Chapter 4
Sloan stepped out of the room, pulling the door shut quietly behind him before moving into his office. He stopped just inside, his jaw tightening as everything Becky had told him replayed in his head. The rage building inside him was like nothing he had ever felt before.
Sloan had enemies. A lot of them. And there wasn’t a single one who wouldn’t use whatever or whomever they could to get to him.
Something had happened to his mate, and deep down he knew it had everything to do with him. If that fucking doctor had done something to Becky, there was nowhere on earth that bastard could hide.
Heading for the door, he opened it to find Slade and Daniel still there, along with Duncan. All three looked at him, and Sloan knew his eyes were black as night.
“You’re in charge,” Sloan said to Duncan. “As of right now, this office is closed. One motherfucker walks in here before I’m done, I’ll kill them. Send a text. That’s the only warning they get.”
Duncan only nodded, asking no questions.
Sloan could feel Daniel’s gaze on him, those swirling eyes locked in, but he ignored it and looked to Slade. “I need you.”
Slade nodded and moved past him into the office.
Sloan glanced at Daniel, then turned to follow, but stopped when Daniel spoke.
“Becky’s past medical history is going to matter,” Daniel said, still leaning against the wall.
Sloan’s head turned slowly, his eyes narrowing. “What?” Daniel didn’t repeat it. He didn’t have to. In two strides Sloan had him pinned to the wall. “What do you know?”
“Just that,” Daniel said calmly, like he wasn’t being held there, his feet not touching the floor. “But I’ll stay. More might come.”
“Sloan,” Duncan said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “He’ll tell you anything he gets. You know that.”
Sloan cursed under his breath and let Daniel go. He did know that. Daniel’s visions—whatever the hell they were—came and went. He needed to listen, even if it was the last thing he wanted to do right now.
“Sorry,” Sloan said, dragging a hand down his face. “I know you will, Daniel. If Becky’s okay with it, I’ll fill you in. It might help.”
“No need to apologize.” Daniel went back to leaning against the wall. “But there is something from her past that is key to what is going on with her now. I wish I knew what that is, but I don’t...yet.”
“Thanks, Daniel,” Sloan gave him a nod, then turned and disappeared into the office.
Sloan shut the door and looked at Slade.
He had already been talking to him about Becky since he first had a feeling she was keeping something from him, so Slade knew a little.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about what’s going on with Becky.
Her doctor’s involved… and somehow it ties back to me. ” His jaw tightened.
“Why do you think that?” Slade asked, leaning against Sloan’s desk.
“She has me listed as her medical contact,” Sloan said, as if that explained everything.
“That’s usually normal for a wife,” Slade said, then frowned. “If you aren’t Sloan Murphy.”
“Exactly,” Sloan growled, his eyes narrowing. “I’ve got a lot of fucking enemies. He asked if she’d been taking my blood. Said there was research that it could make cysts grow faster.”
Slade didn’t respond right away, his expression thoughtful. “I haven’t heard of that… but that doesn’t mean it’s not out there.”
“She had a procedure done, Slade. Supposed to be cyst removal, but there’s no record of it anywhere. Her doctor abruptly left the practice, along with his assistant.” Sloan’s voice edged with anger.
Slade stared at him, his expression going hard.
“When Becky checked her chart—MyChart or whatever in the fuck she called it—there was no mention of the procedure or any results, so she called the office.” Sloan ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep his thoughts straight.
“That’s when she found out he left the practice.
When she asked about her results, they told her there was nothing in her file about any procedure or results. ”
“What’s the doctor’s name?” Slade asked, pulling out his phone.
“Dr. Phillips,” Sloan said, his eyes going black at just saying it.
“Never heard of him, but I’m not real familiar with OBs in this area.” Slade frowned, his eyes narrowing. “I need her permission to get into her medical records.”
“You’re a fucking doctor, just get in them,” Sloan growled, dragging his hand through his hair again. He needed answers—now.
“I’m not her doctor, Sloan,” Slade shot back. “I want her permission. Get her.”
Sloan cursed as Slade moved toward his computer. Turning, he walked to his private room and opened the door. Becky was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring straight ahead. Slowly, she looked his way, her eyes red and swollen.
Before Becky, Sloan would have laughed in the face of anyone who said he had a heart, but right now, seeing her sitting there alone, that lost look on her face… it damn near ripped the one he didn’t think he had straight out of his chest.
In two strides he reached her and pulled her into his arms. “Are you okay?” Sloan asked, then realized how stupid that question was. Of course she wasn’t. Fuck.
She nodded against his chest, and he knew she was trying to be brave for him. Damn, he fucking loved this woman. He could feel her trembling, and for the first time in his life Sloan was at a loss. Tilting her face up, his thumb brushed along her cheek.
“We’re going to figure this out, and you’re going to be fine,” Sloan said, surprised his voice sounded calm and sure. “Slade wants to talk to you. I’ve already filled him in on what you told me, but he has some questions. Are you okay with that?”
She didn’t answer right away, but finally nodded.
Sloan wasn’t used to seeing this side of Becky. She was so quiet, like the life was draining out of her, and it scared the fuck out of him.
“Come on.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her out of the room. The faster they talked to Slade, the faster they could figure out what the hell was going on because right now, he didn’t have a clue.
Once they were in his office, Sloan led her to the desk where Slade sat behind his computer. Becky sat down in one of the chairs. Sloan wasn’t liking how quiet and lost she looked. It was driving him insane.
He swore again, and not for the first time, that when he found this fucking doctor, he would enjoy every second of the pain he was going to inflict on him. He didn’t know exactly what had been done to Becky, but he knew for a fact something had. No one harmed his mate and got away with it.
Slade looked at Becky. “Sloan told me most of what’s been going on. Do I have your permission to look into your medical records, Becky?”
“Yes,” she replied after a few seconds, then gave him the information that he would need to get into her medical files.
Glancing down, Sloan saw her hands twisting together again and frowned. Walking around the desk, he sat next to her and took her hands in his. The energy raging inside him had him on edge, the last thing he wanted to do was sit, but for her he would do anything and everything to ease her fears.
Slade’s fingers moved over the keyboard as he pulled up her records. A few seconds passed before he leaned back slightly, his jaw tightening.
“You’re right,” Slade said. “There’s nothing in here about a procedure. No cysts. No surgical notes. No pathology.”
Sloan felt his rage triple at hearing Slade confirm what Becky had said.
“The only thing I’m seeing is a new patient consultation with this Dr. Phillips,” Slade continued, his eyes still on the screen. “After that… follow-up visits, but nothing referencing cysts at all.”
“Why?” Becky’s voice cracked, then she cleared it. “I don’t understand.”
Sloan and Slade shared a look, but it was Slade who answered.
“Every Warrior has enemies, Becky. I’m not saying that’s what’s going on, but from what Sloan told me—this doctor asking about him and whether you’ve taken his blood—something doesn’t add up.
I want to, with your permission, look into your past medical history.
I also want to get you a trusted OB who can—”
“No!” Becky’s voice was firm and unwavering.
“I’m not an OB, Becky,” Slade said, but she shook her head before he could continue.
“I don’t care,” Becky said. “Run tests on me, examine me, ask me anything you need, but I’m not seeing another doctor. I messed up. I should have—” She stopped, swallowing hard as she looked away.
“None of this is your fault, Becky,” Slade said, trying to reassure her.
“Yes, it is.” Becky’s eyes snapped back to him. “There were red flags I ignored. I seem to make a habit of that. I’m not a stupid woman, but I sure as hell feel like one.”
“Becky,” Sloan frowned, anger rising that she was blaming herself.
“No!” Becky replied immediately, almost in a shout. She then cleared her throat, took a deep breath as if calming herself. “My old doctor referred Dr. Phillips, so I trusted him. I should have trusted my gut, but I didn’t. I thought I was just being paranoid.”
The room became silent as Sloan watched the internal struggle going on inside Becky as her shoulders which she always held proudly slumped, her gaze going to the ground. He never in his life wanted to kill anyone so bad as he did at that very moment.
“I wasn’t being paranoid...was I?” She whispered, but both men heard her clearly.
Slade didn’t answer right away. His gaze flickered to the computer screen then back to Becky. “No, I don’t think you were being paranoid, Becky.”
“I want to know what’s happening to me—or what happened.
Did I even have cysts? Were they removed?
What was the medication he had me on really for?
” She let out a breath, then stood and began pacing.
“I feel violated. Like I’m living in some kind of nightmare.
I feel like I’m losing my mind, and I don’t need someone I don’t know or trust touching me. ”
“Hey.” His hand reached out, closing around her arm, stopping her pacing. “Look at me.”
Becky shook her head. “Sloan, I—”
“Look at me,” he said again, a little more forceful this time.
Slowly, she lifted her eyes to his.
“None of this is on you,” Sloan said, his voice steady, leaving no room for argument. “You trusted a doctor. That’s what you were supposed to do.”
Her lip trembled, but she didn’t look away.
“And you’re not seeing anyone you don’t trust,” he went on, his hand sliding up to cup her face. “Not now. Not ever. You hear me?”
Becky nodded, her breath catching.
“We’ll figure this out,” Sloan said, feeling like he was repeating himself, but he didn’t know what else to fucking say.
His thumb brushed the softness of her cheek.
“Slade will run whatever tests he needs to. We’ll dig into your records, your past—everything.
But nobody touches you unless you say so. ”
She didn’t respond, but the tension in her features eased as she looked up at him.
“I’ve got you,” Sloan said, pulling her into him. “You’re not doing this alone.”
He felt the relief roll off her in waves, and it told him just how much this had been weighing on her. Cursing himself for not pushing harder when he knew something was wrong, Sloan forced the anger down. She didn’t need his shit on top of what she was going through.
“Sloan.” Her voice cut through his thoughts. “Don’t you dare blame yourself.”
Sloan said nothing, just pulled her closer. How could he not? He should have protected her better. He should have known it was only a matter of time before someone came at him through the one person in his world that mattered most.
If something happened to her… he wouldn’t survive it, and neither would the motherfucker who dare harm her.