93. Hades
Ninety-Three
Hades
Iwas going to kill whoever hurt Rory. After I told Zade to pull security cameras from Rory’s shop and surrounding areas, I jumped in my Camaro and raced to Briarwood.
Widow better pull her strings to get these speeding tickets and red light violations off my record, because I ignored every traffic law in the book and went well above the recommended speed limit.
All I needed was to know my girl was okay.
I pulled up to Briarwood Medical and raced into the ER, bumping into a man and his wife. After a rushed “I’m sorry,” I looked for the reception desk. But before I could talk to the lady sitting there, I heard my name.
“Hades,” Vesper called out.
I raced for her, grabbing her hands and ignoring the electric zing soaring through my body. “Is she okay?”
Vesper squeezed my hands and nodded. “She’s fine.
She’s ready to get out of here and be back home, but they wanted to keep her overnight for observation and to make sure she doesn't have a reaction to the blood loss. He nicked her artery, so she didn’t need major surgery, but she takes BC powders to help with headaches and they have Aspirin, so she lost a lot of blood. ”
From a doctor’s point of view, I knew why they wanted to do that.
Rory would be upset when I agreed with them and made her stay the night.
When we walked into her hospital room, Rory was arguing with Widow.
I walked in rushing to her side and ignoring whatever they were arguing about and pulled her into my arms, careful of her bandage.
I slammed my lips to hers in a frenzied kiss that was matched by her.
“What are you doing here?”
I kissed her forehead as I cupped her cheeks. “My girlfriend was attacked and hurt, did you think I would stay in Crestview?”
“Can you convince them to let me go home? I feel fine.”
I looked at Widow. “She lost almost a pint of blood. Last time she had a transfusion, she had a reaction to it. They want to make sure she is stable before discharging her,” she explained.
“Sorry babe. Doctor’s orders. Stay tonight.”
Rory grumbled and starfished on the bed. “I feel betrayed.”
“You decided to date a doctor, babe.”
“Why’d you have to be hot, smart, and beautiful?” Rory whined.
I smirked. “Keep talking. I like the flattery. I’ll be here with you until you fall asleep, but I have to leave before you wake up. I have appointments I can’t reschedule this late.”
“You need to save the world.” She smiled as she reached out for me.
“Not the world, just its people.”
Vesper and I managed to squeeze into the hospital bed with Rory.
She demanded cuddles if she was going to be forced to stay here.
I needed to get up and get ready to leave, so Vesper grabbed Rory and pulled her on top of her while I shimmied out of the hospital bed.
Her doctor, Cher, was an amazing doctor.
I heard about her work while I was in med school and from word of mouth. Rory praised this woman.
Widow stood up and said she needed to talk with me in the hallway. I kissed Rory on the cheek, but she mumbled something before grabbing me and kissing me properly. “I love you. I’ll call you soon.” She nodded and buried her face into Vesper’s neck.
Widow’s gaze turned sharp as glass when I stepped into the hallway. “Did your friend find anything?” I didn’t like how she said friend.
“No,” I barked in return. “I don’t know what your problem is b—”
“You are my problem,” she snarled, baring her teeth at me. Was she trying to scare me? Because all it was doing was pissing me off. “I don’t like you. I don’t fuckin’ trust you. The only reason you are here is because of Rory. Cinder made that agreement for a reason.”
My nails dug into my palm as anger raged inside me.
I narrowed my eyes on her, my fists clenching.
“Whatever issues my father and Cinder have, ain’t my damn problem.
My girl is the only thing I care about.” I stepped closer to her, my body pressing against hers.
She had a couple inches on me, but Mama didn’t raise no bitch.
“Don’t threaten me, honey. My mama might’ve taught me how to be a lady, but I’m not afraid to get my hands bloody. ”
“Don’t start a war, honey,” she bit back. “You’re one little devil in a sea of Vipers.”
I shot her a sly grin. “Yeah? Well, I have the Viper princess on my side and in my bed.” I regretted the word the moment it slipped from my mouth.
Widow’s eyes narrowed. Her jaw clenched tightly, the vein in her temple throbbed to the point it looked like it would rupture, and her face was beet red. She rushed to me, pushing me against the wall. Widow went to grab my throat, but she refrained against it, slamming the wall against my head.
“You think you know everything about Rory, but you don’t,” she hissed. “A few months is nothing on the years we have.”
I leaned forward, my lips brushing against her ear. “Yeah? Well I loved her more in a few months than you have in all the years you’ve claimed to have her.” I pushed her away from me. “I’ll own up to my mistake and fall on my knees. That’s where we are different, Widow.”
“You don’t know shit.”
“Yeah? Well why don’t you focus on yourself and make sure you actually protect her, Widow,” I fired, my eyes hard and voice sharp. “Because I will kill you if you ever make Rory cry again. I know how to make a death look like an accident, so don’t go around hurtin’ my girl.”
And with that, I left her in the hallway to simmer in her anger.
RORY
It was very rude that I didn’t see your pretty face this morning.
I rolled my eyes, fixing my locs as I snapped a picture and sent it to her.
HADES
Is this better?
RORY
Goddamn, can I marry you?
Come sit on my face
HADES
Do you want to have a date tonight?
RORY
Can we? Do you wanna come here or me come to you?
HADES
I am not letting you ride your bike with your injury.
RORY
So I can plan something for us?
HADES
Wasn’t I the one who asked you on a date?
RORY
Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t spoil youuuu for driving out here again.
HADES
Okay, you can plan it. I’ll see you tonight, pretty girl.
Tonight I would also tell her my slip-up and fall on my knees.
Widow pissed me off, and I wanted to state my claim even though Rory was her own person.
This feud and everything else that angered Widow wasn’t my concern.
I wanted my girl to be loved and safe. I made a mistake by calling her princess, and I would own up to it.
After my last patient left for the day, I went to the clubhouse to talk to Zade. He pulled an all-nighter for me trying to find information or get facial recognition from the cameras. When I walked into his cave, he was asleep, drooling on his keyboard.
“Zade,” I called out. He didn’t budge. “Zade!” I yelled and he jumped up, almost falling out of his chair.
“I’m awake.” He looked at me and then at his computer monitors. “I haven't found anything with the footage from her tattoo shop. I found how he got in and where he escaped. He headed east before getting into a blacked-out Jeep. I couldn’t run the tag since he has photo blockers. This guy is smart.”
“Let me see what you got.”
Zade finagled with his computer, showing me the different angles the cameras caught.
Rory did pull his mask off, but he was smart and covered his face with his hand.
He knew she had cameras and knew where the cameras were around the surrounding area.
Walking down the road with a ski mask would raise eyebrows, so he kept his head down until he got to his car.
Widow wouldn’t like this discovery, but hopefully they found DNA on him.
“Were you able to find a name for the boy?”
“No. I don't know if he wiped everything about him or if this is his plan. I know how to find people, but he doesn’t want to be found, and that is one of the worst people to deal with.”
I leaned over his desks, pressing my fingertips into my eye sockets. There was a migraine forming. “So he wants Rory to remember him, but no one else can know who he is?”
Zade swiveled in his chair to look at me.
“In his mind, Rory is his princess. You said he killed two girls who reminded him of her? With princess names or something?” I nodded.
“It’s a guilt trip. If Rory learns about these girls he is killing, she is going to give herself up to him so no one else gets hurt. ”
I hated that he was right. She already wanted to sacrifice herself to learn about her sister. I couldn’t imagine what she would do if she found out he killed two women. “He attacked her. He is getting bold.”
“He’s tired of waiting. It seems like without her sister getting in the way, he is able to get to her, but he didn’t realize she had more people. He might retaliate. So be careful. I know you like her.”
I nodded before thanking him and heading out to my car. Now it was time to get ready to see my girl. I was falling in love with her, and I would do anything to protect her.