Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
DAMON
“Blake!”
There’s nothing but dead silence in the comm now. But that sound… that thud.
You better be okay, baby.
Every muscle in my body screams to run. To hurt. To kill. My blood is venom, my gut churning.
I move, ripping through the hallway toward the exam room. Fuck every single thing I’ve ever learned about staying in the shadows. Blake’s down and I heard her skull crack against something hard.
The door’s ahead. Twenty feet. Fifteen.
There’s footsteps in the room. Sounds. Signs of life.
Ten feet now.
It’s a woman’s voice, high and panicked. “Oh God, oh God, oh God—”
I hit the door at full speed, shoulder first. It slams open and I take in the scene in a fraction of a second.
The guard’s on the ground, twitching. Blake’s crumpled near the exam table, blood pooling beneath her head. And the girl is standing over Blake with the taser still clutched in her shaking hand, her white robe streaked with red.
She twists in my direction… terrified, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Don’t move,” I start, but she’s already backing toward the door, holding the taser out with shaking hands.
“Stay back!” Her voice cracks. “I didn’t mean to—I just needed—”
“Put it down.” I keep my voice level even though every cell in my body is screaming to get to Blake. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I can’t,” she cries. “Just—”
You know what. Fuck this.
“Just go!” I yell. “Get out of here!”
Right now, I could give two shits about what happens to her. She hurt Blake. She’s lucky I’m not wringing her neck this very second.
She stares at me, taking in my murderous expression, like she can’t believe I’m letting her walk away. Then survival instincts must kick in because she bolts, her bare feet slapping against the marble as she runs down the hallway.
I rush to Blake, dropping to my knees.
“Blake. Baby, come on.” My hands hover over her, shaking so badly I have to force them steady. There’s so much blood. Too much. It’s spreading across the white marble in a dark, slick pool, and my stomach lurches.
Her head. Jesus Christ, her head.
I press two fingers to her neck, searching for a pulse. It’s there, faint but steady, and some of the crushing weight on my chest eases. Not much. But enough that I can think.
“Blake, I need you to open your eyes for me.” I cup her face, careful to avoid the gash along her temple. Her skin is too pale, clammy. “Come on, Angel. Stay with me.”
There’s nothing.
Shouting erupts from downstairs. I recognize that bastard Patton’s voice. Then the woman who works for him. They know the girl’s loose.
We have maybe two minutes before this whole place goes to hell.
I slide my arms under Blake’s body, one under her shoulders, one under her knees, and lift. Her head lolls against my chest and more blood smears across my shirt. My heart hammers so hard, I feel like I could collapse right beside her.
This is my worst nightmare come to life.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur, even though I have no idea if she can hear me. “I’ve got you. Just hold on.”
The hallway is clear when I step out, but it won’t stay that way for long. I move fast, retracing my entry route toward the side door. Every step jostles her and I really fucking hope I’m not making anything worse, but staying here isn’t an option.
I hear them fighting. The girl screams… The woman barks something at her. Maybe she has a fighting chance… It’s possible. Blake is all that matters to me, though. That girl, Lexi, made it this way.
My shoulder scrapes the walls as I rush toward the exit, trying my best to be fast and keep Blake as stable as possible.
Almost there. Just a little further.
“Who the fuck are you?” It’s Patton, he’s coming out of an open door, phone in hand. “Stop right there!”
“You don’t want to fuck with me, man!”
I can’t reach my gun without moving Blake or this prick would be growing cold on the floor already.
“I said stop!”
I ignore him until I hear the telltale sound of a weapon being cocked. Turning back, I narrow my gaze, and put every ounce of rage into my voice.
“The love of my life could be dying here, in your fucking house. You want that on your hands? I’m giving you one chance to let us go… and trust me, I don’t give chances.”
His hand shakes as he aims the weapon in my vicinity. “I can’t let you go… You know too much. He’ll kill me… he’ll—”
Lexi comes from nowhere, shoving the taser into his back. Patton drops like a sack of potatoes… jerking and twitching until a puddle of piss surrounds his body.
“Go!” she says. “And tell her I’m sorry.”
“Fuck!”
I take my opening and move, reaching the side door and hitting it hard with my hip as I struggle with the knob. Once we’re finally outside in the cold, I let the weight of the situation wash over me.
Blake is limp in my arms. The blood hasn’t stopped.
At least the car is close enough, parked at the end of the long driveway. Every step feels like miles as I navigate the slick, barely shoveled walkway along the side of the home. My arms burn but how I feel doesn’t matter.
When I reach the car, I have to prop Blake against my chest with one arm while I wrench the back door open with my free hand. I lay her across the backseat as carefully as I can, but her head still jostles to the side, smearing blood on the leather.
“Blake.” I cup her face, patting her cheek. “Come on, baby. Open your eyes.”
Still nothing.
I grab my phone from my pocket, hands shaking as I pull up Leon’s number and hit call. While it’s ringing, I yank off my jacket and drape it over her, then pull off my t-shirt and wrap it carefully around her wounded head.
“Pick up, pick up, pick up—”
“D?” Leon’s voice comes through. “Everything alright? I wasn’t expecting a check-in—”
“Blake’s hurt. Bad.” My voice cracks and I hate it, hate how close I am to losing my shit completely. “It’s her head. She’s unconscious and bleeding. I need you to tell me what to do.”
There’s a pause. I hear his breath catch but then he’s back, all business. I knew he’d be the strong one. “Where are you?”
“In the car. We’re leaving the Patton house now.”
“Okay. First, is she breathing?”
I lean in close, watching her chest. It rises then falls. Thank fuck. “Yes.”
“Good. Check her pulse.”
I press two fingers to her neck. It’s there, still steady but not strong. “I’ve got it. It’s okay, I think.”
“How bad is the bleeding?”
I look again, and see that my shirt seems to contain it. “I wrapped her head in my shirt but I think it’s pretty bad.”
“Keep her as still as you can. We’ll meet you at the nearest hospital… Sending the address now.”
I feel my throat tighten and tears prick the corner of my eyes. “She’s not waking up, Leon. She’s not fucking waking up.”
“She will. Just get there. I’ll call and have everything ready for her when you arrive.”
“I’m driving now.” I slide into the driver’s seat, keeping one hand pressed to Blake’s head, holding pressure, and the other on the wheel. “Stay on the line.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
I throw the car into drive and floor it.
The doctor finally comes out after what feels like a fucking eternity. This reminds me too much of Blake’s anaphylaxis, back when we were still searching for Bailey. The torment of waiting to know if she’ll be okay. It’s a living hell.
I’m on my feet before he’s fully through the doors, and everyone rushes over to crowd around me.
Bailey’s been pacing for the last hour, Jasper’s jaw hasn’t unclenched since we got here, and Leon’s been on his phone, coordinating with the police at the Patton house.
But Falin’s been quiet… too quiet. I know she blames me, and she’s not wrong.
It was stupid to go at this job alone and Blake’s paid the price. I wish it was me in that hospital bed.
Bailey rests her hand on my shoulder, and I hold my breath, preparing for the worst.
The doctor takes us in, scanning our visitor stickers.
“She’s going to be fine.” The knot in my chest loosens just enough for me to breathe. “The head wound bled quite a bit, which is normal for scalp lacerations, but there’s no skull fracture. Mild concussion. We’ve stitched her up and she’s awake now.”
Awake. The relief is so strong my knees buckle.
“Can I see her?” The words come out rougher than I intend.
“Of course, but just one person is allowed back. We’ve started her discharge papers. You should be all set to go within the hour.”
Falin and I exchange glances, and she nods. She may be pissed at me, but she knows I need to see her with my own eyes.
“We’ll go and check on the house,” Leon says, but I’m already moving.
Bailey calls after me. “Tell her we love her!”
I throw up a hand in acknowledgment but don’t slow down.
A nurse leads me through a maze of curtained-off areas in the emergency department. I hate it back here. With the beeping monitors, hectic staff, the smells of antiseptic that sting my nostrils.
I don’t know how Blake does it everyday.
“Here you are,” she says, stopping to pull back a curtain.
My Angel.
Blake’s sitting up on the bed, a white bandage wrapped around her head. She’s speaking with another nurse, gesturing with her hands at the IV in her arm. Her face is pale and she looks exhausted, but those smoky eyes are sharp and focused.
“Really, I can walk out of here myself. I don’t need—” She stops mid-sentence when she sees me. “Damon.”
The nurse looks between us with raised brows, takes in my bloodstained clothes and the expression on my face, and wisely excuses herself. “I’ll give you two a minute.”
The second she’s gone, I’m at Blake’s side. I stop myself from touching her, scared that I’ll hurt her somehow.
“Hey, Angel,” I manage.
“I’m okay.” She reaches for my hand, lacing our fingers together. “I’m okay, I promise.”
“Your head—”
“Scalp wounds bleed like crazy. You know that.” She squeezes my hand. “No fracture. Mild concussion. Eight stitches. I’ll be fine. I think it was the taser that got me.”
She slides over a bit, making room for me, and tugs on my hand. “Are you sure?”
“Come here.”
Gently, I sit beside her, holding her hand like an anchor. I meet her gaze, willing myself not to break the hell down again.“I was so scared.”
Admitting that out loud is probably the second most difficult thing I’ve done today.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
I lean in and brush my lips across hers, inhaling her scent, thanking whatever being is in the universe for letting her be okay. “It’s not your fault.”
It’s mine.
I keep that thought to myself. She’s okay and that’s all that matters now.
We lean back against the bed and she touches her bandage gingerly. “What happened after I went down? The last thing I remember is Lexi with the taser.”
I tell her everything.
Me bursting into the room, letting Lexi run, Patton with the gun, Lexi coming back to save us. The drive here with her blood soaking through my shirt while Leon talked me off a ledge.
Once I’ve caught her up, she squeezes my hand. “So Lexi came back? She helped?”
“She tased Patton right in the spine, then told me to tell you she’s sorry.” I run my thumb across her knuckles. “Then she disappeared. Leon and them are going to the address now to take a look, but he sent cops there right after I got you out.”
“I hope she made it out too.” Her voice is quiet, but she means it with all her heart, I can see it in her eyes.
“Blake—”
“I know, I know.” She meets my gaze. “She hurt me. But she was desperate. Her family sold her into marriage. Probably to some monster, not that it matters. She saw one chance and she took it.”
“You’re right. And I’m done wanting to see her six feet under. But if you didn’t make it, that may have ended up differently.”
“I’m okay.” She lifts our joined hands to her lips, pressing a kiss to my bloodstained knuckles. “We’re okay.”
“And Leon should have answers for us any minute. I hope that Patton asshole is spending his Christmas behind bars. But honestly, I don’t give a fuck about anyone else right now. The doctor said we can go home soon.”
Blake nods. “Yup. I just got my concussion protocol lecture and they’re working on the discharge papers.”
“Good. Let’s get you home. We have cozy Christmas plans to get to.” I glance at the IV still in her arm. “I’ll go get someone to take that out.”
“Antsy, Freddy?” she teases.
“Something like that.” I smile, loving that she’s back to her normal ball busting self.
“Hey, by the way, did you grab my bag?”
“Shit. No. I left it.” My jaw tightens. It’s a good thing her new bag is already wrapped, she’ll need it now. “I wasn’t thinking about anything except getting you out of there.”
“It’s okay. It was just supplies anyway. And the money?”
I shake my head.
“Oh well. None of that matters anyway.”
In the next fifteen minutes, Blake signs her life away, is handed a stack of print-outs, and we’re sent on our way.
I make her sit in the waiting area while I pull the car up and then help her into the passenger seat. Of course, she huffs and puffs the entire time that she doesn’t need help.
As soon as I sit, my phone rings. “It’s Leon,” I tell Blake.
“Put it on speaker.”
“Lee, we just got in the car, heading home now. What’s up?”
“The house is empty… Cops are gone, no sign of the girl either. Hold on—”
There’s a shuffle and Falin’s on the other end. “Blake, are you okay?”
Blake grabs the phone. “I’m fine, I’m so sorry I scared you. Are you guys okay?”
Falin scoffs. “Don’t deflect. We’re perfectly fine over here. You’re sure? Because if you’re lying, I’ll have to come kick you ass.”
“She’s not lying,” I say as Blake lets out a low laugh.
“So Lexi is gone?” she asks Falin, even though Leon already told us the answer. I think Blake’s almost hoping she still needs our help.
“Yup, no sign of her. Hopefully, she’s long gone.”
Good. Let her disappear.
“Anyway, I’ll let you two lovebirds go enjoy the rest of your night. See you tomorrow?” Falin asks.
Blake squeezes my thigh. “I’ll let you know.”
Once she hits end, her hand trails higher on my thigh, and she says in a mischievous tone. “One good thing to come out of this night. If we want a reason to skip the Shea’s tomorrow, I can claim concussion pain.”
I shake my head and smirk, knowing she’d never actually do that unless she was on her deathbed. But it’s fun to entertain the thought.
“Or I can just keep you tied up in bed and not let you leave.”
Her fingers dance across the tight bulge straining in my pants. “Or that.”