Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ROWAN
“ G o, go, go!” I snap as the alarms blare.
Ahead of me, Jonathan is taking the steps three at a time.
Behind me, Braum and Sheldon are right on my heels.
The thundering of the footsteps in the emergency stairwell is nearly deafening, but it’s nothing compared to alarms going off.
Over my shoulder, Everly lays limp and unresponsive.
I’m careful not to smash her head up against the walls or railings as we run flight after flight up to the ground floor.
Jonathan gets to the door we need first. He throws it open and steps aside, allowing me to exit.
On this floor, chaos ensues. Nurses are running around shouting, doctors joining them as they try to figure out what the hell triggered the alarm.
It won’t take long to realize it’s due to the power surge brought on by turning on the ECT machine.
A machine that was supposed to be non-functional .
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck . Everly wasn’t supposed to get hurt! That machine wasn’t even supposed to be plugged in. Now I’m carrying a woman who may or may not have a pulse. Between getting her unstrapped and watching out for security, no one checked.
I’m going to be so fucking pissed if the most stunning specimen I’ve ever seen is dead before I could enjoy every inch of her or put her with the rest of The Collection.
If I have the time, I still might fuck her corpse.
I’ve stuck my dick into many beautiful yet questionable places—what’s a corpse’s pussy at this point? Afterwards, if I still find her irresistible, I might be able to pull some strings to get her body preserved. That way I could still add her to The Collection.
But that’s a thought for later.
Just as I step out onto the floor, a roar echoes from two flights below. It’s somehow more jarring than the flashing lights and shrill alarm echoing throughout Williamson Health Center.
Goddamn it, Vick.
“Fuck!” I snarl as I hurry across the lobby area, hoping to god everyone’s too busy to notice us. “How the hell did he find us? He took off before we did!”
After shocking the shit out of the girl, I expected Vick to crumble.
To fall to his knees in agony as his reality shattered.
Always one to claim the moral high ground—Vick should’ve been humbled.
The Savior of the People is a hypocrite.
Given the opportunity, he’s willing to toy with others just for the hell of it—just like Braum and I do.
At least with us, we’re not choosy who we go after.
We’re equal opportunists after all. This should’ve broken Vick.
Instead, he’d roared like a raging bear before barreling out of the room.
“It doesn’t matter, just keep going!” Braum shouts back.
There’s a panic in his voice I’m not used to.
I mean, I get it. We’re practically in the same boat.
If we get caught right now in this building, after hours with a non-patient we electrocuted ?
We are so fucking screwed. We’ll be lucky if all they do is force us into a straitjacket, throw us into a padded room, then drug us so completely we don’t know our own names for a week straight.
In reality, given the severity of the situation, if caught, we could get kicked out of Serenity Falls.
For me, that means jail time and losing contracts with modeling agencies.
But Braum? Fuck, his family is so eerily perplexing and mysterious I can’t even begin to fathom what trouble would look like for him.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he disappeared and was never seen or heard from again.
“Sheldon,” Braum hisses from a few feet behind me, “Drop back and keep Vick busy then get out of the building as soon as you can!”
Behind him, Sheldon calls out, “Yes, sir!”
Vick’s bellow of fury is cut off as the door to the stairs slams shut.
I grin, knowing Vick won’t be catching up to us anytime soon.
Sheldon will probably get caught by security as the buildings lock up and they come checking around the premises, but his punishment won’t be so bad since he won’t be caught with a non-patient.
He’ll get rewarded for his loyalty once he rejoins us.
I throw my arm out and shove open the front doors and barrel out into the night.
My feet don’t slow and I don’t pause to wait for the others.
I need to get back to my suite before anyone notices Everly .
There’s no doubt in my mind the campus is about to go into lockdown.
We have to get inside before that happens.
Otherwise, we’ll be stuck outside hiding in the woods in order not to get caught with an unconscious woman.
My lungs are burning for air by the time I get to the front doors of Barrington Regal House. Stepping aside, I allow Jonathan to open the door for me. The minute the warm air hits my face, I relax.
“ Fuck yes,” I mutter as my shoulders drop in relief. “We made it.”
The open hangout space just inside the entrance is empty, which comes as no surprise. It’s nearly three o’clock in the morning. This is the perfect time to get Everly up to our suite.
“Jonathan, who’s the nurse on duty tonight?” Braum asks as he steps in next.
“Angela.”
Braum brushes past me, not slowing as he heads for the elevator that leads to our floor.
“Great, she won’t ask too many questions,” I tell him. “Send her up. Then stay down here to keep an eye out for Sheldon. He might need you to open the back door for him if he doesn’t get swept up with Vick during the security sweep.”
Jonathan nods. “Will do.”
I follow Braum to the private elevator to the top floor. Only those who can afford it can stay in a shared suite at the top of Barrington Regal House. Currently, we’re the only patients fortunate enough to have such a private and comfortable living arrangement.
As we stand there, impatiently waiting for the door to open, Braum glances at me. His expression is dark and there’s a fire in his slightly unfocused gaze.
“What?” I demand.
“She better not be fucking dead,” he says, his voice twisting with barely contained rage. “The Universe is furious over how the night has gone. If we can’t fix it, It’ll punish us.”
Pacing back and forth, I watch as Nurse Angela pulls out her stethoscope and checks Everly’s vitals. After a few minutes, the on-call nurse straightens with a content nod.
“I think she’ll be ok, just sore. Her body endured just as much trauma as her mind, so be wary of that.” She shoots the two of us a coy smile. “I know how much you enjoy physical activity, but maybe give the girl a day or so. If you need to expend some energy, I can help in that department.”
Her not so subtle wink doesn’t go unnoticed, just ignored. We know what she’s offering. She’s offered it a hundred times before. About half the time we take her up on it. She's a great on-call pussy. But if we’re keeping Everly, which we are, we don’t need her anymore.
“That’s it?” Braum asks cuttingly from just behind her.
Angela’s bottom lip juts out as she accepts that neither one of us will be fucking her.
“Electrocution like this can cause side effects like temporary loss of memory, seizures, muscle aches, and nausea,” she lists off with boredom. “There’s no exact way to tell how it’s affected her until she wakes up. Her body needs to relax. A hot bath or shower will definitely help.”
“We’ll keep an eye on her,” I promise, surprising her.
She scoffs. “Since when do either of you play doctor?”
“We’ll figure it out,” Braum says. “Thanks for coming up. You can go now.”
Angela looks between us. Her confusion is understandable.
Neither me nor Braum are known for being gentle or caring.
This might be new territory for both of us, but we’re going to figure this out on our own.
The newest piece for The Collection might have gotten up here a bit broken, but I’ll fix her up.
“Alright… Well, if you need anything, I’ll be downstairs,” she says, grabbing her medical bag and moving around the bed. She stops by the bedroom door. “Look, I know you guys are above most of the rules here, but you need to be extra careful with her.”
I give her a dismissive wave of my hand without looking back. “Like we said, we’ll take care of her.”
“No, I mean there’s a nationwide manhunt for her,” Angela says quickly. “Her face has been all over the news since yesterday.”
Startled, Braum and I exchange a look with one another before I whirl around to face Angela. She jumps in surprise, seeing something on my face that must worry her.
“What are you talking about?” I demand, my voice sharp.
People are out there looking for her? Why? She belongs here with me and Braum. She belongs with the other pieces of The Collection. I’m not letting her go now that she’s with us. Just the thought of that causes a horrible itch to start up under my skin.
“Well, that’s Everly Woodrow, right?” she starts nervously.
My breath catches in surprise. Oh shit, Everly’s a Woodrow? Her family owns practically a piece of everything in this country.
Angela’s eyes dart from my face to Braum’s then back to me.
“Well, ah,” she switches the medical bag between her hands nervously.
“She was supposed to get married on Friday afternoon. It was going to be the wedding of the century, between her and her dad’s friend or business partner or someone like that.
Anyway, she disappeared before it took place.
No one’s seen her since. Her parents put up a reward for anyone with information about her whereabouts. ”
“How much is the reward?” Braum asks in a slow, deep voice.
“Um, it’s twenty-five thousand dol?—”
“I’ll make sure you receive double that for your silence next payday,” Braum interrupts. “You saw nothing. You understand?”
Nurse Angela gasps in surprise before a bright grin stretches across her face. “Of course, Braum. I don’t even know who we’re talking about.”
Her presence is irking me now that she’s useless. Through gritted teeth I command, “Good, now scram.”
“To-da-loo!” she calls, clearly pleased with the outcome of this little chat of ours. Blowing us a kiss, she turns and heads out of Braum’s room, then our suite.
The tension in my body doesn’t ease as the door closes. Without turning around, I tell Braum, “We’ll have to be extra careful. I’m not letting this place take her from me. Serenity Falls has taken enough from me as it is.”
I can’t even enjoy the majority of the things that belong in The Collection since they were all packed away and put into storage after I was thrown in here.
Knowing I still own them brings a small comfort, but until I can lay eyes on each and every item, I won’t be truly happy.
The few things I managed to get brought through the front doors are my very favorites. Ones I couldn’t live without.
Now, Everly Woodrow, a princess in her own right, will be one of those items.
My cock twitches with excitement at the thought.
“We’ll worry about that later,” Braum interrupts coldly. “She’s waking up.”
At this, I whirl around. He’s right; there on the bed, Everly stirs. Her body flinches and her brows slowly inch together as her expression twists up in pain. The soft groan that slips from between her large full lips is barely audible. But I hear it, and it stirs something in me.
Before I can think too much about it I’m moving, already knowing a way to ease her discomfort.
Over my shoulder I tell Braum, “I’ll get your shower running. Get ready to get undressed.”