Bennett (Bourbon & Blood #1) Read Online Free

hospital. He ’ d just climbed behind the wheel of his truck when a limo pulled up and Samuel Darcy emerged from the backseat. His white hair was combed back neatly, his tie was still crisp and perfect. It perfectly encapsulated their lives. That son of a bitch might never get his hands dirty, but he certainly reaped the rewards of everyone else ’ s hard work.
    Bennett hated the controlling bastard. That hate, the anger that had ridden him so hard for so long, churned in his gut. Turning the key in the ignition, he backed out of the parking space and headed home, damning the entire Darcy clan along the way.
    Every time he tangled with one of them, he felt raw. It was like they just peeled the skin right off him and left nothing but exposed nerves. He ’ d go home, have a beer, and beat the hell out of a heavy bag. It was the standard treatment whenever he had a Darcy run in. Even temporary relief was welcome.
    When he reached his house, he grabbed the now warm six pack of beer and headed inside, pausing only long enough to utilize the old bottle opener still mounted to the porch rail. As he stepped inside, he was greeted by seventy-five pounds of fur and slobber.
    Bennett didn ’ t get angry. He just slid to the floor right there inside the door while the dog laid against his chest and whined. Scratching his ears, Bennett sighed. Big, dumb, drooling everywhere, and scared of flies, the dog was the best thing that had ever happened to him, he thought.
    “ It ’ s been a hell of a day, Slick, ” he muttered as the dog licked his cheek. “ But I saw somebody you know. ”
    The dog whined and cocked its head.
    “ That ’ s just how I feel, ” Bennett replied and took another swig from the bottle. “ That is just how I feel. ”

CHAPTER THREE
     
    “ Was she with him? ”
    Clayton Darcy met his father ’ s gaze across the empty hospital waiting room and wondered, not for the first time, how cold the bastard really was. “ Does it matter? ”
    Samuel Darcy narrowed his eyes at him. “ Yes. I ’ ve told her … warned her a dozen times about associating with the likes of him. All of the Hayes family is nothing but trouble, the lot of them! ”
    Clayton didn ’ t bother to argue. He ’ d learned long ago that it did not a damn bit of good. “ No. From what the sheriff told me, as best as it can be pieced together until Mia wakes up; she was driving on Fall Lick Road, rounded a bend, lost control of the vehicle and wound up in the creek. With the rain, it was deep enough to pull the car completely under. If he hadn ’ t been there, we ’ d be at the morgue and not here. ”
    “ And a Hayes just happened to be right behind her? ” Samuel summed up. His dubious tone clearly indicated how unlikely he found the tale.
    “ He does live on that road, ” Clayton pointed out. “ Less than two miles from your house. ”
    Samuel grimaced. “ I ’ m well aware of that! I tolerated his grandmother because it was the decent thing to do, but if I ’ d known she was going to leave that house to him I might not have been so generous! I think he stayed here out of spite. ”
    Probably, Clayton thought. Not for the first time, he enjoyed the notion. Bennett Hayes had made himself a thorn in Samuel Darcy ’ s side and Clayton was ever so quietly cheering him on.
    The conversation, if it could be called that, went no further. The doctor appeared, wearing scrubs and a white coat, a mask hanging around his neck.
    “ Mr. Darcy? ”
    “ Yes, ” Samuel said. “ How is my daughter? ”
    “ Very lucky, ” the doctor stated. “ She escaped a pretty catastrophic accident and her worst injury was a broken wrist. I ’ d say that borders on miraculous. We ’ ve set the bone and casted it. She ’ s got a couple of stitches and she ’ s still pretty out of it from the sedative we gave her. We ’ ll be keeping her overnight but most likely she ’ ll go home in the morning. ”
    “ Will she be scarred? ” Samuel demanded.