“I’m going to fetch the nurse. She needs to know Bleu is awake so she can assess her and call the doctor.”
I bring Bleu’s hand to my mouth for a kiss. “This is all my fault, Bonny. I’m so sorry I didn’t protect you and our children.”
She’s sobbing, tears rolling from the corners of her eyes on to the pillow beneath her head. “I’m bleeding. Does that mean I’m going to lose them?”
“The doctor says they look stable.”
She strains to sit up and winces. “Oh my God. It hurts.”
“What hurts? Where?”
“Everywhere.”
I feel helpless. I can’t make this better for her.
“Mum went to get a nurse. We’ll ask her to get you something for pain.”
The nurse comes quickly but is taking forever to assess Bleu. “She’s in agony. Can you give her something and then do this?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t do that, Mr. Breckenridge, but I promise I’m hurrying.”
I’m not at all pleased by how long it takes Bleu to get medication but I can tell when it begins to work. She’s much more relaxed. “Feeling better?”
“A little, but this is going to hurt like hell for a while.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“At least the narcotics help.”
“No. I mean I’m sorry this happened. It’s all my fault.”
“You didn’t do this to us. Torrence Grieve is to blame.”
“I left my pregnant wife at home without protection while I knew that my enemy was lying in wait. I was foolish and careless with the people I love most in this world. There’s no excuse.” I clasp her hand tightly. “Can you forgive me?”
“I thought I was fine and could protect myself. But I guess I’m not invincible. I think we both learned valuable lessons.” That can’t be the extent of how she feels. Maybe her mood is altered by what they gave her for pain.
She has sleepy eyes. “It’s all right if you want to take a nap.”
“I’m so tired.” Her voice is slowed.
“Go to sleep. I’ll be by your side. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Maybe just a little snooze.”
Bleu shuts her swollen eyes for less than a minute before they pop open. “Lainie! I promised we’d take her away from that place!”
“We brought her with us.”
“Where is she?”
“She was in bad shape and needed to be examined.”
“Is she all right?”
“I don’t know.”
“No one is with her?” Bleu is alarmed.
“I guess not.”
“Someone from The Fellowship needs to be with her in case Torrence or one of his minions comes for her.”
“I can assure you that Grieve won’t be coming for her.”
“You killed him. I’m glad.”
I’ve never been more pleased by a person’s death. “Aye. And the other two who beat you. Killing Torrence was the best move I could’ve made for us and our people.”
“But the others could come for Lainie.”
“Bonny. She’s Order. Our enemy. It’s not our job to protect Lainie from her own people. I wouldn’t have taken her out of there if I’d known who she was.”
“But they’re horrible people.”
“True, but members of The Order are part of that circle by choice.”
“Not Lainie. Her parents traded her to Torrence for money and power. She tried to escape and he locked her in that cabin. She’s been there for two months. He’s been raping her so she’d become pregnant with his child.”
At the very least I owe Lainie my help and support since Jason’s death set off a firestorm that has severely impacted her life. And I mustn’t forget she tried to help my wife and took a beating for it. “Mitch is in the waiting room. I’ll send him to sit with her for now. We’ll figure out the rest later.”
“Thank you.”
The door to Bleu’s hospital room should be swapped out for one that will revolve. A parade of no fewer than a half-dozen doctors pass through it over the next couple of hours. Like clockwork, one leaves and another enters within fifteen minutes. It’s much the same with our friends and family. The Fellowship wants to show their support for their leader and his wife.
But Bleu is exhausted. I see it in her heavy lids. It’s time for all visitors to go. Even Lorna and Westlyn, although I know it won’t be easy.
“Bleu’s too nice to say it so I’m going to do it for her. You’ve done an excellent job of seeing to her every need. But she’s really tired and needs her rest.”
“Maybe we can step out for a while,” Westlyn says.
Lorna nods in agreement. “We’ll sit in the waiting room.”
Stepping out to the waiting room means they’ll be back in a little while. “I’m here to take care of her, so go home. You can come back tomorrow after she’s rested.”
I don’t give them a choice. I can tell they don’t like it much but they do as I tell them.
It’s finally the two of us. “Thank you for doing that.”
“All part of a husband’s dirty job.”
She lifts the covers. “I want to be close to you. Come lie next to me while I sleep.”
I kick off my shoes and slide in beside my wife. I’m forced to leave my prosthesis on, something I never do when I get into bed.
We lie on our sides spooning. “It’s all right for you to be angry with me about what happened. I promised to keep you safe and I didn’t. I deserve every bit of your fury.”
She sighs. “I never once thought I needed you to safeguard me. I fancied myself doing you a favor by agreeing to let you play the part of my protector. But I had it all wrong. I’m tough but I put myself in danger by not seeing my own weaknesses.” She curls into me like a frightened child. “I can’t believe I was so wrong.”
She’s trembling so I tighten my hold. “I’m so sorry. I swear that will never happen again. Things are going to be different when we go home. When I’m away, you and the babies will have a minimum of two bodyguards at all times.”
“I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I think I need that to feel safe again.”
My wife doesn’t feel safe. That breaks my heart because it’s a testament to the husband I’ve been. But I’m going to do everything in my power to gain her trust again.
“Debra called me right before The Order took me. She got the evidence we needed to prove Abram is innocent. At least of my mother’s murder. I’m sure he’s guilty of plenty of other offenses.”
I know Abram is capable of a lot but I never believed he was guilty of Amanda Lawrence’s murder. “How do you feel about that?”
“I should be happy your uncle didn’t kill my mother. But I’m not. I hate him.”
She should. He’s done terrible things to her. “Abram is finished badgering you. I’ll see to that personally.”
There’s a knock at the door. When it doesn’t open right away, I know it’s not a doctor or nurse. They don’t wait for an invitation to enter.
I told my people no interruptions. I was very clear about it. And now someone is disrupting one of the most important conversations I’ve ever had with my wife.
“Hold on,” I snap. “Fuck!” I toss back the covers and swing my legs around to replace my shoes.
Bleu touches my back. “Don’t get up.”
I twist to kiss her forehead. “I’ll only be gone long enough to reprimand whoever this is disturbing us.”
I open the door and find Kyle, one of two men I’ve assigned to guard Bleu’s door. “I told you no disturbances. My wife needs rest,” I growl. What part of that does he not fucking understand?
“We have a problem, Sin. A big one,” he whispers.
Chapter 5
Bleu Breckenridge
“I need to step out with Kyle. I’ll only be a minute.”
“No.” I try to sit up but stop when the pain is too great. “Don’t go.”
“I’m not leaving y
ou. I’ll just be right outside the door for a moment. Promise.”
Wrinkles crease Sin’s forehead. The deep ones only make an appearance when he’s worried. “Something’s wrong.”
“Fellowship business. Nothing for you to be concerned about. Rest and I’ll be back before you can miss me.”
He leaves, shutting the door behind him, not giving me the chance to argue further.
Rest? He has to be kidding. Like that’s going to happen when I know there’s a problem.
God, I hope nothing has happened to Lainie.
Sin returns and plants himself in the chair next to my bed. “I’m going to tell you what’s going on but do not get upset. It isn’t good for you or the babies.”
“Telling me to not get upset makes me get upset.”
“Ellison is in Edinburgh.”
“What! Why? It’s only been four days since we spoke. She doesn’t know this happened, does she?”
“I don’t think it has anything to do with your kidnapping. I’m inclined to think she’s here as a surprise.”
Shit. Talk about bad timing. “She’s going to have a come-apart when she finds out I’m in the hospital and haven’t called her.”
“She’s at Agnes’s because I can’t let her into our flat.” Right. That damn bloody message on the wall. She’d flip the fuck out if she saw it, as would any normal person.
“I have a crew working to erase all evidence of what happened. New paint in the living room. New furniture. But they’ll need at least a day to make it happen. What should we do with her in the meantime?”
There’s nothing to consider. “I don’t have a choice. I have to see her.” Like this.
For a moment, I push away the worries of how I’ll explain everything. I’m happy. I get to see my sister after being apart for months.
“She’s going to want answers.”
“Of course she will. And she’ll get explanations.”
But they won’t be the truth.
Sin’s phone alerts him to a new message. “It’s Jamie—texting to let me know he and Ellison just arrived.”
I may throw up. Really. “I’m more nervous than a fox at a hound convention.”
“At least you still have your humor.” Sin sits on the edge of my bed and places his hand on my leg. “Don’t be so tense. The story’s a good one. She has no reason to suspect it’s a lie.”
“Anyone still here?”
“My parents are in the waiting room. And Mitch, but he’s still with Lainie.”
“He’s been with her for hours.”
“I sent Kyle to relieve him but he said he was fine and wouldn’t leave.” That’s a little strange.
“Will you tell Kyle and Blare to not allow anyone in my room while Ellison’s here?” The less contact she has with The Fellowship, the better.
“I’ve already put out an order for everyone to stay away from the hospital. A large crowd draws attention. I’d prefer the staff didn’t figure out it was my face all over the newspaper the past few days.”
Agreed. I don’t want my nurses to realize who Sin is, either, but right now I’m more concerned with my sister figuring it out.
There’s a light tap on the door. Ellison doesn’t wait for an invitation to come inside. I’m not sure if that’s a nurse thing or a sister thing.
The smile she’s wearing when she enters fades when she sees my face. “My God, Bleu!”
She looks at Sin and back to me before darting to my bedside. “No one told me you were in the hospital because you looked like this. What the hell happened to you?”
Lacerations decorate my forehead. Edema has almost forced both of my eyes closed. The discoloration of my face darkens by the hour. This must be a terrible shock for her.
I put my hand to my cheek and smile. Even that hurts. “I assure you it looks much worse than it really is.”
“Who did this to you?”
“That’s the question of the day. I was mugged while walking to the market.”
“What kind of mugger stomps the hell out of a woman while stealing her purse? And how did you let anyone best you? You’re able to kick anybody’s ass.”
She isn’t buying what I’m selling. My sister knows I’ve been trained well to handle such situations. “The guy was huge and I was caught off guard.”
“Bleu. You’re never caught off guard.”
She’s right. “Even I get preoccupied sometimes.”
“So this guy just walked up, kicked the shit out of you, and then ran off with your purse?”
I need to add something more to the story to make it seem real. “Yeah. He was acting like a raving lunatic. He had to be high or something.”
“Are the police doing anything to find the asshole who did this to you?”
“They are. Two very nice detectives came to see me and assured us everything possible was being done.” That part is true.
“Are you sure there isn’t more to this? There are two men guarding your door.”
“That’s just Sin being overprotective.”
“I don’t think he’s being a bit overprotective after what you just went through. What about the babies?”
I’m not going into details about the tear in the placenta. She’ll freak out. I know I did when Sin finally told me about it. “I’ve had some bleeding so I’ll be on bed rest for a while.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m here. You’re going to need me.”
There’s an impending war with The Order. I can’t think of a time when I need her here less. “We spoke four days ago and you didn’t mention a word about coming.”
She looks away, avoiding my eyes. That’s not a good sign. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
I don’t believe her. “Liar. Something happened.”
“You using your human lie detector skills on me again?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, a little something might have happened.”
My idea of a little something and Ellison’s often differ greatly. “What kind of a little something are we talking about?”
She drops her face and pats the top of her head. She always did this when she was a kid and got into trouble. “Oh God. It’s so stupid, Bleu.”
She looks over at Sin and Jamie before whispering, “And embarrassing.”
I look at my husband and nod toward the door. It’s my cue for him and Jamie to give us some privacy.
He understands and comes to kiss the top of my head. “Need anything while I’m out?”
It’s been hours and no one has told me anything about my new friend. “I’d love an update on how Lainie’s doing.”
“Of course. Want anything to eat?”
I still don’t have an appetite. Getting your gut stomped doesn’t do much for that. “I don’t think so. But don’t worry. I have the IV.”
“Will you try to eat something for the babies?”
God, I’d kill for some Lipton’s sweet tea with lemon. The good ol’ syrupy kind. But it’s a southern thing. People around here look at you like you’re crazy if you ask for sweet tea.
I can’t think of a thing that sounds good right now. “Surprise me.”
“A double order of haggis it is, then.” I wrinkle my nose and pretend to gag.
“Sorry, Bonny. Couldn’t resist.” Sin chuckles.
Ellison waits until they’re gone. “I take it you don’t love haggis?”
“Nope.”
Ellison plops in the chair at my bedside. “You aren’t going to believe the level of stupidity I’ve been able to achieve since you’ve been gone.”
She’s stalling. I hate that. “Come off it already.”
“I had to leave my job at Southaven.”
I don’t have it in me to drag this out of her. Not today. “Because?”
“I was given a random drug screen… and I failed.”
What? My sister doesn’t take drugs. “There must’ve been an error.”
She shakes her head. “No. It was no mistake.”
“What did you test positive for?”
“Ecstasy.”
“Since when do you take that?”
“Since never… except for this one time. I went out with some friends from work. We met these really cute guys on Beale Street… and they were musicians… and I guess we got a little carried away. It was supposed to be a fun night but now I’m totally fucked.”
“You said you left your job. Does that mean you weren’t fired?”
“The hospital told me I had to take a leave of absence and enter a voluntary rehabilitation program if I wanted to maintain employment with them.”
“So do it.”
“No way. It’s ridiculous.” She looks completely outraged. “I don’t have a drug problem. I took ecstasy one time while I was partying with friends. Why would I commit to a drug rehabilitation program when I don’t have an addiction?”
I know Ellison doesn’t have a drug dependency. “You do it because you want to save your job.”
“Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to have all my coworkers know I tested positive? I can’t go back to work with those people.”
“Then get a different job.”
“I’m on probation with the Board of Nursing. I can’t apply for a job without disclosing that. It’s on my record. No one is going to hire a nurse with a drug offense.”
I hope she has a backup plan. “Then what are you planning to do?”
“I have no idea. But it’s a total clusterfuck of suck back home. People are calling to help when all they really want is to hear the lowdown on what happened with my head nurse. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to get away so I could think without being badgered.”
I don’t need Ellison here now, but I can’t turn my back on her. I’ve done that too much already.
My doctor has ordered me to be on bed rest for a while. That’s the perfect excuse to stay home and out of the line of fire of anything The Order might do. “You’re welcome to stay with us as long as you like.”
“Sinclair won’t mind?” She chooses now to ask? That’s just like Ellison.
“Of course not. You’re my sister. You’re always welcome in our home.”
“Oh my God. You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that.”
Complete Sin Box Set Page 50