Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 84871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84871 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“The cop told Mom they’d gotten hurt. He didn’t give us much more than that just that we’d probably want to get to the hospital to be with them.”
“Fuck,” I snarl, shooting a panicked look at Gemma. “We have to go. Now.”
She nods and the three of us rush out of the house. Kaden jumps back into the car with his mom, and me and Gemma take off in the Tahoe. I’d expected her to hand me the keys, but she didn’t. I’m thankful, too, because I’m shaking so damn bad with panic that I’d have a hard time keeping the vehicle on the road.
Sloane’s at the hospital.
She’s hurt.
I fucking knew it. I had a feeling and I chalked it up to my obsession with her. All along, she wasn’t avoiding me or rudely failing to communicate with me. There was a problem.
Please be okay.
What if she’s been shot again? This time worse? What if she was in a traffic accident? Too little information and too many what-ifs keep ping-ponging inside my head.
Minutes later, we arrive at the hospital. I’m having triggering memories of the last time I was here when I was denied access to seeing her. Luckily, I do have her family with me, so that might help my case to see her.
The chief meets us—the guy Sloane has had so many issues with—and it takes everything in me not to deck the fucker. Was he involved in this? Is he responsible?
“What happened?” I demand, storming over to the guy. “Where’s Sloane?”
Tanaka holds up a placating hand. His usual asshole sneer is gone. “She’s okay. We got to her in time.”
We got to her in time.
What the actual fuck?
“What about my son?” Rhiannon asks, voice trembling. “Is he okay?”
“He’s going to be okay too.” Tanaka frowns at us. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it. They went through an ordeal, but they’ve both made it to the other side. They’ll need family support to get them through the mental anguish they’ve experienced.”
I feel sick to my stomach.
“Spit it out, man,” I choke out. “You’re freaking me the fuck out.”
“One of the detectives lured Sloane to the biker compound with the promise of a lead on Trevor. When she arrived, she was ambushed.”
Ambushed.
My knees buckle, but my sister hooks her arm in mine to keep me steady.
“Both Trevor and Sloane were assaulted,” Tanaka grits out, eyes flashing with fury on their behalf. “The degree and specifics will be up to them to share.”
“So let me get this straight,” I growl. “You were harassing my girl because you thought she was doing something shady and all along it was someone else?”
Tanaka’s head bows and his black eyebrows pinch together. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“Where is that fucker who tricked you all? I’m going to fucking hurt him.”
Gemma tightens her hold on my arm. “Dempsey, don’t.”
“You can’t,” Tanaka says with a shake of his head. “He’s been arrested along with every person involved.” He meets my furious glare. “I understand you’re angry. I’m angry too. I feel like I was fooled. But, in the end, we got the bad guys, and Sloane and Trevor are going to be okay. It’s the best outcome we could have asked for.”
“I want to see my son,” Rhiannon says. “Please.”
Tanaka turns on his heel, gesturing for us to follow him. We walk past the receptionist—a different one than the one I’d flipped out on last time—and toward the ER. Once there, he guides us to where Trevor and Sloane are in beds in the same area, their curtain pulled back so they can see each other.
I stumble to a stop when I see her bruised face and wrapped head. She also has a bandage on her wrist. Her hair is sweaty, bloody, and covered with bits of hay. What the hell happened to my girl?
When she sees me, her tough, stoic expression crumbles. I’m by her side before the first tear drips from her jaw. Gently, I take her hand in mine and lean forward to press a whisper of a kiss on her battered face.
“This job of yours sucks,” I whisper, voice thick with emotion. “Like, it really, really fucking sucks.”
She barks out a teary laugh. “Would you believe up until we started seeing each other, it was actually kind of boring?”
“What are you saying?” I grumble, “Am I your bad luck charm?”
“There’s not a bad thing about you, Dempsey.”
After several minutes, once Sloane has calmed down, I tear my gaze from hers to check in on Trevor. His face is a lot worse looking than his aunt’s. Rhiannon has crawled into the bed with her son, holding him like he’s three and not a grown-ass man like myself. Kaden, Lucy, and Gemma all hover nearby, their worried glances bouncing between Sloane and Trevor.
“What happened?” I ask, turning back to study Sloane. “Tell me everything.”