Page 29

Shine was about an hour away when he got word that Rowan was being taken to a nearby hospital. Griz pulled over while Shine put in the address for the hospital, finding that it was only fifteen minutes from his location. He loaded directions and Griz took off.

All the fear and worry, along with the anger, came out in a harsh breath. "She's alive."

“That’s good.”

“I don’t know what condition she’s in. I’ve seen guys blown to heck, but Griz, I feel this.”

“I’m sure you do. We all know disaster could strike on a mission, but our family at home is supposed to be safe. But you’re going to walk in there and hold it together no matter what you find out.”

He wasn’t sure if he could really hold it together. Rowan was alive, but she would have scars. He didn't care about physical scars. Those wouldn't matter to him. The internal stuff would take her longer to recover from. He hoped her training in psychology would help her recover, but he knew from experience accepting defeat in a strength you think you own was hard.

"We'll help her. I know you will be there for her, but you've got all of us to help. Danika and Nichole will be there for her, too."

Shine nodded, knowing that his crew was the best ever. He would have support from the guys. Danika and Nichole would also help out. There were SEALs on other teams he was close to, and he knew those guys and their women would help if he asked. One thing for certain, he needed to make sure she had someone to stay with her. He would be there, but she might not want him around. She needed to be able to trust whoever was in her space.

He hated that this jerk had taken her. He imagined the worst things that could have been done to her and shuddered. If he ever met that asshole, he didn’t think the guy would survive.

“We’re here,” Griz announced.

“You’re going in with me, right?”

“You bet.”

Shine felt shaky walking into the hospital. The building wasn’t big, but they did have an emergency room. An ambulance pulled into the lot as they were stepping into the hospital. Was that Rowan?

His hands were shaking, and Griz took the lead, moving to the receptionist's desk to ask about Rowan. It took a moment before the person working reception told them that Rowan had just arrived. It would be a bit before he could go back, but she was asking for him. That made him feel better.

Five minutes later, a door opened, and a nurse stepped out. "Dwight Boon."

He stood and moved to the nurse, praying Rowan was okay. “That’s me. ”

"Rowan asked for you. Based on everything she has been through, we think it's better if you go back now."

He turned to face Griz. “I’ll keep you informed.”

Griz patted him on the back. “Don’t worry about me. I’m good.”

“Thanks.”

He followed the nurse down a hall and around to the right. She indicated a room to the left for him to enter. Rowan was on the bed, her eyes closed. She looked tired, dirty, a little thinner, but okay.

When she opened her eyes and met his gaze, he saw the tears immediately fill her eyes. He went to her and kissed her forehead, studying her to see if he could find any injuries.

“I’m so glad you were found.”

She held onto him. “Only because of you.” Her voice broke with emotions.

His throat closed, and his chest tightened. He was going to cry. It had been a while since tears had fallen, but he couldn't stop them. He held onto her, letting the tears slide down his cheeks.

A few minutes later, a doctor stepped in, and the look on her face was serious. "Miss Kays, we need to get you into a surgical room to look at your ankle. It's not terrible, but I don't like what I saw."

“Do I have to be put under?”

"We can do a local, but if it's bad, we'll push something in your IV and knock you out."

“Well, I haven’t eaten anything recently because he didn’t leave food for me.”

The doctor's lips thinned even more, and her gaze flicked to Shine. "Um, could you leave?—"

“No, he can stay,” Rowan said.

"If you like, we can knock you out and do the rape kit. "

Rowan shook her head. "No. I need to know what's happening. He drugged me, and I don't know what happened when he did that. I can't?—"

Shine squeezed her hand, trying to keep the anger under the surface. She didn’t need to see the writhing hatred boiling inside as he thought about her being touched by that bastard.

“Okay. I understand. The only reason we’ll knock you out is if it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Thank you.”

"It will take us about twenty minutes to set everything up. Once we're done, we'll figure out what we can get you to eat. Hopefully, the ankle won't take long." The doctor turned to him. "I'm Doctor Allison."

"I'm Shine. Griz, my teammate, is here. We'll be looking after her when she's not in surgery."

Doctor Allison nodded. “Team?”

“SEAL team.”

"Ah." The doctor glanced at the chart and then back to Rowan. "We'll get you back in about twenty minutes. Rest now, and then we'll get you some food once we’re done."

“Thank you.”

The doctor left, and Shine grabbed the chair and moved it close to the bed. He sat and leaned in, keeping one hand on Rowan.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t around when he?—”

“You had no idea. And neither did I. He was deranged.”

“I’m here now, and I want you to stay with me. I can sleep on the couch if I need to, but I want you in my place.”

A shiver worked through her. “I don’t know that I could go back home. He broke in.”

“I know. We figured it out. ”

“How did you know to even look?”

“You didn’t text me back or call, and I got worried. Thario checked a few things and figured out you’d been reported missing.”

She blew out a breath and closed her eyes. His worry for her felt like a weight around his neck. She needed support because he damn sure wasn’t going to let Rowan down. She was too important and too good to be damaged by such a shit of a person.