AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Motherfuck!Without thought, I punched him in the face, the force of the strike spinning him around and leaving him sprawled on the floor, bleeding from the nose. Leaning down, I hissed, “You dumb fucking cunt. You have no idea what you’ve done, do you?”
Unlocking the door, I yanked it open and stalked back into Wren’s hospital room.
* * *
Wren was dischargeda few hours later. She didn’t ask whether Hawk had shown up, but she couldn’t hide the disappointment in her eyes. She wanted him there if only to find out the truth. I’d already taken care of that for her, and the thought of causing her any more pain was tearing me apart. Getting shot point-blank in the chest was a more palatable way to experience that kind of trauma.
An orderly wheeled her out to the car I had waiting, Dagger behind the wheel this time. I slid in beside her, smiling when she rested her head on my shoulder.
“Where are we going?”
“My place.” When she opened her mouth to argue, I placed my finger against her lips. “No arguing. Your place is condemned. I can get you set up in an apartment, but I want you in my bed with me for the next couple of days.”
“Why?” she whispered.
“So I know you’re safe. If I can touch you, smell you, taste you, then I’ll know you’re okay.”
I braced for the argument that always seemed to come right after a declaration like that, but she was quiet. Thank fuck for that.
“Have you heard from Hawk?”
“No,” I replied darkly.
“I should call him to find out what happened to him.”
I handed her my phone. “Call him now.”
She did, dialing his number and pressing the device to her ear. It rang out on the first attempt, and on the second, it went straight to voicemail. Handing it back to me, she mumbled, “He’s not answering. I hope he’s okay.”
“He’s probably just trying to come to terms with your accident.” I left it at that. I would tell her we’d had words, but I didn’t want her to worry about him right now.
When Dagger pulled the car up to my building, we got out, and I took Wren up to the penthouse where I settled her in bed. Although she protested, I could see how tired she was. By the time I returned with a glass of water for her to take her medication, she was already asleep. I stood there for a moment just looking at her, wondering when I’d become such a fucking pussy.
I never watched women sleep.
Women never slept in my bed.
Except for Wren.
Fuck, she looked perfect in it too.
I just hoped she’d finally seen that I wasn’t going to let her walk away from me. She kept throwing the two-week timeline at me like a shield she could use against her heart, but I knew she wouldn’t walk away—shecouldn’twalk away—just like I couldn’t walk away from her.
Sitting in the living room, I opened my laptop and started to work on the roster system for my Dolls. Since I wouldn’t be returning to the office for a few days, I figured I had to get some shit done. The new Doll, Veronica, was starting tonight. Normally, I was there for every new employee’s first shift, but with Wren still recovering, I didn’t want to leave her. Dagger had everything in hand, though.
Beside me, my phone began to ring. “Yeah?”
“Mr. Rivera,” Detective Cox drawled, the sound of her smug voice sending my blood pressure soaring.
“What do you want now, you useless cunt?”
“Such a way with words,” she purred. “I was just calling to let you know we’ve secured that witness. Got their testimony, too. It’s only a matter of time before we’ll be taking Tony…” she paused and laughed, “… my apologies,Dagger, in for questioning. Your days are numbered, Mr. Rivera. I’d enjoy your girlfriend now while you can.”
“You don’t have shit on me, Cox, so why don’t you go and try this shit on someone else. Dagger won’t say a word to you even if you do haul him in for questioning.”
“We’ll see,” she shot back cryptically and hung up. Dropping my phone to the couch cushion beside me, I glared at it then swiped it up again.
“Boss?” Dagger answered when I called him.
