“Have at her,” Tracy said. “See if you can whip her into shape, Doc.”
Aaron grinned at me lasciviously. “I’m sure I can.”
I tugged on the hem of my shirt, letting my fist curl into the fabric. I wanted to scratch his eyes out.
Aaron must have seen the mutinous look on my face, because his eyes narrowed, and then he looked back at Tracy. “Did you hear, there might be a new training seminar on malpractice and negligence? I, for one, think it should be mandatory, don’t you agree?” he asked her.
My whole body went cold, frozen stiff and stuck in place. The blood drained from my face.
Nurse Tracy nodded, saying something that I couldn’t hear over the roar of panic in my ears. I quickly shook my head, pleading at him with my eyes. He noticed, and a small smile played around his lips.
“Come on, Nurse Taylor, we should go over that file.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, barely recognizing my shaky voice.
Tracy was already walking away, off to save some more people while I walked in the shadow of my own personal devil. Like most broken souls, I followed him willingly into hell.
“I wanted to go over the treatment plan for Mrs. Salvador,” Aaron was saying, though it was hard to concentrate when my panic was still very much present. He was getting bolder in his threat, and it felt like every time I tried to take a step, he threatened to yank the floor out from under me. “I’ve hired a secondary nurse to assist with detoxing. Due to her unique situation, we’ll need around-the-clock care.”
Aaron led me into his office and closed the door, and the moment it shut, it felt like someone was standing on my chest. The smell of his expensive cologne permeated my clothes. Was this it? Was he going to rape me? Was he going to finish what he’d started back in Ecuador?
Tears singed behind my eyes matching the burn of acid crawling up my throat.
It was a series of decisions that led me here. A series of fuck ups and bad choices. But the problem was, I still didn’t know what the right choices would’ve been. How the hell could I have avoided all of this?
“Who’s the other nurse?” I asked, my voice dry and cracked.
Aaron started sifting through the papers on his desk, obviously looking for something. His office was a mess, his desk stacked high with files, a suit jacket slung over his chair, and boxes still unopened. My eyes glanced to the ring finger which still had a tan line where his wedding ring used to be. I knew he’d filed for divorce, but I didn’t know when it would be final, and I wasn’t about to ask.
“Ah, here it is,” he said, lifting up the file he’d been looking for. “Annabell Lacey? She’s on the night shift. She’ll be staying with the Salvadors overnight while you do wellness checks during the day.”
“Okay,” I replied, folding my hands in front of me. I internally breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he seemed to be in doctor mode. Maybe I’d get out of here unscathed.
“I normally wouldn’t advise a patient to seek in-home care. The most successful treatment plans have consistency and take the patient out of their environment so they aren’t constantly bombarded with triggers that spike addictive behaviors. But in-home has its advantages too. These treatments are hit or miss, so we might as well get paid to try. And what the Salvadors want, they get,” Aaron replied, his mouth downturned as he brushed his hand over his blonde hair.
“So what do you need from me?” I asked.
I just needed to get through Mrs. Salvador’s treatment and then save up enough money to get out on my own. It was becoming increasingly clear that I couldn’t hide from my family at Rogue’s house, not if Aaron was involved. I needed to get the hell out of Georgia. And unless I wanted to end up charged for medical negligence, I had to deal with this carefully.
He looked up at me from the file and then tossed it on the desk. “I need a lot of things from you, Royal,” he replied suggestively, scanning his eyes up and down my body.
It took everything in me not to back away and run out the door. But then he continued on as if he’d never said anything. “I want to have team meetings every day at shift change so that we can update one another on her progress. I’ve brought on an addictionologist and a psychologist to monitor her transition. Detective Mervicker will also be attending weekly meetings to check her ankle bracelet and make sure she’s on track.”
I pulled out my notebook from my pocket and started taking notes. I actually found myself feeling...passionate about this. I refused to tell myself that it was because Luis’s mother was the patient, and I wanted to help him.
“Your main role will be monitoring vitals and withdrawal symptoms. I want updates on her charts every thirty minutes.”
I balked at that. Most jobs required hourly documentation.
“The psychologist will be monitoring her mood and keeping her stabilized. Mrs. Salvador has anxiety that needs to be treated, but we want to be careful not to encourage usage with prescriptions like Xanax because it’s listed as one of her addictions.”
I nodded while scribbling more notes, not noticing that Aaron had stepped closer to me. It wasn’t until I could feel the heat rolling off his skin that I looked up.
“Wh-what else?” I croaked out, feeling anxious by his closeness. Carefully. I needed to tread carefully.
He looked down at me steadily. “The addictionologist will be addressing her willingness to change. I want you logging their sessions and sending any changes to me,” he ordered.
That wasn’t necessarily in my job description, and something was telling me that he was exercising his influence to have more control over me. He lifted his hand and trailed his pointed finger down my cheek. I turned my head away, but he just followed the movement. “A social worker has also been brought in to work with Luis. They want to make sure he’s not in an unsafe environment.”
At the mention of Luis, my entire body went rigid. “Right,” I gritted.
His eyes hardened at my tone. “I want you to be successful at this, Nurse Taylor, but a lot is riding on your ability to keep this job. And your freedom.”
Fucking asshole.
My anger snapped like a branch. “If you think you can threaten your way into my pants, you’re wrong. Regardless of what you might think, I’d rather rot in a jail cell than be chained to you. And rape is just as punishable by law, so if you take me down, I’ll take you down with me.”
I pressed both hands on his chest and shoved him away from me, throwing him off balance and making the back of his thighs hit the desk. He gaped at me, but the satisfaction was short-lived.
Popping his neck, Aaron’s face turned cruel as he straightened up. I was stuck in limbo, anticipating his reaction. I was waiting for him to yell, force himself on me, maybe even hit me. I could practically feel the air thrumming with the threat. It matched the frantic beating of my heart.
But instead, his expression turned blank, his black eyes wiped clean of all emotion. “I want urine analyses for every time she goes to the restroom,” he continued as if nothing had happened.
It threw me completely off-balance. Which, I realized, was his intention.
“I’d also like you to perform fecal matter tests to make sure there was no permanent damage to her gastrointestinal system. And you know what? Annabelle Lacey might not be the best fit for the night shift. I think I’d like for you to take that, and she can have day shift.”
Another punishment.
“I can’t do the night shifts there and day shifts here at the hospital,” I argued. I’d have no time between, barely enough of a break to sleep.
Aside from the schedule being insane, I couldn’t handle spending nights at Luis’s house.
I’d been hoping this situation with Aaron would cool down on its own, that he would get bored of his obsession with me and move on. But if anything, it had only gotten worse. I kept thinking that I could get control of it again—that I could fix this. But I was being buried alive beneath my mistakes, and more kept piling on.
&nbs
p; I knew I could go to Godfrey, but just once in my fucked up life, I wanted to handle this on my own. He was always fighting my battles, always taking the beating. My brother was finally happy, and maybe it was ridiculous of me to not go to him for help, but I was so ashamed of what I’d done and so scared to drag him into my mess that it kept my lips sealed shut. I just had to survive. Keep my head down. Hide.
“Can you do your job or not, Nurse Taylor?” he demanded.
I gritted my teeth. “I can do it.”
With a satisfied nod, Aaron passed over a file, and I looked down at the contract for Mrs. Salvador’s private care. My eyes widened at the pay rate.
Seventy grand.
The pay for Mrs. Salvador’s treatment would be more than enough for me to run away and never look back. Luis was shelling out a year’s pay for six weeks of work. I could do this. I could survive. I could bide my time.
At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.
“If this new schedule isn’t to your liking, then I suppose you need to impress me so that I sign off on you having fewer shifts at the hospital,” he added smoothly, his words sliding through me like a bullet in the chamber. “Or perhaps I should chat with your grandfather again…”
My eyes snapped up, and I tossed the file back on his desk. “Stay away from my family.”
“He approached me,” he said smugly. “He’s a traditional man, Royal. He reached out to me once you left Ecuador. He thinks I could salvage your reputation once my marriage to Penelope has officially ended. I’d hoped to reconnect organically, but this relationship has already been decided.”
My mouth dropped open in shock as his words filtered into my mind. Rocks collected in my stomach and scraped me raw. My granddaddy had reached out to Aaron? I probably shouldn’t be surprised, but I was angry and embarrassed. There was no way I was going to let them actually marry me off to a man like him. He was a stalker. A predator. My grandparents could choke on the tatters of my reputation for all I cared.
“Please don’t do this. Just let me do my job. I’ll do everything you asked. I didn’t mean to kill her,” I cried, feeling hot tears drip onto my cheeks.
He laughed at me. Laughed. It was a mean, heartless sound that hurt to hear.
“I can see why your family wants to get rid of you,” he said cruelly, stepping into my space. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear, and I squeezed my eyes shut, wanting to rip myself away from this reality. “But I’ll teach you how to behave. Unlike your father and grandfather, I won’t be lenient on punishments, and I won’t quit.”
When his tongue came out to dig into the crevice of my ear, a small sob croaked out of my throat. “Aaron, please don’t.”
He ignored my plea. “You acted out of turn last night.”
“I’m sorry I lost my temper,” I said quickly. I needed to get out. I needed to get the fuck away. But the only way I was going to do that right now was to appease his ego. “But I don’t want to be involved with you.”
“We work together. We’re already involved.”
“Romantically,” I clarified, though there was nothing romantic about our exchanges.
“You don’t get to decide that,” he replied evenly. “I’ve already signed a contract with your grandfather. As soon as my divorce is finalized, you’ll be taking my name.”
I waited for my brain to catch up with what he’d said. But that couldn’t be right. That couldn’t… they wouldn’t…
“Reach into my left pocket,” he ordered suddenly.
“What?”
The finger on my cheek moved down until his hand was around my neck. He squeezed slightly. “I’m not going to repeat myself.”
I swallowed beneath his touch and did as he said. As soon as my hand dipped into his pants pocket, I brushed against his hard erection. He let out a groan. My hand shook, but I quickly grabbed whatever was inside the pocket and yanked it quickly out. Looking down at my palm, I blinked at the crumpled pink fabric as realization crashed over me.
They were panties. My fucking panties. I was positive that they’d been in my dirty clothes hamper in my bedroom back at home. That meant that he’d been in my room while I wasn’t there. My mind flashed back to the photos he’d had of me sleeping in the break room back in Ecuador.
The panties slipped from my hand, landing at our feet. My mouth was too dry to talk, but Aaron was smirking at me. The roar in my ears had gone off like a bomb, drowning out everything but my own deadly dread.
When his hand reached around to grab my ass, I flinched, only to be trapped against his chest. His hot, nauseating breath hovered over my cheek, and I knew that it came straight from the heat of hell. “I’m going to enjoy breaking you, you know,” he said, his voice low. “Bit by bit, I’m going to crush down that rebellious backbone of yours until it’s nothing but dust. I’m going to own you. Control you. Fuck you whenever I please. And you’re going to accept it, or you’ll end up just like poor Mrs. Almendarez. ”
My eyes were wide with terror when he pulled away to survey my face. Whatever he saw made him smile. He placed a dry kiss against my unmoving lips. “You’re dismissed, Nurse Taylor. Don’t misbehave again.”
As soon as he released me, I stumbled out of his office and ran down the hall. Too bad you couldn’t outrun the devil.
Chapter Thirteen
Royal
When I pulled up to Luis’s later that night, the club below was so busy I couldn’t even wait for the valet, or I would’ve been late.
I ended up parking two blocks away and walking back, which meant I had to pass all the club goers dressed in their miniskirts and YouTube makeup, looking like they were ready to walk down a runway. The line was all the way around the corner, and the bouncer at the door was obviously being very picky about who he let in because there were plenty of beautiful people waiting.
I walked past them with my bag of supplies, dressed in my scrubs and comfy shoes, feeling totally out of place. Even the bouncer gave me a side eye. Hurrying past the line, I walked around the side of the building and up the stairs, using the key I’d been given. According to the other nurse, Mrs. Salvador’s day had been okay, so I was hoping that the night would go smoothly too.
After getting through the exterior access, I stopped in front of the main entry door and quickly ran my hands through my tangled blonde hair. I tried to tell myself that I would’ve been worried about my appearance for any new patient, but I was bullshitting myself. I tried to tell myself that it had nothing to do with the fact that Luis literally had hundreds of beautiful women practically at his doorstep, and that I didn’t feel the push of competition.
Cursing myself for being an idiot, I forced my hands to my sides. I couldn’t keep thinking like that. Luis wasn’t mine to chase, and I shouldn’t be trying to impress him.
The second I opened the front door, I was hit with the smell of food cooking and spices. I nearly moaned at how good it smelled. My eyes flickered to the kitchen as I walked inside, and I nearly moaned again at the sight that greeted me.
Luis was standing shirtless and barefoot in the kitchen, his cell phone positioned between his ear and his shoulder as he stirred something in a skillet. My mouth watered, but I wasn’t sure if it was from how good whatever he was cooking smelled or because Luis’s tanned and muscular back made me want to sink my teeth into his skin and fuck him on the—nope. Those were exactly the kinds of thoughts I needed to fight against.
“I told you. I want our inventory checked daily. We have too much booze going out that’s not accounted for in our profit margins. Either you figure out what’s going on with our supply, or I’ll be forced to have a conversation with your bartenders. When I hired you to manage the bar, I did it with the expectation that you’d keep things organized. If I don’t have a list of every damn drop of beer, wine, and liquor in my hands by tomorrow morning, it’ll be your job on the line.”
My eyes widened at his tone. I couldn’t even deny how hot he sounded, bossing someone around.
More and more, I was realizing that he wasn’t some naive eighteen-year-old. He’d been forced to grow up a long time ago. He ran several profitable businesses—businesses his mother was supposed to be overseeing. Not to mention the fact that he also had to take care of her.
I knew that the age thing was really a non-issue, but I was clinging to it. Yeah, people would talk, but I didn’t really care about that. I just didn’t want Luis to get sucked into my toxic air. Trouble followed me wherever I went, and he didn’t need another disaster of a female in his life that he’d have to take care of.
I moved forward and placed my bag on the kitchen island, which made him look over. The moment he saw me, his eyes sparkled with happiness. It caught me off guard. Me. I made him look happy. I didn’t deserve that look.
I could feel his attentiveness on every inch of my skin as he looked at me, and my body buzzed with heat. How he made me feel sexy when I had no makeup and was wearing scrubs, I had no idea.
He nodded to whoever he was talking to on the phone. “Yeah, you need to tell the chef if he sends out one more hors d’oeuvre that looks like the monstrosity I got last night, I’ll fire him and hire that new chef down the street. Yeah, I’m sure. Alright. Yep. Just handle it. Talk to you later,” he said before hanging up and walking around the island to greet me. “Your Majesty.”
My eyes traveled up and down his abs before he suddenly pulled me against his chest. This was professional, right? A friendly hug?
He breathed in the scent of my hair and held me so adoringly that I had to resist the urge to curl my body against his. “I hope you’re hungry. I’m making frijoles charros.”
I pulled back before I allowed myself to melt against him. “It smells delicious. I didn’t know you could cook.”
“There’s a lot of things I can do,” he said with a grin.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure,” I said, not rising to the bait.
Wild: Savannah Heirs Page 13