“He was brought in by an ambulance. They just took him into surgery.”

“Why?” I should have never left him behind.

He runs a hand over his shaved head. “He was shot.”

TAYLOR

I don’t look over at Case, but I don’t need to in order to hear what Miller just told him. Brecken was shot. In surgery. I close my eyes as I let my head rest on my pillow. I hear them take off down the hallway from where we came, and I let the tears fall down my cheek.

“I can give you a number.”

I open my eyes and look up at the nurse who is placing a blanket over my legs. I think she thinks I’m shaking because I’m cold, but it’s really because of what just happened. Bullets flying can do that to you. “Excuse me?” I wipe my face.

“There’s a women’s battered shelter just a few miles from here.” She speaks softly and looks up at the open curtain where Case was standing moments ago.

I frown as I listen to her words. “What …?” She thinks he hit me. Her light brown eyes follow the gash on my head and her frown deepens. “No. He didn’t hurt me,” I say shocked at her train of thought.

Her light brown eyes meet mine, and they’re full of pity. “I know you wanna be strong, honey.” She pats my leg. “But it’s okay to ask for help. Hiding isn’t weak, it’s smart.” Her eyes look at the bruise of a handprint left on my neck from four days ago that the guys gave me in the alley. It’s almost gone but still noticeable. And then, of course, the stitches still in my neck. No wonder she thinks he beats me.

I just look up at her and sigh heavily. Of course, that’s what she saw. He pretty much told her to do what was necessary for tests. And he threatened me until I succumbed to his demand of getting in the bed. So I just nod my head and mumble a thanks. She has no idea he just saved my life. Again!

“You’re gonna need stitches,” she says with a heavy sigh. “I’m gonna grab a suture kit and be right back. Will you be okay for just a minute alone?” Her eyes flash between the curtain and myself.

“Yes.”

She looks like she wants to argue with me. Thankfully, she walks out but not before checking down the hallway and then closing my curtain.

Now that I’m left alone, my mind wanders back over the night. He’s a cop? How in the hell could I have been so stupid? I seriously thought he was a drug dealer. I laugh at myself. But I should have known, he never did a single pill in front of me. He never seemed high. The way he turned down those drugs Rox had offered him. Geez, I fell in love with a cop who I thought was a drug dealer. I start to laugh again, but I cut it out the minute the nurse returns and looks at me as if she wants to have me committed.

Three hours and countless tests later, I find myself back in my bed. Alone. I haven’t seen or heard a word from Case since he found out Brecken had been shot. And I have no clue where my brother is. Being alone with only my thoughts has actually been torture. The thoughts of how much time I have shared with Case. How hard I fell for him. How bad I ached for his touch. How much time he took up in my mind. I can honestly say I love him. It doesn’t matter if he is a drug dealer or a cop. I could get over any of that. What breaks my heart is he doesn’t feel the same way about me. It was all a lie. All part of his job. I was nothing but another task he had to do. And I made it so fucking easy for him as I fell at his feet. I hate myself for it.

“Hello, Taylor!”

I look at the doctor who enters my room wide-eyed. “Doc?” I ask.

He smiles warmly at me. “I heard you guys had an incident at the club,” he states as he comes to sit down in the chair beside my bed.

“I don’t know about it being an incident,” I say truthfully. Someone wanted to hurt Case and his friends.

He nods in agreement and then looks down at the chart in his hand. “I looked over your tests. It seems you have a mild concussion and a sprained wrist, but other than that, everything looks normal. I informed Case that you can go home after we wrap your wrists.”

“Case?” I choke on his name.

“Yes, I spoke to him earlier. He came looking for you, but you were gone for CT.” I hate how excited that makes me feel. That he was actually concerned enough to come and check on me.

“Thank you,” I say bowing my head in shame; I can’t believe that makes me feel warm inside. I’m supposed to hate him. I do hate him!

“No problem.” He pats my leg. “A nurse will be in shortly. In the meantime, just relax.”

I let out a long breath as I watch him leave, alone once again. I lean back and close my eyes. Just trying to relax my body. I’m sore. And I’m freaking tired. So freaking tired! And my heart hurts. Yes, there were times he had masked his emotions. Times I couldn’t read anything. But there were times he touched me softly. He would whisper in my ear. The way he held me close to his body after we had sex. I thought it was more than sex, but I was wrong. So wrong!

The hair on my neck stands to attention and a feeling that I’m being watched creeps up my spine.

I open my eyes and see Case standing in front of the now closed curtain, staring at me. His expression unreadable, I feel a knot form in my throat. I try to clear it with a cough. “Is Brecken okay?” I ask. I may be mad at him, but I do care for Brecken’s safety.

“He survived surgery,” he says flatly. I hate when he does this, gives me no sign of emotion whatsoever.

I place my hands on my lap and look down to check the card that the nurse handed me sitting there. I pick it up. “What’s that?” Before I can answer, he comes over and takes it from me, brow raised in question as he reads over it.

“The nurse gave it to me. She thinks you beat me,” I inform him with bite.

He snorts, wads it up, and then tosses it into the trash beside my bed. “Well, you did give me a concussion and a sprained wrist.”

His face falls and regret flashes in his beautiful blue eyes. The same ones I’ve looked into so many times before. “I’m sorry.” He speaks softly. “I was just trying to …”

“I know what you were doing,” I interrupt him. He had moved quickly. I didn’t even know what was happening until it was too late. And the way his office looked afterwards, I would have been shot if he hadn’t saved me.

He clears his throat. “You can’t go home,” he declares going back to that same roughness as before.

Figures. I don’t know what the hell happened at the club exactly, but I know they do. And although he broke my heart, he’s proved several times I can trust him to keep me safe. “So where do I go?”

“You’re going to stay with me.” I open my mouth to protest. “There’s nowhere else for you to go.” He speaks before I can get anything out.

I narrow my eyes on him. “And whose fault is that?” I growl.

“You think I chose this?” he snaps.

I huff. “No. I think you saw an opportunity to get a piece of ass …”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” he says sounding put out.

He spins around, and I lean up to look around him when the curtain gets pulled back.“Okay, so …” The nurse enters the room sounding cheerful, but the moment she sees Case standing next to me, she stops. He throws her a charming smile, and I wanna roll my eyes but refrain from doing so. I don’t wanna make this situation any more uncomfortable than it already is. “I need you to clear the room,” she says eyeing him up and down with disgust.

“I’ll stay,” he announces as if she had requested he leave.

She narrows her eyes at him and then looks at me. “It’s fine,” I say softly. She gives me a look of disapproval but doesn’t say anything else as she starts to work on my wrist.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

 

CASE

“Is he going to be okay?” Miller asks a woman in light blue scrubs as we stand outside of Brecken’s ICU room