“Please … no … I didn’t—”
I stab him in the side, right where my wife was and let go of it. He falls to his knees, gasping for breath. My phone rings and I pull it free of my pocket. “Hello?” I say, seeing its Gavin.
“She’s waking up,” he says in greeting.
“Be right there,” I say, hanging up. Turning, I walk over to the guys and nod for them to follow me up the stairs. Exiting the staircase, we step out into the hallway. I turn to face them. “Throw him outside.”
Alex frowns and Finn smiles.
“Keep an eye on him. I want to know where he goes. Who he sees and who he talks to. If he survives, he’ll take us right where we need to go.”
“Yes, sir,” they all say in unison.
Turning my back to them, I make my way up to the apartment to be with my wife. Everyone involved in what happened tonight will pay for what they did to her.
Shoving the door open, I rush into our bedroom to see Gavin standing next to the bed my wife lies in. She’s got the sheet pulled up to cover her chest because she’s shirtless and her arm lays across it with an IV.
Her head falls to the side, heavy eyes blinking, trying to focus.
“She’s on heavy pain killers,” Gavin tells me, wiping off his bloody hands. “She’s going to be in and out for a while.”
Reaching out, she tries to sit up. I rush over to the bed. “Stay down,” I tell her softly.
“But—”
“You need to rest, Lake.” I reach out and push some dark strands of hair from her face.
Her eyes fall shut.
“It’s okay, little darling.” I cup her bloody cheek. “Just close your eyes. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”
Her lashes flutter open, and she looks up at me, her pretty blue eyes look glossed over from the drugs. “Promise?” Her voice is soft, fading.
I lean down and kiss her forehead. “I promise.” This time when they close, they don’t reopen. I sit back, running a hand through my hair before looking up at Gavin.
“She was lucky,” he states. “Another inch to the right and I would have needed an OR and even that might not have been enough.”
We kept her down in the basement until he got here. After he removed the knife and stitched her up, we moved her up here to rest. “Thank you.” I stand and reach out my hand. He shakes it, not bothering to care that it’s still bloody.
He nods. “Of course. I’d say the knife was already broken before she was stabbed with it.”
The question is, was she stabbed on purpose or by accident? I’m going to find out.
“She’ll be okay. I’ll come back and check on her in the morning, just make sure she takes is easy. I’d say she’ll have a full recovery in no time.” I thank him again and see him out of the apartment.
I go to the kitchen, grab a big bowl and fill it with warm water and soap then make my way back to the bedroom. I grab a washcloth from the bathroom and pull the comforter down to expose her chest. I place the washcloth into the bowl and then wring it out before I start to clean the blood off her chest, neck, and face along with the little makeup that remains.
“I’m sorry, little darling,” I tell her, hating what happened to her. It’s my fault. Even if she wasn’t targeted, I put her in this club. I made her work on the floor. I should have confined her to the apartment. Kept her as secluded as possible from the world that I know wants to harm her. I should have learned my lesson after Whitney.
Senior year at Barrington University
“Still nothing?”Ryat asks me while I stare at my cell.
“Nothing,” I answer. I’ve been calling and texting Whitney for two days now. But she does this a lot. Goes MIA. It’s because she’s pretending to be pregnant while partying and doesn’t want me to know.
“Just track her phone,” he tells me.
“It’s off,” I growl. Does he think I haven’t thought of that? “Been off since yesterday morning.”
