Page 87 of Russian Roulette
“If anyone tries to stop us, keep going,” I warn him.
“You got it. Let’s go.”
He opens the door and pushes me rapidly along the long hallway toward the entrance. The receptionist at the nurse’s station glances up at us, then does a double take. “Miss! Excuse me! Miss!” she calls out, trying to stop us. “Wait! Do you have your discharge papers? You’ll need to sign the release before you leave. Sir! She hasn’t been discharged.”
“Don’t stop,” I say to Kit.
We speed up and roll through the double glass doors at the emergency room entrance as two policemen are walking in. They casually glance at us and keep moving.
“Oh shit! Where’s the limo?” I ask.
Leroy is nowhere in sight. Suddenly, he comes flying around the corner of the building and pulls to a screeching halt in front of us. Seven and Vulcan pile out of the back. Seven runs behind me to steady the wheelchair while Kit lifts me into the limousine. Once I’m inside safely, Vulcan gives the wheelchair a fast shove to send it flying back inside the automatic doors. Both guys jump back into the limo and pull the door shut behind them.
“Go! Go!” Kit yells to Leroy.
Leroy hits the gas and pulls out of the entranceway. I peek out the window and watch the two policemen rushing back outside the emergency room entrance. They glance in our direction, but we’re too far away for them to read the license plate number. I doubt they’re interested enough in a random knife wound to follow us.
“That was too close,” I say to Kit. “Two more minutes and we would’ve all been screwed.”
“What happened in there?” Seven asks. “Why didn’t they fix your leg? You don’t look any different from when you went in. We’ve been panicking while we were sitting out here in the limo, not knowing what was going on.”
“They wouldn’t let us come inside,” Vulcan adds. “We tried our best and those assholes wouldn’t budge. They said you could only have one visitor.” He shoots a curious glance at Kit. “And the visitor had to be a family member, which makes me wonder why they allowed you in.”
“I told them I was her brother,” Kit replies. “They didn’t believe us either.”
“We realized they were stalling to give time for the police to come question Kit,” I reply. “They suspected he might be an abuser.” I frown at the ridiculous idea of Kit hurting a woman. He’s the most protective man I’ve ever met. “Can you imagine Kit stabbing me? Because I sure as hell can’t.” I lean closer into his warmth.
At that moment, I realize I can’t imagine any of them hurting me. Not intentionally. I’ve never felt more protected than I feel right now with three of the most handsome men in the world gazing at me with deep concern in their eyes.
I don’t understand how or why, only that they’re on my side.
Vulcan reaches out to stroke my cheek with his knuckle. “We would never have dragged you into the middle of a fight. We do stupid things without considering the consequences and were just playing around.”
“Do you always play life or death games?” I ask.
“Only when the stakes are high,” he replies.
“What were the stakes this time?” I ask.
“You.”
The heavy weight of the one word hangs between us. We all know exactly what he means and what the stakes are now. I’ve never been in a relationship with a man willing to fight for me, much less two men. Or three. I’m not sure how to handle this situation. If they ask me to choose, I can’t and I won’t.
How could I possibly choose between them?
It’s impossible and now I’m terrified at some point they’ll ask me to.
“And the two of you thought a fist fight would solve anything?” I’m trying to lighten the mood.
“We do stupid things sometimes,” Seven says, giving me a sheepish look. “It’s a man thing. I’m sorry, I lost my temper and acted impulsively. I didn’t mean to freak you out. It won’t happen again.”
“I hope not,” I say. “Because watching you try to kill each other scared the crap out of me. That’s why I jumped in the middle. I was willing to do whatever it took to stop your fighting. Please don’t put me in a position to do that again.”
“And you paid too high a price for jumping in,” Kit reminds me. “Next time, let them kill each other if they’re determined to do that. They’re big boys and can handle the consequences. It’s not worth you being hurt.”
“It’s over now, so let’s put it behind us,” I say, eager to smooth things out between the group. The tension makes me uncomfortable. “Where are we going?”
“Back to my place so I can take care of you,” Kit says. “Leroy can pick up your things at Seven’s and bring them over after he drops us off. Where did you guys leave my Jeep?”