Page 116 of Only the Devil

A chain drags on metal, clinking, and a woman with a medical mask appears. “Mr. Ryder. How are you feeling?”

Like death warmed over, but now’s not the time to gripe. “A woman. She came here with me. Is she here? Dark hair? Short. Spunky. May have given you a hard time.”

The nurse smiles wide, wide enough to show off a full set of shiny adult braces. “I’ll find her. She’s just getting herself cleaned up.”

“Cleaned?” My pulse spikes. “Is she hurt?”

“No, nothing like that. The police want her clothes for evidence. Now how are you feeling?”

“I’m good.” I look back at the monitor and the pulsing line telling the whole world I’m alive. “Can I go? Where’s Daisy?”

“No, I need you to lie back.” She places a firm hand on my shoulder and I have to say, she’s stronger than I would’ve thought. “The doctor hasn’t seen you yet. We’ve got you stabilized but you’re going to be staying here tonight.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Oh, yes it is,” Daisy’s voice cuts through—and then she appears, wearing hospital scrubs. “You are going to stay through the night.”

“I don’t need?—”

“Jacob Ryder.”

That’s a smackdown tone. “Did you meet my mom without me knowing?”

Somewhere behind the rolling bed a nurse laughs, but Daisy doesn’t crack a smile.

“You are staying here for a full work up. I thought I lost you.” She wags a finger. “You are one stupid man.”

“Hey.”

“No. None of that.” She wraps both of her hands around one of mine, warming the freezing digits. “This is where you listen to me.”

“Oh. Because you did such a good job of listening to me.”

“I’ll admit I…” Her face crumples, tears spilling, and I feel like a tub of shit.

“Hey, hey, hey,” I soothe. “Just sit here with me. We’re okay. We made it through.”

Although once I’m not tied up to a hospital bed, I’m going to smack her ass for being so damn stubborn.

“You may need surgery.”

“What? No–”

“Yes. You may. And if they say you do, you’re doing it.”

There’s fury in those glassy brown eyes, and I’m smart enough to nod along.

“Understood. I like those scrubs. It’s a nice look.”

“They’re on loan,” she says. “My clothes were…”

I think back on the scene, on what could have happened if I didn’t come to, if I didn’t have good aim lying down, and my eyes burn with choked up emotion. When I saw Thompson standing over her with that gun, something inside me just...snapped. All that tactical training kicked in, but it wasn’t about the job. It was about her. I’ve faced worse, but nothing’s ever hit me like the thought of losing her.

My chest aches just thinking about it, and Daisy’s eyes go to the monitor behind the screen.

“Let’s not talk. It’s over. I’m fine. I’m good,” she says quickly. “After he shot Phillip, I ran. But then I realized something had to be wrong, that you had to be hurt…” Her voice cracks as her hand covers her nose and mouth.

“And you came back.”