by Meghan March
Then when I tried to step out into the light of respectability and make the promises I vowed a reality, I got my ass handed to me. The shooting and subsequent failure of my club hammered home just how out of my league I was. The things that kept people coming back to my club—violence and bragging rights—didn’t exist anymore. I thought for sure we were headed into bankruptcy and I’d lose everything.
Until Scarlett.
I could have just taken the help and forgotten about her . . . if I were a different man. But I’m not. And something about her called to me at a level I didn’t know existed. She tugged at parts of me that have been buried for years.
It scared the living hell out of me.
The thought of finding another woman who could be taken from me was more than I could handle.
Flynn’s chair squeaks against the industrial flooring, bringing me back to the here and now.
The reality is that Scarlett could be taken from me whether I’m noble or not. If I lose her today, it’ll hurt just as much, if not more, than if I’d spent these last couple of weeks surrounded by her light and laughter.
I didn’t know I needed her . . . and now it might be too late.
I look over at Flynn, who hasn’t spoken to me since I arrived. Q dropped me off at the front of the hospital with a nod and a “let me know what happens.”
Footsteps click down the hall, and another familiar face comes into view. The black-haired one, Kelsey. Except instead of the sleek and put-together woman I’ve already had one run-in with, her hair is flying in all different directions and her chest is heaving. Her gaze locks on Flynn first.
“Oh my God. I came as soon as I heard. Is she okay? What do we—”
Her head jerks to the side and she goes silent when she sees me, her mouth hanging open. She finds her voice quick enough, though.
“What the fuck is he doing here? Seriously. How big are your balls to show up?” Her attention cuts back to Flynn. “And how is there not blood spatter on the walls? Why haven’t you killed him already?”
“I told him to come.” Flynn leans back in her chair, her arms crossed over her middle. “So far, he hasn’t said anything stupid enough for me to spend life in prison, so he gets to live another day.”
She’s small and mighty, but the hardest fights I’ve ever won were against opponents who weren’t as big as me. I don’t doubt Flynn Elliott could hold her own.
Kelsey glares in my direction, and I wonder if life in prison is enough of a deterrent to keep her from doing the job herself. Finally, she shakes her head and cuts back to Flynn.
“Any update from the docs? How is she doing? When is she going to be out?” She asks all the questions that have been on my mind since the minute I took up vigil in this purgatory-like room, mixed in with the mental beating I’ve laid on myself.
“Nothing yet.” Flynn lifts her arm to check her watch. “I’m really hoping we hear something soon. I don’t know how long this is supposed to take. I’m afraid to google it because I’ll get sucked down the rabbit hole of awful possibilities.”
Kelsey crosses the room and takes a seat on the maroon vinyl cushioned bench beside Flynn. She slings an arm around the younger girl and hugs her to her side. “I’m so sorry, kid. I’ve been praying hard. You should’ve seen the shit-ass contour I did on my client after you called. She kept asking for more and more color, and I was in too much of a hurry to blend it long enough to make her look human.”
A weak laugh escapes Flynn, and for the first time, she looks as underage as she claims to be. Ex-stepsister. I’m going to have to ask Scarlett about her.
Wait. I pause because that’s a hell of an assumption. There’s a good chance Scarlett may never speak to me again after what I did, and she’d be fucking justified.
Then why am I here? The question comes from the asshole in my brain, but the answer is a simple one—because I have to be. No matter what happens next, I need to know she’s okay.
“I hope they got to it in time,” Flynn murmurs, and Kelsey nods.
“Me too.”
Got to it in time? The phrase sends bone-chilling spears of fear into every inch of my body. I can’t stay quiet any longer. I have to ask.
“What the hell is she in surgery for? What do you mean—you hope they got to it in time?”
Kelsey jerks back, nearly whacking Flynn upside the head as she jerks her arm from around her shoulders. “You didn’t tell him?”
Flynn’s expression turns placid. “I was content to let him suffer in silence, thinking the worst. Seemed like fitting punishment for what he did to her.”
“Holy shit, you’re ruthless. I love it,” Kelsey says before rising from the bench and walking toward me. She stops three feet away and props her hands on her hips. “Do you have any idea how many rich and famous clients I’ve worked on?”
Her question catches me off guard. I have absolutely no idea why she’s asking, so I stay silent.
Her pointed chin lifts. “Hundreds. And you know what? I used to think they were all the same too. Oblivious and entitled. Unable to relate to reality. Assholes, basically.”
She pauses again, and I know she’s waiting for something from me, but I don’t have anything to give her.
“Whatever point you’re trying to make? Get on with it.” My rough tone would make grown men question whether they should keep talking, but Kelsey doesn’t miss a beat.
“My point is that I was wrong. They’re not all assholes. Some of them are just normal fucking people. And you know what? Scarlett is the best of them. There’s no one else like her. She’s warm and genuine and kind and caring. She inspires everyone who crosses her path, because she’s so fucking thoughtful and sweet. Has she ever had to worry about money? No, not a day in her life. She probably never will either. But that doesn’t mean she’s not a class act on every level, and overall, one of the best human beings I’ve ever known. Hell, maybe even one of the best humans walking this planet.”
She’s not telling me anything I don’t already know, so I wait.
“I don’t know how you passed the Flynn test, but I’m Scarlett’s best friend, and that means right now, I can’t stand the sight of you. If you make one wrong move, I will throw you out of this hospital myself.”
I lean back in my chair and raise an eyebrow in response.
“I know you don’t think that’s possible, but my Korean father made sure I took judo and tae kwon do until I could kick every one of my brothers’ asses, so don’t give me that look, Legend. I’ve seen you fight. I know your moves. I’ll take you on. I might not win, but you’ll be the one getting arrested, not me.”
The sad part is that even if she instigated the fight, on camera, she’s probably right. I’m a six-two man and she’s a five-foot-nothing woman. No hospital security guard or cop is going to believe that she attacked me without me doing something to provoke her that just happened to be missed by the camera.
“Cut him some slack, Kelsey. He came. He’s obviously worried about her. He wouldn’t have come otherwise.”
Kelsey shoots a look at Flynn. “He’s lucky you’re giving him a second chance. I’m withholding judgment.” Her attention swings back to me. “But know that I will fuck you up if you do anything to hurt my girl again.”
“Duly noted.” My words come out dry, but there’s respect behind them, whether Kelsey realizes it or not.
Most men won’t dare speak to me like that, not if they know who I am. Most women . . . well, let’s say when I’m walking the streets alone at night or with Roux, they clutch their purses against themselves or cross to the other side of the street so they don’t have to face me directly. Kelsey, however, deserves a medal for being a hell of a best friend—and Flynn too, for that matter. I can’t even be upset about it.
Every word they spoke, even when it cut deep, was deserved. Actually, if I’m being honest, part of me wants to smile at Kelsey’s threats to fuck me up. I know it’s twisted, but I’m glad Scarlett has people like this in
her corner. Every woman needs crazy friends who are willing to threaten to kill someone for them.
And if Kelsey is withholding judgment, that means I get a second chance from her too. Now if I could only see Scarlett and know she’s okay.
Except . . . “Again, what the hell is wrong with Scarlett?” I grit out the question one more time, but Amy rushes back into the waiting room before Kelsey or Flynn can answer.
“I spotted the doctor coming down the hall. I think she’s out of surgery.” Amy moves back to her chair in the corner, next to the laptop balanced on a stack of magazines. As soon as she takes a seat, a tanned woman in scrubs stops in the doorway.
“Scarlett Priest’s family?”
Flynn is already out of her chair. “I’m her sister. We’re all here for her.”
The doctor nods, and I count every beat of my heart until her lips curve into a smile. “Your sister is going to be just fine. The appendectomy was textbook. We caught it before it ruptured and were able to do it laparoscopically.”
A textbook appendectomy?
I look at Flynn, and part of me wants to wrap both hands around her shoulders and shake the fuck out of her. The other part of me wants to hug the hell out of her for scaring the shit out of me by withholding that key information. Not that an emergency appendectomy isn’t a big deal, because I know any surgery can have complications, but sweet fucking Christ, I thought it was something a million times worse.
The claws of fear that have been gripping me loosen until I can take my first true deep breath since Flynn stormed my office.
“She’s in recovery, but on her way to a room. Scarlett’s very lucky, though. She really cut it close.”
The doctor shakes Flynn’s hand and leaves the room. I realize I missed all the other information she gave us, but I don’t care. The only thing that matters is that Scarlett is going to be fine.
I’m getting my second chance.
One I’m not going to fuck up.
Flynn spins to smirk at me, and this time, I can see a manipulative yet victorious gleam in her eye. Before, I was too freaked out to notice.
“I had to, Legend. You’ll forgive me someday.”
I rise from my seat and cross the room to tower over her. “You ever do that to me again, and we’ll have fucking words.”
“Fair enough. Now, stop trying to intimidate me or I won’t tell you which room they’ve assigned her.”
Thirteen
Scarlett
I feel like I’m swimming through an opaque haze, and there are voices in the distance, but they’re garbled. My head is stuffed with cotton batting and sawdust, like that antique pillow that disintegrated on my window seat after being exposed to the sun for too long.
Wait. Why am I thinking about sawdust and pillows?
I crack one eye open, but the bright light has me flinching and squeezing it shut again just as quickly.
“Scarlett? Can you hear me?”
“She’s waking up again. Just let her come out of it.”
The voices are clearer now, so I can make out the words, but confusion swamps my senses.
Where am I? How did I get here? What are those beeping noises? My toes are cold. Why are my toes cold?
I try my eyes again, and the light dims. Thank you. I try to murmur the words, but my throat is scratchy and they don’t come out.
“Do you want some water?”
The sound of ice sloshing in a pitcher steals my attention, and I see a blue cup with a bendy straw in front of me. It might be levitating there, but I don’t care. I just want water.
I take a sip and shake my head, trying to clear the cobwebs. “What?”
“You’re okay, Scarlett. Everything’s good. You just had surgery, but everything’s fine. Don’t worry about a thing.”
The voice suddenly has an identity. “Flynn?”
“I’m right here, big sister.” Her hand squeezes mine, and I realize my hand is cold too.
“Why am I cold?”
“I’ll get her another warm blanket. I saw where the nurse grabbed one.”
I turn slightly to see the back of Amy’s head as she leaves the room. “Amy?”
“She’ll be right back,” Flynn says with a smile. “We’ll get you all nice and warm. You’ve got a private room too, so you don’t have to worry about someone named Earl ripping ass on the other side of the curtain while you recover.”
“Earl?”
“Now you’re just confusing her.” Kelsey’s dark hair pops into view around Flynn’s shoulder. “How are you feeling, babe? You scared the hell out of us. I’m so glad you have Amy. She was not fucking around with your health.”
I nod because she’s right, but I still feel like I’m floating through clouds rather than tucked into a hospital bed.
Behind Kelsey, in the shadows of the room, there’s another person. A man? I blink twice, but my vision is still fuzzy. Or maybe I have gunk in my eyes.
“Dad?” I say the word hesitantly, hope rising inside me, and I reach up to grasp it.
He came? Oh my God, he came.
The IV tugs at my hand as Kelsey steps aside, and I see through the shadows and realize exactly how wrong I am. It’s not my father.
It’s Gabriel Legend.
“What . . .” Confusion and shock flood my system. My lungs catch, and my heart seems to twist inside my chest.
The amorphous beeping coming from inside the room speeds up, and Flynn’s attention jumps to the other side of the bed, where my IV is connected to a pole.
“I can go.” His deep voice rumbles through the room like thunder from a hundred miles away. He takes one step toward the door, his face still bathed in shadow.
“No. Stay.” I don’t know why I say it.
Maybe because in that moment, those are the only two words in my entire vocabulary. Maybe because it’s so good to see him, hear him, feel his presence, that I need to hold on to this moment for a few more breaths. Maybe because even with time and space, the way I feel hasn’t changed.
Then the memory of that night charges back into my brain.
“You should go. And don’t come back, Scarlett. This isn’t happening.”
The heart rate monitor beeps again and again, and everyone in the room seems to hold their breath until Flynn breaks the tension.
She grabs Kelsey’s hand. “We’ll give you two a few minutes alone. We’ll be right outside.” Flynn shoots a hard look at Gabriel before dragging Kelsey outside.
As soon as the door shuts behind them, the silence in the room turns to leaden weight.
I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to do. I’m too weak to figure it out.
But, thankfully, I’m the one hooked up to the machine, so I can’t go far, which cuts down on the number of decisions I can make. However, that heart rate monitor is annoying as hell, because I feel like I’m hooked up to a lie detector test. Part of me wants to rip the leads off my chest, but I don’t want to summon the nurse.
Gabriel takes a step toward me, leaving the shadows of the corner to enter the dim pool of light coming from above me.
“How do you feel?” he asks, closing the distance between us until his big hands curl around the back of the chair beside the hospital bed.
“My toes are cold.”
He reaches down to grab the hem of his shirt, and before I realize what he’s doing, he pulls his T-shirt off and tucks it around my feet, under the thin sheet and blanket covering me.
The beeping picks up the pace as I attempt to school my breathing.
I’ve never seen Gabriel in a tight white tank before, but that’s all he’s got on after stripping off the T-shirt. His shoulders and arms ripple with muscle, and I can’t help but follow one thick vein down his forearm.
“Nurses must love you,” I mumble, now remembering the three times they had to poke me to get this stupid IV in my arm.
“I don’t know many nurses, but I do know one thing.” His hand wipes across his mouth and chin. “I fucked u
p, ladybug. Real bad.” He bows his head, and his dark blond hair falls forward into his face. “I shouldn’t have done what I did, Scarlett. You deserved better than that. A million times better. You don’t have to forgive me, but I need you to know how much I regret treating you like that.”
His pulse thrums in his throat, and I have to wonder what the heart rate monitor would sound like hooked up to him right now.
When I don’t reply to his apology, he glances at my face, and those vivid blue eyes spear into me. “You’re probably thinking I’m only here because your stepsister told me you were dying, but I realized how bad I fucked up before all that. I had to tell you how sorry I was. I was working it out. This . . . this just happened first.”
Flynn told him I was dying? Holy shit.
“I’m not dying. Well, not today, anyway.”
He nods slowly. “That’s what I hear, and I’m really fucking glad about that.”
“Why?” I can’t help but push him. Maybe it’s unfair, but he’s the one who threw me out of his office while I was still riding the high from the best orgasm of my life.
Without waiting for an invitation, he releases the chair and steps around to sit at my bedside. “Because I figured something out.” His voice is lower and more sincere than I could ever imagine him sounding.
“What’s that?”
His Adam’s apple bounces in his throat. “Someone’s going to get to be your man, and there’s not a single guy on this planet who is good enough for you, including me.”
My brows tug together in confusion. This again. “I don’t understand your point.”
“I’m not done.”
I incline my chin, indicating he can continue anytime.
“If one of us unworthy assholes gets to have you, it damn well isn’t going to be another guy like your ex who doesn’t know what kind of woman he’s got.”