Page 18 of Vain (Tempest #2)

Chapter Eighteen

MATILDA

His words ring in my head all the way to the hospital.

I just don’t know how to process them. I’ve been in a dozen movies, a handful of them book adaptations with the dreamiest of male protagonists who say things made to make audiences swoon.

But until now, I thought things like that were all make-believe.

And then there’s Aiden. He’s everything teenage me dreamed about.

It’s making me wonder if he’s just that, something I dreamed up to escape the shitshow of my life.

I’ve been taught that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

It’s that mentality that makes me hold myself back.

I want to let go. I want to free fall into the arms of this downright confusing man who seems to want me for me and couldn’t give a shit about my wealth or my fame. But is it real?

“You’re quiet. Did I freak you out before?”

“I’m not sure. When I’m around you, I feel like I need to pinch myself all the time to make sure I’m actually awake.”

He chuckles, sliding his fingers through mine as he leads me to the elevators. “I’m lulling you in. Gotta make you fall in love with me before you realize what a pain in the ass I can be.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I’m stubborn, possessive, and a moody bastard sometimes.”

“Well, thank god for that. You were starting to give me a complex.”

He grins before pushing me into the corner, where we make out between floors, avoiding all the panic from yesterday. When the elevator dings and the doors slide open, I can’t help but chuckle. “Oh, you’re good.”

“You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Taking my hand once more, he leads me to the waiting room, where I see Wade and another guy who looks like a real-life Texas Ranger with his brown jeans, navy blue button-up shirt, and white cowboy hat.

I’ve never had a cowboy fetish before, but yikes, if I did, this man would star in many a fantasy.

“Wade. Mathews.” Aiden holds out his hand and shakes each of theirs before indicating to me.

“Mathews, this is Matilda. Matilda, Mathews. And of course, you remember Wade.”

“Ma’am.” Mathews tips his hat.

I feel my cheeks flush. “Hi.”

“It’s the hat, I swear,” Wade mutters, making me blush even more.

“Still worried your wife will come to her senses and run away with me?” Mathews grins at Wade.

“Why is everyone always trying to run off with my woman?” He throws his hands up in exasperation.

“Maybe because she’s a ten and you’re a two. We feel sorry for her, bro,” Aiden chimes in. I bite my lip so I don’t laugh at the affronted look on Wade’s face.

“Do not make me shoot you, motherfucker. I hate doing paperwork.”

“Now, now, children,” Mathews wades in, looking at Aiden. “You sure Kellen’s up for this?”

“Only one way to find out,” Aiden replies before looking at me. “You good if I leave you with Wade?”

“Of course. I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

He kisses my temple before nodding at Wade and heading off with Mathews. I watch them both leave because I’m a red-blooded woman, and those men have asses I could bounce coins off of.

“Are you checking out Aiden or Mathews?” Wade teases.

“Aiden, obviously. Though if you decided your precinct should all start wearing chaps and Stetsons, you’d get my vote.”

He throws his head back and laughs, drawing the attention of those around us. I twist my baseball cap back around so the bill faces forward again and tug it lower.

“Alright, let’s go and visit Zoe. I cleared it for you to spend some time with her. I’ve also made it abundantly clear that Cora’s behavior yesterday was unprofessional and reflected poorly on the hospital, given that they are trying to attract donors.”

“That’s not going to make me any more popular with her. You know that, right?”

“I don’t need you to be popular. I need you to be safe.”

“What is in the water down here?” I mumble.

“Say what now?”

I shake my head as we walk down to Zoe’s room. “Let’s just say you guys are a different breed of men from the ones I usually encounter.”

He shrugs, clearly not sure what to say to that.

“Don’t worry. It’s a good thing.”

When he reaches the door, he knocks. When he doesn’t get an answer, he opens it and looks around, finding the room empty.

“Might have gone for testing. Let me go find out. Wait here for me.”

“Sure.” I stand outside the door as he walks around the corner to the nurse’s station. He’s gone only a couple of seconds before Cora turns the corner. She doesn’t look the least bit surprised to see me. Fantastic.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she snaps at me as she walks closer . “Visiting is for family only.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. Besides, Zoe doesn’t have any family. Does that mean she should be left alone? She’s just a little girl, for Christ’s sake.”

“Yes, well, that’s irrelevant now anyway. Zoe passed away last night from complications. Now, I can’t have you loitering around. Either leave, or I’ll have security remove you.”

I stand frozen at her words, the blood draining from my face as my brain flips through images of Zoe from yesterday, looking for signs.

She seemed happy I was there. The nurses didn’t seem overly concerned about her condition, and I’m sure one of them told me she was being moved to a regular ward soon.

“I don’t understand. She was okay. She was happy.”

“She was a very sick little girl. After what her body had been through, it was too weak to keep fighting every ailment she continued to catch.”

I grab the wall to steady myself, feeling tears run down my face at the fucking unfairness of it all.

“Do I need to get security?”

“What you need to do is shut up,” I snap at her.

“Stop acting like a spoiled bitch and have some heart. A child died. I’m sad.

You should be, too. You probably knew her better than I did.

” I sniff, wiping my cheeks with the sleeve of my shirt.

“I’ll go and wait for Aiden and get out of your way,” I mutter, needing to get away from this vile woman.

“This isn’t a vacation spot. You can’t just hang out here all day when we have sick people to look after.”

I shake my head and turn away from her, heading toward Kellen’s room.

“Hey,” she snaps. “I’m talking to you.”

“And I’m done listening.”

I feel her hand on my shoulder just as Wade approaches me.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Not surprisingly, Cora says nothing. But then she’s hardly likely to admit to being a raving bitch now, is she?

“Can you get me out of here? I need a minute,” I ask him quietly.

I know my glasses cover my eyes, but I swear for a second he can see right through them.

“Of course.” He moves to Cora. “You’re already on thin fucking ice,” he warns her before taking my elbow and leading me away.

“Want me to take you to Aiden?” he asks me quietly.

I shake my head. “He needs time with his friend. I just need some air.”

“Alright. You stick with me, and we’ll do a couple of laps of the hospital, clear your head a little. I’m gonna text your boy, though, and let him know what’s what. Because my wife is partial to my dick, and Aiden is liable to cut it off if I take you out of here without letting him know.”

I nod, offering him a small smile that I don’t feel.

“Whatever she said to you, sweetheart, you can’t take to heart. She’s a fucking viper.”

“I know that. I don’t care what she says about me. I’m not sad because of that. I’m sad because Zoe is gone.”

“You can still visit her on the ward. She’s just with her social worker right now.”

I freeze before slowly turning to look up at him. “What did you just say?” I ask quietly, unsure I heard him correctly.

“I said she’s with her social worker. Why, what is it?”

I grip his arm hard, and though he doesn’t even flinch, I know it has to hurt when my nails are digging into his skin.

“She’s okay?” I ask through gritted teeth.

“Zoe?” Yeah, of course. They wouldn’t have moved her downstairs otherwise. Matilda, tell me what the fuck is going on.

So I do, through gritted teeth, barely holding myself back from finding that woman and ripping her hair out of her head. “Cora told me that Zoe died last night. That’s why her room was empty.”

It takes a while for my words to sink in, but he goes rock solid when they do, his face turning a deep red.

He seethes. “She said what?”

“That she died. She didn’t imply it or say just enough for me to get the wrong end of the stick. She told me she flat out passed away last night due to complications.”

He narrows his eyes before pulling out his cell phone. “Come and get your girl.” He speaks before hanging up and tugging me toward Kellen’s room.

Aiden meets us before we get there, his eyes moving over my body as if to make sure I’m alright. He pulls me into his arms. “What happened?”

“Cora fucking happened. Stay with Matilda while I go deal with this shit.” Wade storms off as I breathe Aiden in—letting his touch and smell calm me in that way only he seems able to.

“What happened? What did she do?”

“Zoe’s room was empty when we got there. Wade went to find out what was going on when Cora found me. I swear she knew I was there.”

“She probably did. She likely clocked you the second you stepped off the elevator.”

“She told me Zoe died last night from complications, then tried to get me to leave before threatening me with security.”

“Fuck. I’m sorry about Zoe, baby. I know?—”

I cover his lips with my fingers and look up at him. “Zoe’s fine. She was moved downstairs. Cora lied.”

If I thought Wade’s reaction was bad, it had nothing on Aiden’s. If I wasn’t holding him as tightly as I am, I know he would track her down and wring her scrawny neck.

“I’m going to kill her.”

“No, you’re not because you’re better than she is.”

“She make you cry?”

I swallow hard, not wanting to lie to him.

“Right,” he whispers, his tone full of malice.

“She’s not worth it, Aiden.”

“No, but you are. And I’ll be damned if I let her fuck with you.”