Page 49 of Submitting to Them

“Bash?”I let go of Natasha and move toward him, cataloguing his features.His hazel eyes are tight with pain, his hand stiff at his side.Something’s off.

He shakes his head.“I need to go…”

“Hey,” I say, taking his free hand, “where do you need to go?What’s wrong?”

“Got…hurt,” he says, before slumping agains the wall and sliding down.

I try to keep him upright, and only barely prevent him from falling forward.

His other hand falls away from his side, and I see it now.His long-sleeved shirt is wet with blood.

He was covering up a knife wound.

Twelve

Kingston

I’m finalizing our dinner reservations for tonight when Ella’s name flashes on my phone with her call.

“Hey, sweetheart,” I say, “I was just thinking of tonight—”

“Bash is in the hospital,” she says in a panicked voice.

My heart stops.“He’swhat?”

“There was a fight.He got cut up, he’s hurt, Kingston, and I don’t know what to do, they won’t let me in to see him—”

“I’ll be right there.Which hospital?”

“Margaret Chung.”

“Okay, baby girl.”I stride to the door, mentally mapping the fastest route to the Margaret Chung Medical Center.“Hang tight.Who’s with you?”

“Kellan and Natasha.”

At least she isn’t alone.I need to be there with her, though.For her, and for Sebastian.“I’m on my way.”

The ride to the hospital is a blur.Garth drives so I won’t have to worry about parking.As soon as he drops me off, I stride into the building and go to the ER waiting room to find Ella.

Her eyes are wild and fearful.She stands in a waiting room, wringing her hands together.

The nurses won’t inform me anything other than that they’ll send a doctor out to speak with us shortly.Ella calls Bash’s cousin, Lin.Natasha and Kellan leave to get us food.Nobody’s actually hungry, but I think they’re looking for an excuse to take a break from the tension.

I hold Ella’s hand and give her another hug before stepping back to look at her.

Her hair looks good—she must have at least finished her salon appointment before Bash got hurt.

“Tell me what happened,” I say.

She recounts being followed into an alley with Natasha, then Sebastian and Kellan coming to the rescue.There was a fight.

“Were you hurt?”I ask.“Or Kellan or Natasha?”

“No, we’re all fine.Maybe some bruises, but—”

“Show me,” I say, reaching for her arms.

“I’mfine, Kingston,” she says.“Sebastian wasstabbed.Don’t worry about me.”