Page 3 of Endure the Pain

I found myself unable to look away from Dean’s battered face. Flashes came and went: blood running down the side of his face from a really bad cut by his temple and him reaching out for me to take his hand. My whole body tensed, unsettled by the nagging feeling that I recognized what I was seeing.

My gaze traveled to the sleeping Asher sitting next to him, who was just as bandaged up and bruised, and my memories of the accident and fighting off the Aryans rushed back to me. I scanned the rest of the room. Louie was asleep with his arm propped up on the arm rest and his head lying on his fist. Jamie was sitting in a chair to my left. He had a death grip on my hand and was sleeping soundlessly with his head resting on my thigh. Stefan was sitting on my right, also asleep.

I squeezed Jamie’s hand. His eyes shot open, immediately meeting mine. A second passed before his eyes widened and he sat up. “Hey,” he whispered, reaching toward me to swipe the tears away from my cheek with his thumb.

My voice came out low and raspy. “Rourke?”

Jamie squeezed my hand. “Alive and in a room down the hall.”

I released the breath I hadn't known I was holding and closed my eyes. Jamie lifted my hand and I opened my eyes just in time to see him bring the back of it to his lips. He let everything he was feeling come to the surface. His exhausted yet relieved eyes conveyed it all. This mobster loved me.

I moved my hand from his lips to cup his cheek and tried to show him how sorry I was for the pain my cowardice had put us through.

His eyes read mine before he leaned forward. His kiss was gentle and chaste but filled with so much love that it blanketed my soul with warmth.

Breaking our kiss, he rested his forehead lightly against mine. We stayed like that, basking in the comfort our closeness exuded, until everyone in the room started to wake. They each perked up when their eyes landed on me. A hand gently closed around my right wrist, making me turn my head toward Stefan. The small movement caused my entire skull to explode with searing pain.

I groaned and closed my eyes tightly.

“I’ll go get the nurse,” Dean volunteered and left the room.

Slowly, I attempted to turn toward Stefan. His attire was…relaxed, with his dress shirt untucked, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and the collar unbuttoned. His tie and jacket were hanging over the back of his chair. Dark bags were starting to form under his eyes. “You almost look human.”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “As opposed to what?”

“Indestructible. Powerful. The big bad boss,” I answered with a sad smile. Was it strange that I held onto moments like these, where he couldn’t hide what he truly felt behind an unreadable facade, as if they were gold?

“Do you remember what happened?” he asked.

I huffed.Really?No “how are you feeling?” Or “are you okay?”I shouldn’t have been surprised. “We were attacked,” I started, sounding annoyed. “They shot Rourke’s enforcer and rammed into the side of our car. I wasn’t wearing my seat belt. Rourke tried to grab me, but it was too late.” The car rolling and me being thrown all over the place like a rag doll replayed behind my eyes. The memory made my head smart and I reached up to touch my temple as if to ease the pain, only to find that my head was bandaged.

Stefan squeezed my wrist a little. “Keep going.”

“I woke up in the trunk space. Rourke found me, then Dean and Asher. They were trying to help me out of the car when bullets started flying everywhere. Rourke threw himself over me. He was shot. I felt it when it happened. Then I got hit on my side.” My hand dropped from my head to my side. Through the thin fabric of my hospital gown, I could feel I was bandaged there as well. “The guys in the van gave us cover.” I looked to Jamie to ask him if they were okay, but before I could ask, he shook his head.They didn’t make it.“Did they have families?” I barely knew them, but I owed them. They had sacrificedthemselves so we could escape.

“Don’t worry about that right now,” Stefan ordered.

I nodded. “Dean pulled Rourke and me from the car. We took off on foot. It didn’t take long for our attackers to catch up with us. We’d locked ourselves in the parking garage’s mechanical room. The security guards seemed to be using it as an office and they had a first aid kit, which I used to help stop Rourke’s bleeding. Dean and Asher barricaded the door but two of them were able to get inside. One came right for me, but Dean warned me in time…” I trailed off.

Pushing through the searing pain, I broke down that moment, slowly. I could see Dean perfectly, standing with his back to the door, trying desperately to keep it closed. Both his and Asher’s guns, empty of ammo, had been tossed to the floor. That hadn't seemed to set Asher back as he'd taken on his opponent with his bare hands. I shifted my focus back to my Aryan. He'd paid no attention to Rourke and hadn’t even spared a backward glance at Dean.Why did he come after me and not Dean?Dean had clearly been a bigger threat and the obstacle preventing any more Aryans from getting in that room.

Hold still, Princess. I’ll make this quick.I repeated the Aryan’s words in my head.

“He called me ‘Princess,’” I unintentionally mumbledout loud.

“Who did?” Stefan asked.

“The Aryan. He knew who I was,” I answered distractedly as I remembered the Aryan zeroing in on me.

“Maura,” Stefan said, trying to get my attention.

It worked. The movie that was my memories playing behind my eyes shuttered away and I was back in the small hospital room. My eyes flicked to Stefan. “Did they take the guns?”

“Yes.”

“Why would they follow us down to that room? They got what they came for. Why risk pursuing us?” I asked.

The corner of Stefan’s mouth lifted as he stared at me proudly. “I think the better question to ask is, if they were after the guns, why did they target your vehicle so heavily? The van carrying the guns could have easily taken off, which is our protocol unless my life or…my daughter’s life is ever at risk.”