53
ETHAN
My neck and shoulders are on fire, my muscles are rigid, and this headache is piercing, but the fear of losing our family keeps me going.
I need to tend to our girl and ensure Jax doesn’t snap.
He’s holding up, but I worry the guilt will become destructive.
I have to guarantee Reece gets the best care.
He saved the life of someone I can’t live without, and Aurora cares deeply for him.
I carry her into the private waiting room, Jackson beside me and the twins following. More people have gathered—agents, given their uniforms—and she stiffens in my arms.
“It’s okay. I won’t allow anything to happen to you.”
I’ll never let anyone harm them ever again.
Tears well up. My focus should’ve been on them, not hockey. I should’ve protected them better, should’ve taken Hugo’s threats more seriously.
Reece’s commander perks up when she sees us enter and hurries over.
“The orthopedic surgeon arrived, and they took him straight up. They didn’t even inform me.
His blood pressure dropped and… He probably wasn’t aware anyhow.
He was out of it.” She babbles while her keen eyes absorb every detail of our group.
Aurora sniffs, and her soft voice trembles. “It’s okay.”
“Are you injured? Do you need anything?”
I can’t help but notice how accommodating Reece’s superior is, especially to our girl, and I plan to take full advantage of it.
“She has glass in her feet,” I reply before Aurora can deny it. “And she needs rest—away from the officers who raided our home. No offense.”
“None taken. We’ll move you to a room. Special Agent Bennett, by the way. If you require anything while I’m gone, ask any agent.”
I sit with Aurora nestled in my lap, and she settles into me, her arms wrapped around my neck.
Jax caresses her stomach over her hoodie and peppers her with questions. “Have you felt the baby move?”
“Yes.”
“Any cramping?”
“No.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Ew, no.”
“When did you last eat?”
“We had Thanksgiving dinner, remember?”
That feels like a lifetime ago when, in reality, it was only hours.
While we wait, the team discusses additional raids and the concern of keeping us secluded during and afterward.
Jackson gave Reece a list of names and properties involved in the human and drug trafficking ring.
Hugo recognized the danger of that knowledge.
He and a handful of others risked their lives to silence Jax.
For that reason, we’re put in a private suite in the Intensive Care Unit, where Reece will be brought after surgery. Besides the glass wall and the three agents standing guard at the door, it resembles a modern hotel room, with a hospital bed, a couch, and two reclining chairs.
“The only stipulation is that you don’t leave.” Charlie’s critical gaze locks on the twins. “ Any of you.”
“No worries, Sheldon.” Desi winks. “The family that murders together, stays together.”
Reece’s partner stares at him, mouth agape, before shaking his head and storming out.
Dante scoffs. “Did you just reference The Big Bang Theory and murder in the same statement?”
Yawning, Desi drops into the chair beside Jax and a sleeping Aurora. “My two favorite subjects.”
“Before you fall asleep,” I tell him then turn to his brother, “and you sneak out for a smoke, thanks for being here. I—fuck, I don’t know what to say.
” I bury my face in my hands and rub my tired eyes.
Lifting my head, I manage, “Thank you for protecting her.” I swallow hard. “I hope you killed them all.”
Dante stretches his neck to glance out the door. “Tried.”
“How many left?” Jackson asks.
“Sheldon apprehended four.”
I make a mental note to have Reece keep track of those who aren’t dead, although I’m sure he will. The room grows quiet, and I rest my head against the unyielding leather material as I close my eyes.
I’m awakened when a nurse—Brody, according to his badge—steps in. “Hi. Sorry to wake you. Ms. Embers?”
“Hey, baby.” Jax wakes Aurora and carries her to the bed. “The nurse is here to examine you.”
Her eyelids blink open, and she scoots back on the mattress.
“I was told you have some glass in your feet. Can I take a look?”
Brody extends his hand toward her sneaker, but she withdraws.
She peers over at me, lips pouted and brows furrowed. “Can’t you do it?”
As if I’d refuse her.
“How about this?” The nurse weaves his fingers together at his chest. “You remove your socks and shoes, and I’ll get the supplies?”
Aurora gives a hesitant nod, and Brody leaves.
Jax positions himself behind her, drawing her between his legs, and lowers his voice. “What is it? Did someone hurt you?”
She shakes her head sharply. “I feel strange.” They do that thing where they communicate with their eyes. I sit at the end of the bed and untie her laces but pay close attention.
“It’s an echo from the past.” He tucks a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. “You were frightened, and your body remembers.” He kisses her cheek. “You’re safe with us.”
His words give me pause, and my gut clenches. I wonder how deep their connection goes, if they’re similar in more ways than I thought. The idea of someone hurting them, especially intimately, fills me with such fury and adrenaline, my muscles no longer ache.
By the end of tonight, we’ll be inseparable, because I don’t know how I’ll ever part from them.