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“Julia, what are you talking about?” My heart was beating out of my chest, and if I didn’t get to her soon, I would bleed out.
Julia took my hands in hers and led me to the sofa, taking a seat beside me. “She wouldn’t let us take her to the hospital to be checked out, but when we found her, she was semi-conscious. Her clothes were torn, and she’d been hit across the face.” As she talked, I felt like I was experiencing an out-of-body event. I could hear her voice and knew she was speaking to me, but the sounds were coming from a tunnel. My jaw was clenched tightly, and I realized the disturbing sounds I heard were coming from me. Choking back a sob, a lone tear escaped my eye. “She’s sleeping now, but you’re welcome to wait in the bedroom until she’s awake.” I wiped my eyes and followed Julia to the closed door down the hall.
I’m not sure how long I sat with my head in my hands before I heard the sweet sound of my name. “Courtland?”
My head snapped up, and I was on my feet in a flash, but my movements were halted when I glimpsed her face. My beautiful girl had an ugly bruise marring her gorgeous face. Her dark lashes fanned over her cheeks as she blinked up at me. I swallowed hard. “Hey, Buttercup, I’m here.” My words came out as broken syllables. As difficult as it was to see her this way, I couldn’t break her stare.
Pausing at her bedside, I reached out my hand but only allowed it to hover over hers, seeking permission to touch her. She was the first to move, linking our hands together while she smiled. “I’m okay.”
Returning her smile, I continued. “I had to see for myself. I wasn’t sure you’d see me, but I couldn’t wait any longer.” Reaching up to cup her face, I carefully ran my thumb over the bluish-purple bruise that had blossomed on her beautiful cheekbone, trying to ignore her wince at my touch. “I’ll kill him.” My voice was almost a whisper, but she caught my words.
“No, Courtland, please. It’s over. I’ll be fine.”
“Buttercup, he hurt you because of me. He needs to pay for what he did.” Anger was running rampant through my veins, and I needed to put an end to Victor Donovan once and for all.
When I looked at my girl, her eyes were swollen with unshed tears, demanding an escape. Her grip on my hand tightened, and her eyes were imploring. “Promise me, Courtland. Promise me you’ll leave him alone. I just want to forget last night happened and move on with my life.”
I could never deny her anything, so I gave her the best answer I could offer. “Buttercup, I promise I won’t cause him irreparable bodily harm. Is that good enough?” Her lips turned up into a smile, and she nodded her approval.
It only took me twenty minutes to make it to Donovan and Associates. I only hoped the son of a bitch would be there so I could bust his face in. I’d promised Molly I would cause minimal physical harm to the smug asshole, but I said nothing about preserving his financial abilities. I had called in a favor, and Nick delivered right on time. It seems Victor Donovan’s offshore accounts were mysteriously frozen with no hope of thawing in the next decade, and two major accounts had pulled their support and jumped to a company across town. Vindication felt so right, but I still needed a pound of flesh for Molly’s sake.
When the glass elevator opened on the top floor of his building, the lobby was empty except for one lonely receptionist. She side-eyed me as I strolled past her like I owned the place, not making a move to stop me. Following the signs that led to the boardroom, I took a chance that’s where the coward would be hiding out from the press. My hand slammed against the hard surface, and I pushed my way through the door. There he was, sitting all cavalier as I marched to his desk, pounding my fists down in front of him.
“King, what the hell?” I didn’t give him a chance to continue. Pulling him up by his scrawny neck and hauling him across the desk, I leveled a glare at him that could have put him in cardiac arrest.
His eyes went wide right before my fist slammed into his jaw with the force of a jackhammer. “This is for Molly, you son of a bitch.” Blood immediately pooled down his face from the hit. Now that this coiled rage had been unleashed, I was powerless to stop it, hit after hit, blow after blow. With every swing, I imagined Molly’s emerald eyes, full of fear, his filthy hands roaming her body.
He slumped to the floor, and I was about to land another uppercut to his jaw when the door flew open, and security guards stormed in. Little Miss Receptionist must have alerted them of my arrival. Suddenly, I was being dragged toward the elevators, my fists still swinging and yelling over my shoulder. “This isn’t over, Donovan. Mark my words. You will be sorry you ever touched her.” I would spend my dying breath making sure he paid for his sins, especially when they involved me and mine.
I guess I hadn’t hurt the fucker too bad because security allowed me to walk out of the building without further altercation. The ride back to the apartment was taking longer than I wanted. Isaac, my driver, was being rerouted because of road construction that I somehow hadn’t noticed on the drive over. At least this delay gave me time to make a few calls that needed my attention. Pulling out my phone, I dialed my parents’ number. Mom had called to check on Molly after Ben indiscreetly let it slip that she’d been attacked.
After Mom answered, I explained that I had just come from seeing her. Although she had a few cuts and bruises, she’d be fine.
After ending the call, I immediately pressed the number programmed into my burner phone. Jake Stone had been a friend of mine for a decade and the best PI money could buy. He had been tasked with keeping tabs on Buttercup for the last six months, and I wanted to bring him in on this situation. “Hey Jake, there’s been an incident involving Molly. “Can you meet tonight? Seven o’clock, my place.” With that out of the way, I needed to check in with Julia.
She picked up on the first ring, sounding as tired as I felt. Despite what she said, Molly needed to be checked out, but I knew in her stubbornness she wouldn’t go anywhere. That’s why I had my personal physician stop by and check her out. When I looked out the window, I noticed we were only three blocks from Julia’s apartment, but traffic was halted. Not wanting to wait any longer, I opened the door and dashed through cars and pedestrians trudging along the street.
It took less than a minute to make it to the apartment building, and I must have looked like hell when Julia opened the door.
She laughed when she made note of my ragged appearance and shook her head. “Courtland, what happened to you? You look like shit.”
Ignoring her words, I pushed through to the living room where Molly was seated on the couch, the doctor beside her. “Dr. Stanley, what’s the good word?”
All eyes shot to me, taking in my disheveled look. Molly’s eyes went wide, and she gasped when she saw my ripped shirt with blood on the front. As if reading her mind, I answered the unspoken question with a smirk. “He’s okay. At least he was still standing when I left him.” I had to break the gaze. Her silent plea tugged at my soul. I hope I hadn’t fucked up everything like I usually did where she was concerned. Clearing my throat, I asked again. “Dr. Stanley, how is she?”
Molly gave me a determined glare. “She is sitting right here.”
Before I could think of a comeback, Dr. Stanley rescued me from myself. “Courtland, Molly is a very lucky young lady. She has a moderate concussion, and I’ve prescribed a mild sedative to help with sleep. As I’ve told her, rest is the best medicine. I realize she’s visiting from out of town, but she needs to wait at least forty-eight hours before she engages in air travel.”
Relief brought a smile to my face. “She will be resting. I’ll make sure of it.” When I glanced her way, she gave me a what the hell look that shot straight to my groin. She didn’t know it yet, but I would win her back, and we would be together.
After the doctor gave her a few more instructions, Julia walked him out. She had some errands to run, and I told her I’d stay until she got back. She smiled and thanked me, but Molly just rolled her eyes. “I’m not an invalid. I don’t need a babysitter.” Clutching my heart, I gave her my best wounded hero face and clasped my hands together like a prayer while I blinked my dark lashes against her declaration. “Okay, fine. You can stay, but I’m picking what we watch on television.” The casual tone in her voice gave me hope. Maybe we would be okay after all.
“I don’t think you need this much screen time, Buttercup.” We watched four episodes of Friends, and it was time for her to rest. Everyone knew bright lights and lots of external movement were to be avoided anytime a head injury was involved. I reached to take the remote when her fingers clutched it tighter.
“Just five more minutes, please?” When she looked up at me with those big green eyes, the world disappeared, and we were the only people left standing.
She hadn’t mentioned any of the gifts I’d had delivered over the past few months or my letter, but that was okay. I didn’t mention them either. “What are you doing to me, Molly Steel?” I sucked in a breath and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to me. She jerked away from my touch like a hand to an open flame. “Oh my God, Buttercup, I’m sorry.”
