AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let me go. Please,” she begs.
I stare between them. I mean, Jax has a pretty firm grip on her arm but what’s he planning to do, in her place of work no less?
“You and I need to have a little chat, Elizabeth.”
“I told you, my name’s Beth. Just Beth, not short for anything!”
I feel like I should step in and say something, but what? And whose side would I even be on? Obviously Jax isn’t going to hurt her, but she looks pretty shaken up and if she calls for security and gets us thrown out… I shake my head. I can’t let that happen.
“What’s going on?” Baxter asks, rounding the corner with Ace and Thorn in tow.
“Where’s Raven?” I counter.
“She’s in with Phoenix. She’s waking up.” All of them stare at Lizzie and Jax, who still hasn’t let go of her.
“What’s going on?”
“Raven wrote a coded note. ‘Beth’ here can read it,” Jax spits. “Care to explain why?”
All eyes fly to her.
“I don’t know! Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like that before in my life. I don’t know how I did it, it’s freaking me out.”
“Where were you born? What’s your birthday? Where did you grow up and go to school? What was your first pet called?” Jax fires questions at her relentlessly and she begins to sob.
“I don’t know! I’m sorry! I-I-I...excuse me.”
Once again she tries to flee but even though Jax lets go of her arm, the others block her way, boxing her in.
She spins round and round on the spot, looking for a way out before her eyes light desperately on me.
“Please—” she begs.
“You better answer our questions,” I shake my head. “Sorry, angel.”
The old term of endearment slips from my lips before it registers and I feel like my feather tattoos are burning a hole right through my chest. She gasps and jerks back away from me. There’s a flash of recognition in her bright green eyes and damn, if I didn’t notice the similarities between the two sisters before.
What the hell was wrong with me?
All of our faces are hard and unreadable but as she studies each of them she must realise that we’re not going to let this go. She begins to tremble and sob even harder, her shoulders hunching as she collapses in on herself. I feel like a sack of shit but I have to stand by my brothers on this.
“Beth?” a male voice calls from nearby. It could be a doctor but the sense of urgency makes me think this is a personal call. “Beth, what’s wrong? I came as soon as I could. You’ve never used the panic button before.”
A man rounds the corner and comes into sight. He’s wearing a long-sleeved black shirt, black slacks and black dress shoes. He would look perfectly respectable – like a consultant or a registrar or something – if it weren’t for the bird of prey tattoo with spread wings spanning his neck and the dangerous gleam in his eye. He also has a gun holstered at his hip and his gaze becomes murderous when he sees the five of us surrounding the sobbing, broken nurse.
“What the hell?” he growls. “What are you doing? Who the fuck are you? Get away from her!”
Giving zero fucks who he’s facing down or the fact that he’s clearly outnumbered and outmuscled, he barges through our box and pulls her into his arms. She bawls and collapses into him, so upset she can’t even speak.
Fuck. I feel like the lowest of the low. I never wanted to upset her like that. I catch Thorn’s eye and see the same level of guilt staring back at me. Ace too. Only Jax and Baxter seem remorseless. I shake my head. Of course they are. They’re so alike they’re either going to be best friends or they’ll kill each other.
Baxter turns and glares at the guy, but he just glares right back. He’s got bigger balls than me – or a death wish – that’s for sure. Baxter leans forward and murmurs something in his ear and the guy flinches infinitesimally. It’s almost unnoticeable. Almost.
He turns and strides away with Lizzie still sobbing in his arms.
“Wait here,” Baxter instructs. I expect Jax to argue with him but he doesn’t. Which is odd, but not unexpected. Jax is shit at taking orders but I’m pretty sure Baxter would kill anyone who dared to even try to command him. Except maybe Raven. And Nix. He’s not exactly soft as shite around them but he’s definitely...less stabby.
Although, this clearly concerns Raven right now and Baxter is looking downright demonic as he follows the newcomer down the ward and leaves the rest of us staring in his wake.
Ace: How many?
Stannislav: Good boy. I knew you’d come around to my way of thinking. Let’s say...one for each of your sisters.
Stannislav: A week.
Ace: Impossible! You know not possible!
Stanislav: A month then.
