Page 13

twelve

. . .

Mia

P ain shoots up my arm as Jace carries me through the sliding doors of the emergency room.

My wrist throbs in time with my racing heartbeat, and I can barely focus on the bustling chaos around us. Patients are everywhere, the antiseptic smell burning my nostrils, and Jace’s solid chest presses against my side.

I wince as another bolt of pain makes me whimper.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Jace murmurs against my hair, tightening his arms around me. “We’ll get you fixed up.”

The emergency room is packed with people. There are crying children, elderly patients in wheelchairs, and tired-looking staff rushing back and forth.

My heart sinks.

We’ll be waiting for hours. Another wave of pain hits, and I bite my lip to keep from crying out.

Kane strides ahead of us toward the front desk, his broad shoulders pushing through the crowd.

I watch through tear-blurred eyes as he leans over the counter, speaking in low tones to the harried nurse.

I can’t hear what he’s saying, but the set of his shoulders and the authoritative tilt of his head command attention.

Money? Connections? Whatever it is, it works.

The nurse’s expression shifts from annoyed to attentive. She nods, picks up a phone, and within seconds, a different nurse hurries over.

“Follow me,” she says briskly. “We have a room ready.”

Just like that. No waiting. No paperwork first. Nothing.

“How did he do that?” I whisper to Jace as he carries me after Kane and Finn.

“Kane can be very persuasive,” Jace replies with a wink.

We follow the nurse down winding hallways, each step Jace takes sending fresh jolts of pain through my broken wrist. The world seems to pulse in and out of focus. Bright fluorescent lights, then darkness at the edges of my vision, then lights again.

I’m limp in Jace’s arms, unable to do anything but endure the pain.

“It hurts so fucking bad,” I moan, unable to keep it in any longer. My wrist feels like it’s on fire, swollen to twice its normal size. “I think it’s broken.”

“I know, baby,” Jace says, his voice soft with concern. He cradles me more securely. “That piece of shit really did a number on you. If we hadn’t shown up when we did…”

“Please don’t,” I whisper, not wanting to think about what might have happened if Kane, Finn, and Jace hadn’t intervened. Would Justin have left me out in the cold, alone and in pain? “I can’t handle thinking about that right now.”

“You’re right.” Jace presses his lips to my forehead, the gesture surprisingly intimate, and I blink in surprise. “Focus on us instead. We’re going to take care of you.”

“Why?” I blurt out before I can stop myself.

Jace’s eyes darken. “Because you’re...” He stops himself. “Because no one deserves what that asshole did to you. ”

We reach a small exam room, and the nurse directs Jace to place me on the bed. The movement jostles my wrist, and I cry out, tears springing to my eyes.

“God, I’m sorry, Mia,” Jace says quickly, helping me settle against the raised back of the bed.

The nurse is all business, checking my vitals and examining my wrist with careful fingers. “The doctor will be in soon to take X-rays, but first, let’s get you some pain relief.”

She prepares an IV, and I turn away as she slides the needle into my arm. Another sharp pain, and I wince. She hangs a bag of clear fluid and injects something into the line.

“This will help with the pain,” she explains, patting my shoulder. “It works quickly.”

True to her word, within minutes, a warm, floating sensation begins to spread through my body. The pain in my wrist doesn’t disappear completely, but it recedes, becoming manageable.

“Better?” Finn asks quietly from where he stands against the wall, his first word since we arrived. His dark green eyes are fixed on me with unnerving intensity.

I nod slowly, not trusting my voice.

The three of them watch me- Jace sitting beside the bed, Kane standing with arms crossed near the door, and Finn in the shadows.

There’s something primal about their vigilance, like guard dogs protecting their territory.

Or wolves protecting their own? I shake off the strange feeling, blaming it on the medication.

The door opens, and a middle-aged doctor walks in, holding a clipboard. She looks up, taking in the scene- me on the bed and three large men surrounding me. Her expression changes subtly.

“Gentlemen,” she says firmly, “I need to ask you to step outside while I examine the patient.”

Kane straightens up. “We’re staying with her. ”

“I need to speak with the patient privately. HIPAA regulations require patient confidentiality.”

A tense silence follows, and I can feel Kane’s frustration radiating from him in waves.

“It’s okay,” I say, my voice sounding thick and distant to my ears. “I’ll be fine.”

Finn pushes off from the wall.

“We’ll be right outside the door,” he says, a clear warning in his voice- not to me, but to the doctor.

Kane looks like he wants to argue further, but Jace touches his arm, and after a moment of silent communication, they all file out of the room.

Once the door closes, the doctor turns to me with a gentler expression. “Hi, Mia. I’m Dr. Reynolds. Can you tell me how this happened to your wrist?”

As she speaks, she gently examines my wrist, feeling along the swollen flesh. I wince.

“My boyfriend, ex-boyfriend- grabbed me and twisted it.”

She nods, making a note on her chart. “And do you feel safe at home?”

The question confuses me for a moment until I realize what she’s asking. “Oh, I... yes. I mean, I won’t be going back there. To his place.”

Dr. Reynolds looks up at me, her eyes kind but searching. She lowers her voice. “Mia, I noticed the handprint bruising on your wrist. Is it one of those men outside? You can tell me if you’re in trouble.”

It takes me a second to understand what she’s implying.

“No! God, no,” I say quickly. “They saved me. My ex, Justin, was the one who hurt me. These guys stopped him.”

I swallow hard, remembering how Kane had thrown Justin against the car like he was a toothpick.

“I’m glad to hear that. I just needed to be sure. We have protocols we follow when we see injuries like this. ”

“Of course, I get it,” I say.

She wraps my wrist in a temporary splint. “I’m going to prescribe some pain medication for you to take at home. Do you have someone who can stay with you tonight?”

I hesitate, thinking of Justin’s apartment where all my things are. “I... I think so.”

“Good. You shouldn’t be alone, especially for the first twenty-four hours after taking the medication I’m prescribing.” She writes something on a prescription pad and hands it to me. “Take these as directed. The nurse will be back soon to take you for X-rays.”

She leaves the room, and almost immediately, the door opens again, and the three men file back in. Kane’s face is like a thundercloud.

“What was that about?” he demands.

I look down at my bandaged wrist. “She thought one of you might have hurt me.”

Kane hisses through his teeth, “Why the fuck would she think that?”

I can’t help but laugh, though it comes out slightly hysterical.

“I mean…look at you,” I say, gesturing at his bloody hands.

Kane glances down at himself- his massive frame, his powerful hands that could easily snap someone in half, and the intensity radiating from him that screams danger.

He sighs heavily and drops into the chair beside my bed. Running a hand through his dark hair, he suddenly seems weary. “Mia, I want to apologize for earlier. At the restaurant. About the money.”

The reminder makes my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

“Do you think I’m some kind of charity case?”

“Not at all,” he says firmly, holding my gaze. “I thought it might help you, considering the situation you were in. I don’t want you to pay it back. I don’t expect anything from you in return.”

I study his face, looking for any sign of deception.

His gray-blue eyes are steady and serious. My drug-addled brain wonders what it would be like to have those eyes looking at me while I’m naked.

Oh no, I must really be high to be thinking like that.

I let out a long breath, my body relaxing further into the hospital bed. The pain medication has fully kicked in now, wrapping me in a comfortable haze.

“I accept your apology,” I say. “But I feel uncomfortable keeping that much money.”

“It’s yours,” Kane says with finality. “I’m not taking it back.”

Beneath the thin hospital blanket, I press my thighs together, shocked to feel a pulse of desire between them. A strange warmth blooms in my chest, unrelated to the medication.

Where did this man come from? Why is he being so kind to me? And why is my body responding so intensely to his presence?

My core clenches and I suddenly become aware of a wetness gathering there. What the hell? I’ve just been through a traumatic experience. I’m high on pain meds, and I’m getting turned on by a complete stranger.

I close my eyes briefly, trying to regain my composure. When I open them again, I find all three men watching me with identical expressions of concern and something hungry that makes my pussy clench again.

“The nurse will be back to take me for X-rays,” I say, desperate to break the tension. “And then I guess they’ll let me go.”

The hospital wheelchair squeaks as the attendant pushes me toward the exit, my bandaged wrist resting carefully in my lap. The pain medication has wrapped me in a comfortable haze, dulling the sharp edges, but I’m still acutely aware of the three men flanking me like bodyguards.

Finn is silent on my left, Kane ahead, clearing a path with his muscular body, and Jace hovering protectively on my right. It’s strange how safe I feel surrounded by men I just met today- men who obliterated Justin into a bloody mess.

The automatic doors slide open, letting in a rush of cool night air, and I shiver from the cold.

“I’ve got her from here,” Finn says to the attendant, his deep voice rumbling in the quiet of the night.