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I glance up at Tank, who gives me a reassuring nod. He keeps his strides small, letting my short legs set the pace as we walk down the hallway to the waiting area.
Griffin, Dallas, and two more guys I don’t know are in a heated argument that comes to an abrupt end when they see me approaching. The only words I caught before the silence was “possible inside job.”
“Hi,” Griffin greets me with a sad look in his eyes.
“Is he okay?”
“He is alive,” Griffin replies, his voice raspy like he has been yelling. He stares at me like he wants to say more, but something holds him back.
“Teagan?” Natalie’s voice draws my attention away from him. I look over my shoulder to find her approaching us. Her eyes are a little red and puffy. Her usual well-put-together look is slightly off. She closes the distance between us and wraps her arms around me.
“I am so sorry,” she whispers into my hair. “We should have never kicked you out like that. We should have believed you. I can’t believe they did that to you… to him.”
As soon as she mentions “they,” I realize nobody has told her about her mom yet. Letting go of Tank’s arm, I hug her back as hard as I can. I have no idea how we can tell her without breaking her heart. Tears form in my eyes again, knowing that I can’t save her from the crushing pain she’s about to experience. The same anguish I saw written all over Mason’s face.
“I’m just glad it’s over.” At least, I hope it is. I don’t even know what happened to their mother. Did she get shot or get away? I was too worried about Mason that I wasn’t paying attention to her.
“Mason just went into surgery, but he was awake when he came in,” Nat explains. “He was asking for you.”
I straighten up. My chest suddenly aches. I want to see him as well, but part of me is scared. Worried about what he’s going to say.
“Hey, Nat.” Dallas comes up to us. “Mind taking a walk with me?”
Her eyebrows draw together in confusion, but she quickly covers it up with a smile before nodding. An uneasy feeling spreads out in my chest as I watch them walk away together. Is he trying to get her away from me, or is he telling her about her mom?
“Come, sit down before you fall over,” Griffin calls from the waiting area. I’m all too happy to oblige. My body goes limp with exhaustion as I flop down on the white leather sofa.
“Where is Dallas taking Natalie? Is he telling her about their mom?” I don’t know why, but I’m whispering the last few words.
“You never stop asking questions, do you?”
“I’m just curious.” I shrug.
He seems to be mulling it over like he’s thinking about telling me, which is more than his usual cutthroat attitude.
“We are not sure if Natalie was involved.”
It takes me a second to process what he’s saying. I shake my head. “No, that can’t be. She loves Mason. She would never do that to him.”
“She also loves her mom.” Sighing, Griffin leans forward and props his elbows on his knees. “I’ve known Mason and Natalie for a very long time. Nat was really close to her mom.”
I stare at him in shock, remembering them talking about an inside job earlier. Still, I can’t wrap my mind around Natalie betraying Mason. I just can’t imagine it.
“You need to see a doctor.” Griffin changes the subject, his voice firm.
Before I can muster up a no, Tank signs something to Griffin that makes him sigh in annoyance. He gets up quickly and disappears down the hall.
“What was that about?” I ask Tank, who answers with a shrug.
A moment later, Griffin returns with a nurse in tow. As they get closer, I recognize her as one of the people who took care of me the last time I was here. She’s pulling a cart behind her with medical equipment and a pole for an IV.
“Hello, Teagan,” Nurse Carina greets me. “I heard you haven’t been eating or drinking.”
“Snitch.” I give Tank an accusatory glare. He doesn’t seem bothered one bit. As a matter of fact, he has a little bit of a smug grin on his face.
“I got something special for you.” Carina beams. “You’ll feel so much better after this IV nutrition.”
I don’t feel like fighting her, so I agree to the stupid IV. She does it right here in the waiting area. Carina also cleans the marks on my wrists and bandages them up. I’m glad I don’t have to look at them. Right now, I just want to forget what happened today, though I know I never will.
MASON
The first thing I notice when I come to is the heavy smell of disinfectant and harsh cleaning solution in the air. The second is the low but consistent beeping from the heart rate machine. I’m definitely in the hospital. It takes me another few moments to open my eyes to be greeted by the bright overhead fluorescent lamps.
