Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77118 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
“Okay. Anytime after nine. I’ll be up by then.”
If he had any thoughts about me wanting to talk to Czar directly instead of having Nyx do it, he said nothing.
“Got it,” he said, finally dropping into a chair, rubbing his hands down his face.
“You alright?”
“Yeah. Trying to figure out which of my brothers will bitch less about working as bartenders for a while. Sorry,” he said, wincing. “I know. Shitting timing to be talking about being short two employees.”
“Hey, you got a business to run. I get it. My mind’s in a million fucking places right now too.”
The only person who could help me focus it was in the other room, traumatized and in pain. I couldn’t exactly pump her for information in her current state.
So I was just going to have to be okay with shit being up in the air.
“As a precaution, until we know more, might want to be careful. Double up on security,” I told him.
“Yeah. That’s on my mind too,” he agreed, sighing. “Might be worth it to mention to the Novikoff brothers too, just to keep shit friendly in town.”
“Yeah. Good idea.”
Then the door to the exam room was opening, and I went in to hear the spiel about her care, about coming back in to get checked on.
No broken ribs, so there was that at least. That said, I’d bruised mine often enough to know that the pain really wasn’t that much different from an actual break.
“She already has a script for pain medicine from her last visit,” Dr. Price told me. “Have someone fill it. She’s going to need it.”
“Yeah, will do. Thanks, Doc,” I said, shaking his hand.
“Take care of her,” he said, eyes sad. “She’s been through enough.”
“I agree,” I said, then walked a quiet Nyx back out to the car.
“I’ll have someone drop off your bike,” Cillian said as he drove us to the clubhouse.
“Thanks,” I said, eyeing Nyx who was still not saying anything, not making any noise whatsoever.
Maybe the meds were kicking in.
Maybe she was just getting tired from them.
But I wanted to get her alone to make sure.
“I’ll call you in the morning,” Cillian said, communicating several things at once, getting a nod out of me.
“Sounds good. Come on, babe,” I said, helping her out of the car.
We weren’t two feet toward the door before it burst open, and Delaney and Morgaine were rushing forward, reaching for Nyx.
I didn’t want to let her go.
But they needed to fuss.
And I needed to talk to the men.
All of whom had the darkest faces I’d ever seen after getting a look at Nyx.
“Nothing is broken that we can tell. Just a fuckuva lot of soft tissue damage, bruises, and pain. Can you fill a script as soon as the pharmacy opens?” I asked, holding the script out to Riff.
“Yep. I’m on it,” he said, nodding.
“Tell me he’s dead,” Sway said, his usually carefree face dark.
“And that he suffered first,” Crow piped in.
“He is and he did. And his body is in the second abandoned building down on Main Street,” I said, giving them a look.
“We’ll handle it,” Crow said, being pretty accustomed to dealing with bodies and blood and all that trace evidence shit.
“And until I can talk to Nyx and probably fucking Czar, we need to close ranks and take guard shifts since I don’t know what the fuck is going on with the Bulgarians.”
To that, the remaining guys nodded.
I gave them the Cliffsnotes version of the events, then made my way inside to let them handle everything else. They were all more than capable. That was why I’d chosen them after all.
I needed to focus on my woman.
“Hey,” Dell said, voice soft as she came out of my room. “We got her cleaned up and changed,” she said. “She’s in bed. I think the pain meds are kicking in, but she needs some comfort.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” I told her.
“Morgaine is just getting her some extra ice packs for her stomach and stuff,” Dell said, her own face going dark at the memory of the bruises. “Then everyone will leave you alone.”
“Thanks, Dell. I appreciate it.”
“That’s what family is for,” she said, shrugging, then stiffening as her baby let out a wail. “I’ll go quiet him down so she can rest. When all else fails, a little boob usually works,” she said, rolling her eyes at herself.
“My life motto,” I agreed, getting a little laugh out of her before she ran off.
Taking a deep breath, I moved into the bedroom, finding Nyx on her back, the blankets up to her chin with ice packs on her face.
“Hey, babe,” I murmured, kicking out of my shoes, then climbing in on the other side of the bed.
Then it happened.
She finally let go.
Crying hard, her body racked with the sobs. She didn’t even hear Morgaine as she tiptoed in to drop off the ice packs with a sad face.