Adriana #2
She blew out a breath of exasperation. “The majority of our cohort were legacies. Right from the beginning, Trapp and I were at the top of the ranking. He asked me to be a study partner pretty early on. And it made sense, because we were at the top. Why would we want to work with anyone else? And once people realized that I’d earned my way to the top, they wanted my help. To share resources. To study together.”
He didn’t flinch when the needle went into his skin, delivering a local anesthetic.
“I made an altered set of notes. Just in case any of them tried to take my work.”
“Of course.”
That brought her up short. Adriana sat back, eyebrows raised. “What do you mean, ‘Of course?’”
Another shrug, his expression still inscrutable. “It’s a competitive program. Your entire future depends on your rank. Of course you protect that. No matter what.”
“Right?! Thank you!” She forced herself to breathe, realizing her outburst was, again, not exactly professional.
Someone gets it, though! “Trapp . . . I don’t know how he got one of my altered packets.
I genuinely do not remember ever giving it to him.
He might’ve picked it up from my bag, or .
. . I don’t know. I never meant for him to have it.
But I’m not going to apologize for it. My family name isn’t on any benches or statues.
My grandfather didn’t have a painting of himself in his own house, let alone a university library.
I had to do what I had to do to take care of myself, because no one in life is going to do that for me.
Places like Mercy, places like this town .
. . everything is about who you know. And I don’t know anyone.
So no, I’m not sorry. I’m sorry he got caught up in it and that he was hurt, but there’s nothing I can do about that now. ”
They were both quiet then, as she stitched his hand closed, keeping her sutures meticulous.
“Why did you hit him?”
“To stop the fight. He was out of control. He has been on quite a tear across town. All for you, it would seem. So what happens next?”
She could feel heat burning up her neck. “I-I don’t know what you—”
“Yes, you do. Let’s do each other the courtesy of knocking off the bullshit. If you’re not planning on fixing things with him, I’m going to need you to make it a clean break. And end it for good. What’s done is done.”
“And here I thought Trapp was an adult,” she shot back, matching his snideness. “Do you fix all his problems?”
“Yes,” the big wolf said bluntly. “I’m the family fixer. That’s what I do; I fix the problems. And you have become a problem for me, Dr. Brunelli. I need you to stop being a pain in my ass. If you’re not interested in fixing things, you need to let him go.”
“And what if I want to fix things?” She didn’t know where the question came from. She didn’t want to fix things with Trapp Hemming. Do you?
“Then hurry up and do it before he breaks someone else’s jaw. I kept him out of jail once. I can’t promise either of you I can do it again.”
She was tying off the last stitch when a knock came at the door; Dr. Marsh peeking his head in without waiting for her response. His eyes were wide as he slipped into the room. “Dr. Brunelli. Is everything all right?”
“What is that?” Trapp’s brother snapped, eyeing the coffee cup and Dr. Marsh’s hand.
“Is that from the Beanery?” Adriana watched in amazement as he reached out with a huge hand, his arm stretching across the small room, snatched the coffee from her boss, and pitched it into the wastebasket in the corner.
“No. Absolutely not. We are on a strict ban, Shay. They will be apologizing to my brother, or I’m going to make sure this whole fucking town starts drinking tea. ”
“I just got that!”
The big wolf rolled his eyes, examining his stitches critically.
“Shay, why are your nurses down here so aggressive? I’m detecting a hostile work environment.
How do you expect her to focus on patient care when they’re so busy whispering about her out there they can’t even raise their heads?
You need to get on that. Maybe worry less about buying coffee and run your staff a little tighter. ”
Adriana gaped, her eyes moving back and forth between the two men.
“I don’t like hearing that at all. We will be discussing this, Dr. Brunelli. So you’re on babysitting duty, or what?”
Trapp’s brother blew out a hard breath. “He refused to be left at home. Is he causing trouble out there?”
“You left a child unattended?” she demanded, no longer feeling cowed by this particular Hemming. “That’s so irresponsible!”
“It is irresponsible,” Dr. Marsh agreed.
“But it’s not a child. It’s a Lowell, and that might be worse.
” He took a half step closer, ducking around as if he expected Shileen to be hiding under his arm.
“What happened?” he hissed, glancing over his shoulder to ensure that the door was closed. “Did they just let you all out?”
Trapp’s brother shrugged casually as if he had no idea what the shifter was talking about. “Of course they let us out. Six different witnesses all saw that guy throw the first punch. Harmond is the one who called the police. What were you expecting?”
Dr. Marsh blew out a hard breath, shaking his head with a choked laugh. “I’m so glad we’re friends, Grayson. Because I sure as hell wouldn’t want you as an enemy.”
“Exactly,” the big wolf said with a pointed, glinting smile at Adriana. “Pleasure meeting you, Dr. Brunelli. Now you know someone. For what it’s worth, I’m the only wolf in town worth knowing. Make a choice. Quickly. Either I’ll see you at my wedding, or I never want to see you again.”
***
She didn’t know what she was doing.
She didn’t know what she was doing there, standing on his front steps. She had no idea what to say. She didn’t even know if she wanted to fix things with Trapp Hemming. He was arrogant, overprivileged, skated through life too easily, and he had made her life hell.
But the thought of walking away felt untenable. She couldn’t be someone new if he was here. She didn’t have anywhere else to go, and even if she did, the thought of leaving, of leaving things as they were, made her sick.
Maybe he’ll tell you to go. Maybe he’ll yell at you, slam the door, call you a horrible person.
Maybe that’s what you deserve. Maybe so, but she still wasn’t apologizing.
If Trapp wanted to let her in, he was going to do it on her terms, accept what she could give, and if he couldn’t, well, that was his call.
He broke someone’s jaw because of you.
She and Dr. Marsh had walked Trapp’s brother back to the waiting area, and unsurprisingly, they once again walked in on Shileen and the new nurse with heads bent. It was gratifying to see the shifter’s narrowed eyes.
“Come on, Lowell. I’ll buy you an ice cream cone on the way home if you’re good.”
It wasn’t a child he was talking to. It was another wolf, another brother, a grown-ass man of at least thirty, with Trapp’s sparkling smile and bright eyes, one of them blackened. Did they all get into a fight?!
“I know you think you’re being slick, but that sounds awesome.
I want one of those milkshakes with little chocolate confetti bits inside.
Wait, is that her?” Fire had flooded her face as he gawked, like she was an animal at the zoo, pulled along by his huge, intimidating brother. “I mean, at least she’s pretty!”
He’d broken someone’s jaw for her. Had started a fight because of her. Defended her honor when she’d not even been there, when there had been no reason for him to do so.
She wasn’t going to say she was sorry. She wasn’t going to grovel. But neither could she walk away without knowing.
It took forever for him to open the door.
He looked like shit. Handsome shit, ridiculously handsome, and the day-old stubble on his jaw was very attractive, but like shit nonetheless.
His eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles beneath.
His left eye was swollen and bruised, greenish-purple extending back to his ear.
Considering the size of his brother, he was lucky his head was still on his shoulders.
“Hi,” she mumbled as he leaned against the side of the door, squinting at her.
His house was nothing that she’d expected.
It was normal. Average-sized, tidy, his giant pickup truck in the driveway and the shades on the windows drawn.
“I-I heard you got hit in the head. I just thought I’d check on you.
If you think you might have a temporal fracture or—”
“Just a concussion. I have a hard head.”
“Yeah.”
She didn’t know what to say. Well, say something! Say something before he closes the door! You going to stand here picking your nails looking at the ground until he gives up and——
“Did you want to . . .?”
She raised her head, breath catching, meeting his eyes, nodding. “Yeah.”
Trapp stood back to let her in. She wasn’t going to grovel. She wasn’t going to apologize. She didn’t expect him to either. Maybe neither of you needs to. Maybe you can just let the past stay in the past and let it go for good.