and pinned Michael with his hard brown eyes. “’Course you know I don’t mean that literally, don’t you?”

Michael’s long hesitation and deliberate smile had Mac fidgeting.

“Sure I do. Don’t worry; she’s safe with me. I’ve never been known to take advantage of a sick women…yet.” Then he grinned for the hell of it, meeting Mac’s eyes. “There’s always a first time though.”
Checkmate
, Michael thought.

Mac groaned as he rubbed a hand over his face. “I’m going to have to trust you, Michael. I have no choice, the boys are all busy, but if you do anything to hurt her, I’m going to have to kick your butt.” He gave a brief nod, eyes hard. “I don’t think that would be as easy as people seem to think.”

“You know, I’m getting a little tired of all the people who seem to want to kick my butt around here,” Michael replied.

“You know, I only act out butt-kicking scenes. I don’t really fight,” Mac confided. “I might just get my precious face busted.” Rubbing his chin, he held Michael eyes with another of his famous hard looks. “’Course, if I had to do it for Bill, I would.”

Mac gathered his gear and made for the door, pausing briefly to look back at Michael. “Don’t hurt her; she’s not as tough as she likes people to think. She’s like me—good at acting.”

The smell of fresh coffee and cooked breakfast woke her. One good, long stretch would ease the stiffness from her limbs. She yowled as every muscle in her body screamed and pain seared through places she had no idea she had hurt.

Her eyes shot open, and Michael stood above her, holding a tray.

“Shit. What in hell’s name are you doing? Did I die?” Her brow creased as he simply laughed and placed the tray on the bedside table.