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“You’ve got to wake up, Maddie. I’ve only just gotten you. I haven’t even gotten the chance to date you. There’s so much I want to do with you.” He smiled. “And to you, but I don’t know if you’d be ready to hear about that just yet. You’ve got a lot of stuff to catch up on, but I’ve got a whole load of experience to enjoy playing with you.”
Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to Maddie’s fingers. “Come back to me. I need you to come back to me.”
Nothing.
He gritted his teeth. “I’ve never asked for anything in this world. Not even when I took over from the club, but I’m asking now. Maddie, please, I need you to come back to me.” He wasn’t the begging kind of man. The very thought of asking anyone for anything more than once repulsed him.
There was no change in Maddie. He didn’t let her hand go.
Time ticked on by.
The nurse came and tried to kick him out of the room. She ended up leaving with tears streaming down her face. He wasn’t going to leave Maddie.
With the private room, he had an en-suite toilet, which he used when he needed to.
A knock came on the door, and he turned to see Pat holding a Styrofoam cup.
“I figured you could use some coffee. You look like shit.”
Bull took a sip of the brown liquid. He began to cough. “I don’t know what that tar is, but it’s not coffee.”
“It’s what the hospital calls coffee. I guess this is what keeps the good doctors awake all those hours.” Pat wrinkled his nose, but he kept on sipping. “You slept?”
“Nope.”
“It’s not going to make her wake up.”
“She might not wake up.”
“Get your head out of your ass. Maddie’s stronger than you think.”
“The doctors said so.”
“Doctors don’t know everything,” Pat said.
Bull wanted to believe it. He got to his feet and looked at Pat while sipping at his coffee. “Any news?”
“Not yet. William took his brother out of town. There has been no blowback from that. Grant’s taking it in turns guarding George, and he’s not talking. Hellen’s stopped by the clubhouse, wanting to know more about Maddie. Apparently she tried to come here, but no one’s letting her past.”
“That’s my fault. I ordered it,” he said.
Pat looked toward the bed.
“You think I should let Hellen in?” Bull asked.
“I checked the security footage for the whole day. Hellen didn’t leave the desk. She didn’t make any calls. At no point was she able to arrange Maddie’s attack. She’s clear, Prez.”
Bull nodded. “You think I should let her?”
“I think Hellen was the one who found her and she wants to know her friend is okay. I get that. It’s what we all would want. Isn’t it?”
He nodded. “Make the arrangements. I’m sure Maddie will like that.” He didn’t know if Maddie and Hellen were particularly close, but from the way Maddie looked, he didn’t doubt for a second that Hellen must have seen her in a much worse state.
Pat didn’t leave.
“What is it?”
“Some of the dogs are gone.”
“What?”
“The kennels were cleared out. The footage shows the men clearing the dogs from several of the kennels.”
“I need to see this footage.” He looked at Maddie. There was no way he could leave her. “Bring it here.”
“Rusty is outside with one of the prospects.”
“I’ve told you to keep the prospects out of my sight.” They had failed him. He’d given them a simple instruction, and they hadn’t been able to do that. Deep down, Bull knew they couldn’t be held responsible for what happened. Jake, the prospect who had been stationed at the shelter, had been knocked unconscious and even sedated. It was why he wasn’t down with George right now. Otherwise, Bull would have taken all his anger out on him.
“Then what about Rusty? You know the longer we leave this, the less chance you have of catching them. Maddie will wake up, and when she does, she’ll be pissed at you, Bull. You know this.”
He looked at Maddie.
Pat was right.
She loved those dogs more than anything, and if anything did happen to them while he was taking care of her, she’d never forgive herself.
He got to his feet and leaned over, brushing a part of her forehead that wasn’t bandaged up. “I’ll be back. Rusty will take care of you.”
The machines beeped in response, and he fucking hated it. Hospitals were the worst.
Against his better judgment, he left the room and found Rusty and Jake outside.
Jake looked like shit. The sedative they’d given him had made him throw up and hadn’t reacted well with his body. His face was also bruised. He tensed up the moment he caught sight of him, and Bull held himself stiff. To take out Maddie’s pain on this kid would be a mistake.
