Page 193 of Her Defiant Warrior

“Lainey, what happened to you? Why do you have blood all over your arms and chest?”

Jase handed Mateo two bottles of water that he held in one of his big hands. He set one down beside the couch.

“Let me have my hand, Lainey.”

She released Mateo’s hand and he opened the bottle of water. She tried to sit up, but she couldn’t.

“Fuck,” he muttered.

Before she knew what was happening, she was lifted and then cradled in Mateo’s lap, her head resting between his shoulder and jaw. “Let me help you drink this.”

She took long, grateful sips.

“Okay, mí amor, that’s enough for now.”

He was right. Already her stomach was cramping, and that just hurt all those bruises she had inside and out.

“Besides the cuts and being thirsty, what else? I can tell you’re hurting.”

“Goddammit!” The roar cut through all the talking in the room.

Lainey gripped Mateo’s shirt in a panic as she heard the yell coming from her kitchen. She glanced over to see who made that noise. Was it Ivan? Had he gotten up off the floor? Was he going to kill Mateo and his friends? Was he going to get her?

It was the same man who had given Mateo the bottles of water; he was holding up her pretty pillowcase filled with oranges.

“What’s in it?” another one of Mateo’s friends asked.

The big man who roared ripped her pillowcase open and oranges fell onto her counter and then bounced onto her floor.

“Motherfucker!” he roared again.

“Aw, Lainey,” Mateo whispered. “How bad are you hurting?”

“Bad,” she admitted. “She said she wouldn’t hit my kidneys, so at least there was that, right?” Lainey tried to smile.

Mateo dropped his head into her shorn hair and breathed in deep. Then he lifted. “Where the fuck is that ambulance?!”

This time, it was his turn to sleep in the uncomfortable hospital chair, and Mateo couldn’t give one good shit. He was just happy as hell that Lainey was out of surgery and it turned out to be relatively minor. What he found out; a person could live pretty well without a gallbladder. He just wanted her to wake up.

“Mateo, have you had something to eat since yesterday? I’m worried about you.”

He looked up into the warm, blue eyes of Rose Simpson. Who would have ever guessed that her eyes could be warm?

“I haven’t been hungry.”

“I knew you were going to say that. Lee’s wife is bringing some soup for you from the cafeteria. Lee’s parking their rental car. Conrad is outside having a cigar, waiting for him.” Rose held out her hand for him to take.

“I just want her to wake up, you know?” Mateo said.

“I know, honey. She will. The doctors expect her to wake up today. Her body’s been through a lot.”

Mateo got up out of his seat. “Here, sit down.”

“No, that’s your seat,” Rose protested.

“My mama would tan my hide if I was sitting while a lady was standing,” Mateo said with half a grin. Rose sat down in the empty chair.

“I bet your Mama and I would have liked each other.”