Chapter 2 #2
For a moment, the room goes still. I study her, weighing her words and the calm way she says them despite the bandage on her arm and the bruises on her skin. She’s brave—stupidly brave—but she doesn’t understand what she’s stepped into.
I take a slow step closer, my voice dropping low. “Miss Miller, the men who came after you and my daughter aren’t just petty thieves. They’re connected. Which means this isn’t over.”
Her throat works as she swallows, but she doesn’t look away. “Connected,” she repeats, like she’s testing the weight of the word.
“Exactly.” I glance at Sienna, then back at her. “So, you’ll stay where I can keep you safe. Both of you. That’s not up for debate.”
The muscle in her jaw flexes, but she only nods. I can tell she hates it but she’s smart enough to know arguing with me won’t change a damn thing. She’s coming with me one way or another.
“Good,” I say, straightening. “Then it’s settled.”
Sienna exhales like she’s been holding her breath the whole time. Elizabeth doesn’t move, though. She just watches me with those sharp blue eyes, and for the first time in a long while, I can’t quite tell whether someone’s afraid of me or curious.
An older man steps into the room carrying a tablet, his white coat wrinkled, and his smile too practiced to be genuine.
“Good evening. Or morning, I should say.” He lets out a polite laugh as he scrolls through the screen. “Well, Ms. Miller, the wound is superficial. You’re fine to be discharged. We’ll send you home with a round of antibiotics and something for the pain.”
Before I can respond, the nurse from earlier comes in, a clipboard and stack of papers in her arms.
She offers Elizabeth a gentle smile. “Be sure to keep your arm elevated, okay? No lifting anything heavy for at least two weeks. If it gets red, swollen, or hot to the touch, call us right away. And if you lose feeling—”
“I’ll call,” Elizabeth says quickly, nodding.
I step forward, my voice cutting through the room. “We’re heading back to Chicago as soon as we leave here. I’ll have a surgeon I trust take another look at Miss Miller’s wound.”
The doctor blinks, taken aback by the tone more than the words. “Of course. That’s perfectly fine, sir.”
The nurse glances between us, then clears her throat. “I’ll get the discharge paperwork ready.”
When they leave, the room settles into a tense quiet. Elizabeth looks like she wants to argue again, but she doesn’t. She just sits there, clutching the blanket with her good hand, her jaw set tight.
I meet her gaze, steady and unflinching.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “You’ll be well taken care of.”
The words are meant to reassure, but from the way her eyes narrow just slightly, I can tell she’s not sure whether it’s a promise or a warning.
Sienna sighs, folding her arms. “God, Dad. You’re scaring her.” She turns to Elizabeth with a megawatt smile. “I swear this is a good thing. You’ll get to see where I grew up, eat some amazing food—oh! And the holiday market! You’ll love it.”
Elizabeth doesn’t respond right away. Her fingers worry at the blanket while she keeps her eyes downcast. When she finally speaks, her voice is soft but steady.
“I really don’t want to go,” she says. “I’ll be fine at the apartment. Really.”
I blink at her, stunned.
I’m not used to anyone questioning my word, let alone outright rejecting it. For a second I just stand there, thrown off balance, because people usually fall in line when I say something.
But Elizabeth doesn’t.
And that shock hits deeper than it should.
“Sienna,” I say evenly. “Give us the room.”
“Dad—”
“Now.”
She huffs, but she knows that tone. With a muttered, “Fine,” she slips out, closing the door behind her.
The silence that follows is heavy. I take a step closer to the bed, letting the weight of my presence fill the space before I speak.
“Sienna’s boyfriend is dead,” I tell her, my voice low, but even. “His blood still stains the entryway of your apartment.”
Miss Miller’s eyes widen, but I don’t stop.
“Your friend, Dave, is dead too. So are three others from the party.” My voice stays level because the truth doesn’t need theatrics to terrify. “And the men who tried to take my daughter won’t be a problem again, because they’re dead as well.”
Her breath stutters, just barely.
I step closer, watching the way her eyes widen, watching the way her fingers curl into the blanket like she’s trying to anchor herself from the truths I’m telling her.
“The police will be there for days,” I continue, each word dropping heavy between us. “Glass, blood, and chaos everywhere. That’s what’s waiting for you back at that apartment.”
I pause long enough for the weight of it to sink in and long enough for her pulse to thrum visibly in her throat. And then I finish, softer but far more final.
“So no, Miss Miller. You won’t be going back there for a very long time.”
She stares at me, pale and silent, horror flickering across her features as realization takes hold. She finally understands that whatever world she’s stumbled into is far darker, far sharper, far more lethal than she ever imagined.
Her lips part and her eyes dart—fight or flight simmering just beneath the surface.
Good.
She needs to be prepared.
Because monsters are real in my world.
And tonight, she learned exactly what happens when they come knocking.