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“It’s all over the news, sunshine.” His smile faded.
“I haven’t been on my phone or near a TV.”
Braden turned around and pointed at the television; the sound was muted.Breaking Newsflashed across the screen, telling us about an explosion at an auto parts shop. The building was nothing but a pile of rubble with black smoke billowing from the remains.
“Oh my God,” I gasped, “were you there?”
He nodded. “If I didn’t leave when I did, I’d be dead. I’d pulled out of the parking lot on my motorcycle just in time. The blast knocked me off, and I rolled across the road.” He held up his arm. “It’s just some scrapes and bruises.” Then, his gaze shifted to the tattered pair of blue jeans and T-shirt on the floor. “My clothes didn’t fare too well, and neither did my bike or phone. All in all, I’m fine. Carter brought me a change of clothes and replaced the battery in my car since that was the reason I went to the auto parts store to begin with.”
Resting my head against his bare chest, I closed my eyes, loving the feel of his arms snaking around me. Last nightdidmean something to him; I could feel it. “When you didn’t text me back this morning, I didn’t know what to think. Especially after what happened last night.”
“Let me guess, you spent the entire day pissed at me?”
“Can you blame me?” I said, pulling away from him.
Braden chuckled. “No.”
He turned around to grab the T-shirt that was on the hospital bed. On his back was the massive dragon tattoo he was forced to get because of Nikolai. It was the Michelson brand—a symbol to show the other mafia families that he was one of the Michelson fighters. As luck would have it, he’d never had to fight for Nikolai. Seth freed him of that. I prayed that Braden didn’t have to fight at all.
Braden hissed in pain when he lifted the shirt and slid his arms through it. It was then that I noticed the dark bruises on his sides and back. The door opened and a middle-aged nurse with short brown hair and green scrubs walked in, holding a small white plastic bag and a stack of papers. Her big brown eyes were tired but friendly. Behind her, Emma and Carter entered the room.
The nurse focused on Braden and smiled. “I have your discharge papers for you and a bottle of pain medication to get you through the next couple of days. If you need anything, give us a call.” She handed everything over to Braden and turned to me. “Are you the one driving him home?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“Great. If you want to drive your car up to the front, I’ll have Mr. Emerson there in a few minutes.”
I turned to Braden and smiled. “See ya soon.” Emma and Carter walked with me to my car in the parking lot. Emma tried her best not to smile and failed. “What is it?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “Are you done fighting it now?”
Grinning, I opened my car door and hopped in. “Where’s the fun in that?”
CHAPTER13
REAGAN
The second Braden got in my car, he noticed the royal blue evening gown in the backseat. It was hard to miss it since it shimmered with the hospital lights beaming down on it.
“You still planning on being Sellinger’s date tomorrow night?” he asked.
I pulled out of the hospital parking lot. “It’s not a date, Braden. I’m going to donate money to the charity. Besides, didn’t you agree to go with Annika?”
With a frustrated sigh, Braden leaned his head back against the seat. “Yeah, unfortunately. I’m ready to get that shit over with.”
“You’re not the only one.” Silence filled the air and when I pulled up at a stoplight, I glanced over at Braden, whose eyes were closed. “So, you don’t find Annika the least bit attractive?”
His eyes flashed open, and he turned to me. “You have nothing to worry about. I, on the other hand, am fucking terrified.”
Brows furrowed, I stared at him. “Of what?”
He scoffed. “I can’t compete with Sellinger. He’s on a different level to me.”
I decided to use his words. “You have nothing to worry about.”
Braden went back to resting his head against the seat. “You say that now.”
“Guess I’ll just have to prove it to you, wiseass,” I fired back.
