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“Turn off the light please,” she says, her voice muffled by her pillow.
“Sorry,” I say, grinning as I look at her. “I just need to get cleaned up and I’ll be right there.”
She waves a hand at me before burying herself deeper into the blankets and the pillows. Holding my ribs due to the pain, I chuckle and turn off the light before heading into the washroom. As I close the door behind me, I hiss out a pained breath.
It takes a few moments of rummaging through the cabinets to find the pain medication. I take the dose and wash it down with some water before getting in the shower. The water runs through my bruised skin. My entire body feels tender, but all I can think about is getting into bed with Hadley.
After a few minutes, I step out of the shower and towel off. I look in the mirror and see the painting my body has become. Thankfully, my face remains unmarked.
Regardless, Felix is going to pay for this.
With a sigh, I turn off the lights and head to the bed. Hadley shuffles over to make room for me as I get in.
Even though I’m in pain, I need to hold her. I need to know that she is safe in my arms and nobody is going to take her away from me. I loop an arm around her waist and pull her closer.
Despite our conversation earlier and the tension between us, she still rolls onto her side and cuddles against me.
My heart races as I hold her close. She sighs and nestles against me. The feeling of her body pressed against mine combined with the pain medication slowly starting to work is enough to make me feel a bit better.
Even though the ache continues through my body as she presses against me, I’m not going to ask her to move away. Not after the shit I’ve been through tonight.
“We’re not done talking about all of this shit,” she says as she puts her hand on my chest. “I don’t want to fight anymore tonight.”
Cocooned by the darkness around her, I kiss the top of her head. “Nothing about us is transactional, Hadley. I’ll sit back and allow you to take the lead from now on.”
She laughs and kisses me. “I believe you mean that, but you know the two of us are going to be constantly fighting each other for control. We’re too broken not to. Being in control is what we’ve both had to do to survive.”
We might be broken, but every day I spend with her, I feel those little shattered pieces starting to glue themselves back together.
19
HADLEY
Walking into university with two cartel members flanking me isn’t how I want to start my school year. I thought that Jovan would back off a little once school started, but he is still sending his people with me everywhere I go.
“I don’t suppose either of you would like to take the day off?” I say as a couple girls I have classes with look at me and start whispering to each other. “I don’t think that I need the two of you following me around.”
“Not going to happen,” Rio says, grinning as he looks at me. “You know as well as I do that nobody is going to defy the boss.”
“You do.”
Rio shrugs. “It depends on the matter. When it comes to your safety, I’m not going to disobey him.”
I groan and look around. More people are looking at me. I don’t know what they think and I try to convince myself that it doesn’t matter anyway. They don’t know that I’m pregnant and they don’t know who these men are.
The other students might be looking at me, but they don’t know what’s going on with my life.
That’s what I try to tell myself even though the darker part of my brain insists that strangers know everything.
How the hell am I supposed to do this? To finish my education with cartel members following me around and a baby on the way.
I can’t do this.
“Give us a minute,” Rio says to the other man, jerking his chin in the direction of a bench.
The other man looks at me for a moment before nodding and walking away. Rio waits until the man is out of earshot before stepping in front of me. He crosses his arms and looks down.
“Hadley, whatever is going through your head right now isn’t as bad as you’re making it.” Rio grins and shakes his head when I start to open my mouth. “Save it, Hadley. You might be able to talk circles around Jovan, but Kennedy is a lot like you. She gets the same look on her face when she is trapped in her own head and overthinking.”
