Chapter 3
Stay
“Daisy.” Ricky moves quickly, pressing something on the monitor that sends a crazy beeping ringing in my ears.
Jagger is by my side, clutching my hair and pulling it off my face.
I cradle my head in my hands, hardly able to hold it upright.
My stomach keeps dry heaving, but there’s nothing to come up.
I couldn’t have heard him right. Dante wouldn’t let this happen; he knows what kind of a man Leone is, ruthless and dangerous.
The nausea washing over me says Dante already has, and suddenly the boys not handing me over to him makes sense.
They knew he was in on it. Tears well in my eyes, my body wracking with awful tremors because I can’t believe this time it was my brother who sold me out.
“You’re okay, Daisy. Try to lie back down and take some deep breaths,” comes Ricky’s calming voice.
But he’s wrong. I’m never going to be okay again.
The reality is I’m completely alone. I can’t dance, have no way of making money, and to top it off, I’m trapped in bed with Jagger watching over me, knowing as soon as I’m well enough, I’ll be shipped back off home and there will be nothing any of us can do about it—according to his cop friend, anyway.
Ricky looks me over. He shines a light in my eyes, and I wince away from him. “You still feeling nauseous?”
“Not as much,” I whisper, my voice hoarse. My lips are cracked and so uncomfortably dry.
He lifts part of the bandage wrapped around my forehead, inspecting the injury. “How’s the pain?”
“Thumping,” I admit. It’s constant, and now that my eyes are open, even worse than when they were closed.
He smiles softly in his doctorly way. “We can fix that.”
Jagger squeezes my hand, letting me know he’s still here.
I glance back at him, not sure how to act or what to say.
Things between us are so tense now. I want to ask him a million questions about what I overheard with the cop, but part of me thinks it’s best to keep that to myself, even if her words cut me deeply.
A nurse bursts through the door, followed quickly by Cruz and Asher. She moves to my monitor and shuts off the alarm.
“Give her space, boys, she’s only just woken up. She’s confused and disoriented,” Ricky tells them before they have the chance to crowd me like we both know they want to.
I rest my head back onto the pillow Jagger has propped up behind my head and accept the fresh cotton blanket Ricky hands me, pulling it up around my arms. The room is less fuzzy now as my eyes adjust to the light.
I can make out the boys. Poor Jagger is pale, his body language almost defeated; he hardly even resembles the powerful man I know.
Asher and Cruz stop at his bed and lean on it, watching me, concern etched into their gorgeous faces in a way I didn’t expect.
It looks genuine, and I know for sure that what I overheard Jagger and Ricky talking about wasn’t a figment of my imagination.
Cruz’s eyes search mine as if he’s waiting for something from me. “I’m okay,” I murmur, my voice groggy. “A little dizzy and disoriented, and my head’s pounding, but other than that, I think I’m okay.”
“Knew you would be.” Asher winks, his lips turning up at the sides in a cheeky smile. It’s forced, but I appreciate him trying to act normal for me, it helps to ease the tension.
Cruz doesn’t say anything, he just keeps staring at me like he can’t believe I’m real.
“I’m going to go visit another patient. If you need me, I’ll be on speed dial,” Ricky says, looking my way before he nods in Jagger’s direction.
“I’m Gigi.” The pint-sized nurse introduces herself as she shoves Jagger out of the way and moves in by my side, placing a blood pressure cuff on me.
“I’m going to get you all fixed up so you can go home as quickly as possible.
” She smiles as she pumps it up then makes an “uh, hum,” sound I don’t like.
“Is everything okay?” Jagger asks, and I know that sound made him edgy as well.
“It’s what we expect after four days in a medically induced coma.
Daisy’s body needs time to recover from such intrusive surgery.
But she’ll be good as new in no time.” She takes a moment to look over my chart.
“I’m upping your pain meds to make you more comfortable, and I want you to eat something.
I’ll send some food shortly. Press this button if you need anything, okay? ”
“Okay, thank you.” I try to smile, but I’m not sure it works. My face doesn’t feel normal.
Then she turns back to Jagger. “Get back in bed. You need to rest,” she snips in his direction, her voice harsher than when she was talking to me.
“You’re lucky I even let you stay in the same room as your girlfriend.
It’s against our policy and all, but Ricky insisted.
So, the least you can do is follow my rules now. ”
“I have shit to do,” he mutters, but he sounds exhausted.
“Yeah, rest. Bed, now!” she demands, a no-shit tone to her voice that makes me instantly like her.
There aren’t many people who will talk to Jagger like that, but she’s not even scared of him.
Even if she has to look up to him, and the sight of such a tiny human telling off a goliath like him is comical.
With a frown, he moves back to his bed, lying down without the covers on. He crosses his arms over his chest and rests his head back, looking like a petulant child in a timeout.
Pleased he’s doing what he’s told, she turns her rampage on Asher and Cruz, pointing a finger in their direction. “You two have five minutes, then you leave Daisy to rest as well.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Asher grins at her with a little salute, and I get the impression he knows her. Probably another local he’s screwed. I push that thought away. Now is not the time to be jealous.
Cruz gives a nod, but I can see by his expression he’s not listening to her. His only focus is me, more intense than ever before.
She smiles at me. “I’ll be back to check on you in an hour,” she says before leaving us alone.
They don’t even wait for her to leave before they’re both at my side.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again, little darlin’.
” It’s then I see the bags under Cruz’s eyes.
Asher is the same. They both look like they haven’t slept in days.
He scoops up my hand and grips it so tightly I think he’s going to cut off the circulation.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, tears blurring my eyes.
Asher’s finger dusts up my arm. “We’re just glad you’re on the mend now.”
“What happened? I don’t remember anything after we got in the elevator.”
Asher looks to Cruz. “You passed out. Cruz got you to Ricky’s clinic.
That’s where we are now, and he brought in a brain surgeon he knows to fix you up.
They found a bleed on your brain that was causing a buildup of pressure, so they had to operate.
” Asher’s eyes close as if he’s in pain.
“Then they put you in a coma to help your recovery.” His fingers intertwine with mine, and he grips my hand tighter.
“Four days ago?” I ask, to clarify what day it even is.
Cruz’s eyes meet mine, a sadness washing over him. “Yep, Ricky said you would wake up when you were ready. It’s been the longest four days of my life.”
“I’m sorry,” I murmur as a stray tear strolls down my cheek.
Cruz brushes his thumb over it, wiping it away.
“How much did you hear of my conversation with Ricky?” Jagger asks from his spot on his bed, and I know I gave myself away asking about how many days it had been.
I look between Asher and Cruz, not sure how much I want to tell them of what I now know. I don’t understand why they didn’t just tell me if they knew who it was my papa was marrying me off to. They don’t make it easy to trust them. “Not that much?”
“Liar!” Jagger grumbles.
I roll my eyes and regret it immediately when my head thumps. “Enough to understand why you took my stuff and kicked my brother out of your club.”
“So, you believe us now? We never would have sold you out to anyone.” Cruz’s eyes are desperate. “I told you to trust us, little darlin’.”
I lock my gaze with his. “Why expect me to trust you? Why not trust me and tell me the truth? I ran because I was scared. I told you I was scared. You could have told me my brother had sold me out to Leone Russo, I would have known what that meant.”
“You know him?” Asher asks, sounding mortified.
“Of course I do. He’s been working with my family for years.” I shiver, the last time I saw him popping into my head. The creepy way he touched my arm while looking dead into my eyes still lingers.
Asher swallows hard. Cruz looks like he’s about to commit murder, and Jagger’s now sitting up taller, his eyes locked with mine in a way that sends goosebumps over my arms. “We won’t let it happen,” Jagger growls.
I huff out a laugh, wishing it were that simple. “What’s your grand plan, Jagger? Lock me away forever someplace my family can’t find me?”
“If that’s what it takes,” he replies a little too quickly, and I know he’s serious. He’s thought about this.
“We both know that’s not possible,” I mutter, scared he thinks it is.
His eyes flash with something deranged, and I know he disagrees.
I search Asher and Cruz’s faces, but they remain stony and impassive with this subject as well.
I sit up a little taller, wishing I wasn’t so weak right now. I need my strength back so I can stick up to them. “You three aren’t locking me up in that apartment!”
“Are you ready to trust us?” Cruz asks like this is another of his games.
“Right now, I don’t trust anyone. I won’t until you start including me in your chitchats about my life. And give me my stuff back.”
“Your stuff is all here in the room with you. Except your phone,” Jagger says like it makes up for taking everything from me.
I lock eyes with him. “I want my phone back.”
“Princess, your brother was using your phone to track you. That’s how the Serpents knew where to find us.”
I stare at Asher. Is he serious? “But I didn’t have my phone. You took it off me.”
“It was in my pocket,” Jagger admits. “After all the shit went down, we pulled it apart and found the tracking device. It was driving Mal nuts when he couldn’t work out how your brother knew we had you at The Precinct that day, but he would have been able to hear every call you made and track your location at all times. You’re safer without it.”
A fresh wave of sadness comes over me. The betrayal sits heavy on my shoulders.
I roll over and close my eyes, not able to deal with this in front of them.
It hurts too much. And while I now believe what they’re telling me, I’m not ready to be this vulnerable in front of them.
“I’m not feeling well,” I mutter, my voice barely a whisper, as a tear slides down my cheek.
Cruz leans down and kisses my cheek, then he strokes my hair over my shoulder softly. “We’ll come back when you’re feeling better.”
“Get some rest, little princess,” Asher says, giving my hand a squeeze, then he’s gone.
They both leave, the door clicking behind them. Pain surges through my chest, hopelessness, knowing how little I mean to my family. I close my eyes up tight and try not to cry over it.
The bed dips behind me, and I feel a heavy arm wrap around me.
“I know you feel like you’re alone, but you’re not.
You’re ours, and we will never let anything bad happen to you,” Jagger whispers, his words washing over me like a warm blanket.
I want to believe him, I really do. But trust is earned, and right now, they’re keeping too much stuff from me.
But I let him lie with me; his warmth and kindness have stopped the tears for now.