Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 99040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99040 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 495(@200wpm)___ 396(@250wpm)___ 330(@300wpm)
They stood around the bed, facing off like boxers in a ring.
She sought Tracker first, needing to see for herself that her brothers hadn’t cuffed him or beaten him bloody. Her man could hold his own for sure, but four angry Baker brothers hell-bent on defending their sister’s honor wouldn’t go down easily.
She sucked in a breath as he came into view. Tracker looked like shit. His mohawk was a flattened mess, his eyes bleak and strained, and he was wearing… scrubs?
What the?
“Get the fuck out of our sister’s room. You’re the reason she’s fucking in here. You and that goddamn motorcycle club you belong to.”
“Maybe I should call security.” The poor nurse stood at least ten inches shorter than the smallest man in the room. She fiddled with the stethoscope around her neck as she reached for the phone next to Jo’s bed.
The men ignored her. “I told you,” Tracker said, snarling. “Bring in the fucking body bag because you’ll have to kill me first. One cop already tried to end Jo’s life tonight. No fucking way am I leaving her with four more, family or not.”
Someone tried to…
It came back to her in a rush of panic and agony.
Andrew.
He’d lured her to a cabin and then left her for dead in the middle of a horrendous hurricane.
Someone had found her.
“Tracker,” she tried to call out as the need to feel him near her surpassed the pain. It came out as more of a croak but caught the attention of everyone in the room.
“Jo!” Tracker whipped around, appearing frozen for one second, then he was crouched at her bedside, gently holding her bandaged arm.
“Get your fucking hands off her,” Curt, her oldest and most hot-headed brother, barked.
She looked at her oldest brother with a frown. “Why are you here?”
Curt snorted. “The hospital called and told us you were injured in the hurricane. We rushed here through the night.”
“Miss Baker?” The nurse gave her a worried glance. “There is a claim that this man should not be in here. Do we need to escort him out?”
“Absolutely not,” she rasped, not breaking her eye contact with Tracker. Her throat burned like someone had taken a hot poker to her vocal cords.
Tracker gave her an exhausted yet relieved grin before reaching for a cup at her bedside. “Sip slow,” he said as he held the straw to her lips.
The man was a prince. Icy water flooded her mouth and coated her throat. It felt so amazing she nearly wept with joy. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Tracker smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Scared the fuck outta me, baby.” He rested his forehead on her shoulder as though needing a moment to collect himself.
Jo kissed his head, wincing at the discomfort it caused her face.
“What the actual fuck is going on here?” Curt asked.
She turned her head to find her four brothers gaping as though she’d grown another head.
“Tracker, these are my brothers. Guys, this is Tracker, my…”
Boyfriend seemed too juvenile, and his significant other too formal.
“Her ol’ man,” Tracker interjected with finality.
She grinned through the pain. Yes, that’s exactly what he was. “My ol’ man.”
“Oh, fuck me.” Curt turned away and rubbed a hand down his face. “Jo, have you lost your damn mind?”
She narrowed her gaze at her judgmental brother.
“You know what the hell he is, right?” Sawyer leaned over the foot of her bed. “You can’t be that blind.”
“The alternative is that she is that stupid,” Huck mumbled.
Tracker growled.
She patted his arm with a bandaged hand.
“Yes, I know who he is. He’s a tattoo artist, and he’s a volunteer with search and rescue. He has the sweetest dog. He’s a member of a tight-knit family who stands by each other no matter what. He’s kind, loyal, fun, hilarious, tough, and I could go on for hours. But the most incredible thing about Tracker is that he sees me. He sees beyond the beauty queen, cop, or model to the woman I am. Me. And all I want is to take some pain pills and talk to him in private. So get your domineering asses out of my room. I’ll deal with each of you later.”
Her brothers started protesting loudly, but a sharp whistle quieted them. The nurse, who’d been like a scared rabbit a few moments ago, waved her arms, ushering her brothers out of the room. They complained again loudly but were no match for the five-foot-three RN.
As she followed the men out of Jo’s room, the nurse smiled. “Be back with your pain medication in a moment.”
The door clicked shut, and Jo sighed out a hundred pounds of tension.
Her attention went to Tracker. “I want to know what happened, but first, I have to tell you…”
“I love you,” he blurted. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner. I’m a fucking idiot, but Jo, I love you so damn much.” He kissed her with the gentlest brush of his lips. “Christ, I thought you were dead when I saw you lying there in the rain.” A shudder ripped through him.