Wild On My Mind

by Laurel Kerr

  “Her father needs to pay,” the man said, sneering. “He destroyed my fucking family. Convinced my whore of a wife to leave me. Threw me in a fucking jail cell. Now I’m going to return the favor and destroy his happy little life, starting with his daughter.”

  Bowie’s mind scrambled for a solution. He didn’t know how Eddie had immobilized Katie or what harm the man was causing by dragging her over the blacktop. Lou—or at least Abby—would have heard the screams and the gunfire. Abby would have woken Lou, who would have called the police. If Bowie could stall Eddie for a few minutes, help would likely arrive, but then what?

  Who knew how Eddie would react to the sirens? The news reports had called him volatile and dangerous with a history of mental-health issues. Plus, there was no telling if the police would arrive before Eddie managed to get Katie into the van. The vehicle wasn’t parked far from where Eddie stood, making a quick kidnapping still possible. Just as troubling, she could have a neck injury that could be aggravated by Eddie’s rough treatment.

  Bowie wet his lips and tried once more to reason with the man. “She has nothing to do with what happened to you.”

  Eddie ignored him. Instead, he began to drag Katie toward the van. Fear stabbed Bowie as he watched helplessly. Eddie would kill her, Bowie realized with grim certainty. The man was as unpredictable as a rabid coyote, and he had a history of violence toward women. He’d beaten his wife, and the media had reported that he’d been arrested for assaulting his former girlfriends too.

  The van was less than a foot away, and Bowie still didn’t hear even the faintest sound of sirens. He made a snap decision. While Eddie’s attention was focused on hauling Katie into the back of the vehicle, Bowie charged. Eddie glanced up, dropped Katie’s body, and scrambled to aim the gun.

  Bowie felt something hot sear into his bicep, but he ignored the burning pain.

  * * *

  Danger. Attack. Defend.

  Pure instinct had overtaken Fluffy. The snake had returned to the zoo, and he threatened Fluffy’s territory. If the Black-Haired One or the redheaded female died, that would disrupt all of Fluffy’s carefully laid plans for more wee ones. And no one threatened Fluffy’s bipeds and got away with it. No one.

  Just as the snake pointed an object at the Black-Haired One, Fluffy sank his teeth into the man’s calf—right where he’d bitten the interloper before. A horrid sound cracked through the air. Then, before Fluffy could react, the man collapsed. Fluffy barely had a chance to scramble away before the biped’s full weight landed on him. His hind leg got caught, but he managed to squirm free. He watched as Bowie wrestled the snake.

  Fluffy smiled. The Black-Haired One had more honey badger in him than Fluffy would have expected.

  * * *

  Bowie knocked into Eddie at full speed, sending both of them crashing to the hard ground. Eddie absorbed most of the impact as Bowie used his bulk to pin the slighter man. For a moment, Eddie lay stunned, probably from the shock of having the air knocked out of him. Out of the corner of Bowie’s eye, he spotted Fluffy limping away.

  He realized then why Eddie’s shot had only grazed him. The honey badger must have bitten the man. Bowie hoped the little critter wasn’t hurt too badly, but he couldn’t afford to check on Fluffy. First, he had to subdue Eddie and take care of Katie.

  Bowie reached for Eddie’s pistol but realized the other man must have dropped it during their collision. It had skittered several feet away. Bowie debated whether to scramble for it, but he wasn’t that experienced with guns, except for tranqs. And he didn’t want to risk Eddie snatching it instead.

  Eddie began to screech and struggle beneath him. Bowie struck the man hard in the temple with his fist. Eddie went limp again. Bowie sat up and shook Eddie to make sure he truly was incapacitated. The man’s head lolled uselessly, but he was still breathing. Bowie dropped Eddie to the ground and quickly collected the gun. He put on the safety and shoved the weapon into the front of his waistband as he bent to check on Katie.

  Bowie’s heart squeezed at the sight of blood near her temple. It looked like the creep had coldcocked her. Bowie gently ran his fingers down the uninjured side of Katie’s face. She moaned slightly, and her brown eyes flittered open. Bleary and unfocused, they gazed up at him in confusion.

  “What…what happened?” Katie asked, her voice wobbly.

  A wave of hot ire rose inside Bowie, momentarily threatening to drown him before he shoved it down. As much as he wanted to beat Eddie for harming Katie, Bowie knew she needed him more. Right now, Eddie was sufficiently subdued.

  “The man who shot your father attacked you,” Bowie said stiffly.

  “What!” Katie said as she started to scramble into a sitting position. She groaned and began to sway. Bowie gently grabbed her before she crashed to the ground. He cradled her against his chest, thankful to feel her warm and safe in his arms. She sighed and nestled into his embrace.

  “Holy crap, my head hurts,” she said.

  “He knocked you out,” Bowie said stiffly.

  Katie tried to raise her head and then moaned again. “Okay, moving isn’t a good idea.”

  “No, I don’t think it is,” Bowie said.

  “Where is he?” Katie asked. “My father’s shooter?”

  “Right beside us. He’s unconscious,” Bowie explained.

  Katie rubbed her forehead. “How did that happen?”

  “My fist,” he said succinctly.

  Finally, Bowie heard sirens. Two cop cars squealed into the parking lot, their lights flashing. Bowie glanced up at the dramatic entrance he would have appreciated three minutes ago. The police probably would be disappointed that he’d already subdued Eddie. The guy had shot one of their own, and they didn’t get to see much action in sleepy Sagebrush.

  Four cops emerged, their guns drawn. Since Bowie was currently holding Katie, all weapons were pointed at him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the first time he’d had a cop train a gun on him. The last time had been Katie’s father, and one of the policemen even reminded Bowie of the man.

  “It’s fine,” Katie said without lifting her head from Bowie’s shoulder. “The perp is the one on the ground.”

  “Katie?” the cop who reminded Bowie of Katie’s father asked, his voice a mixture of surprise and concern.

  “Mike?” Katie gingerly turned her head in the direction of the policeman.

  “What the hell?” Mike holstered his gun as he strode quickly toward them.

  “Let me guess,” Bowie said dryly for Katie’s ears only. “The cop brother?”

  “The one and only,” Katie whispered back. “I’d better sit upright before he goes all protective male on me.”

  Bowie held her firmly. Although he would have preferred not meeting Katie’s brother shirtless with Katie curled on his lap, he wasn’t letting her go until the ambulance arrived. She needed to remain still, and he wasn’t ready to release her. Not yet. He’d almost lost her tonight, and his body wanted the reassurance that she was safe.

  “It’ll just be worse if you sway again or black out,” Bowie told her.

  She sighed and relaxed against him. “I suppose you’re right. I guess he’ll figure out we’re sleeping together anyway.”

  Bowie stiffened at her last comment, but before he could question her, Mike reached them. Bowie tightened his hold on Katie. He couldn’t help it. After watching Eddie drag her limp body almost into his van, Bowie had every right to feel protective. Right now, Katie was sleeping with him, and he was going to protect her and take care of her—whether she or her cop brother liked it or not.

  * * *

  “Katie,” Mike said as he rushed to her side. “What’s going on? The police scanner said there’d been shots fired. What in the hell are you doing at the zoo at this hour?”

  She felt like she was attempting to think through gelatin. Her fuzzy brain refused to focus
on the blast of questions Mike fired at her.

  Bowie spoke instead. “I believe the man on the ground is Eddie Driver.”

  At the name of the man who’d shot their father, Mike swore sharply. “So that’s the bastard.” He reached down and pulled back Eddie’s hoodie to reveal the unconscious man’s face.

  “I think he coldcocked Katie with his gun,” Bowie said. He shifted her slightly but carefully in his arms. He withdrew a pistol from his waistband and handed the weapon to Mike. “I heard Katie scream twice, and by the time I got to the parking lot, she was unconscious. Eddie was dragging her to the van.”

  With her brain sloshing like the sea during a tempest, Katie just stared dumbly at the weapon. Her attacker had a gun? She hadn’t known that. How had Bowie disarmed him? Her mind swam again, and a wave of nausea washed over her. She did not want to be sick in front of Mike. Her brothers would never let her hear the end of it.

  Gosh, why wouldn’t her mind focus?

  “Shit,” Mike said, glancing over at Eddie, who was being cuffed by his partner. Mike’s jaw clenched—a sure sign that he was holding back his rage. Katie started to stand to reassure him but only managed to half sit up. The world dipped dangerously, and she plunked back down with a moan.

  Mike’s attention immediately returned to her, and he dropped to his knees. He scanned her, his gaze lingering on her temple. He looked over at one of the other cops.

  “See how far out that ambulance is,” he barked.

  “I don’t want one,” Katie quickly protested.

  “You’re getting one,” her brother said at the same time Bowie said, “You need a doctor, Katie.”

  Mike’s eyes locked on Bowie’s and narrowed. “And who are you?”

  “Bowie Wilson,” he said. “I own this zoo, and I’m sleeping with your sister.”

  “Bowieee,” Katie hissed. Her brother’s protective instincts were already on high alert. She’d never convince Mike not to tell her other brothers about Bowie. Then one of them would tell her mom. The boys would tease her endlessly, and her mom would escalate her matchmaking tenfold. Worse, her mom would be convinced Katie was going to stay in Sagebrush, and Katie didn’t need any additional pressure.

  “Katie, you’re at my place after midnight, and I’m only half-dressed. Your brother already knows.”

  “What the hell were you doing letting my sister walk alone in a parking lot in the middle of the night? Everyone in town knew that the guy who shot our dad was still on the loose.”

  “Bowie doesn’t let me do anything,” Katie said crankily. She was sitting right here and capable of rational thought—well, semi-capable with her head injury. She barely resisted the urge to make a raspberry sound at her brother. Clearly, getting knocked out played havoc with her maturity level. Instead, she settled for shooting Mike an annoyed look.

  “I was asleep. It shouldn’t have happened,” Bowie said.

  Katie groaned in annoyance. “Bowie wanted to walk me to my car, but I let him sleep. He works longer shifts than you do, Mike.”

  Just then, the ambulance whirled into the parking lot, siren blaring. Katie attempted to glare at it in disgust, but the flashing lights triggered a searing pain deep inside her skull. The noise didn’t help either. “I’m not going to the hospital, you know.”

  “Katie, you can’t move without groaning,” Bowie said.

  “You’re also covered in blood,” Mike pointed out.

  She was? Her shirt did look wet and sticky. She reached up and gingerly felt her temple. Wincing, she quickly withdrew her fingers, which were slick with blood.

  “Head wounds bleed a lot. I’ll be fine,” she said. She didn’t want to fuss with a hospital. Her mother would be beside herself if she found out Katie had been taken away in an ambulance.

  “The police scanner said there were shots fired,” Mike said.

  Katie straightened and then closed her eyes at the onslaught of more dizziness. “I didn’t hear shots.”

  “There were two,” Bowie said. “Eddie fired a warning shot at me when I first reached the parking lot. He didn’t want me coming closer.”

  Katie’s eyes flew open as she stared at Bowie in concern. Eddie had shot at him? A sick feeling twisted inside her. Until then, she hadn’t really thought of the danger Bowie had faced. He was so physically imposing compared to her attacker’s slight frame. But Eddie had carried a gun, and he’d nearly killed her father.

  Katie should have realized. She probably would have if her head weren’t currently useless.

  Mike’s mouth flattened into a hard line. “When was the second fired? Did you have a gun too?”

  Bowie shook his head. “Eddie shot at me when I charged him.”

  “What!” Katie said. She sat up this time, ignoring the uncomfortable sloshing in her stomach and the suddenly searing pain in her head. She scanned his body. She saw red, wet patches on his skin.

  “Is that my blood or yours?” Katie demanded.

  “Uh, mostly yours, I think,” Bowie said, his tone suspiciously casual with a twinge of sheepishness.

  Mike slapped his notebook against his thigh as he stared at both of them in annoyed disbelief. “Are you telling me, after five minutes of interviewing you, that you’ve been shot?”

  “Grazed a bit maybe.”

  “You’re the one who needs to go to the hospital,” Katie said.

  “You both need to go to the hospital,” Mike said with exasperation.

  “He just winged me. It barely hurts,” Bowie said.

  Mike waved a paramedic in their direction. “Adrenaline could be sustaining you. You just charged an armed assailant to save my sister. You need a professional to check your wound.”

  Bowie glanced down at Katie. “I’ll go to the hospital if she goes.”

  “Fine,” she huffed. “I will, but only if you do too.”

  Mike shook his head. “Hell, Katie, I think you might have found your perfect match. He’s even more stubborn than you.”

  * * *

  Several hours later, Bowie found himself with his arm in a sling, sitting in Katie’s ER room next to her brother. Although the bullet hadn’t hit a bone or anything major, it had caused more damage than he’d thought. Still, they’d had him patched up before they were done running tests on Katie. He’d even had time to check in with Lou and Abby again. Everyone at the zoo was fine—including Fluffy, who was back in his enclosure, thanks to Abby.

  Before Bowie and Katie had left for the hospital, Mike had sent a policeman to the Victorian to let Lou and Abby know the situation was under control. They had managed to make it to the parking lot just as Bowie was being loaded into the second ambulance. Poor Lou had blamed himself for not coming sooner when Abby heard the shots, but Bowie had pointed out that someone needed to make sure Abby stayed safe. Bowie knew the two of them would be awake and worrying, so he had called as soon as he’d had something concrete to report. Unfortunately, he still didn’t know much about Katie’s condition. He could only sit and wait.

  Mike had been openly studying him since Bowie had entered Katie’s ER room. Bowie didn’t know how to respond to Mike’s scrutiny. He’d never met a brother of a girl he’d dated. Sawyer’s had been away at college, and her parents hadn’t exactly invited Bowie to family dinners even before the pregnancy.

  But Katie’s injuries and Mike’s penetrating stare weren’t the only reasons Bowie felt edgier than an impala being stalked by a lion. He realized that Katie had just suffered a head injury, but her reluctance to reveal their relationship bugged him. Sure, he could understand that she didn’t want to announce that they were sleeping together, but she didn’t seem to want to acknowledge any connection to him. And that burned.

  “You’re not like the men my sister normally dates,” Mike said without preamble.

  Bowie decided he wasn’t in the mood to be baited. He turn
ed and fixed Mike with a frank, unimpressed look. “You met me less than two hours ago. I doubt that you know me.”

  Mike gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I’m a cop. I’m trained to observe.”

  Bowie leaned back in his chair. “Impress me.”

  Mike started to count off points on his fingers. “First, you’re a hometown boy. Katie always dated big-city guys from Duluth or Minneapolis. Second, you own a zoo. Katie’s last boyfriends would have panicked if you asked them to keep a plant alive for a week. Third, you live with your daughter and an elderly man. Fourth, you’re not trying to smooth talk me, and you certainly aren’t attempting to impress me. Fifth, you also don’t secretly think you’re better than the rest of Katie’s hick family.”

  Mike paused and looked Bowie straight in the eye. “And finally, none of Katie’s previous boyfriends would have rushed an armed man to save her.”

  Bowie had no idea how to react. He’d been steeling himself for an attack like Josh’s. He hadn’t expected Mike to like him.

  “You better watch it,” Bowie said, “or I might start to think that you approve of me dating your sister.”

  Mike’s face broke into a wide grin. He didn’t share many features with his sister, but he did have Katie’s brown eyes. And her smile.

  “I don’t approve of any guy dating my sister, but you’re not half bad.”

  “Thanks,” Bowie said dryly, but he felt some of the tension ebb.

  Just then, Katie was wheeled back into her room in the ER. Her white, drawn face concerned Bowie. He noticed stitches by her temple, and the sight made him wish he’d been rougher with Eddie.

  Katie’s gaze found his, and he didn’t like how bleary it appeared. He rose to gently stroke the side of her face with his good hand. He didn’t care if she didn’t want her brother to witness affection between them.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as she lifted her hand to brush her fingers over his knuckles.

  “Concussion,” Katie said. “What about you?”

  “I’m all patched up now,” Bowie said, pressing a kiss against her forehead. “Don’t worry about me, but make sure you get rest. I’ve had concussions before, and you’ll need plenty of sleep.”