AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Holden and Riley flanked her on either side of the hospital bed, hulking over her like two Neanderthals. From beneath half hooded eyes, she watched her men. Smoke still clung to their clothes and bits and pieces of ash were still in their hair. Black soot streaked across their cheeks from their failed attempt to wash it off.
The ER doctors had been wonderful to her, but she didn’t understand why they wanted to keep her overnight for a few light burns on her leg and a bump on the head when she felt fine, just exhausted by the crazy shit she’d just gone through. What normal person wouldn’t be?
“Did they give any indication of why she needs to stay?” Holden asked Riley, who answered with a shrug.
“Not a clue.”
“While you guys were out, the nurse said the doctor would be in shortly to talk to me.” Zahara pushed up on the bed and cringed from the bruises and aches in her muscles. Oh yeah, come morning those puppies would be black and blue and she wouldn’t be surprised if her legs refused to move.
“Hey, baby. Are you okay?” The right side of her bed dipped as Riley eased down. “Do you want us to bring your computer? How about your phone? Or you could just use the hospital phone.”
She must have looked confused because Riley pointed at the phone and added, “Your sister. She’ll want to know you are all right.”
Right. She smiled to comfort him and ease the tension from his face. She knew he and Holden only worried about her. “Riley, I’m fine. My phone would be nice, though. Thank you. Ivy is probably worried sick and wondering why I didn’t make my flight.”
“You didn’t call her and tell her?”
“I was slung over someone’s shoulder and didn’t get the chance. Remember.” She arched a brow at Holden, who sheepishly gave a half tilt to his lips. “Yeah. Gotcha.”
“You sure you’re okay? Does anything hurt or feel wrong?” Riley ran his hands up and down her arms before he moved to her midsection and then her legs, inspecting every inch of her for his satisfaction, she mused.
“Yeah, just a little tired after all the fuss and the adrenaline crash gave a slight headache. But you guys,” she trailed a hand up their arms, “how are you?”
She sat up fully. “What about the others? Jin, Rebel? Are they okay? The cabin?” She swiped at the dampness on her lashes. “Was everything lost?” She looked between them.
“Shhh… take it easy. You took a nasty fall and a bump to your head… you’ll be seeing stars for hours if you move too fast.” Holden pressed a hand on her shoulder, adding in a quieter voice, “A part of the cabin was saved, but we’ll probably tear it down. Rebuild. Start over. Everything else will regrow.”
She guessed change, good or bad, was inevitable even if forced on you like Ashwood senior had done.
“But we don’t care about that. We only care about you.” Riley reached for a bottle of water and held it to her lips. “From the first moment you walked into Damon’s bar with your cute smile and teacher’s air of innocence, it’s always been about you. Everyone else doesn’t matter.”
Holden tightened his hold around her hand giving her strength to ask the hard questions.
“Riley what about your father? Your mom and sister?” She asked in a quiet tone. “What happens now?”
He placed a gentle hand over her bandages on her leg and head.
“I honestly don’t know. My mother will have to figure out what matters most to her and my sister, well, we’ve always been close. I’m sure now, without my father’s overwhelming presence she’ll spread her wings a little.”
Zahara wound her fingers around Riley’s. “And you? You can’t keep pushing forward and ignoring what happened today.”
Riley stood quiet for a moment drinking all of her in with his eyes. Like he couldn’t believe she was there in front of him.
“My father is lucky you were not harmed today is all I’ll say on the topic, baby girl or he wouldn’t have been the one wearing the cuffs. Nothing else needs saying. We lose you and the fucking world will burn from our wrath.”
“Riley, that’s not like you,” she offered with a half trembling smile. All the anger and fear she held earlier gave away to even more love for the men by her side. “You can’t love me so much that you forsake your people. Yourself. I won’t accept that.”
She watched as Riley stalked over to the window on the far side of the room and leaned against the frame. Late afternoon sunlight spilled through the slatted curtains to cast a broken shadow over the man obviously tormented by his past. Anger that ass-hat father of his bore into him. Helpless from her hospital bed, she gazed out the window and accepted the small gift of sunlight. She would never take the small things in life for granted after today.
“We’ll talk more about this when we get home.” Holden soothed her with a hand over hers.
“Home.” Another gift.
Holden’s dark head tilted, his mouth turning up into a wide grin. “Which is another topic we’ll need to discuss. I’m going to miss the quiet time we had up at the cabin. Just the three of us.” He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed the tips of each of her fingers. “We had planned on fucking you long and hard by the waterfall.”
Riley turned from the window. “Which we did.”
Wow. What was it about these two men that left her breathless? She smiled at them both. “I remember.”
