by Sarah Curtis
Gage called Laurie from the waiting room of the hospital, and she informed him she'd be right over. Next, he called Sam, filling her in on what had happened, and she assured him she would watch Logan for as long as they needed.
Gage paced the waiting room, getting antsy waiting for the doctors to give him news of Cassie. He pulled out Cassie's cell phone and searched through her call log. All her recent calls were either from him or to him except for one call to Sam two days ago. None of that was any help to him.
Next, he went into her GPS and pulled up the places she'd been to that day. Three addresses popped up not including her last known location. He studied the addresses of the places she had visited and plugged them into his phone.
He went into her photos. A picture of Logan popped up. He scrolled back through her photos. There was one of his mom and Logan, one of his dad and Logan, all had been taken yesterday during his parents visit. He stopped at a photo of a piece of notebook paper. He enlarged the image and saw it had addresses written on it and three of the addresses had been where she had been that day. Bingo. Her address list. He e-mailed the photo to himself, put both phones back in his back pocket, then resumed his pacing.
Chapter Twenty-four
Gage sat for what felt like hours, waiting for news on Cassie. Laurie had shown up soon after he'd called and now, the two of them sat silently, waiting for someone, anyone to give them some information.
"For Cassandra Wagner." Gage and Laurie stood and advanced toward the doctor. He was a middle-aged man, on the shorter side, graying at the temples, with laugh lines around his eyes. At least Gage hoped they were from laughter and not from squinting.
Gage held out his hand. "Gage Hunter, Cassie's fiancé."
"Doctor Greene," he said, taking Gage's hand and shaking it.
Gage put his hand on Laurie's shoulder. "This is Cassie's aunt."
"Laurie Wagner," Laurie said, shaking the doctor's hand as well.
"Cassandra, or Cassie I should say," he gave them a small smile, "is resting comfortably. The ulna of her right arm is fractured as well as two ribs on the right side. She has numerous bruises and some lacerations along her torso conducive to being punched or kicked."
Gage felt Laurie grab his hand and squeeze. He squeezed back, letting her know everything would be okay.
"The left side of her face is bruised and swollen, but nothing is broken, and she has quite a large bump on her forehead which is what we believe gave her a slight concussion. She will be very sore for quite a few days, but should make a full recovery."
"Can we see her?" Laurie asked.
The doctor nodded. "Yes, she's been heavily sedated, so she is sleeping and as I said, resting comfortably."
"What room is she in?" Gage's patience was at an end. He wanted to go to Cassie now.
"312. Just down the hall on your right."
Gage was out the door before the doctor finished speaking. He heard Laurie's faint reply of, "Thank you, doctor," before he was out of earshot.
His first glimpse of Cassie, looking so small in the hospital bed, connected to tubes, her face swollen, the bruising vivid next to the stark white sheets, had his stomach clenching and his heart skipping a beat.
His anger grew as he approached the bed. And his anger had a name, Jeremy Beckett. He was going to beat that motherfucker to a bloody pulp for daring to lay a hand on his Sunshine, and he would do it with a smile on his face.
Cassie was in a deep sleep and didn't even twitch when Gage took her hand. He held it carefully, mindful of the IV. Her other arm encased in a cast, laid at her side.
He felt Laurie beside him before he heard her gasp. "Oh, my poor girl. Look at her face."
Gage didn't speak. He only nodded to acknowledge that he heard her.
"She'll probably sleep the rest of the night. I should get Logan." She placed her hand on his forearm and gave it a light squeeze. "Is he at Sam's?"
Gage turned his head to her and gave her a slight smile. "Yeah."
"Okay, I'll go get him and take him home. Will you call me the minute she wakes up?"
"Yeah." Gage turned his head back to Cassie. He stood, staring at her beautiful face, battered and bruised, and promised himself retribution.
* * * * *
Cassie slowly opened her eyes. She knew she was in the hospital. She remembered everything that had happened to her in great detail. Gage sat in a chair positioned beside her, his head resting on the bed, his hand gripping hers, sleeping. His raven hair fell across his face, giving her a teasing sample of his beautiful features, and she longed to move his hair aside to get a better view. Her heart swelled knowing this incredibly masculine, insanely sexy, impossibly sweet man was hers.
She had a moment of insecurity, wondering what a sexy as hell, famous, rock star with a smile that left her like a puddle on the floor, could possibly see in her? But she pushed those feelings aside, telling herself she was being silly. For he was here, at her side, clutching her hand even in sleep, and that had to mean something. And she had a feeling that something was something big.
She must have twitched, or moved, or made a noise of some sort because Gage's eyes opened. He watched her for a moment before sitting up and running his fingers through his hair to move it out of his face.
He leaned in closer, laying his arm across her thighs. "How are you feeling?"
She took a minute to assess the damages. She wasn't in too much pain, but she had a feeling that was due to whatever was being pumped into her vein. She was slightly light headed and still very sleepy. Her arm felt heavy, and she looked down to see it was covered in a cast. "My arm is broken?" She asked, looking up at Gage.
"Yeah, along with two ribs and you have a shit ton of bruises. What the fuck were you thinking?" He yelled that last part. His anger clearly getting the better of him.
Cassie flinched at his tone. She felt her throat clog and tears filled her eyes. God, she knew how stupid she had been. Thinking back on it and realizing all the horrible things that could have happened not to mention what really did happen, she couldn't believe she did such a stupid thing.
Gage's expression instantly cleared of anger and in its place was a look of contriteness. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to yell. Please don't cry." He cradled the good side of her face and lightly kissed her on the lips. "I'm just really upset that this happened to you." He whispered against her lips.
Cassie took a stuttering breath while nodding her head, letting him know she understood. In no way did she blame him for being angry with her. What she had done had been ridiculously foolish.
Gage pulled back a bit to look her in the eyes. "That being said, we need to talk about what happened. Where'd you get that list of addresses you've got on your phone?"
"Um...." She lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes.
Gage placed a finger under her chin, tilting her head back up. "Listen, Sunshine, the cat's out of the bag, now. No way in hell, I can get any more pissed than I am right now, so you might as well tell me everything."
"Okay," Cassie whispered, before launching into her very long tale of all she had been up to, trying to remember everything so as not to leave anything out.
Gage was silent during the telling. When she finished, he closed his eyes, lowered his head, then spoke to her stomach. "I was wrong. I can get more pissed." He picked his head up and speared her with his eyes. "I just don't understand. You knew the danger you were in. We talked about it. But you still went back to that warehouse and checked out those addresses. Why?"
Cassie felt her eyes fill again. She didn't know if it was the trauma, the drugs, the guilt, or what, but she was an emotional mess. She had to make him unde
rstand the motive for what she did. Only then would he understand and let go of some of his anger.
"I needed to find those dogs. I could not stand idly by, knowing they were being abused and do nothing about it, just as much as I wouldn't be able to idly stand by knowing a child was being abused and do nothing about it. People and creatures that can't stand up for themselves need someone to stand up for them, and I was being that someone for those dogs."
Gage nodded his head in understanding. "I want you to tell me what address you found Jeremy Beckett at."
"What, why?" Cassie asked, startled by his request.
"Because I'm going to be that someone that stands up for you."
"What are you going to do?"
"Nothing that you need to worry about."
"Gage please, Jeremy is dangerous. I don't want you getting involved with him." She awkwardly tried to grab his arm with her right hand, but the bulky cast got in the way, so she let her arm fall back down to her side. "Please, let the police handle it."
Gage watched with a determined look on his face as she struggled with her arm and continued to stare at it as he said, "Not going to happen, Sunshine, so you either tell me where to find Beckett or you make me go through your whole damn list, pissing me off even more and making it that much worse for him."
Cassie sighed in defeat. "Give me my phone."
Gage let go of her good hand and handed her phone to her.
She played with it a minute, then handed it back to him with a huff. "There, happy now?"
Gage gave her a sexy grin. "Even drugged, you've got a smart mouth. Don't think, when you get better, that you're not paying for this. All of it, including that mouth." He leaned over and gave her another light kiss on her lips. "Try to get some more sleep. It's almost morning, and the doctor said you could go home tomorrow."
Cassie made a grab for his hand. "How are we going to explain this to Logan?"
Gage entwined his fingers with hers. "We'll tell him the truth. That a bad man hit you, but you're going to be okay."
Cassie nodded her head then lay back against the pillows, closing her eyes. "Okay." She felt really sleepy all of a sudden.
She felt Gage kiss her fingers. "Sleep, Sunshine. I'll be here when you wake up."
After everything she'd been through that day, it said something that she fell asleep with a smile on her lips. And that something was Gage.
* * * * *
Gage sat at Cassie's bedside and watched her sleep, plotting in his head all the things he would enjoy doing to Jeremy Beckett. The list was getting long. He just hoped he got his hands on Beckett before the cops did. He watched the sun rise, then waited a little longer before stepping outside Cassie's room to make a phone call.
Jack answered after two rings. "Hey, Gage."
"Jack. Listen, man, I need a favor."
"Anything, what's up?"
"I know you've got a lot of security roaming around that hotel of yours. Do you have two beefy guys you can lend me for the day?"
"I'm sure that can be arranged. What's going on?"
Gage filled him in on what had happened to Cassie.
"Fuck man, is she okay?"
"She's got a broken arm, two broken ribs, and the guy fucked up her face."
"Fuck, these girls can't seem to stay out of trouble," Jack said, sounding anything but happy.
"Yeah, I'm thinking that's not a good thing."
"Yeah, I'm thinking you're right."
* * * * *
The doctor arrived a few hours later and told Cassie she could go home. She was beyond excited to leave the hospital, and she shared those thoughts with Gage. "I can not wait to take a long, hot shower and crawl into my own comfy bed."
Gage chuckled behind her as he wheeled her through the hospital's exit doors. "Wait right here, I'll go get the car."
Cassie gave him an exasperated look and waved her arm down the side of the wheelchair. "I don't think I'm going anywhere."
Gage shook his head and yelled over his shoulder as he walked away, "Keep it up, Sunshine, and me and that smart mouth of yours are going to go head to head."
Gage pulled up in front of the hospital a few minutes later in Laurie's car. He rolled her to the passenger door. "I traded cars with Laurie yesterday, thinking it would be easier for you to get in and out of a smaller car."
Cassie thought of the difficulty she would have had climbing in and out of the Escalade and gave Gage a grateful smile. "Thank you."
He helped her with her seat belt, gave her a quick kiss on the lips, then gave her a soft smile. "Let's get you home."
Even with all the sleep she had gotten the day before, Cassie still managed to fall asleep on the ride home and didn't wake until they pulled up to the front of the house. Laurie rushed out to greet them, pulling open Cassie's door before Gage could get to it.
"Where's Logan?" Cassie asked Laurie after Gage helped her out of the car.
"I took him to day camp this morning. I thought it would be a good idea to keep him on schedule."
Cassie could only manage to nod, not having the energy to both talk and walk. Gage, noticing her difficulty, scooped her up, one arm under her knees the other across her back, being careful not to jostle her ribs. He walked steadily into the house and set her down gently on her bed.
"I need to get out these clothes and burn them," Cassie said, trying to sit up.
Gage got behind her and helped.
"I'll go run you a bath," Laurie said, walking into the bathroom.
Cassie called after her. "No, I want to take a shower. I'll make sure to keep my arm out of the spray."
"Run her a bath, Laurie," Gage yelled, from behind her.
Cassie turned her head and tipped it back to glare at him. "I don't want a bath. I want a shower."
"Soaking in hot water will make you feel better."
"But–"
"No buts," Gage interrupted. "Where can I find a pair of scissors?"
"Scissors?" Cassie asked, confused.
"Yeah, I want to cut your T-shirt off. It will be less painful than pulling it over your head."
She tried to give him a smile, but her face felt tight and it probably came out wonky. "Thanks for thinking of that."
Laurie had come out of the bathroom and heard the exchange. "There's a pair in the kitchen. I'll get them." She came back a minute later, scissors in hand. "I'll go make you some of my famous, homemade, chicken soup. It should be ready by the time you get out of the tub."
"Thanks, Laurie," Cassie said, to her retreating back. She watched as she softly closed Cassie's bedroom door behind her.
Gage took the scissors and carefully cut the front of her T-shirt from hem to collar then cut up the sleeves until the garment fell away. "Okay, Sunshine, let's stand you up so we can get these jeans off."
After he removed all her clothes, he helped her into the tub. The water was almost too hot and filled with a fragrant bubble bath.
"Not sure perfume is the best thing for your abrasions," Gage said, with a frown.
Cassie settled back in the water with a sigh. "I'm sure it will be fine. It only stings a little."
"I'll be right back. Don't move around too much while I'm gone. I don't want you to hurt yourself." He came back a few minutes later with a big, plastic cup in his hand.
"What's that for?" Cassie asked, eyeing the cup suspiciously.
"To wash your hair, so you don't have to try to scrunch your whole body down into the tub."
Cassie felt a warmth seep through her body that wasn't
from the bath water. This man was constantly trying to find ways to make things easier or better for her. "I don't know if I've ever told you this before, but you're a pretty terrific guy."
He gave her a dazzling smile. "Only for you, Sunshine. I'm this way, only for you."
* * * * *
Gage silently closed the bedroom door and went on a search for Laurie. After getting Cassie out of the bath, he'd dried then dressed her in warm pajamas, made sure she ate a bowl of soup, then tucked her in bed. She had been asleep within minutes.
Gage found Laurie in the kitchen, washing the lunch dishes. She turned to him as he approached. "Is she sleeping?"
"Yeah." He leaned a hip against the kitchen counter and folded his arms across his chest. "Listen, I have some things I need to do, and I don't want you to leave Cassie alone, so I'll arrange for Sam to pick up Logan and bring him home. I want you to take my phone number and call me if there are any problems. I'll try to be back later tonight."
The last part must have surprised her because her eyes got big before she asked, "You could be gone all night? What should I tell Cassie?"
Gage gave her a reassuring smile to let her know everything was okay. "Don't worry, Cassie knows where I'm going and what I'm doing. You won't be hiding anything from her."
That seemed to set her mind at ease, for she let out a long breath then gave him a smile. "Okay, I'll call if there are any problems."
Gage gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Thanks, Laurie."
Chapter Twenty-five
Gage's first stop was Allure. He called ahead and talked to Jack, so he was in the lobby waiting for him when he arrived.
As soon as Jack spotted Gage, he made a phone call. "Chuck and Scott will be here in a minute," he said, putting away his phone. "They're both ex-military, and I've been assured by my head of security, they're the two best men I've got."