Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155903 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
“No, baby. No. They’re all fine. It’s you.”
Her?
Then she glanced around. “I’m in the hospital? What happened?”
“What do you remember?” he countered.
Frowning, she tried to think. “I don’t know. I can’t think.”
She glanced down at where he had two fingers resting on the pulse point on her wrist. There was an IV line in her inner elbow.
Then she looked at her other side. Where her wrist was bandaged.
“What’s going on? Was I in an accident?”
“You were standing at the pedestrian crossing outside work. Charlie was across the street waiting for you. Someone pushed you and you fell into oncoming traffic.”
Her breathing quickened. “Oh.” There was so much to unpack in that statement.
“The car wasn’t going fast, and it braked. But it still hit you.”
“What . . . what injuries do I have?” She couldn’t really feel anything, but she was guessing that she was on the good drugs.
“Your left wrist is fractured. They’re waiting for the swelling to go down before they put it in a proper cast. Lacerations along your left side where you landed. Lots of bruising.”
“Doesn’t sound too bad.”
“It could have been a lot worse.” There was a dark, tense note to his voice that had her glancing over at him in worry.
“Are you all right?” she asked again.
“Baby, I’m not the one you need to worry about right now. We need to concentrate on you. Do you have a headache? Any blurry vision?”
“No. I’m all right. Just really tired.”
Something he’d said came back to her. “Pushed?”
Anger darkened his face. “Yes. Someone pushed you.”
“Why?” Why would anyone want to harm her?
“Let’s not talk about this. You need to rest.”
“Daddy, who was it?” Fear filled her. Would they try to harm her again?
“We aren’t talking about this.” He gave her a firm look. “You were only just starting to recover from what Eric did and then this happens. I’m supposed to be keeping you safe and I’m going a terrible job.”
Oh no. Poor Reuben. He couldn’t blame himself.
“This isn’t your fault.”
“It is. And I’m not inclined to ever let you out of my sight again.”
That should worry her. But right now, she was in complete agreement.
“Please tell me who it was. I need to know. Not knowing will make me more anxious.”
He frowned, but then he nodded. “Very well. Your homeless friend saw it happen.”
“She has a name,” she chided.
“You’re right. Sorry. Margie saw it happen. She said . . . baby, it was Lou.”
What?
“No. That can’t be right. Margie must have been mistaken. Lou wouldn’t try to harm me. She’s my friend.”
“I know you think she is, baby. But she’s not.”
She shook her head, but that made her feel dizzy and ill. “No, I don’t believe it.”
“We haven’t been able to locate her,” he told her, putting another nail in Lou’s coffin. “Nighthawk has been looking into her, and her cover was completely fake. She stole it from a dead woman.”
Her breathing grew harsher.
“D-Daddy,” she stuttered. If Lou wasn’t her friend, then what else was a lie?
“It’s all right. Baby, you’re okay.” He stood and leaned over her, placing his hand on the side of her face. “I will not let her get to you. I will not let anyone harm you, understand me? Never. Again.”
Reuben stepped into the bathroom to take the call from Brick. He didn’t want to leave his girl. Hadn’t wanted to stop touching her pulse point, but he knew he had to take this call.
He’d messaged Juliet but hadn’t spoken to her yet.
Still, he kept the door open, so he could watch Faith at all times.
“Hey,” he said as Brick’s face appeared.
“How is Faith?” Brick asked.
“She’s . . . all right. Heartbroken that a person she thought was a friend did this to her.”
“Fucking bitch,” Brick spat out.
Yeah, on that, they agreed.
“Juliet wants to talk to you, but she let me speak to you first.”
Reuben stilled. “What is it?”
“Juliet remembered more about the accident . . . Reuben, it wasn’t an accident.”
Reuben’s breathing grew shallow. “What is it? What did she remember?”
“Someone did this to her deliberately. She remembers hearing a car approach, and she got a weird sense of foreboding, so she turned the corner instead of continuing on straight. It clipped her back tire. She flew from the bike but didn’t pass out straight away. She thinks it turned around to come back, but another car drove up and the first one left. That’s when she slipped into unconsciousness.”
Reuben paced back and forth while watching Faith.
Fuck. Fuck.
“Someone is coming for the people I love.”
Brick grunted. “Maybe. Could be unrelated.”
“You need to keep Juliet under lock and key,” he said urgently. “I’m going to send some people there to take care of her.”
“I’m already calling in Elias and Sterling.” Brick’s friends were ex-marines. It wasn’t enough, though.
“I’ll call Kent.”
“I’ve already done that,” Brick told him. “He can spare a couple of guys. I told him about Faith. He said he’d send people to help you as well.”