Page 6 of Property of Brute & Axl
“They haven’t told us more than what’s been released to the media,” Brute explains. “We will, however, be speaking to the medical staff and authorities. There are questions we have.”
“Like what?” I burrow deeper into him. Now that the shivering has stopped and his body heat has seeped into me, I’m starting to feel tired again.
“Suspects. Locations. How hard they’ve tried to identify you.” He sounds so angry.
The coiled tension should set me on edge, make me want to escape his embrace, but I find it comforting instead. His strength is something solid to hold onto without fear of the problems to come.
Closing my eyes, I lean heavily into him when I feel a light fluttering in my stomach. I don’t know how, but I keep forgetting I’m pregnant. Creating a life inside of me is terrifying.
“Is the baby yours?” Are my words slurred? I’m just so exhausted, tired of being in fight-or-flight mode.
“Yeah, it’s ours.” Axl sounds amazed. Like he didn’t know, but I can’t grasp onto that thought before exhaustion pulls me under without asking about it.
Chapter 4
Brute
For as long as I can remember, rage has been the fuel that drives me. As a child, when my parents would fight, I’d smash anything I could get away with before being stopped. When they divorced, totaling my mom’s car was payback to her for taking me away from the club. And getting into a new bar fight every night and beating men until they were close to death was my solution to my Ranger’s discharge.
None of that prepared me for what I’m learning now about Finleigh’s assault before being abandoned and left for dead.
She was gang raped by at least five men, beaten until she was forced to scurry through the woods like a hunted animal in nothing but a ripped shirt and shorts. Shot in the shoulder and head. Those assholes likely thought she was dead when they left her bleeding in a ditch.
How the baby survived, nobody understands. It shouldn’t have.
When she was found in the wee hours of the night, she’d lost so much fucking blood, was half frozen from a day of rain, and caked in mud. Her pulse was so faint that first responders were about to call time of death until she managed a moan of pain.
“Were there DNA profiles?” We’ll find these fuckers no matter what, but DNA matching makes it simpler.
“Yes,” the doctor hesitantly answers. The man has been afraid of me since the moment I walked up to him. “The crime lab has everything.”
I nod. It doesn’t matter who has it; I’ll get my hands on what I need.
“Have the detectives been back to speak with her since she’s woken up?” We’ve been around all evening. The nurse notified them that we were here and knew her name, but I haven’t seen hide nor hair of anyone.
“A few days after, but they didn’t stay long. I believe they’re waiting for her memory to return.” He seems disappointed in that.
“When can we take her home?” It wasn’t until she fell asleep in my arms that I confirmed with Axl that she would accompany us back to Gulfport. She can recover there, where the threat of her attackers finding her is small.
The doctor clears his throat and looks around. He’s about to tell us we can’t, so he’s searching for security because he realizes I won’t take it well.
Sighing, I shake my head. “Look, doc, if she still needs treatment here, that’s fine, but if the only reason you want her to stay is because someone told you she has to, I’m going to take issue with it.”
He blinks a few times before relaxing. “I’d like to have another neuro exam in the morning, run more labs to be sure the infections have cleared, and have obstetrics ensure the pregnancy is progressing as it should before allowing her to leave.”
“Tomorrow morning or afternoon, then?” Axl sidles up behind the man, making him jump. It’d be amusing if not for my desire to get Finleigh under lock and key, away from prying eyes and the possibility of returning danger.
“Yes. That will work. I’ll have to notify the detectives of your intent.” He swallows roughly as he relays the information.
“Whatever you need to do, doc.” Axl squeezes his shoulder until he bobs his head and leaves, almost running away from us.
“Give Viking a call, tell him to send the prospects with a truck tomorrow. Get Easy on the computer to find out if that DNA has any matches yet. The sooner we eliminate the threat, the better off she’ll be.”
“On it.” Axl turns and takes a few steps before stopping. “I’m going to get food, back in a bit.”
Watching him leave, it’s one of the few times he’s gone anywhere without me. We’ve been inseparable since meeting and are often compared to yin and yang. It’s why sharing a woman has been so important to us both. Finding a woman who is accepting of that is good for a night, maybe two, but it’s never been a long-term goal for us.
I turn around and lean against the wall across from Finleigh’s room, staring at the closed door while contemplating how she’s about to complicate our lives. How the baby will do that as well.