AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kelly, Sue, and Finley were in the room with me. I was in a hospital with an IV hooked to my arm. I winced again.
“Dim the lights, Finley,” Sue said.
“I’m glad to see you’re awake.” Kelly squeezed my hand. “Do you remember what happened?”
“Yes,” I croaked.
“Go tell them she’s awake,” Sue ordered the kid. The door clicked shut as Finley left the room. Sue stood and waddled to the bed.
I glanced around the room. “Where’s Hudson?”
Kelly glanced at Sue quickly, and something about the nervous way she looked churned my stomach. But Sue ignored her and grabbed my hand. “He went with Finnick to the police station.”
“Jerry and Phillip were their names,” I whispered. My head still throbbed, and I felt exhausted. “Did the police manage to detain them?”
“Ya misunderstand, dear,” Sue said. “Hudson and Finnick areinjail. Finnick caught the one running, and Hudson walked in on the one attacking ya.” Her grip tightened.
“The one who did this to you is currently in ICU,” said Kelly. “He’s in stable condition, but let’s hope he lives.”
My throat burned, and the shame crept in. None of that would have happened if I confided in Hudson before I was attacked. I winced, and my body trembled from the constant pain. “Is Hudson responsible?”
“Landry couldn’t get him off the man,” Kelly muttered. “The man was screaming that he was going to kill you.”
Oh, God. It was all my fault. Instead of telling Hudson that someone was harassing me, I chose to ignore it because I didn’t want to be a burden. What a dumb choice. That was me—always making the wrong decisions. Hudson was in jail because ofme. Because I was afraid when I shouldn’t have been.
I was nothing like the family members I feared becoming. Yet, I didn’t know how to ask for help without thinking of Gran.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Kelly patted my shoulder. “Landry’s getting them out.”
“No, it’s not. Hudson—”
“Is going to be fine,” Sue finished.
The doctor and nurse stepped in, rattling off a bunch of tests they needed to do. I had a concussion, and with the number of blows to my head, they wanted to observe me overnight to check for brain bleeds.
When the nurse administered more pain meds, I quickly fell asleep.
???
The pain was the first thing I noticed when I woke again. The second was the darkened room, and the man asleep in the chair beside my bed. The monitor beeped as I stared at Hudson. I was instantly relieved to see him. He still had the suit on, which meant he came straight there after leaving the jail. His normally slicked back hair was in complete disarray. I sniffed as the tears threatened to spill. Crying only made my head hurt worse, so I really didn’t want to do that.
Suddenly, he gasped and jumped up. As soon as he locked eyes with me, the tears spilled, and my shoulders jerked from how hard I sobbed. “Baby,” he whispered, leaning over me. He was careful with my face and head. The heat of him being so close was soothing. “Baby,” he said again, rubbing my arm. “Shh, shh. It’s okay.”
“No, i-it’s not.” I hiccupped. “I don’t want you in trouble because of me.”
“I’m not in trouble,” he murmured. “The fucker deserved worse. He would have done worse to you if I hadn’t gotten… He’s going to live when he doesn’t deserve to.” Hudson wiped my eyes, and I winced. “Sorry,” he croaked. “I can’t fucking touch you because of that fucker. I could kill him, and I wouldn’t bat an eye.”
“Don’t talk like that,” I said.
“You haven’t seen yourself,” he said, his breath hitting my cheek. “He mentioned that sleazy lawyer you worked for to the police. Most likely, they’ll question him in the morning. Have you encountered anyone else regarding the lawyer’s disappearance and the settlement money?”
I stiffened.
Hudson looked down at me. “I won’t play around when it comes to your safety. If there’s anyone else harassing you, I need to know.”
“Just those two,” I said. “I’m sorry. When the old man visited the restaurant and said some strange things, I should have known he was up to no good. He also left a note on my car in your driveway.”
“In the driveway?” Hudson’s voice dropped an octave.
