Page 16 of Volatile King (The Kings of Wayward Academy #6)

R en

I loved Mr. Bunny. Sitting on my bed, I brushed his fur to make it nice and soft. He had to look his best to have tea with the queen. Dolly was already in her seat, waiting for the party to start.

Putting Mr. Bunny in his chair, I lifted my teacup and took a sip, making sure that my pinkie was raised like a proper lady. I looked up as Mommy stuck her head into the room and smiled at me. She had the prettiest smile in the whole world.

“Hey, baby, what are you doing?”

“Having a tea party. Do you want to join?” I was excited to have someone else at the party. We never left our two rooms, and if we went to the park, I wasn’t allowed to play with the other children.

“Maybe after. I need to have a shower and make some calls. Will you be okay playing in here alone for a few minutes?”

I was sad that Mommy couldn’t play, but nodded my head. Mommy walked over and bent down to hug me.

“I promise we’ll play tea party or whatever you want as soon as I’m done. Okay?”

“Okay, Mommy.” She started to leave, but I called out. “Mommy?”

“Yes, baby?”

Drawing my knees up, I hugged them tight. “Does Daddy not love me?”

Mommy turned around and sat at the end of the bed. “Your daddy loves you very much. Why do you ask?”

I shrugged. “He never visits. I hear him, but he never comes to see me,” I said, tears stinging my eyes. I wiped at my face as they started to fall.

“Your daddy is very busy, but he does love you. I promise, baby. He would do anything to see you more often. In fact, there is nothing in this world he wants more than to see you every day,” she said, and I smiled.

“Really?”

“Really.”

Mommy stood. “Don’t drink all the tea without me,” she said, her happiness making me feel better.

Giggling, I smiled back. “Mommy, don’t be silly, there is no tea in the cups,” I said, and she laughed as she walked into her room.

The water turned on, and I knew Mommy was in the shower. I really wanted to find someone else to play with, but Mommy would be mad. Mommy made me promise never to leave our rooms for any reason.

Oh well, at least I still had Mr. Bunny. I heard a knock and looked around. It happened again, and I slowly slipped off the bed, quiet as a mouse.

“Hello,” I said, into the empty room.

“Down here,” came a voice.

I looked down and saw something move under the door. Getting onto my hands and knees, I crawled closer to peek through the narrow gap. A blue eye stared back at me, and I smiled.

“What are you doing?”

“Come play,” he said.

“I can’t. I’m not allowed,” I whispered.

“Come ooon, pleeease?”

It was bad, I knew it was bad, but I stood and tried the handle on the door. It was locked. I got back down on my knees again.

“The door’s locked.”

He disappeared, and then a key shot under the gap. Smiling, I grabbed it and jumped up. I could play for five minutes. Slipping the key into the lock, I turned it until there was a click and then slowly twisted the knob.

Giggling as I opened the door, I looked out and down the hall. Mommy’s guards were gone. Closing it behind me, I called out.

“Where did you go?”

“Down here.”

Running to the top of the stairs, I looked down and spotted him just before he laughed and ran away.

“Catch me if you can.”

“I’m coming for you,” I yelled, excitedly.

Gripping the banister, I ran down the stairs and heard a laugh coming from the hallway to my right. Giggling with happiness, I followed him. I was almost there when a hand grabbed my arm and fingers dug into my skin.

The person whipped me around. “What are you doing?”

NASH

Edmundo was a man you couldn’t keep down, but even I was impressed with his tenacity. He had broken and cracked multiple bones, including his leg, and yet here he was walking toward me wearing a metal brace and using a cane.

“Are you escaping,” I asked, stepping out of Ren’s room.

She was sleeping peacefully, and I was the guard dog on duty for the day while my boys went back to Wayward for classes. I really didn’t care if I failed.

Whether I finished biology or not wasn’t going to make or break my future. Besides, if I asked Dean Henry nicely, he’d let me retake exams.

Edmundo smirked. “That obvious? I hate not keeping busy, and this place is making me feel claustrophobic. Too much hovering.”

“I think it’s called medical treatment,” I teased, and he narrowed his eyes at me.

“I wouldn’t laugh, I don’t think you’d be much better,” he said.

“Probably not. I’m the worst patient. Are you even cleared to be walking on that thing?”

Edmundo looked down and shrugged with his free shoulder. “They said to take it slow. I’m not trying to run,” he said, making me laugh. “Will you walk with me?”

I looked at Ren’s door. “I don’t want to leave her.”

He used his chin to point toward the nurse’s station. “We’ll just lap that and come back.”

“Okay.”

Edmundo winced with the first stride, and I reached for his arm. He glared at me, so I backed off.

“Aren’t you in pain,” I asked.

He took another limping stride. “Pain is relative.”

“That it is. So, I haven’t asked, but I am curious…why are you helping me? My father is a dick, but what you’ve done so far, what you’re offering, including your daughter, seems…”

“A bit much?”

“Yes, exactly. Like it’s personal.”

Edmundo was quiet, our slow shuffling steps and the thud of the cane the only sounds for until we reached the nurses station.

“Bad blood lingers inside you no matter how hard you try to let it go,” he said, and glanced at me. “I won’t get into specifics, but what has happened between me and your father…it is very personal,” he growled.

There was an intensity in his eyes that told a story, one riddled with pain and betrayal. He didn’t need to say a word for me to understand, and yet I desperately wanted to hear his tale. For him to be willing to trust me, to spend millions to help me…you didn’t do that for just any vendetta.

My phone vibrated as we rounded the backside of the nurse’s station, and I pulled it out.

Rory: I have the information you asked me to get.

I glanced at Edmundo.

N: Already? That was fast.

Rory: I’m good at finding things. It’s what I do.

N: Is it safe to tell me in text?

Rory: Yes, and no. So let’s just say no.

I was more intrigued by the second.

N: When can you meet up?

Rory: I’ll swing by the hospital when school’s done.

N: See you then.

“Anything interesting to report,” Edmundo asked, and I glanced at him, trying to play it cool and not give away that I was snooping into his marriage.

“It was Rory. He can’t promise his parents’ vote, but he’s setting up a meet. He’ll do whatever we need,” I said.

“That’s very good work. Who is next on the list,” Edmundo asked, but Doctor Boyd was striding toward us with a clipboard in his hand.

“Good morning. How is our star patient doing?” Why was he so cheerful? It made me want to punch him square in the middle of his face.

She could barely talk and didn’t remember her father or anything else from Halloween night. She jumped at every sound, and for the first time since I’d met her, I could see doubt swimming in her eyes. So as far as I was concerned, there was nothing to be this fucking happy about.

“She’s sleeping,” I said, crossing my arms, the anger evident in my tone as I blocked the door like a bodyguard.

“That’s good,” he said, ignoring me or not picking up on my annoyance. “We are going to discharge her this afternoon. The nurse has already removed all of Ms. Genovese’s monitors and is organizing her paperwork. We?—”

“Like hell you are. She was in a car accident and just had brain surgery! Anything could still go wrong. She’s not leaving here until she’s all better.”

Boyd looked at Mr. Genovese before addressing me.

“Mr. Collier, I don’t think you understand. Physically, Ms. Genovese is completely fine.”

“Fine! You’re kidding, right? There is nothing fine about what is happening to her,” I growled.

“Nash, let the doctor finish, please. I’d like to hear what he has to say,” Edmundo said. I wanted to argue, but pressed my lips together, fuming on the inside.

“As I was saying…physically, she is fine. But she will require daily therapy to ensure a full recovery, which could take six weeks at the very least. She seems very determined and is already showing great improvement. With a top team that I’m sure you’re willing to provide, there is no reason for Ms. Genovese to be here.

Besides, we find that patients heal much faster in a comfortable environment.

The hospital cannot provide that for her.

You will be given detailed information on what she needs for continued success. ”

I opened my mouth to argue, but was cut off when Ren screamed. Terror coursed through my body, and I sprang into action. I whipped opened her door and ran inside, ready to kill whatever had harmed her.

Ren was sitting up in bed, staring blankly at the wall and seeing something only visible to her.

“Ren, it’s okay. You’re okay,” I said, going to her.

She gripped my hand like a vise, but her entire body trembled like she was freezing. Her silver eyes looked up at me, begging for help.

“I…I…I…me hurt scream arm,” she said, and then growled as tears filled her eyes.

“Hey, it doesn’t matter. It was a dream, just a bad dream, and you’re awake now. Don’t stress out.”

“No dream…dream no…ugh.”

“Mr. Collier is right. Don’t try to force things, just relax, take a breath, and?—”

My head whipped in Doctor Boyd’s direction. “Get out, I’ve got this,” I ordered, glaring daggers at him. “I mean it, get out,” I reiterated when he didn’t move.

Edmundo stood just outside the door, watching as the doctor finally got his ass in gear and walked out. Turning back to Ren as the door closed, I dropped the bedrail with a thud. Ren shook her head at me with a dark scowl.

“Vic…ky,” she said.

I shook my head. “I’m not engaged to Vicky.” She tilted her head. “No, you didn’t know that. I promised that I’d take care of it, and when she was here the other day, she was told by me and her father that there was no marriage contract.”

She moved her hands like she was running and then signed that she saw her crying. I nodded. God, I hated this for her.

“Yes, she was upset and left crying,” I said. “Now, can I lie down?”

She crossed her arms—I thought for a second she was going to tell me no—but then shifted over to give me room. Ren gave me a pointed look, and I laughed. Even without words, I knew what she was thinking.

“No, I’m not going to try anything. You haven’t even been awake a week. Now, next week is another story,” I teased.

Ren smiled, shaking her head and calling me all sorts of names with her eyes. I climbed onto the bed and pulled her close. She nuzzled me before resting her head on my chest.

“You scared the shit out of me, Princess,” I said, meaning her screams but also the accident I couldn’t mention.

“No dream,” she said again.

“Even if it wasn’t a dream, trying to explain it when you’re upset won’t help. I’m stupid tired and no help right now. Rest with me. We can talk about it later. Okay?”

Ren nodded and snuggled closer. I didn’t care if it was two or ten in the morning.

I hadn’t slept in days and hadn’t been in a pool for over a week.

I was losing my cool and starting to see shit that wasn’t there.

Here in this bed, holding Ren, was the first time I felt like I could relax, and the world wouldn’t fall down around me.

As sleep pulled at me, the only thought circling my mind was how I could’ve prevented everything that had happened.

If I’d put bulletproof glass in at the start, or if I had taken her in a different vehicle, or not taken her to Volatile at all.

Most of all, I thought about how the Curators had Owen in their grasp and purposely let him get away.

I didn’t know if I could forgive them any more than I could forgive myself. Edmundo was right, some pain never left you.