amused. “I thought the military was supposed to toughen you up, dude.”
He pulled on one arm and Kendall tugged the other. Shaman made it painfully to his feet, wincing when Kendall gasped.
“You’re bleeding!”
“You sure are,” Xav observed. “Flapping open back there like a zipper on a woman’s dress.”
“Thanks,” Shaman said, feeling woozy and grumpy and mad as hell that he’d gotten coldcocked. His normal radar that he relied on to keep him alive had definitely been off. “I’m going to kill him.”
“Who?” Xav and Kendall asked in unison, as they tried to help him inside.
“Never mind.” Shaman didn’t want to get into it. He closed his eyes as Kendall moved his head to inspect his nape, then felt a cold cloth being mashed to his skull.
“Is this a woman problem?” she asked. “I don’t approve of women problems. I brought Xav out here so you could talk some sense into him.”
Shaman sighed. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Hey,” another male voice said, and he opened one eye to see Jonas Callahan coming through the door. “Am I interrupting something? Looked like a puddle of blood on the porch, so I thought Shaman might have shot a bird or a— Why’s his head bleeding like a pumpkin losing guts?”
Not his boss, too. The boss that was currently involved in a lawsuit with the man who’d just cleaned Shaman’s clock. “I fell,” he said, and Kendall said, “Bull-oney.”
“Let’s get him to the quack shack,” Jonas said. “Shaman, I hope this isn’t because of Tempest. I stopped in town and talked to Blanche, and she said Cat told her you’re in love with a movie star. The only movie star we know is Tempest. I can tell you from experience that you shouldn’t be on the bad side of a woman. They use frying pans for more than cooking.”
Shaman sighed. “Let’s get this done, okay?”
“He’s cranky,” Kendall said to Jonas. “You have to understand that he might be older than us, but he always had second child syndrome. He couldn’t keep up with Gage, and Xav and I were smarter and quicker on our feet. He was never a good patient, because he always milked it for all he could get. It was an attention thing.”
“Ha ha,” Shaman said. “Either get me stitched up or buzz off.”
“Come on,” Jonas said. “I’ll drive you.”
“Good,” Kendall said. “We’ll follow.”
“I kind of like it here,” Xav said. “I get why you’re out here playing renegade recluse, Shaman.”
“No,” Kendall said, “I will not lose one more brother to Dark Diablo. Don’t even think about it.”
Jonas grinned. “Come on, soldier. Let’s get you walking wounded.”
Shaman was going to kill Bobby Taylor for visiting this on him. All he wanted to do was think about Tempest—and thanks to his well-meaning family and boss, he wasn’t going to get one second’s peace to do it.
* * *
“S O,” J ONAS SAID, as he drove Shaman back to the farmhouse three hours later, “your niece says you’re in love with the movie star who was in town.”
Shaman’s head hurt. He was annoyed, and a bunch of deadener hadn’t made the three staples any more fun to bear. “She’s not a movie star, and Cat doesn’t know everything.”
“She is a movie star,” Jonas said. “The contract terms were finalized last night. And I don’t know about Cat not knowing everything. I should warn you that she’s been studying the high art of manipulation and busybodying from my aunt Fiona, and there’s no more successful teacher alive. You’ve been warned, friend.”
Jonas laughed, his mirth almost contagious if the joke hadn’t been on Shaman, which it was. He blinked, trying to take in what Jonas had just said. “Tempest didn’t say anything to me about the negotiations.”
They’d celebrated her big news with beer and fajitas and a trip down haunted house lane. He pondered that a moment, remembering that Tempest hadn’t even had a beer—she’d drunk water.
Some
He pulled on one arm and Kendall tugged the other. Shaman made it painfully to his feet, wincing when Kendall gasped.
“You’re bleeding!”
“You sure are,” Xav observed. “Flapping open back there like a zipper on a woman’s dress.”
“Thanks,” Shaman said, feeling woozy and grumpy and mad as hell that he’d gotten coldcocked. His normal radar that he relied on to keep him alive had definitely been off. “I’m going to kill him.”
“Who?” Xav and Kendall asked in unison, as they tried to help him inside.
“Never mind.” Shaman didn’t want to get into it. He closed his eyes as Kendall moved his head to inspect his nape, then felt a cold cloth being mashed to his skull.
“Is this a woman problem?” she asked. “I don’t approve of women problems. I brought Xav out here so you could talk some sense into him.”
Shaman sighed. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Hey,” another male voice said, and he opened one eye to see Jonas Callahan coming through the door. “Am I interrupting something? Looked like a puddle of blood on the porch, so I thought Shaman might have shot a bird or a— Why’s his head bleeding like a pumpkin losing guts?”
Not his boss, too. The boss that was currently involved in a lawsuit with the man who’d just cleaned Shaman’s clock. “I fell,” he said, and Kendall said, “Bull-oney.”
“Let’s get him to the quack shack,” Jonas said. “Shaman, I hope this isn’t because of Tempest. I stopped in town and talked to Blanche, and she said Cat told her you’re in love with a movie star. The only movie star we know is Tempest. I can tell you from experience that you shouldn’t be on the bad side of a woman. They use frying pans for more than cooking.”
Shaman sighed. “Let’s get this done, okay?”
“He’s cranky,” Kendall said to Jonas. “You have to understand that he might be older than us, but he always had second child syndrome. He couldn’t keep up with Gage, and Xav and I were smarter and quicker on our feet. He was never a good patient, because he always milked it for all he could get. It was an attention thing.”
“Ha ha,” Shaman said. “Either get me stitched up or buzz off.”
“Come on,” Jonas said. “I’ll drive you.”
“Good,” Kendall said. “We’ll follow.”
“I kind of like it here,” Xav said. “I get why you’re out here playing renegade recluse, Shaman.”
“No,” Kendall said, “I will not lose one more brother to Dark Diablo. Don’t even think about it.”
Jonas grinned. “Come on, soldier. Let’s get you walking wounded.”
Shaman was going to kill Bobby Taylor for visiting this on him. All he wanted to do was think about Tempest—and thanks to his well-meaning family and boss, he wasn’t going to get one second’s peace to do it.
* * *
“S O,” J ONAS SAID, as he drove Shaman back to the farmhouse three hours later, “your niece says you’re in love with the movie star who was in town.”
Shaman’s head hurt. He was annoyed, and a bunch of deadener hadn’t made the three staples any more fun to bear. “She’s not a movie star, and Cat doesn’t know everything.”
“She is a movie star,” Jonas said. “The contract terms were finalized last night. And I don’t know about Cat not knowing everything. I should warn you that she’s been studying the high art of manipulation and busybodying from my aunt Fiona, and there’s no more successful teacher alive. You’ve been warned, friend.”
Jonas laughed, his mirth almost contagious if the joke hadn’t been on Shaman, which it was. He blinked, trying to take in what Jonas had just said. “Tempest didn’t say anything to me about the negotiations.”
They’d celebrated her big news with beer and fajitas and a trip down haunted house lane. He pondered that a moment, remembering that Tempest hadn’t even had a beer—she’d drunk water.
Some
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