Page 111 of Haven

I tightened my grip on the shirt. “What happened?”

“I let Ariel out and locked the door. I started cleaning, but I was playing my middle-aged dad rock playlist, so I wasn’t focused on anything else,” she explained, shifting slightly. “He turned off my speaker, and that’s when I called you. I started asking him questions, but he said he wanted me to go with him willingly. I told him to kick rocks. We fought. He grabbed me by my hair when he realized I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I slammed us into a mirror, then the bastard used the glass to cut my arm. Fucker is just like Jude.”

I looked at her closely. Her eyes were puffy. “What else happened?”

She cringed. “I had a flashback when he was on top of me. I was distracted and he used it against me. He…I grabbed his mask when he tried to pull my pants down.”

My fists clenched. “I’m going to kill him.” I inspected Rory’s wound the best I could. “Rory, I think you need to go to the ER. I’m not a professional, but that’s a deep wound.”

“Give me my phone.” I handed her the iPhone that was thrown in a corner. She did something, and FaceTime started ringing.

“Hi bab—what the hell happened?” Hades's voice filled the room.

I grabbed her phone and looked at the woman. “She was attacked in her shop, she has a bad wound. I’m assuming she wants a doctor's opinion before she goes to the ER. Tell her to go before I pull her over my shoulder and force her.”

Vesper held the phone as I started removing the shirt. “Stop. That blood is arterial. Keep pressure on her cut. Don’t lift it up. She needs to get to the hospital ASAP.”

Rory grumbled, “Traitor.” She rested her head against my body. “I feel funny.”

“Melisa! Ambulance now.”

“Pulling up.” I seized her, securing her in my arms as I raced towards the county ambulance.

The medic and the EMT opened the back, pulling out the stretcher. I placed Rory on it as the medic inspected her wound. The medic spewed medical jargon that I didn’t understand. Something about a radial artery and severe blood loss. They loaded her up, and I told Vesper I was riding with her to the ER and to meet us there.

I held Rory’s hand as Hades talked to her on FaceTime. Melisa was going to look at the security footage and see if there was any video of him with his face being seen. How the hell did he manage to get into Briarwood without anyone noticing? It was probably the same way he got to Cinder. He was one step ahead of us, but hopefully we had something on scene that could help us find out who he was. If Rory had additional scrapes and cuts other than the one on her arm, he had to be hurt, as well.

When we arrived at the hospital, Cher met us out front. Cher was devoted to helping people, but when it came to a fellow Viper, she would drop everything—unless she was in surgery—to come and check on them. Rory was a VIP with Cinder gone, and our job was still to protect her.

Rory smiled up at her. “Mon cheri,” she cooed.

“You need to stop seeing me bloody and out of it. Let's get you fixed up.”

Cher stopped me from going to the back with Rory. I would have followed her and stayed with her through the entire thing, but Cher wouldn’t let me. She might let us get away with things at the clubhouse, but the hospital was a different ballfield. Cher said she would keep her safe, and if anything happened or if she had a panic attack, she would find us.

Vesper met me at the door. She had Rory’s phone and was still on FaceTime with Haven. “What did Cher say?”

“She’s gonna take care of her, but she said I couldn’t go back there.”

“I’m on my way there,” Haven said, gathering her things.

I looked at Vesper. Her lip twitched slightly, but she didn’t react. “You don’t have to come up here. Rory is alive.”

“Someone attacked my girl, so I am coming up there. I have a friend who can look at her security system and see if he can find anything.”

A Devil hacking into Viper property. I didn’t like it, but if it helped find the man who hurt Rory, I would suck it up for now. But if she betrayed us, I wouldn’t hesitate to kill her.

Ninety-Three

Hades

Iwas going to kill whoever hurt Rory. After I told Zade to pull security cameras from Rory’s shop and surrounding areas, I jumped in my Camaro and raced to Briarwood. Widow better pull her strings to get these speeding tickets and red light violations off my record, because I ignored every traffic law in the book and went well above the recommended speed limit. All I needed was to know my girl was okay.

I pulled up to Briarwood Medical and raced into the ER, bumping into a man and his wife. After a rushed “I’m sorry,” I looked for the reception desk. But before I could talk to the lady sitting there, I heard my name.

“Hades,” Vesper called out.

I raced for her, grabbing her hands and ignoring the electric zing soaring through my body. “Is she okay?”