Page 8 of The Crowing of Hell
“I don’t doubt it, but I’m not going against a brother. If Mac doesn’t want you worried, then so be it.” Rooster scowled.
“Mac doesn’t know what happened, either. He’s out investigating it. But he said you were a witness and saw the accident as it occurred?”
“Yeah, I was heading towards you, going into Spearfish as you came out. A truck pulled in behind you,” Rooster answered and continued to explain what had happened.
“And you’re sure I was targeted?” Kendara asked.
Rooster nodded his head. There was no doubt in his mind.
“Strange, I have not upset anyone lately, not that I’m aware of. And I’ve not had any death threats, which usually pre-empts this type of action,” Kendara mused.
Rooster blinked. “This happens to you often?” he said, rather shocked.
“No!” Kendara blurted. She laughed before wincing and held a hand up to her head. “But with my profession, I’ve pissed several people off. And usually, they feel the need to write letters and emails and sound off. But I’ve had nothing.”
“Could this be linked to Blue?” Rooster suggested.
“No, Willow, the FBI officer, brought that trafficking ring down. Plus, Blue’s sperm donor died in a fiery helicopter crash,” Kendara added thoughtfully.
“He had no family?” Rooster asked. He wondered if Rage needed to dig into the asshole’s background.
“None that wished to be associated with the boss of a trafficking ring. They all washed their hands of him. No, the more I think about it, the less it makes sense. Maybe I pissed the driver off, and it was a case of road rage,” Kendara said hopefully.
“Could be,” Rooster agreed.
Deep down, he guessed it wasn’t that simple. But Kendara seemed to want to believe it, so Rooster wouldn’t upset her.
“Does everyone Hellfire rescues get a visit from their hero?” Kendara asked as she shifted, and hurt flashed across her face.
Rooster was on his feet and handing her a small remote control.
“That controls your pain relief. Use it, Kendara,” Rooster said and pressed the release button.
“Hey, I can manage my own relief!”
“Then don’t suffer in silence.”
“You’re bossy!” Kendara railed against him, but he noticed the tension in her shoulders easing.
“That’s part and parcel of being Hellfire. Bossiness is required,” Rooster quipped as he sat back down.
Kendara snorted with laughter and winced. “Don’t make me laugh!”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I broke some ribs in the impact. But I am lucky to have lived, so I’m not complaining and will happily deal with a couple of broken bones,” Kendara responded.
“Mac didn’t mention any other injuries,” Rooster replied, feeling guilty.
“No, docs were concerned about my head wound. The doctors said it was so deep, they thought my brain might leak out and run away.”
“That is a lame joke!” Rooster chided.
“Made you smile, and I sense you don’t do much of that,” Kendara responded as her eyes fluttered closed.
“Sweet dreams,” Rooster murmured as he got to his feet.
“You’re going to have to visit again, or I’m honestly going to think you are a dream,” Kendara whispered.