“You would have tried to stop me and I had to see her.”
“I would have gone with you as backup in case you ran into trouble. You did and I wasn’t there to help. That torments me. We’re brothers. You let me make jokes when you could have told me how raw you felt inside. I wouldn’t have given you any shit over it.”
It was a good description to fit his emotions. It was tough to hold his friend’s gaze. “I need your respect. It’s important to me that I always keep it.”
Harley suddenly yanked him into a hug. “You always have that.” He stepped back. “You could cry like a human little girl and I’d still have your back, man.” He grinned. “It might disturb the hell out of me but we’re bros. I’d hand you tissues and buy you a teddy bear.”
Moon started to laugh. “Trey’s right. You’re such a dick at times. I wouldn’t want you to change though.”
“Okay.” Harley grew serious. “So what’s your next move? How do you plan to get Joy to become your mate? I’m here for you. Name it and I’ll do it. Should I snag handcuffs from Security so you can chain her to you? She sure couldn’t get past the gates to leave again if she were dragging your body behind her.”
“My body?”
“Yeah. In case she knocks you out trying to run away. She’s kind of sneaky, isn’t she? It’s a human thing, I guess, but they are cute. I see the draw.”
Moon turned and climbed into the Jeep. “You’re doing wonders for my confidence.”
Harley jumped into the passenger seat. “You want my advice? Sex. Lots of it. Keep her too tired to run.”
Moon started the engine. “You’re not being helpful.”
“I am. I’m throwing out backup plans in case talking doesn’t work. I wouldn’t know what to say to convince any female to move into my house and stay there. Do you?”
Moon was at a loss. “No.”
“You’ll figure it out. You’re smart. Besides, she did have a few of the task force members bring some of her belongings. I heard Trey giving them the list over the headset on the helicopter. They’ll arrive in a few hours when that team returns. That means she wants to stay here for a bit at least. That’s half the battle won.”
He’d forgotten about that. “John said both of her suitcases were heavy. I’m hoping that means she brought lots of clothes.”
“Who knows what humans pack? She might have brought her favorite barbells.”
“I don’t think Joy lifts weights.” Moon was very familiar with her body and appreciated that she wasn’t muscular.
“Everyone loves to work out.”
“Not all humans do.”
“Right. I don’t understand that.” Harley turned his head and frowned. “Who is John?”
“I’ll tell you about him on the way to Medical.”
* * * * *
“It’s going to be an ugly scar, isn’t it?” Joy had to look away from her arm as Trisha worked to change the bandage. There wasn’t much blood at least and none of it was fresh.
“No. They did a really good job. The stitches are first rate. You need to take it easy and keep the arm immobile for a few days. Keep it dry so when you shower, put plastic over it. I have something you could use for that. It’s going to be difficult to wash your hair one-handed but the wound needs time to heal. I’m giving you a sling as a reminder and to limit your movement.
“You really need to take better care of yourself. You lost a lot of blood. Not enough to need a transfusion but enough to make you feel weak and wobbly for several days. The pain meds will make you a little groggy until they wear off. Especially since you haven’t eaten enough, nor gotten much sleep, and you’ve been so focused on Moon that you’ve ignored your health. Your body was already worn down and now you’ve gotten hurt on top of it. I’m ordering you to stay in bed and food is on the way. Eat, then sleep, in that order.”
“Okay.”
The doctor finished and stepped back. “Now that we’ve dealt with the physical side of this, we need to discuss a few things.”
That piqued Joy’s curiosity. “What do you want to talk about?”
Trisha pulled over a stool and sat next to her bed. “I wanted to prepare you for what is to come.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re involved with a New Species. I don’t know the specifics of your relationship with Moon but what happened in your home is going to—”
Joy stopped her right there. “I appreciate you taking the time to explain his elevated levels of aggression but I’m not afraid of Moon in any way. Are you worried that I would be after he attacked my client? It was self-defense. I’m very impressed that he was able to avoid killing him. It showed great restraint.”
“That didn’t even cross my mind. I’m glad to hear it though.”
“Oh.” Joy felt a bit foolish. “Okay. Sorry.”
“No need for that. Moon called 9-1-1 when you were shot and that means it hit the news as soon as they heard the police and ambulance respond to the call. Those bastards seem to have scanners glued to their ears so they can overhear all the emergency responders’ communications. I wanted to prepare you for how they work.” She paused. “I won’t sugarcoat it because I know what you do for a living. By now the reporters have probably spoken to all your neighbors, dug through your trash, and are trying to locate any friends or family they can hit up for interviews.”
A ball of anxiety formed inside Joy’s stomach. “You’re sure they know?”
“It has already hit some of the internet sites. The major television news stations will run the story on their first broadcasts in the morning and you can be sure there are some very busy newspaper employees scrambling to get it to print for the morning edition. The reporters had the address of the shooting to work with to discover your name. Moon stated he was New Species because the dispatcher thought it was a prank. He said a human had shot you and she naturally assumed he wasn’t quite…” She floundered for a description.
“She thought he was nuts.” Joy sighed. “The average person doesn’t describe another person as human.”
“Exactly. I was sent a copy of the 9-1-1 call and listened to it. I got the impression she believed she was dealing with someone who believes in UFOs.”
The ramifications of what Trisha was telling her sank in and she panicked for a moment. What had happened in her condo would be major news. Breathe. A hundred thoughts streamed through her head at once. She forced them all back to focus on her first priority.
“Can you please give me access to a phone? I would rather my parents hear about Moon and my being shot from me than some stranger knocking at their door or seeing it on television while they eat breakfast. I need to call them.”
“They didn’t know you worked with New Species or were seeing one?”
“No.”
Trisha stood. “I’ll get you one of the disposable cell phones we keep on hand in the reception area. You need to stay in that bed and this room doesn’t have a landline.”
“Why do you keep any at all?” She was glad for the distraction.
Trisha flashed a grin. “Let’s just say Species play and work hard. They come here for treatment when they get hurt. Their personal phones don’t always survive whatever brought them in so we keep a batch of spares to lend out until they get replacements. It’s how they keep in contact with Security in case they are needed somewhere.”
Joy was left alone to make a mental list of who she needed to call after her parents. Meg was a given. She would leave it up to her mother to contact other family members. The woman loved to gossip and was the artery of information that kept everyone linked.
Trisha returned.
“Here you go. I’ll give you some privacy and see if I can hurry them along on bringing you a hearty meal. Eating something will also help keep down nausea caused by the drugs.”
“Thank you.” She accepted the cell phone. “Where is Moon?”
“He’s in a meeting.”