Chapter 27
Why were people talking? And what was that smell?
“Opal, turn the TV down. And I think you used too much hairspray again. Think of the ozone layer.”
A low chuckle greeted her, and she stiffened.
“That isn’t Opal,” she muttered.
“No, it isn’t. Also, I’m afraid I don’t use hairspray and it’s not the TV making that noise.”
Lilac opened her eyes, looking around in fright. This wasn’t Linc’s guesthouse. She was lying on a bed in the middle of a stark white room. “Where am I? What’s going on?”
As she attempted to sit up, Tanner moved into her line of sight, his face filled with concern and affection.
What the heck?
“It’s all right,” he said soothingly. “You just need to stay in bed.”
“In bed?” she asked.
Panic started to take hold. This was . . .
“Am I in the hospital?”
Oh God. She couldn’t be here. What if they’d used her real name? How much was this going to cost?
“I can’t be here. I don’t have insurance.”
Fuck.
“They can’t enter my name into any databases.” Her breathing grew rapid.
“Shh.” Tanner stood, leaning over her. “Okay, baby, you really need to calm down, or I’m going to get a nurse in to sedate you.”
“You wouldn’t!” she cried.
He just shot her a stern look.
Damn. Seemed like he would do just that.
“That’s mean,” she muttered.
“That me, Meanie Malone.”
She snorted. That was actually a pretty funny nickname. She might have to use that when he was being Mr. Bossy. Not Mr. Fun.
“Don’t get any ideas.” He waggled a finger at her. “You’re not allowed to call me that.”
Yeah . . . too late.
Tanner sighed. “You’re totally going to call me that, aren’t you?”
She nodded, her head spinning slightly. She took a deep breath.
“Okay, baby?” he asked quietly.
“Just a bit dizzy. I really can’t afford this.”
“You don’t have to worry about medical insurance or your name going into the system.”
She raised her eyebrows.
“I told them you were my wife.”
“Tanner! You can’t do that! That’s fraud.”
“Eh, what are they gonna do about it?”
“Arrest you!”
“Don’t worry about that. Alec will bail me out.”
“Tanner.” She started pulling at the monitors attached to her. That’s when she noticed a needle in the top of her hand. She had a drip? Why?
“Stop moving,” he said firmly. “You going to injure yourself.”
“Tanner . . . there’s a drip.”
“Yes, it’s giving you fluids. You were severely dehydrated.” He gave her another stern look. “That won’t be happening again.”
“M.M,” she muttered. Old Meanie Malone strikes again.
“Lilac, you’re in big trouble.”
Her mouth dropped open. “How am I in big trouble? It’s not my fault I’m sick. Although I don’t really feel sick, just kind of dizzy and weak.”
Tanner sighed, looking at her worriedly. “I should get the doctor.”
“No, please. Wait.” She rubbed at her forehead. “I want to know what’s going on first. How did I get here? Why are you here? And did you really think the best idea was to tell them I’m your wife? Don’t people here know you?”
He hummed. “Yeah. Good point. Might be why I’ve had a few strange looks.”
“Tanner!”
“Don’t panic. I told the administrator that I would settle the bill but that you needed to use my last name as you’re on the run from an abusive brother.”
“You . . . what?” she whispered.
“Figure that’s close enough to the truth, am I right?” He sat down again.
“You know?” she asked. She hadn’t told him that exactly.
“Not everything, baby. You’ll have to tell me the rest. But we’ve pieced together enough details to come to that conclusion. I’m still not sure where Opal and Ryleigh come into it, though.”
“We?” she asked, focusing on that part.
“Me, Jake, Alec, and Linc.”
“You’ve been asking questions about me?” This just kept getting worse and worse. “What if he finds me? He’s going to find me.”
She couldn’t breathe. What if Stefan discovered them?
“Listen to me.” He grabbed her chin, turning her to face him. “Listen. No one is going to hurt you.”
“You don’t understand.”
She felt so helpless. So weak. She couldn’t afford to be weak. She had so much she had to do.
“I don’t. But I will soon because you’re going to tell me.”
“You can’t . . . you can’t bully me into it.”
She’d already decided to tell him. Heck, six months ago, she’d been going to tell him some of what was going on. Now . . . she’d tell him it all. He deserved to know.
However, he couldn’t just demand it. That was rude.
“I won’t have to. You’ll tell me because you want to. Because me and my family will take care of you.”
She gaped up at him. That wasn’t exactly what she’d expected him to say. “Your family?”
“Yep. No one fucks with the Malones.”
“But I’m not a Malone.” Her heart raced for an entirely different reason. She didn’t even know his family. She’d only met Raid.
“Didn’t we just have this conversation, baby? You’re a Malone now. And we look after our own.”
“You do?” she whispered.
He gave her a strange look. “Yeah, Lilac. Of course we do.”
“Family is important?”
Understanding filled his face. “Yeah, family is important. Not everyone treats their family like your brother treated you.”
Oh. That’s why he looked like that. He thought she was thinking about Stefan.
“You and your family don’t owe me anything. I can take care of myself,” she said firmly.
He snorted. “Right. Clearly, you can’t, or you wouldn’t have collapsed on the side of the road early in the morning.”
Oh God.
So that’s what had happened? That’s how she ended up here? A vague memory came back to her.
“Who found me? When? What time is it now?” she asked.
“It’s ten. Opal woke up and discovered you were gone and alerted Linc. He went searching for you. He found you on the fucking pavement, passed out. Do you know what could have happened to you? What were you thinking?”
She flinched as his sharp tone and words hit her. Fuck, what had she been thinking?
Obviously, she hadn’t.
What sort of idiot went for a run on their own at that time of night? And then she’d collapsed . . . what if she’d passed out in the middle of the road and someone had run her over?
What would happen to Ryleigh, Kye, and Opal then?
She was supposed to look after them, but apparently, she couldn’t even look after herself.
Shit. What an idiot!
Lilac rubbed at her chest as her heartbeat raced.
“Tanner.” A low, commanding voice spoke from the doorway. She glanced over to see a large, intimidating-looking man standing there. He wore a faded checked shirt and jeans. And there was a scowl on his face.
Shit.
Who was he?
He was frowning at Tanner with disapproval. “Don’t speak to her like that. Not while she’s lying in a hospital bed. She’s fragile. She needs care and understanding. Not a scolding.”
Her mouth dropped open as she stared at the large man. Her heartrate slowed. “You’re my new favorite person.”
“Hey!” Tanner cried. “I should be your favorite person.”
A look of surprise entered the big man’s face. Then he grinned. Wow, he was even more gorgeous when he smiled. “I wouldn’t say that too loud. It doesn’t mean I don’t believe you deserve to be scolded and punished. Just once you’re feeling better.”
She frowned. “That’s not very nice. And no one said anything about punishment.”
“Oh, there’s gonna be punishment,” Tanner said darkly.
The other man stepped into the room and slapped his hand around Tanner’s head. “Don’t upset her.”
“What . . . who . . . why . . .” Tanner stared up at the man, flabbergasted.
“You forgot when and how,” she teased.
Surprise filled her as she realized she was actually having fun teasing Tanner. With this stranger.
Although she had a pretty goo idea of who he was.
“Alec, you’re the one that mentioned punishment,” Tanner grumbled.
So, she was right. This was Alec Malone.
“Yes, but she wasn’t upset when I said it. She knows I’m not the one who will be delivering it.” Alec winked at her.
“No one needs to deliver it.”
This man was the head of the Malone family. The person she really needed to find out more about because he made the decisions for the family.
Not all families work like yours.
Alec moved to stand at the end of the bed and stared down at her with a serious look on his face. His arms were crossed over his broad chest.
“You worried us.”
“Um. Sorry?” she said.
Shoot. Why was she apologizing? She didn’t even know this guy.
He nodded solemnly. “That will do. For a start.”
Yikes. For a start?
She gave Tanner a wide-eyed look, but he was glaring up at Alec while rubbing the back of his head. “You’ve got a hell of a slap on you.”
“You’re fine,” Alec said dismissively. “I can slap the other side, even it out.”
“And Lilac doesn’t like violence,” Tanner added. “You’ll upset her.”
Alec raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think she’s upset that I slapped your head. She’s worried about getting her butt slapped. Don’t worry, you’ll have a safeword, Lilac. And Tanner will discuss your limits first. I raised him to know better than to just shove you over his lap and smack your butt.”
“Did you teach him not to hit his friends?” she said.
Alec turned to look at Tanner, who sighed. “I punched Linc.”
“Oh, is that all?” Alec shrugged.
“Is that all?” she repeated dumbfounded.
“He was probably being a dick. Was he?” Alec asked Tanner.
“Yep.” Tanner was smiling now.
“You still shouldn’t have hit him.” She glared at Tanner. “He’s your friend.”
“Not really.” Tanner shrugged. “We’re friendly, but he’s a still a cop. Malones and cops don’t mix.”
Alarm filled her. “Why?”
“Malones don’t like to follow rules other than their own,” Alec told her. “And some of my brothers, well, let’s just say that they have impulse control issues.”
She snorted. “That’s one way to put it.”
Alec’s gaze moved over her. “You’re still too pale. Dehydrated?”
“Yep,” Tanner replied before she could. “They want to monitor her heart rate too. Apparently, it was too low.”
It was? Worry filled her.
Alec grunted. “Doctor been in?”
“No, I need to go tell them she’s awake.”
“I’ll do it in a moment.” Alec’s gaze landed on hers. “We’re going to take care of you, Lilac.”
She sucked in a breath. For some reason, she felt like crying.
“I don’t want to have my butt smacked.”
Holy. Crap.
Why had she said that?
Alec’s lips twitched. “Can’t help you with that one, sweetheart.”
“You could tell Tanner that he’s not allowed to do that. He’ll listen to you.”
“But he’s your guardian now. It’s in the job description. And if he didn’t smack your butt, then he’d have me to answer to.”
Yikes.
So, she was going to find no reprieve from him.
“Why’d you go running so early in the morning, sweetheart?” Alec asked.
“I . . . I couldn’t sleep,” she muttered. That was the simplest explanation, though not precisely the full one.
Alec just nodded. “Right. Well, you won’t be doing that again. Getting your butt spanked will help you remember. I’ll go find the doctor.”