Page 50 of Maverick
Tracker held up his hands. “I know I’m useless to the club right now, but playing nursemaid to this crazy guy is cruel and unusual punishment.”
I shook my head. “It’s not punishment. Larry needs protection.”
Tracker raised an eyebrow. “From who? The little green men?”
“Tracker,” I warned.
Larry’s eyes narrowed at Tracker. “I’m just about sick of you. If you’re still out here when I get back…” He took a finger and crossed it over his neck.
“Larry, it’s okay.” I groaned. I’d barely had any sleep and my patience was thin. “We’ll take care of it. We know this guy, he’s a friend. I’m sure this is all a misunderstanding.”
Larry’s mouth dropped. “I didn’t think you’d be in on it, too.”
My heart clinched. Kat warned me Larry wouldn’t take well to sleeping somewhere else, and fuck if she wasn’t spot on. This was my call, my mistake.
Noodle barked, happy to be back home and eager to go on a walk. Larry looked down at her and smiled. “Hey, sweet girl.”
“Why don’t you take her for a walk?” I said slowly. “Bear and I will get rid of this guy for you.”
Larry looked at each of us, then back down to Noodle, who was now dancing around the floor after hearing the wordwalk.
“I guess. But if he’s still here,” he pointed at Tracker, “I make no promises.”
He walked to the back door and opened it, deftly avoiding Noodle as she shot through the door and onto the path.
I turned back to Tracker.
“What?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t think the man slept more than an hour. He paced nonstop. In the guest room, up and down the stairs. In the living room. It was constant. I heard him talking to people that weren’t there and, for some reason when I went to grab a coffee mug out of the dishwasher, it was full of pillows. I hate to say it, but Ol’ Larry ain’t right anymore and my house is not old man-proofed.”
I sighed, turning to Bear. “Change of plans. Larry’s back here. I’ll stay, and we’ll wait and see who shows up. I’ll text for backup if anything happens.”
“Is he on any kind of medication?” Tracker asked. “My gran took something. I don’t know what it was called, but I know it helped. You could always tell when she missed a dose.”
I shrugged. “Kat says they are waiting on an appointment with a neuro something or other, but it’s weeks out.”
Tracker snorted. “Too bad you don’t know someone who could hack into a doctor’s calendar.”
I could have smacked myself on the forehead. I looked at Bear, who nodded.
“I’ll talk to Baller.”
“So, we’re good here? I can take my useless ass back home? Sit on my couch and watch porn all day?”
I shook my head. “What the fuck, Tracker? You were stabbed. They took out your spleen. Then you got an infection. Youalmostdied. No one thinks you’re useless because you need to recover. Just finish your physical therapy, rest, and soon this will be a distant memory. Another sexy scar story for the ladies.”
Tracker shook his head. “I gotta take a piss.” He walked into the bathroom and slammed the door.
I had no idea he felt this way. Before the stabbing, he’d bought a little fixer upper in a decent neighborhood. I thought he’d enjoy the downtime as a chance to settle in. An image of Tracker sitting on a dusty old couch, all alone in a sad, broken-down house filled my mind. Of course he couldn’t work on his house. He was recovering, not on vacation.Fuck.I should have done better by him.
“Bear, have Dan start going over to Tracker’s every day. Give him some excuse, like a form he’s got to fill out for the garage.”
“A form? What kind of form?”
I shrugged. “Fuck if I know. A tax form?”
“A tax form?” Bear laughed. “Since when are we paying taxes?”
I grinned. “Okay fine, not a form. But we need to give him something so it’s not obvious we’re checking on him.”
