Giving her hand a soft squeeze, Eden shook his head. "Never would have happened, Shy. There was no way in hell I wasn't getting here in time."
"Shylah!"
Both Eden and Shylah looked up to see Doctor O'Neil run into the room.
Goddamn it, was there no other doctor at this hospital?
"I just heard. Are you okay?"
Crouching down in front of Shylah, the doctor took out his penlight and shined it in her eyes. She didn't react at all.
"My wrist hurts."
"Left or right."
Eden thought that was damn obvious.
"Left. I have some nerve damage there. I'm supposed to be careful with it. I do exercises for it every day. I'm not sure if further damage has been done." Shylah was looking at the doctor, but it wouldn't surprise him if she wasn't really seeing him.
"No need to worry until we have some definitive answers. I'll organize a scan."
The doctor reached down to help Shylah, but Eden scooped her up in his arms before he could touch her.
"I'm staying with her."
"Now, Eden, when it's time for the scan—"
"I'm staying with her." The tone of Eden's voice brooked no argument.
It was clear the doctor wasn't happy, but this time he said nothing.
Good, because Eden wasn't about to let Shylah leave his sight for a second.
20
Eden stood in his living room with his team.
It was early, and Shylah still slept. She would probably be asleep for a while after what happened yesterday.
Eden hadn't slept more than a couple hours. His SEAL training in combination with his body's newer abilities meant he could function on less than most.
With fists clenched at his sides, Eden couldn't shake the rage he felt over yesterday's attack. If he had been five minutes later . . . the thought of what could have happened turned the blood in Eden's veins to ice.
"How's Shylah doing, Hunter?" Oliver asked from his place on the couch.
Attempting to unclench his fists, Eden turned his gaze to Oliver. "She's damn tough. Only woke a couple of times last night. She got an MRI on her wrist straight after it happened—bruised nerves, which was the best-case scenario. She's also got a bruise on her temple that makes me want to hunt down that son of a bitch and kill him."
Mason turned, appearing just as angry. "He's in the county jail. I spoke to Sheriff Peters, who said we could question him." He paused for a moment before adding, "Off the record."
Worked for Eden. "Good. I'm going."
He would get the answers he needed from that asshole one way or another.
"I'm going with you," Mason said. Giving his friend a nod, he knew it was necessary to have Mason there, particularly if Eden didn't like what the fucker said.
"Do we have any information on what was in the syringe?" Luca asked from across the room.
Wyatt's face gave him away before he spoke. "Nothing. The contents of the syringe were all used up, so we have nothing to test. It's frustrating."
"No shit," Asher muttered.
"I'm thinking whatever was in that syringe is the same shit that the guy who attacked me was on. Probably also the same stuff being given to whoever was kept in those empty cages we found," Kye said.
If that were true, Eden wondered if the guy who attacked Shylah knew what would happen. Had he walked into that room knowing what he would be injected with and how he would react to the drug?
"How would Shylah have gotten her hands on the drug to inject him?" Bodie asked, frowning.
"She said she thought she was injecting him with a flu shot. Someone must have set it up and switched the drug," Eden voiced gruffly.
"Why Shylah though? And why did he want her so badly that he didn't even try to fight you? Surely his first priority should have been to fight the bigger threat. He only had eyes for her," Mason said, crossing his arms across his chest.
"It was like he was desperate to get to her, and Eden was just in his way," Asher added.
"They're answers that we need from him," Mason said, his voice unyielding.
"And we'll get them," Eden responded with equal determination.
There was no question about it. Eden would get the answers he needed. Screw the law and screw ethics. No way was he walking away without finding out why the fucker had targeted Shylah.
Eden paused at the slight shuffling he heard from the bedroom. Shylah was awake.
"Looks like the government is close to locating another possible set up. They said they'd let me know once they have confirmation," Wyatt said.
Asher scoffed, "You mean once they get intel that we know so they can clear out."
"No shit," Oliver said, rolling his eyes.
"We don't really have any other options at the moment," Wyatt said, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Evie and I have been working around the clock searching for the people we found in the files we hacked. It's like they all disappeared off the damn planet."
Luca shrugged. "Troy said Project Arma is bigger than we can imagine. What if they have people everywhere? Their reach could be more extensive than we think."
Troy had said that when he'd taken Evie. The team had hoped he had been exaggerating, but so far, it wasn't looking like that at all.
Eden kept an ear on what was going on in the bedroom. He heard Shylah in the shower and hoped she was coping okay with her wrist. If he heard even an ounce of discomfort, he would be in there in an instant.
Pushing off the wall, Eden turned to Luca. "Is it okay if I bring Shylah to you and Evie when I go visit our friend in prison?"
"Not a problem, Hunter. Evie likes Shylah a lot. I think it's been nice for her to have another girlfriend in town."
"Yeah, it's been good for Shy, too, having both Evie and Lexie around."
"Lexie might even be there. Those girls seem to be stuck at the hip these days."
"No, Lex boxes at the boxing and Pilates studio on Tuesday afternoons," Asher jumped in casually. Seven pairs of eyes fell on him once he'd spoken. "What?"
"Are you guys dating or what?" Luca asked with a chuckle.
Frowning like it was a ridiculous assumption, Asher shook his head. "Not that it's any of your business, asshole, but no, we're not dating."
"Why the hell not? You spend enough time together," Bodie said and dug his elbow into Asher's ribs.
"Why do people always need to put labels on everything? We like each other, but that doesn't mean we need to be 'official.'" Asher used his fingers to show air quotes when he said the last word.
Whatever Asher's aversion to commitment was, was his own business, Eden thought. Anyone with two eyes could see that they were obsessed with each other. But only they could sort out their own shit.
Upon hearing the shower turn off, Eden took a step forward. "Okay, time for me to check on my woman." Eden darted his eyes across to Mason. "Once I see how Shylah's doing, I'll message for a time for us to visit the county prison."
"Got it."
Then they filtered out, leaving his home silent.
Walking up to his bedroom, Eden opened the door, and his eyes zoomed in on Shylah struggling to hook the clasp on her bra. Walking straight over to her, Eden's fingers went to the clasp to help her.
"You should have stayed in bed and waited. I could have helped you."
"I'm okay. I need to keep using my wrist anyway. The less I use it, the stiffer it gets."
Growling, Eden turned Shylah in his arms. "You need to rest."
"I'm fine, Eden," Shylah said, placing her hands on his chest. "I know what exercises I need to do, and I'm feeling surprisingly okay today."
Eden's eyes shifted to the purple bruise on her temple, anger boiling inside him. Screw information, he would murder the fucker that had hurt her.
"How's your head feel?" Eden asked, brushing a piece of hair off her face.
"Honestly, if I don't look at myself in the mirror, I forget it's there."
"No headache?"
Eden questioned. Shylah hesitated, and Eden's eyes narrowed. "I'll get you some pain meds after you're dressed."
Shylah just nodded as she went in search of her clothes. She had brought most of her things over from her apartment, bit by bit. It helped that she didn't have much.
Eden made a mental note to take her shopping.
Pulling a dress over her head, Shylah turned and gave Eden a tight smile. He could see that she was hiding her discomfort.
"Let's go get you those pain meds," Eden grumbled, taking Shylah's right hand. He would have carried her if she'd let him, but he already knew what the result of trying would be.
Once in the kitchen, Eden took out two pills, poured a cup of water, and placed them in front of Shylah as she sat. Next, he turned and took out some eggs and bread.
"I'm not that hungry, Eden," Shylah said softly.
"You need to eat," Eden grumbled. "Especially if you intend to keep down those pain meds."
While he prepared breakfast, Eden tried to keep the conversation light with no discussion of what happened last night. He knew she was distracted. He couldn't blame her. Her eyes kept flickering back to the bruises on her wrist, making Eden's muscles clench.
Placing their plates down on the table, Eden broached the topic of this afternoon. "I've got to go take care of some work stuff with Eagle. I thought I'd drop you at Rocket's so you can hang out with Evie for a bit."
Shylah glanced up from her plate, a look of contemplation on her face. "You're going to go question the guy who attacked me, aren't you?"
Damn, she was too perceptive.
Not wanting to lie, Eden nodded. "Yes."
"I want to go too."
Eden started at Shylah's unexpected response.
"No." Hell, no. No way would he be placing Shylah in the same room as that animal.
"Eden," Shylah leaned forward as she said his name, pleading. "I have questions of my own for him. I'd like to ask them in person."
"No," Eden repeated firmly. "Any questions you have, I can get answers for you."
Sitting back, Shylah cocked her head to the side, a frown on her face. "Won't you and Mason both be there? How much safer could I be?"
"Not being in the same room as the guy who tried to kill you is a hell of a lot safer." Eden couldn't believe she wanted to see the asshole again. He thought even being in the same town would be too close. It sure as hell was for him.
"Eden, please. A guy I don't know, attacks me at my place of work, for seemingly no reason. I need to see him, see that I'm safe when he's not been injected with some mysterious drug. I need closure." Gaze lowering, Shylah picked at the food in front of her with trembling fingers. "Plus, I don't feel safe with anyone but you. I want to stick close to you."
Eden fought for calm as turmoil boiled inside him. "Rocket is just as capable of protecting you as I am."
"I know that makes sense logically, but I don't have the same faith in him as I do you." Eyes lifting again, they were pleading with Eden and, damn it, it was working. "You're my safe place, Eden."
Pressing his lips together, Eden released a low growl before speaking. "Fine, you can come." Eyes widening slightly, Shylah seemed just as surprised as Eden by his words. "But you stay behind me and Mason the whole time, and if for one moment I suspect you're not safe, we're out. Got it?"
Nodding vigorously, Shylah nibbled her lip.
Rising from her seat, Shylah circled the table to stand in front of Eden.
Arms immediately wrapping around her body, he pulled her into him.
"Thank you," Shylah murmured against his chest.
"I already almost lost you once, Shy, I will not lose you again."
Raising her head to look at Eden, her hand pressed against his chest. "You won't. When I'm with you, I'm the safest I could be."
"Damn straight."
21
Shylah didn't have to look down at her hands to know that they were shaking.
Glancing to the side, she noticed the tension in Eden's features as he drove them to the county jail. He hadn't said a word the whole car ride. He may as well be her Uber driver for all the interaction they were having.
Casting her eyes back to the road, the trees thinned as they neared town. The closer she and Eden got to the prison, the more sick with nerves she felt.
It wasn't that she feared Ben. She knew that Eden and Mason would guard her with their lives. There was no way he would get past them.
But Ben's black eyes were on constant replay in her head. The hate and anger had been so strong, and all aimed at her. She hadn't been able to get more than a couple of hours of sleep last night.
Even though the fear was strong, Shylah had to be brave. There were too many questions in her head, the main one being, why her? She didn't know him, had never seen him in her life.
Was he working for someone else? Project Arma? And if he was, was she a target for them?
Shylah's palms got sweaty at that thought. From what she'd heard, they were powerful and had a far reach. Eden was strong, but there was no way he could protect her forever if people so powerful wanted her dead.
When the truck came to a stop, Shylah took a steadying breath before stepping outside. The cool breeze went some way in soothing her.
She could do this. She had to. She needed to hear from his mouth why he'd attacked her and why the fury in his eyes had been directed her way.
Eden came around the car. Taking Shylah's hand in his, they started walking toward the building.
Eden's continual silence made Shylah want to back out and agree to go to Luca and Evie's just so she would get the old Eden back. But she couldn't do it. Shylah needed to do this for her.
"Remember what I said, Shy, you remain behind Eagle and me at all times."
"Got it," Shylah said quietly, in a voice with a slight shake in it.
Of course, Eden heard and stopped immediately.
"Nope, your heart sounds like it's going to beat out of your damn chest. You're scared shitless, Shy. No way are you going in there." Turning, Eden pulled at Shylah's arm only to have her dig her heels into the ground.
"No, Eden, I'm okay."
"You're not." Eden's voice was hard as he attempted to pull Shylah once again.
Stumbling slightly as she refused to move her feet, Eden stopped immediately and turned to look at her.
"Yes, I am, Eden. I'm scared. Who wouldn't be? The guy attacked me, and I'm about to stand in the same room as him. But there's no way in hell I'm going to let that stop me. I want to see him, talk to him. I need to." Shylah's eyes pleaded with Eden, knowing that if he said no, she would never get her closure.
"Fine," Eden growled after a moment. "But don't for one second think I won't drag you out of there at the sight of danger. Answers or not."
Nodding, Shylah turned back toward the prison, Eden's angry energy bouncing off him.
Stepping inside the building, they caught sight of Mason standing in the foyer. There was no smile on his face. He was all business. "Ready?"
"Let's get this over with," Eden muttered.
Mason started walking down the hall, Eden and Shylah trailing close behind. "They've left him in the back room. No cameras and soundproof walls. We have an hour."
Soundproof walls? Shylah swallowed, sparing the two men a quick glance. What the hell did they have planned for this guy?
Shooting another nervous glance at Eden, his jaw was clenched, and the veins on his arms stood out. She had a feeling she didn't want to know.
"That will be enough time," Eden said, voice devoid of emotion.
At the end of a long hall, they came to a stop outside a closed door. A uniformed officer stood in front of it and gave Mason a nod.
Without a word, the officer handed Mason a key before walking back down the hall.
The sound of Mason inserting the key and turning the lock echoed through the otherwise quiet hallway. As he pushed the door open, Shylah's heart jumped into her throat.
Tightening her
clasp on Eden's hand slightly, he pulled her into the room.
Once inside, Eden pushed Shylah behind his big body as Mason locked the door behind them.
Taking a deep breath, Shylah glanced around Eden. Her heart lurched. Ben sat on a bench at the back of the room, an evil smile on his face.
"I knew you'd come. I didn't expect you to bring the nurse. What a nice surprise for an otherwise mundane day."
Shylah took a step to the side so she could get a better look at him. Ben's eyes slid down Shylah's body just as they had yesterday, sending a sick feeling to her stomach.
"Get your eyes off her, asshole. If you knew we were coming, you know this isn't a friendly visit," Eden said, his voice cold as ice.
Ben's brows pulled together, feigning confusion. "You mean you didn't bring me any cookies? What about donuts? They don't provide much in terms of baked goods for the prisoners here." Face splitting into a smile that made Shylah's blood cool, Ben leaned forward. "That's okay, you brought me her. That's much better."
Eden took an angry step forward, only to be stopped by Mason's hand on his arm. Stepping in front of Eden, Mason's voice was angry but controlled. "We want information, and if you work with us, you'll find this will be a lot more pleasant for you."
Lifting his brows, Ben kept his smile in place.
How had she missed the deranged look in this man's eyes yesterday when she'd entered that room?
"Well, I wouldn't want this to be an unpleasant experience. What information do I possess that you would like?"
Taking another step closer to Ben, Mason crossed his arms. "How about we start with how you got involved in this."
Ben leaned back again, looking far too relaxed for someone at the mercy of a pair of lethal former SEALs. "Got kicked out of the military. Son of a bitch didn't like some of my methods or ethics. A week later got a call from these guys offering me money to take part in a drug trial. Promised me I'd be stronger, faster. Hell yeah, I agreed to that."
Shylah's eyes widened. They were recruiting soldiers with little to no ethics and giving them increased abilities?
Eden: A steamy contemporary military romance (Project Arma Book 2) Page 15