“Who sent this?” he asks, voice harsh.
“Janine brought a bouquet to Hud. Said some guy delivered them and told her which room.”
He shoves past me and stalks to Hudson’s room. I follow behind him, Ella watching us as we file in. Mr. Daniels grabs some sterile gloves from the box hanging on the wall, then walks to Hudson’s bedside table. “Which one?”
“Cullen, what’s going on?” Ella asks, moving out of the way.
I ignore her. “The red and blue bouquet.”
Mr. Daniels picks up the vase, carefully examining each flower. “I’m going to call the detective and see if they can get someone down here to fingerprint the vase.” He walks out, the door closing softly behind him.
“Are you just going to keep ignoring me?”
Ella’s grating voice makes my jaw clench, but I do my best to keep my words even. “Hesent Hud flowers… with a pretty messed-up card.”
Her eyes widen to saucers, her mouth moving as if she’s trying to formulate words. “That’s scary,” she whispers.
Yeah, no shit.
She fidgets, playing with a bracelet on her wrist. “Um, Cullen? I want to apol—”
“Ella,” I snarl, still on edge. “I’m in no mood for mindless small talk, and I don’t give a damn about whatever bullshit apology you were about to give.”
Her nostrils flare, but she doesn’t try to argue. She gives Hud a sad look, then walks out of his room, once again leaving me with nothing but the deafening sound of machines.
Sighing, I sink down into the chair next to the bed, a small tear dripping from my eye. I grab Hudson’s hand, bringing it to my lips, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. I rest my cheek on our clasped hands, my gaze steady on Hud.
“He’ll never touch you, baby. I swear it.” My breath hitches, my chest in a constant vice. “I’m going to fight like hell for you. I'm going to be strong for you.”
Another tear falls before I swipe it away.
“And when you wake up,” I whisper, my voice resolute. “We’re going to fight—together.”
Resolve settles within my bones, a fierce determination like I’ve never felt before. This fucker thinks they can take Hud away from us, from me, and live to tell the tale?
He’s in for a rude awakening.
Chapter three
Hudson
If this is death, it’s not what I expected. There’s only dark nothingness around me. I’m weightless, floating like I’m still trapped in the depths of the river. It’s cold and heavy. I don’t like it. My head feels like it’s caving in on itself, and my arm throbs unnaturally.
Something tugs at me, gentle but insistent, like it wants me to follow, but I can’t move on my own. I drift through the void, heat and chills taking their turn wrapping my body.
Am I dying?
Voices mumble somewhere above me, urgent and familiar.
Warmth blankets me, and I feel as if this could be peace.
There’s pressure, hard and rhythmic, like the world is punching me from the inside out. It keeps me clinging to just this side of darkness.
I wish it would stop, so I can finally let go.
To find the quiet.
A white-hot bolt rips through me, cracking the dark wide open. My back arches. Light flares across my vision, blinding.
