Page 4 of Wrangled
“Who is it—oh, Calliope.” The woman’s voice changes from concerned to wary in the blink of an eye. “Take a seat. We’ll get to you when we can.”
“Take a seat? She’s fucking bleeding all over the place. And from the way her head hit the pavement, she likely has a concussion.”
“I understand that, but she’ll need to wait her turn, like everyone else.”
I feel us turning. I crack my eyes open again to see what he’s looking at, but I don’t see anyone. Ah, I get it.
“Take her turn? With whom? The invisible man?”
“Austin—”
“It’s Mr. Dyer to you. Either get a doctor out here or get the fuck out of my way.”
When she hesitates, he stalks toward the back rooms. He kicks a door open while she protests.
“What is going on here? Austin, what is this?”
“What this is, doc, is gross fucking negligence. Not sure how you’d feel if this girl keeled over and fucking died in your waiting room. Your receptionist would surely be fine with it, but then it’s not her they’d investigate, is it?”
I stare up at the man in surprise as I try to remember the last time someone came to my defense. I come up blank.
“Lay her on the bed. Trisha, we will talk after this. It seems the last time we spoke, you weren’t paying attention.”
Trisha, the rude receptionist, huffs and leaves as Austin lays me gently on the bed. I whimper, making him curse.
“Sorry, little one. Doc will fix you up in no time,” he tells me softly.
I stare at his face and feel my skin heat. Austin Dyer might be 10 years older than me, but that doesn’t make him any less handsome. With his dark hair and even darker eyes, he has that whole tall, dark, and handsome thing going on, but I’ve always steered clear. Not that he’d ever usually look at me twice, of course. There’s something about the man that intimidates me, not quite in the same way that my father does, but in a way that’s just as unnerving.
The fact that he’s Andy’s brother adds to my need to keep my distance. Everyone knows how Andy treats me, and nobody stops it, most likely because they’re scared of Austin. A man who stepped up to look after his brother after his mother got sick and died, and his father and some of his buddies were killed in some kind of hunting accident.
I don’t know the details, but there are dozens of rumors swirling around his rise to infamy. If my father is the king of Crowhurst, then Austin is the ruler of the underbelly. Where he rules with fists, Austin rules with cunning. Both are formidable in their own ways, which is why I can’t understand how my father thinks a marriage between Andy and me would work. Aside from the fact that Andy is a colossal dick, I can’t imaginewhy Austin would ever consider tying himself to a man like my father. It makes no sense.
“Calliope. Can you tell me what happened?” Doc Jenkins asks, nudging Austin aside.
“Does it matter?”
“No, I suppose not.” He sighs.
“The fuck it doesn’t,” Austin snaps, folding his arms.
“Austin, you may go now. I’ve got this,” the doctor tells him. He leans over and shines a light in my eyes, making me want to punch him in the face.
“All due respect, doc, I think I’ll stay.”
I swallow, unsure what to say or do.
“Calliope?” The doctor looks at me with a stern expression, but I’m not sure what he’s expecting me to do. I’m the fucking kid here.
I look to Austin, but the glare he sends me has any protest dying on my tongue.
“He can stay,” I reply, tearing my eyes from him to look at the doctor, who frowns with disapproval.
The doctor turns to Austin. Guess what? The guy’s expression works just as well on him, and he quickly turns back to me. He focuses on my face, moving his fingers over the tender spots, making me hiss. “The cut above your eyebrow is pretty deep, but I think I’ll get away with gluing it. You hurt anywhere else?”
“The puddle of blood behind her head not giving that away?” Austin growls.
The doctor ignores him and indicates for me to sit up. I do as he wants, instinctively wrapping my arm around my ribs, unable to hold back the groan.
