Rochelle, have a seat.” Michelle shoved at her husband Mikhail’s shoulder until he got up and moved to another chair.
“Hi,” she began as she tried to figure out what she was going to say. “Um, I−I had a bit of an accident in the bathroom upstairs last night and would like to pay for the damage.”
She thought she saw Michelle’s lips twitch, but when she looked again she realized she must have imagined it. She can’t possibly know. Can she? She looked up and saw the gleam of amusement in Michelle’s eyes. Oh shit! Does everyone know what happened?
“You don’t need to worry. Jarrod’s already taken care of it.”
Rochelle slid her eyes to the two men on the other side of Michelle and caught them smiling. They looked away quickly when they saw her looking at them. Oh, how fucking embarrassing!
“They told you!”
“They didn’t want to, honey, but Jarrod had to explain why he was handing a check over to Jonah.”
“Oh shit. I can’t believe they…I’m sorry. I have to go.” There was no way she could stay now. “Thanks for your hospitality,” she whispered and pushed her chair back quickly.
She was in such a hurry to leave her feet got caught in the legs of her chair. Hands reached out to steady her, and she turned her head to thank them again without slowing down. She didn’t see the cart Angie had just wheeled up to the table until it was too late. She was moving so fast that momentum carried her forward.
Up and over she went. The glass on top of the cart cracked under her when she reached out, and as she toppled over, it flipped and landed on top of her. The weakened glass shattered. Rochelle threw up her arms to protect her face. A large shard of glass sliced into the underside of her forearm, going deep. White-hot burning pain seared into her soft skin, and she cried out.
Somewhere behind her, someone roared, “Fuck.” In moments, she was surrounded by large male bodies.
“Don’t touch her,” Blayk yelled from across the room. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t have believed how fast he moved. One moment he was across the room, and the next he was at her side.
“Shit, baby. You’re a hazard to yourself,” Jarrod muttered.
Looking up at him she saw he was dressed in a sheriff’s uniform. His brothers Braxton and Malcolm were behind him, and they had on deputy uniforms. They looked so damn hot in their uniforms, and if she hadn’t been in pain, she may have drooled at the sight of them.
“We need to get her into my office. From the amount of blood pouring out, I think she’s nicked an artery,” Blayk stated calmly. “That glass has to stay in her arm until I can take a closer look. It could be all that’s stopping her from bleeding out. Don’t jostle her too much when you lift her.”
Rochelle whimpered as Jarrod carefully picked her up, but it wasn’t from pain. She hated the sight of blood, especially when it was her own. Closing her eyes, she gulped in air as she began to feel light-headed. When she opened them again, she was once more back on the exam table in Blayk’s infirmary. She wondered if she had passed out for a moment or two.
Blayk pulled over a large lamp with a magnifying glass attached. After inspecting the wound, which still had the large shard of glass protruding from it, he walked over to a cupboard, rummaged around, and came back with a tray full of silver sterilized tools as well as two hypodermic needles.
“I’m going to give you a local anesthetic so I can work without causing you pain. Okay?”
After swallowing loudly, Rochelle still couldn’t seem to find her voice, so she gave a nod. She hissed through her teeth as the sharp needle pierced her skin but kept still. She was such a wuss when it came to anything medical. Just the thought of going to the doctor could nearly make her swoon.
Turning her head away from the blood, she looked up to see Jarrod, Malcolm, and Braxton watching her with concern. Her face