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She studied me a moment. “How about we pick up takeout when it’s time to get off and we can talk while you tell me what the contractor said?”

And tell her what I’d been talking about that set off alarm bells for Joyce.

“Yes, but how about tomorrow so you don’t have to scramble for childcare and juggle things with your husband?” I said gently. I reached over and moved my hand to her arm. “I swear I’m not breaking. I just—sometimes things are so absurd you laugh instead of swear.”

“Tomorrow would be lovely.” She covered my hand with hers. “You’re doing great. I know everything with the board—it will get better.”

“Thanks.” I meant it.

And yes, things after we kicked out the board had been rough.

Really, really, really fucking rough.

The meeting went okay. I had reservations about Fred. He seemed… Flighty. Which wasn’t something you wanted in your contractor?

He was ready to move heaven and earth to get the chance to give me an estimate and get his foot through the door, but then I couldn’t get any real answers from him.

It wasn’t like I wanted to know when everything would be completed and a cost when we hadn’t even settled on a design and he’d really just gotten ideas from me.

But asking things like what’s his schedule looking like? What does a job like this range? Basic questions people ask and he had no real answers and mumbled everything evasively.

Yeah, so not confidence-inspiring.

I called Sean on the way back to the hospital and he laughed at my assessment. He said he completely understood where my head was and he should have warned me that Fred was the artist of the projects. He was super eager to get in and see the space, work on ideas, and give customers their dreams.

It was everyone else on the team—especially his business partner—who handled the details and prices—scheduling and all of it.

Yes, that absolutely should have been in the notes when he referred them. But it was last minute and I probably threw Sean for a loop even asking. They were all worried about me… I understood. I thanked him for explaining and told him that I was looking forward to what could come out of it.

I was ridiculously excited when he sent me the photos of some of the renovations Fred had come up with on his house outside of the city. They were gorgeous and exactly the vibe I’d want in my condo.

Basically, trust the process.

It was hard. I didn’t have faith in people most days, and even more recently it seemed things were falling apart left and right. That trusting people was stupid.

I sighed and reminded myself of Joyce. Renee. Carla.

All the department heads who were stepping up and taking matters seriously. Alan was all over managing with his department to work closer with my staff and the president to get more blood drives going.

Faith was validly granted at times. I had to keep reminding myself of that.

The pep talk I’d given myself was shattered when I arrived back at the hospital and walked up on a situation. A woman and her daughter were both being unloaded out of an ambulance… Along with another woman berating her for making a fuss over nothing.

Instantly, I was thrown back to the past. I wasn’t sure if it was the exact wording or the stress that I was already under that triggered me—probably both.

But it was also the amount of times it had happened and with different women.

“Ma’am, you need to step back and not get involved,” I said harsher than I should, interjecting so fast that even the EMTs hadn’t seen me coming.

“Who are you to tell me what to do?” she snapped, doing a double take when she realized what I was.

As I did her which made it all the worse for me. Something I could freak out about later.

She rallied though, not caring that another vampire was stepping in her way. “That’s my granddaughter and daughter-in-law and I—do you have any idea who I am?”

“Lady, she runs this place, so you better check yourself before you make an enemy you cannot afford,” one of the EMTs suggested sounding too tired.

And normally getting to check people amused EMTs and support staff. They stopped getting yelled at then when the big bosses arrived or at least people who could shield them.

Which told me that this woman was in a whole other league.

“They’ll take good care of your family, ma’am,” I pushed, getting a clearer picture when she flinched and anger filled her eyes.

It was starting to be red flags for as far as I could see. Seriously.

I forced her to admitting to fill out paperwork and reminded her that she would need to call her son to let him know that his wife was hurt. She ranted that she wasn’t going to bother her son for something so unimportant and her daughter-in-law was just attention-seeking.

She finally realized she needed to tone it back when just about everyone around us looked at her like she was a monster. Clearly, she was, but monsters were normally better at hiding it.

“How bad?” I asked when I rejoined the group, speaking to the EMTs.

Rage was coming off one of them at my question. “We couldn’t get any information to figure out much because of that woman trying to answer everything. The woman fell holding the child. That was all she would say and she was being ridiculous having called an ambulance.”

“She did let it slip especially since the kid woke back up ,” the other EMT added.

Absolute monster.

The mother was so scared that they were having a hard time treating her. In such pain that her mind wasn’t her own and all she cared about was her daughter.

I moved right to her head and held it still as I pressed my lips to her ear.

“Calm yourself, darling. I will protect your daughter like she was my own. Your mother-in-law, nor husband, will go near her until you say otherwise. Not in my hospital, I promise. And we will help you get out of whatever you’re in and keep you both safe. ”

She stopped thrashing and simply closed her eyes, tears leaking out. “I haven’t ever felt safe. I wish I had jumped, but then my baby would never have been born. I cannot keep letting her be hurt. I failed as a mother.”

A growl distracted me and I glanced up to meet the gaze of one of the emergency department doctors. “This was not nothing and minor. She’s got four cracked ribs, not just broken, and a list of injuries. This wasn’t just a fall.”

“Stairs,” the mother gasped. “I fell down the stairs when she threw things at me again.”

“I’m making the call,” I told everyone there. “She’s a victim of domestic abuse. Private room and guard at all times. No one is allowed in besides staff until I say otherwise.”

“We know the drill,” the doctor promised.

One of the nurses was already pulling out his cell phone. “I’ll contact the advocate.”

I nodded and went to check on the child, my heart breaking when she was desperate to know how her mom was. I promised we would take the best care of her—them both and keep them safe.

I just needed to know what happened.

“Grandmother is horrible,” the little girl choked out.

“She’s so mean to Mommy. I hate Daddy too.

He ignores it and—he never believes us. She got mad at Mommy and threw something at her.

It hit Mommy in the head, and she was holding me, protecting me, and we fell.

We fell down all the stairs and Mommy shielded me as best as she could. ”

“You lost consciousness, right?” I checked, elaborating what I meant when that seemed to confuse the little girl.

She nodded but then winced, her neck undoubtedly hurting her. “I woke up and Grandmother was screaming at Mommy. She said bad things meaner than normal. She said she wouldn’t just make us leave but would kill us because Mommy called help.”

“She threatened your lives?” I checked.

The little girl nodded. “She said if Mommy really called 911, she would kill us both. Mommy said she didn’t but called Daddy, but Grandmother screamed she was a liar when the ambulance and police came. Mommy did something with her phone. Grandmother tried to take it but couldn’t unlock it.”

“Okay, okay,” I said gently when she tried to sit up and tell me more. She was in pain and needed to stay still. “That’s enough for now. I can get the rest from your mom when she’s better. Now I can call the police and—”

“They don’t help,” the girl said too loudly, tears going down her cheeks. “Daddy lies that he doesn’t see anything, and it’s him and Grandmother against Mommy. I don’t count. So they never do anything.”

“They will this time,” the doctor promised.

“Ms. Reed is the guardian angel of women who are being hurt. She saves them.” He reached out and booped her nose.

“If I am ever in trouble or being hurt, she is the first person I will run to so I’m protected.

That makes you very lucky to have come here today when she was near. ”

The girl stared at me cautiously. “But you’re a vampire like us. Mommy says they won’t ever help us.”

I reached over and gently rubbed her shoulder since her head had to hurt.

“Because I was a vampire like your mommy,” I confessed, ignoring when people went tense around us.

“Someone in my family hurt me too and no one cared. Someone helped me, and one day when you’re both safe and living wonderful lives, you and your mom will help others too. ”

“I would,” the little girl promised. “I would help. If you help Mommy, I’ll help lots of people when I’m older.”

I winked at her and went off to battle knowing exactly what came next and what I needed to do.