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She nods and we’re quickly led out the back door to the waiting ambulance. Just as the doors are closing, I could swear I catch sight of my brother and Rook. That doesn’t make any sense, so I shake it off, assuming it’s the stress catching up with me. We arrive at the hospital less than five minutes later and she’s immediately taken back to the operating room while I’m led to a family-only waiting room.
It’s not even twenty minutes later when a doctor comes out with a huge smile on his face. “You’re Agent Beaumont, I presume?” he asks, coming over to shake my hand when I nod.
“Miss Connolly is asking to see you. Your quick thinking and solid pressure pushed the bullet further into her muscle, which saved her from major surgery. When the bullet first hit her, it was an inch away from the Subclavian artery. From what we can tell, your pressure combined with her movements had sort of a drilling effect, lodging the bullet into the muscle over her scapula. All in all, it was the best possible outcome.”
I breathe out a sigh of relief, hardly believing her luck. Nobody gets shot in the torso and is justfine. The fact that it missed several major arteries borders on a miracle.
“Can I see her now? Is she on any pain medication?” I ask.
His face drops into a grimace. “Well… you see, Miss Connolly vehemently refused any IV medication after using a local anesthetic to remove the bullet shortly after she regained consciousness. I have never seen someone so young handle pain so effortlessly,” he says suspiciously.
Nodding at him, my words are somber. “I noticed that too, and I intend to find out why that is.”
He gives me a small smile and leads me back to Blake’s room.
“Hey kiddo, how ya feeling?” I ask gently. She gives me a small smile and starts to speak before perking up suddenly and glancing over my shoulder. Her eyes light up even as she gasps, covering her mouth. I’m beyond confused until an enormous form I’d recognize anywhere fills the doorframe. Four others shadowing him closely.
“Holy shit,” I whisper. Each of the five boys is covered head to toe in smoke residue, cuts, road rash, and burns. “What happened to y’all?”
My jaw is still hanging slack when Rook’s wide eyes lift at the sound of my voice and find mine.
“Uncle Ro?” he chokes out. “What the fuck?”
“I could say the same to you, Rookie! How the hell do you know Blake? And what the hell happened?” I shake my head in exasperation. Clearly, I missed a metric fuck-ton while I was dark for the end of this assignment.
“Oh, this pretty little one?” he smirks. “Roman Beaumont, meet mybondedOmega, Blake Connolly. Or, as you may remember her,Blakely O’Connor.”
I choke on nothing. “You’re fucking kidding me,” I say, slowly connecting the dots. “Ifound Blakely all those years ago and didn’t know?” Turning surprisingly misty eyes to Blake as her pack crowds in around us, I grab her arm lightly. “Blake, I amso sorryI didn’t realize that was you all those years ago. My hands were tied at the time, but that’s really no excuse. If I had known, I would’ve ignored the bureaucratic bullshit and taken you back that day without question. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you from all of this,” I choke out.
I’m not expecting her hug, so it startles me when the tiny arm not in a sling circles my neck and hugs me tightly.
“Thank you for saving my life so I could meet my pack,” she whispers.
I squeeze her very gently back. “We always take care of family, Blake.”
ChapterThirty-Three
ICKY VICKY: CRIMINAL MASTERMIND
Blake
The two weeks following my failed auction are long and painful. Between endless interviews with the police and Designation Intelligence Agency and the meds I’m forced to take to keep the pain at bay, I’m snapping at everyone by the time we finally get back home to Lockwood.
“Come on, Angel,” Rook says sweetly. “Take your last dose of pain meds for Daddy and I promise we’ll go to Mama’s and get you some delicious food.”
Tempted with the promise of more of Mrs. Beaumont’s home cooking, I grudgingly take the pills and let Hades swoop in to carry me next door. The next several hours are spent laughing and bonding with my new family and eating some… mostly delicious southern food. Let’s just say collard greens are not my thing.
I’m sitting in the center of my pack wiping tears from my eyes as Beck and Gray act out scenes from the Pirates franchise. Currently, they’re using couch cushions to enact the scene where Jack and Will use a small boat as their air pocket to travel underwater. I’m laughing so hard I can barely breathe.
There’s a knock on the sliding glass door that interrupts our fun and from my semi-hidden perch behind my mountain of an Alpha, I see Victoria. Shuddering, Rook turns his body. So I’m completely hidden by his large frame as she comes in without waiting.
“Hey y’all,” her voice is technically somber, but something about it rings insincere. “I just wanted to bring this by and tell you boys that I amso sorryfor your loss.”
The parents stay silent, watching my men giving each other confused looks before Kai clears his throat. “Umm… our loss?”
She looks equally confused now but slaps a sickly sweet smile on her pretty face, the momentary crack in her mask. “I mean, yeah. I’ve heard that the death of a bonded partner can be devastating. Since you just lost Blair, I just wanted to let y’all know I’m here if you ever need anything. A hot meal, a shoulder to cry on, some comfort.” She shrugs a dainty shoulder. “I’m here to help.”
Her voice is practically a purr as she moves closer, and Rook growls low in his throat.
