I looked up at the intimidating man. He might not be as ruthless as my uncle, but there was something in King that simmered beneath the surface.
Something dark.
Maybe he was more like me than I realized. I knew his father was Braesal O’Malley. My uncle called me as soon as the newstore through the underworld. Everyone knew who King was now, and the quiet life he had tried to build in the middle of nowhere had vanished.
Only I wasn’t sure he realized it.
He was still fighting for that life.
“I don’t know what you mean?” I asked, looking back at the doors as the bell dinged just before they slid open.
I stepped out onto the first floor—the emergency room. Before I could walk away, King grabbed my elbow again.
“What don’t I know?”
“I’m sure there are many things you don’t know, King.”
“Dammit, Jessie.” He pulled me away from the crowd of people in the hall and lowered his voice. “There is a fucking war going on, Jessie. If this wasn’t an accident, I need to know, and I want to know how you fucking know it.” His words were like gravel. His voice was low and deadly, and I realized there was more to Kingston O’Rourke than I had realized.
“This has nothing to do with your war.” I inhaled at the lie. “At least I don’t think it does.”
King’s head tilted to the side as if he was just noticing me. He stared at me like a puzzle he couldn’t fit the pieces into. His mistake was not having Nav look into me. He would be angry when he found out. That much I knew. What he did with that information was anyone’s guess.
He let go of my arm, and he must have seen the surprise on my face because he smiled. Only the smile didn’t reach his eyes. I had seen a smile like that many times. King wasn’t a man to be underestimated.
“Let’s go see Grayson,” he said as he walked past me.
I followed behind him quietly. Winchester was waiting outside the room when we walked up. His brother Emerson and his sister Addison were both with him.
“Carson’s in with him now.” His eyes landed on me. Something swirled in them. Something I wasn’t sure I understood, but he didn’t look happy I was there.
“Hudson?”
“Looking for anything that might tell us what happened.”
“Excuse me,” I said quietly as I reached for the door. Winchester placed a hand on my arm.
“Don’t break my brother’s heart.”
His voice was light, almost playful. But the look in his eyes was darker than a moment ago. He didn’t want me here, and I didn’t want to be here. But now that I was, I needed to see him. I needed to lay eyes on him and see that he was okay.
All I could do was nod. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. He hadn’t woken up yet. Grayson Powell, the tall, broad-chested cowboy who haunted my dreams, both night and day, looked small in the hospital bed.
His chest was bare except for the electrodes stuck to his skin to monitor his vitals. The rhythmic beeping of the machine told me his heart was steady.
Carson, the oldest of the Powell children, sat by his bed. His face was drawn, his eyes puffy as though he’d been crying. Surely this wasn’t the first time Grayson had fallen off a horse. I didn’t know a lot about him because I wouldn’t let myself get close, but I knew he’d been on the back of a horse since he was a toddler.
“How is he?” I asked. My voice was hoarse with the emotion I wasn’t used to showing.
“Doctor said he should be fine. Just waiting for him to wake up.”
My eyes closed on their own as a relieved sigh slipped through my lips. Tears threatened to fall, and I knew I had to get out of here before that happened.
“Do you know what happened?” I was afraid to hear the answer, and I prayed it was as simple as a rattlesnake.
“No, he called Tyson right before. Said the horse was spooked and wouldn’t settle.” He never took his eyes off his brother.
“So it could have been a snake?”
