I stand with her in my arms. Her legs and arms lay limp over my arms. Her head falls back a little exposing her throat, and I cringe. How many times have I had my hand around it? How many times has she let me take her life in my hands? I hope she knows I would never hurt her. Not like this.
Jet and I walk out of her room just as two security guards walk toward us. “Fuck,” Jet hisses under his breath.
“Here,” I say turning to him. He looks at Skye in my arms, and I say, “Take her.” He does but his eyes are big, and he looks confused. “Meet me at the main entrance,” I tell him, and then I walk toward the security guards as he takes a right down a hallway.
“Stop,” one says as I close in on them. I don’t; I step up to them and swing, knocking him right in the nose. He stumbles back as the other one goes for his Taser. Before he can get it free, I punch him in the face also. But he falls to the ground. Nurses watch and gasp before they take off running down the hall.
The first one I punch comes back toward me, and I smile. Make my day, fucker.
Ten minutes later, I run out the front door to see Jet in his two-door car. I open up the passenger door and see that Skye is lying in the back. Her face turned toward me, but her eyes still closed. Her left arm hangs so far off the seat that her hand is touching the floor. Her feet are up in the seat across from her, causing her knees to bend. She looks so uncomfortable. She needs more room. “Did you see my Range Rover?” I ask him; it will have more room for her.
“Nope.” They must have towed it, after all.
I press the seat forward and crawl into the tiny backseat. It takes me a few minutes, but I manage to get my tall ass seated and then her on my lap. I hold onto her as Jet puts his car into gear and stomps on the gas.
***
I sit on the side of the hotel bed as Skye lies under the covers. Jet stands to the left of me, and Doc stands next to the other side of the bed. “I went over her chart,” he says. “They didn’t go by protocol.”
“What do you mean by that?” Jet asks.
“It means that everything you shouldn’t do, they did.” He sighs as he crosses his arms over his chest. “When I went and checked on her to make sure it was, in fact, her, Robert was ordering the nurses around. They did everything that he wanted.” I grind my teeth.
“Why would they listen to him?” Jet asks confused. “Did he pay them?”
Doc shakes his head. “Robert’s daddy owns the hospital.”
“Shit!” Jet hisses.
“Yeah, so I’m sure they did what he wanted to keep their job.” He runs his hand through his hair. “From what I got, he told them that she had confessed to killing her friend and then attempted to commit suicide by cutting her own wrist. He was able to stop her before she cut the second one.”
“Bullshit!” I hiss. “That’s bullshit.”
“I don’t know how they believed him,” Jet says as he gestures to her face. “Look at her. Anyone can see that she had been beaten. Her lip is busted. Her face is bruised. Did they think that she hit herself before cutting her own wrists?” he demands.
“I’m not sure what they believed, but they did what he ordered. And they were going to hold her for seventy-two hours before releasing her to the police.”
I stand and run a hand through my hair, stressed. Fucking pissed. I close my eyes and try to calm down. “He was lying. Obviously. But why the fuck was she with him? How was he able to find her?”
“Only she can tell us that.” Jet says. “But the question is will she remember anything?”
Doc shrugs, and it does nothing to help the uneasy feeling in my stomach. “I can’t say for sure. She has experienced some trauma. Her chart also showed a concussion …”
“Fuck!” I growl.
“It could cause memory loss,” he goes on. “Or whatever he did to her could have been so traumatic that her mind chooses to block it out.”
“I would say that was pretty traumatic. Hell, Doc said that he could hear her screaming from her hospital room for help,” Jet says softly. “If she didn’t cut her own wrist, then he did it.”
“She didn’t do it,” I snap. “She wouldn’t do that.”
“I want to believe you, but only she can tell us,” Jet says with a sigh.
I sit down next to her and run my hand over her dark hair. Her eyes haven’t opened since we left the hospital. I pray that when they do open, she doesn’t panic. I don’t want her to hurt herself more than he already has.
“They also didn’t state in the chart what she had been given,” Doc informs us.
“Why the fuck not?” Jet demands.
Doc shrugs. “Not sure. Maybe they didn’t care to take the time to write it down. Maybe they just didn’t care.”
“Then how are you going to wake her from it if you don’t know what she was given?” I ask.
“I’m not.” He sighs. “I’m gonna give her an IV, start her on a banana bag, and let her wake up at her own pace. But usually the drugs they administer last at the most two hours.”
SKYE
I’m floating. On a cloud. Maybe on a soft pillow. I just know that it feels good. Soft. But I have no control of where I go. Or what I do. I can’t move. I feel like I’m strapped down to the thing that has me floating.
“Skye, baby. I’m here. I’m right here.”
Where is here? Am I Skye?
Then I smell him. That manly scent I’d known anywhere. “Skye, open your eyes, baby.”
“Brecken?” I ask, my voice rough, and my eyelids still heavy.
“I’m here, baby. Right here,” I hear him say before I feel something soft on the side of my face.
My eyes flutter open, and I look around aimlessly to try to make out anything, but it’s all blurry. I close them as I whimper in pain. “Hurts ...”
“What hurts?” he asks.
“I … my…” I can’t seem to think straight.
“Talk to me, baby,” he urges. “Tell me what hurts.”
“Everything,” I say licking my lips. They feel numb.
“I can give her something for the pain, but it may take longer for her to come out of her sedation,” I hear a man say.
Sedation? Sedate her! Sedate her now! “No!” I say as my heart pounds in my chest. I shake my head quickly. “Don’t let them …”
“Shh,” I hear him say softly. “You’re okay, Skye. No one here is gonna hurt you.”
I open my eyes again, and Brecken leans over me as he runs the back of his knuckles down my cheek. I lean into him, liking the feeling. “Brecken?” I ask as he comes more into focus.
“It’s me, Skye. I’m right here.” His dark brown eyes look down on mine, and he gives me a soft smile. “Hey there, beautiful.”
“You had us worried.” I look to my right and see Jet standing there staring down at me as well.
“What …?” Worried? Why am I so tired? I tilt my head to the left and see Doc standing there. “Doc?”
“It’s me, Skye,” he says with a head nod. “You’re going to be okay. You just need to give it some time.”
My brows pull together, and I flinch from the pain in my head. “Give what time?” I ask slowly.
“The meds,” he says. “I gave you an IV. You need to let it take its course.”
I look down at my right arm and see a needle in it. Sedate her! Sedate her now! “Please don’t.” I look back at Brecken, and he frowns. “Don’t let them,” I say breathlessly. Other objects in the room start to come into focus, but I can’t place where I am. She needs to be restrained! I yank on my arms and realize they aren’t held captive.
“Skye …”
I sit up quickly, and my chest rises and falls rapidly as I suck in breaths. “Skye …” Two hands land on my chest, and my head snaps to the right to see Brecken staring at me with concern in his brown eyes. “You’re okay here,” he assures me. I shake my head as I suck in a deep breath. “No one is gonna hurt you, baby.” He gestures to the room we’re in. “Look, we are back at the
hotel.”
“The hospital …?” I ask frantically.
“We broke you out,” Jet says, and I look up at him. He smiles.
“Brecken?” I ask as tears start to sting my eyes as I look down at my hands in my lap. I see the white bandage wrapped around my left wrist, and it blurs for my tears. A sob escapes my lips.
A hand gently comes to my back and starts to rub it. “You’re okay, Skye,” I hear Brecken say. “You’re okay.”
I lift my hands and drop my head in them as I sob. He wraps his arms around me. Memories flood my mind.
“You killed her!” Robert screams as he pins me down on his kitchen floor. I feel blood. Lots of it. He has my hands pinned above my head, and they lay in a puddle of it. Pain like I’ve never felt. My wrists feel like someone is burning it.
“Noooo!” I scream as I try to buck him off.
“You are going to spend the rest of your life knowing that it was your fault Tiffany and her baby are dead.”
“Stop!” I sob as I feel my body start to calm. My fight starts to weaken.
“Oh, you killed her all right. You think Luca will let her live after what all you told her?” He shakes his head as I continue to cry on his kitchen floor.
“He’ll kill you.” I try to fight him, but it’s no use. My body goes limp.
“Who?” he asks with a tilt of his head.
“Brecken,” I whisper as my eyes start to close and a dizziness takes over my vision. “Brecken will kill you.”
He laughs at that. “Brecken doesn’t care if you live or die.” Then he leans down placing his face in front of mine, and whispers, “But don’t worry, I don’t plan to let you die. I want you to suffer the rest of your life for killing Tiffany.”
“I didn’t do it.” I cry into Brecken’s shirt. “I didn’t kill her.”
He lightly rocks me back and forth. “I know, baby. I know.” He holds me as if he’s never gonna let me go.
“Don’t let me go. Please,” I beg him.
He pulls away from me, and his hands come up to wipe away my tears. I try to calm my breathing and slow my tears. I have a pounding headache, and I still can’t quite grasp what is happening to me.
He looks me in the eyes as he places his hands on either side of my face. “I’m not going to,” he says matter-of-factly, and I sob at his words.
“I’m sorry,” I say placing my hands over my face. Ashamed of what I did.
He wraps his arms back around me and whispers, “Shh. I know. I know.”
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
BRECKEN
I lightly rock her back and forth, as Jet and Doc exit the bedroom. She’s lucid, and by the way she is crying, she remembers some of what happened between her and Robert.
“No one believed me,” she cries, and I hold her tighter, feeling sorry for her, for what she went through. How lost and confused she must have felt. How I wasn’t there for her. I should have never left to go to the club. I should have never left her here alone by herself.
She pulls back from my chest, and I look down at the tears running down her face. I hate to see them, but I’m thankful for the look in her eyes. It’s sadness. Heartbreaking sadness. I’ll take that over the look of nothingness that I saw when I found her strapped to that bed any day. “I asked for you,” she cries.
My chest tightens at her confession. “Oh, Skye, I’m so sorry.”
“I asked for you, and you weren’t there.” Her body shakes uncontrollably, and she starts to rock herself back and forth.
“I’m here now,” I say, pushing hair away from her face, but my hand pauses when I see blood in it. I hadn’t seen it before, but now, with the sunrise shining through our hotel window, it’s hard to miss. I swallow down the anger that rises. Now isn’t the time, Brecken.
“He lied to them.” She hiccups from her sobs. “He told them that he had called you.”
I frown. “I don’t understand.”
“I asked for you, and the nurse asked me who that was. I couldn’t answer.” She takes a break to swallow. “I didn’t understand what was happening. He told them that you were on your way, but I knew he was lying.” She sniffs.
I reach up, wipe the tears from her face, and sigh. “How did he get to you? Babe?” I ask softly. “How did he find you? Have you contacted him?” We had changed her number, but that’s not gonna do any good if she called him.
She looks up at me. Fresh tears fall down her cheeks, and I wipe them away. “I went to his house,” she whispers.
My back stiffens. “You what?”
“I went to kill him. I pulled my gun out, but he charged me.” She sobs as she raises her bandaged left wrist. “He pinned me down on the kitchen floor.” Bile rises in my throat as she recalls what he did to her. “And he cut my wrists with a kitchen knife.” I close my eyes as she gives me a visual, and I fist my hands down by my side and close them and open them. Repeating the motion a few times. “And then he held me there while I bled.” I open my eyes to look at her. “I remember trying to fight him, but I just kept getting weaker. When I woke up, I was in the hospital.”
I wrap my arms around her and pull her to me. I kiss her head not caring that she’s covered in her blood. But now, I know why it’s there. He held her down on his kitchen floor and cut her open. He kept her there until she lost enough to lose consciousness. That bastard is gonna pay for that.
I continue to hold her and kiss her hair, forehead, and cheeks. I tell her over and over that I’m here for her. That she is gonna be okay. I don’t know if the stuff they gave her is still in her system or if her body is just exhausted. But her cries begin to subside and her shaking calms down as her arms lose their grip on my neck.
I pull her away from me and lay her down. Her eyes are closed, and I lean down to kiss her forehead before pulling the covers up and over her.
I walk into the living room of the suite and see Doc sitting on the couch, Jet on the loveseat, and Case standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.
“How is she?” Jet asks, standing quickly, and if I could smile, I would. His concern for her eases me in a way. I thought we were gonna butt heads every second of this case, but he’s turned out to be very helpful.
“She fell asleep,” I tell him and walk into the open kitchen area.
I place my hands on the counter as I lean over it. I close my eyes as I suck in a deep breath. He pinned me down on his kitchen floor and cut my wrist … I open my eyes and grab the first thing I see, a glass bowl that holds apples in it, and I throw it across the room. It hits a wall and shatters into a hundred pieces as apples roll around the floor. “FUCK!” I shout, breathing heavy.
Everyone just stares at me as if I just didn’t have a moment of outrage. “She’s gonna be okay, Brecken,” Case tells me.
“That doesn’t change the fact of what happened to her,” I snap at him. I honestly don’t know who I’m madder at. Her or me.
She went to him?
She went to him?
I just can’t seem to fathom what the fuck she was thinking. Why she would willingly go to a man who is obviously dangerous. I bow my head, and I shake it. Calm down, Brecken. No matter what happened to her, she is safe. You have her now. I look up at Doc. “Thank you,” I say, and my throat closes on me. “I don’t … know …” I can’t even finish the sentence. I laugh at myself at how crazy I have become.
“No need to thank me,” he says as he stands. “You would have done the same if it had been for me,” Doc says, and I nod. “I’m going to check on her IV.” Then he walks out of the living room and down the hall to the bedroom.
I look at Case, and he is just staring at me. I look at Jet, and he is kicking around one of the apples that was in the glass bowl I destroyed. “How did you beat me to the hospital?” I ask Jet.
“I tried to stop you as you ran out but you kept going. I ran out after you and jumped in my car.” He shrugs. “Guess my car is faster than yours is.” He smiles at me proudly.
“Why d
id you go up there?” I ask, not returning it.
He hangs his head as he goes back to rolling the apple along the bottom of his shoe. “A man shouldn’t have to see some things by himself,” he says simply and looks up at me. “I knew that was going to be one of them. Plus, you were in no shape to drive.”
“Shit!” I hiss. “They towed my car.” I sigh.
“I’ll take Taylor with me and go get it when I leave here.” Case speaks. With Skye’s car totaled and mine in impound, we have no way to get around.
“Thank you,” I say and walk out of the kitchen. I make my way over to the couch and plop down; Case comes and sits down next to me. “You guys can leave,” I say, sitting back on the couch.
Jet shakes his head. “We have some shit to figure out. And although your woman didn’t try to commit suicide, I think she may have a death wish, and we need to do whatever we can for that not to happen.”
I snort. “I’ve thought that same thing several times,” I admit. “She drives me fucking crazy,” I say through gritted teeth, and Jet smiles at me as if he knows a secret. I look at Case. “Did you get anything else from Rusty?”
He shakes his head. “No, but he was extremely glad that you had to leave.” He chuckles. “He got to keep his other arm.”
“Not for long,” I growl.
Jet goes to open his mouth, but Doc enters the room again. “She is still asleep. I checked her vitals, and everything sounds good.” He digs into the pocket of his coat. “I had grabbed some meds before I left the hospital. I’ll leave them here for you.” He places them on the countertop. “If you have any questions, or she isn’t acting well, just call me. I’ll come to wherever you are at,” he says, and I stand from the couch.
“Thanks, man,” I say, pulling him in for a hug. He pats my back awkwardly and then we pull away.
“No need to thank me. Just glad she is gonna be okay. I removed the IV. She just needs some rest.” With that, he waves to the guys, they say their goodbyes, and then he walks out.
Obsession (Seven Deadly Sins Book 2) Page 33