Fighting for Flight by JB Salsbury (best books for students to read .txt) 📗

He leans back, crosses his arms over his chest. “Yup. She’ll go down for kidnapping and whatever else the prosecutor can scrape up.”

I exhale a long breath. Guess keeping Vince alive was a good thing.

“Don’t you let her cry one tear for that dick.” Blake looks to the ambulance that holds Dominick’s body then back to Raven. “She’s a sweet girl, and sweet girls feel shit for shitty people. Don’t let it eat her up inside. She saved your life.”

I turn a glare on my friend. “Yeah, she did. And don’t think I’ve forgotten about your broken promise, ass.”

“Dude, she forced me. I got her out, but she threatened to tell the women of Vegas that I’ve got a needle dick.” He throws his hands up in mock surrender. “I can’t let that happen. I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

“How hard is it to keep a fucking promise?”

He shrugs, but has the decency to look embarrassed. “Your girl can be persuasive.”

“Ass.” I chuckle and turn back to Milena and Raven, making a mental note to take it out on him in the octagon once my shoulder heals.

“Milena’s fucking hot as hell.” There’s a smile in his voice.

I glare at him, but can’t help the curl in my lips. “Are you seriously talking about my girl’s mom? Sick fuck.”

“What? I know hot when I see it, and Milena’s smokin’.” He stands and holds out his hand. “Keys. I’ll follow Milena home in the truck and bring it by in the morning. I’m assuming you’ll be riding down the hill in this.” He motions to the ambulance. “I’d offer to take Raven home, but knowing you, you ain’t letting your girl out of your sight for . . . well, ever.”

I toss him my keys. “Thanks, man.”

He looks away and nods. Guy code for, no problem, you’d do it for me. Fuck yeah, I would.

Blake turns on his heel.

“Hey, B. You keep your dick to yourself around Milena, ya hear?”

He stops, looks to the ground, and shakes his head. He continues walking and turns over his shoulder. “I don’t do chicks with kids, remember?”

I laugh to myself and watch as Raven finishes up. She turns away from the group of police who frantically fill their note pads and heads in my direction. She has a blanket from the EMT wrapped around her shoulders. Her head wound is clean and covered with a butterfly bandage.

Standing, I pull her into my arms. “Hey.” I push the blanket down to kiss her neck at my spot. “You okay?” She curls in tight, just like she always does, as if she was carved from my own form.

“Yeah. I’m great.” The smile in her voice is unmistakable.

“Mr. Slade, it’s about time we get going,” Kevin says from inside the ambulance.

“Come on. Let’s get this over with so we can go home.” I move to help her inside the vehicle.

“Oh, no, she can’t come.” Kevin wags his finger as I one-arm lift Raven into the ambulance. “But if she wants to, she can meet . . . you . . . um . . .”

Raven and I are inside, settled on a stretcher, completely ignoring his rant.

“Well, okay. I guess she can come.” He must finally realize that he’ll be riding in another vehicle before she does. Smart kid.

“Thanks, Kevin.” I pull Raven into my arms and kiss her head. “I appreciate your flexibility.”

Raven’s body jumps with silent laughter as she hides her smile in my chest. I wrap her up tighter, thinking about how close I was to losing this. Losing her.

The ambulance fires up and we head back to Vegas. Raven’s breathing slows to the rhythm of sleep. Even with my shoulder on fire, tired as hell, and minus a shitload of blood, I don’t sleep. Instead, my mind conjures plans—plans for the future we now have sealed. And I’m not wasting a single second.

“Kevin, I need you to do me a favor.”

“Sure thing, ‘Assassin.’”

“I need to make a phone call.”

~*~

Raven

Beep-Beep-Beep.

The gentle sound brings me back to consciousness. I blink several times into the dark before lifting my head from my warm pillow. I observe my surroundings, thankful to see the lights of medical equipment rather than log walls. I’m not in the cabin, but in the hospital with Jonah.

My head swirls with the events from this morning. The cops told me that Guy was safe. They even gave me a phone so I could call him. He apologized for not being at the fight to protect me. I reassured him that Dominick was out to get his way, no matter what.

Katherine showed up and sat with my mom while Jonah was poked and x-rayed. The doctor said that that the bullet went straight through without injuring anything vital, but they had to do surgery. Three hours later, we were put in a private room. I assured Katherine and my mom that I was okay. There was no way I was leaving Jonah’s side. I traded my bloody clothes for a pair of clean scrubs, crawled in bed with Jonah, and fell asleep.

A yawn crawls up my throat and I lie back down in the crook of Jonah’s uninjured shoulder.

“Good morning.” His sexy, sleepy voice does delicious things to my body. Even laid-up and hospitalized, he’s irresistible.

“Good night, you mean.” I walk my fingers to his abdomen, pulling his hospital gown up to slide my hand against his rippled muscles.

He reaches for my face but drops his hand with a groan. “Shit, that hurts.”

I tilt my face to his and smile. “Looks like you’re going to have to keep that hand to yourself.”

“Not a fucking chance. Come here.” His demand is firm and sexy.

I brush my lips against his chin. “Thank you, Jonah. Thank you for finding me.”

“And thank you for saving me.”

My cheeks heat and I bury deeper into his chest.

“How’re you holding up? You know, with everything?” His hand traces soothing patterns on my back.

“Um . . . I’m good. I