Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
“Unfortunately, no. She’s too confused. And she’s in a lot of pain. As well as the concussion, she’s got a swollen eye, and several bad bruises. This is . . . she’s going to take a while to recover and I’m not just talking about physically. But her concussion does mean she is going to need someone to take care of her for a while. She will have to take it very easy. Rest is key. Staying away from anything that requires a lot of concentration. Definitely limited time on devices. No stress.”
Fuck. Wait. How had he forgotten?
“She takes medication. She said it’s for her blood pressure.”
“Okay, I’ll check her notes. Is it in her hotel room, I guess?”
“Yeah, she keeps it in the bathroom drawer.”
“I’ll get someone to go in and get it,” Ed said. “Do you think I could try talking to her? We need to find out who took her.”
Xavier sighed. “I want her to rest, and I don’t want you to upset her. But I want the people who hurt her to be caught too. She should be back from her MRI soon.”
“Doctor?” A nurse poked her head in.
“Yes?” Xavier asked.
“I’ve checked Ms. Anderson’s records and I’ve called her emergency contact. He said he’s flying out straight away.”
“Thank you, Ella. Is she back from the MRI?”
“No, not yet.”
“You guys wait here,” Xavier told them. “I’ll come get you as soon as she’s back in her room.”
Fuck. He didn’t want to wait anymore. He wanted to storm through the hospital and find her.
He’d hadn’t felt this out-of-control since losing Jane.
And he was not going to lose Gwen.
Not. Happening.
Ten minutes later, the nurse led them into Gwen’s room.
“The doctor got called away by an emergency,” the nurse told them. “He said to tell you that he’ll be back as soon as he can. I’ll be in to check on her soon.”
Dominic stared down into Gwen’s battered face and could barely hold back the bile.
“Fuck. Ed.”
“I know, man. I know. I’m going to get whoever did this.”
“You better get to them before me.” He glared over at the sheriff. He wouldn’t be able to hold back if he got hold of them.
Ed grimaced. “You just concentrate on taking care of Gwen. I need to go and check on the hospital camera feed. We’ve managed to get access to Gwen’s phone. There isn’t much on there, though. Some calls from a guy called Boss Man.”
“Maybe her old boss.”
“Hmm. Could be. Can you call me if she wakes up and is ready to answer my questions?”
Dominic nodded.
“Stay with her. She needs you more than you need revenge. Okay?”
“I’ll be here, watching over her.”
29
Her whimpers were the first sign that she was in distress. He jumped up from the chair he’d been sitting in for the last few hours.
She started thrashing around. Each movement was followed by a cry of pain that shattered him. He raced over to her.
“Darling girl. Can you hear me?” Dominic gently placed his hands over her arms. He didn’t want to pin her down, but she was hurting herself. “Gwen, wake up and look at me! Gwen!”
“Let me go! Let me go!” she screamed in a hoarse voice. She tried to kick out at him, crying out again in pain.
“Baby, stop! You’re hurting yourself! Stop!”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
A roar of fury came from behind him, and he wasn’t prepared as someone launched themselves at him, knocking him away from her. Luckily, he let go of Gwen quickly or he would have brought her with him. Turning, he faced the man who’d hit him.
A raging, completely furious Reuben Jones.
“Get the fuck away from her!” Reuben snarled, stepping toward him.
Dominic didn’t know Reuben well. But the few times he’d seen him, he always looked put together. Unruffled and calm.
Not this time.
His eyes were wild, his shirt half-untucked, and his hair was standing on end.
Dominic was staring at a man who was half out of his mind with worry. So even though he wanted to take the bastard down, he held back.
“I wasn’t doing anything to her.”
“You were holding her down! She wanted away from you! Did you do this to her? If you have anything to do with this . . . I will kill you.”
Anger flooded him that this asshole thought he could ever do that to a woman . . . let alone a woman he loved.
Fuck. He loved her.
There was no other way to describe his feelings for her. He planned to keep her. He was going to be everything she needed. All he wanted was her happy and safe.
Because he loved her.
But so did Reuben . . . that much was clear. He was protecting her.
“She was in the middle of a nightmare,” Dominic explained to the shattered man. “I was trying to get her to stop thrashing around and hurting herself.”