CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
SEVEN
“Dr. Tutlow….paging Dr. Tutlow…”
The intercom jostled me from my light sleep. I’d been dozing, sitting upright in my chair in the hospital waiting room. I inhaled sharply, straightening and rubbing my eyes. The people who’d been the seats around me earlier that morning were gone. How fucking long had I been here?
I tried to find some clarity, looking around, searching absentmindedly for my phone. I found it in the pocket of my coat, but I hissed as my hand brushed against the wool.
That’s right. My knuckles. Completely busted.
I inspected my hand. I’d washed off the blood sometime around two a.m., once Jordan had been admitted to the hospital for overdosing on a drug cocktail that included Rohypnol. The only thing I was worried about now was whether she’d wake up or not. I had no idea how much she ingested, what the long-term effects were, or what the risks were right now. The staff wouldn’t tell me because I wasn’t family.
The only thing I knew for certain was that I’d left Eli a bloody, broken mess in that bedroom. I came into the room just before Eli pushed his bare dick into her. The sight of him half-naked, settled between her legs, her dress bunched up to her waist, was a sight I might never forget. Rage lashed through me again, and my fingers curled into fists.
I hadn’t decided to maul him, I simply acted. I heard the crunch of bones as he hit the wall. Made sure I broke his jaw, left both his eyes bruised, and broke his nose. And that was only the start of what he deserved.
I escaped with Jordan’s deadweight over my shoulder before anyone realized what I’d done to Eli. And now, I waited for the police to show up or someone from his “connections” to swoop in and take me out. I didn’t doubt he’d try—if he was even conscious yet.
I checked my phone. It was time to call the brothers. I’d meant to do it a couple of hours ago, but I’d nodded off. I dialed Damian.
He answered, sounding groggy.
“Sorry for the early call,” I said.
“Is everything okay?”
“No. Jordan’s at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. I’ll send the exact address and room number.”
Damian inhaled sharply. “Wait…what?”
“I’ll explain everything when you get here,” I said. “Just come. She needs her brothers.”
“We’ll be there right away.”
The phone went dead, and I heaved a sigh. I wasn’t looking forward to this conversation. I’d failed the brothers at every turn. I hadn’t kept Jordan safe. I’d let her walk right into Eli’s house party, for the second time. And at her urging, I’d been complicit in her taking a stupid risk.
My knee bounced as I waited for…something. Anything. I wasn’t leaving until I had some news about her, that was for damn sure. I rubbed my eyes again, thinking back on the past twelve hours. She’d been so insistent on going in there alone. But why?
My brain was exhausted from poring over the details.
Axel, Damian, and Trace filed into the waiting room less than a half hour after I’d called. They looked bleary-eyed but determined. I stood.
“Have you been in there?” Axel asked, in lieu of a greeting.
“They won’t let me in since I’m not family,” I said. “Visiting hours are starting soon, so I was hoping you could get the updates from the doctor.”
“What happened?” Damian asked, his gaze dropping to my hands. “And who did you murder?”
I clasped my hands behind my back. I couldn’t admit to them who I’d subdued…much less why. “I accompanied her to a party last night. It got a little wild. She had an admirer who spiked her drink and took things way too far. I intervened before he was able to act on his desires, and I made sure he couldn’t act on them again for a very long time.”
Axel pinched the bridge of his nose. He looked like he was about to say something, then he shook his head. “Okay. Let’s get in there.”
The brothers gathered at the nurse’s desk nearby, speaking in hushed tones with the woman on duty. Axel and Damian were led back through secure double doors a moment later, and Trace returned to my side.
“Only allowed two at a time,” he said, sinking into the chair beside me. He paused. “Did you spend the night here?”
I nodded, unable to look at him.
“You want some coffee?”
“I wouldn’t say no,” I told him.
He squeezed my shoulder. “Let me go hunt down some caffeine. Then maybe you and I can go back next.”
Trace returned to the nurse’s station then strode off in the direction she pointed out, leaving me alone in the waiting room once more. I stared at the doors leading into the ICU, worrying over what came next. I needed to assume, for my own sanity, that Jordan would wake up at some point. It was too easy to entertain the worst outcomes, but I wanted to focus on the best-case scenario, in which she woke up and everything was fine and there was no long-term damage.
But the likelihood that I could avoid the brothers finding out that we went to Eli’s house seemed nil at this point. My stomach knotted up as I contemplated what I might say to defend our decision. Everything that came to mind sounded crazy, delusional even. But I couldn’t admit the one piece of information that would allow it all to click into place.
Trace eventually returned with two lidded cups of coffee. I thanked him and sipped tentatively, still watching the ICU door. He eased into the chair next to me.
“So who was the attacker?” Trace asked. So much for casual conversation. “Anyone we know?”
My heart sank. I sipped again, thinking about how to answer.
“Someone I’d like to never see again.” It seemed honest enough.
Trace rotated the cup back and forth between his hands. “Why did she want to go to that party last night?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know exactly. I just wanted to make sure she was safe.”
Trace nodded, a heavy silence filling the air between us.
Damian pushed through the double doors from the ICU, his face drawn. He offered a grim smile as he approached.
“She’s awake,” he said softly.
I covered my face with my hands, trying to mask the surge of relief. They’d see how much she meant to me, how close we’d gotten, on my face, so I took a second to compose myself before I cleared my throat and straightened.
“Thank God,” I said.
“She was roofied,” Damian went on, studying something on the floor as he spoke. “But they found traces of another drug that accelerates the effect of Rohypnol. So she got a double whammy. They want to keep her in the hospital tonight too for observation.”
Trace let out a long, slow exhale. “Shit. Any long-term effects?”
“There shouldn’t be,” Damian said. “But I told them to spare no expense in making sure.”
I wrung my hands together, my next words forming a logjam inside me. I didn’t know how to ask to go back there to see her, because there was no asking—there was only informing them that I would be going back there.
“Do you, uh…” I cleared my throat, deciding to start over. “Would I be able to…”
Damian smiled softly. “Would you like to go see her?”
I nodded.
“She asked about you. Seems like she’d like to see you too.” Damian led the way to the nurse’s desk, informed her of who I was, then I was buzzed in. Everything inside me was drawn tight as violin strings, waiting to lay eyes on Jordan.
Axel was sitting with an ankle over one knee in a chair beside her bed. I blinked, and then I was at Jordan’s side, my arms scooped around her slight body.
“I’m so fucking sorry, Jordan,” I murmured into her hair as she clung to me. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
“Don’t apologize.” Her voice was hoarse. She wrapped her arms around me tighter. “This wasn’t your fault. I swear.”
I took a few deep breaths with her in my arms, then I pulled back, brushing kisses across her forehead. “I’m so happy you’re okay.”
“I’m okay because you were there,” she said.
Axel cleared his throat. He’d seen all of that. There was no graceful exit after a display like that, and I didn’t care. I straightened, keeping Jordan’s hand in my own. If there was ever a time for them to find out, this was it.
“I’ll give you two some time,” he said, a hard glint in his eye. He narrowed his eyes at me before he stood, looking like he wanted to say more. Then he excused himself from the room, leaving Jordan and me alone.
“How do you feel?” I asked.
“Exhausted,” she said with a weak laugh.
“I heard they want to keep you here for another night.”
“Yeah. I guess because of the other drug they found in my system. I already forget the name.” She sighed, her gaze drifting off. “I’m so tired I could sleep the rest of the day.”
“Then do that. I’ll be here.”
“Seven, you should go home and actually sleep,” she said, admonishment in her tone despite her hoarseness. “My brothers told me you spent all night in the waiting room.”
“I’ll do it again.”
She laughed. “There’s no need.”
“Yes there is,” I insisted. “My beautiful brat might need me.”
She smiled so warmly I was ready to call the hospital chaplain and marry her on the spot.
“Do you remember anything that happened?” I asked softly, squeezing her hand.
She shook her head. “He gave up a lot of great information, but insisted I drink with him. It was the only way to move forward, so I was going to pretend to take a sip, but he knocked the glass, and I choked on it. Within fifteen minutes, I was passing out. That’s all I remember.”
I nodded, the image of his pasty white ass between her legs still seared through my mind. Now was not the time to get into all that.
“I take it you took care of Eli on your own?” Her gaze fastened on my knuckles.
“I did. He might sue me as a result, but I have no regrets.”
She laughed softly. “I wish I could see how you left him.”
“Pretty boy is no longer pretty.”
A comfortable silence settled between us. I scooped her hand between mine, pressing a kiss to it.
“I love you so much, Jordan.”
Her blue-gray eyes went watery as she watched me, a smile drifting across her lips. “I love you more.”
I nuzzled her hand, feeling so full and complete while simultaneously ready to dissolve. “Has it been twenty-four hours yet?”
“Nope.”
“Fine.” I couldn’t fight the grin. Even in the hospital, she found a way to be the brat I loved.
“Promise me you’ll go home and at least take a nap,” she said. “I’m about to pass out.”
“I’ll do that. Only for you.” I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
As soon as I pushed through to the waiting room, I could tell something was wrong. The three brothers watched me approach, varying degrees of tightness in their faces. I could only assume Axel had shared what he’d seen.
“She’s ready to sleep again,” I said, opting to break the ice with an update. I sank into the chair next to Trace, facing Axel and Damian in the opposing line of chairs. Nobody said anything.
“How long have you two been together?” Damian’s question sliced through the air like a knife. He watched me curiously, and I couldn’t entirely read him. He sounded genuine, though the question also felt like a test.
I cleared my throat. “Not long. It sort of only came up…recently.”
Axel ran his tongue over his teeth, studying me closely. “There’s always been something between you two though, hasn’t there?”
I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to lie. Unwilling to lie. “There has. Even though I ignored it for a long time.”
“Don’t you find it a little…inappropriate?” Damian asked. “Especially after all the times you’ve insisted that it was against protocol.”
I studied the floor, nodding. “I do. It’s not how I conduct business. It’s not something that’s ever happened to me before. But believe me—this was completely unexpected. I never once dreamed that we would…feel this way about each other.”
The brothers regarded me heavily. I wasn’t sure if they were impressed by my words or disgusted. But whatever their response was, I was relieved to have this out in the air. No longer a secret I had to hide behind.
“Will this impact the quality of your protection?” Trace asked suddenly.
“No. And for what it’s worth, her full-time protection has been transferred to a different guard.” I looked over at Damian. “Like we discussed more recently.”
Axel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He seared me with a look. “Be honest with me, Seven. Were you two at Eli’s last night?”
I clenched my teeth, everything inside me sinking down, down, down. I didn’t know a way past this question.
“Think carefully about your answer,” Damian added, “because whatever you tell me, I have ways to verify.”
I studied my knuckles, remembering the way they’d cracked against Eli’s jawbone. I braced myself for the fallout once the words passed my lips. “We were.”
Axel sighed testily. Damian’s gaze grew edged with something I’d never seen before, and Trace sank back into his chair, rubbing his face.
“Seven, did we not just fucking talk about this?” Axel spat out.
“We did,” I said.
“Then why the fuck would you take her there? Next you’re gonna tell me that he’s the one who almost raped her.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to hold the line. I couldn’t share the investigation with them. Not now. Not like this. We needed to complete the steps, hand over the evidence, and see what happened. That’s how it had to go.
“I’d like to view it as I protected her despite decisions that led to us attending that party,” I finally bit out.
“You’d like to view it that way.” Axel laughed, crossing his arms. “Jesus Christ. Well, I’d like to hire a close protection officer who makes good on his word.”
I clenched and unclenched my jaw, suddenly wary of where this was heading. “I promise you, I followed all appropriate protocols—”
“Like you followed the protocol about beginning a relationship with your client?” Damian interjected.
I clamped my mouth shut. The shit had officially hit the fan.
“You had one job,” Axel spat. “One place to keep her away from. One person to keep out of her life. And look where the fuck we are right now.”
“She’s a grown woman,” I said, but my rationale withered in the wake of their righteous anger. “I can’t influence decisions. I can only protect given the circumstances.”
Axel laughed dryly. “That’s bullshit and we both know it.”
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. I’d fallen headfirst into the most complicated situation of my life, and I didn’t know where to go from here but through. “I can’t change how I feel about Jordan, but—”
“Would you rather resign or get fired in the middle of a hospital waiting room?” Damian asked, sniffing. His question caught me off guard. All the delirium and anxiety from spending the morning sleep-deprived in the hospital made me shaky. Off-balance. Absolutely prone to collapsing from within.
That’s what was happening to my insides. Utter destruction. All of the worst-case scenarios, wrapped up into one little brick launched off the skyscraper rooftop of my brain, where it would explode on the floor at my feet.
“You guys,” I sputtered, “this isn’t how I wanted—”
“I have zero qualms with firing you right here,” Axel said. “In fact, at this point, I think it would be fitting.”
“Please.” I looked at each of them in turn, trying to turn this ship around. “Let’s talk about this later. After we’ve calmed down.”
Axel shook his head, his blue gaze searing through me. “Consider your work with the Fairchilds terminated immediately.”