Silas nodded. “She doesn’t know anything about that. I had my manager offer the place at a ridiculously low amount of rent and had a crew reconstruct the walls and furnish the place so she could move in. Otherwise she would have been homeless in a matter of days.”
Maddox scowled and then swore. “Fuck. She’s had a hell of a time. She gives ‘down on one’s luck’ a whole new meaning.”
“Exactly why I couldn’t turn my back on someone so obviously in need,” Silas agreed.
“She wouldn’t happen to be young, gorgeous and single, would she?” Zander asked in a sly, hopeful tone.
Silas’s features turned to ice. “You stay the fuck away from her, and don’t you fucking touch her. Your only job is to make sure no one else harms her. If something happens to her on your watch, I’ll have your head.”
Zander only looked amused by Silas’s threat. He exchanged knowing glances with Maddox and Justice, which only pissed Silas off even more. Was he that goddamn transparent? Hell, he’d practically pissed all over her and marked his territory.
“Work out a schedule and then run it by me,” Silas said to Maddox. “I’ll be with Hayley for the next day or two at least before I go after the bastard who fleeced her father and refused to pay Hayley what was rightfully owed her.”
“You got it,” Maddox said, rising from his seat, knowing the meeting had come to an end.
The three men filed out as silently as they’d come in, and then Silas was alone except for the doctor and Hayley just a room away.
13
Silas met the doctor as he walked back into the room. He opened his mouth to demand to know what Hayley’s condition was, but the doctor motioned him outside the bedroom door and into the living room. Reluctant to leave her alone for a moment longer, he cast one more glance in her direction before finally conceding to the doctor’s request.
“She’s resting comfortably now,” the doctor assured him. “I gave her an injection of pain medication, so she should sleep through the night. I’ve also left prepared syringes of pain medication as well as prescriptions made out in your name that you’ll need to have filled quickly.”
“How is she? What was done to her?” Silas demanded, impatiently cutting the doctor off.
The doctor grimaced. “The young lady will be fine, but she underwent quite a trauma. You were correct in your assessment. She has two broken ribs, but they’re lower and won’t cause any internal damage. I don’t think they need to be wrapped, but she’ll need to rest and stay off her feet for the next several days to give them time to heal.”
“She won’t move,” Silas vowed.
“Her face is bruised and swollen, but it looks worse than it is. There is no fracture to her nose or jaw. Just bloodied. Her lip is split and hernose took quite a hit, but tomorrow if it pains her, keep ice on it to reduce the swelling. I cleaned all the blood and disinfected the cuts and scrapes to her face, hands and knees.”
“Will she be able to play her violin?”
“I don’t see why not. Give her a few days to rest and then I see no issue with her continuing her lessons. But she doesn’t need to overdo it.”
“I’ll personally make sure she doesn’t,” Silas said grimly.
“If you need me, don’t hesitate to call,” the doctor said. “I’ll stop by day after tomorrow unless you call before and check her over to see how well she’s healing and take a look at those ribs. If at any point she has any difficulty breathing or her condition changes for the worse, call me at once. If there hasn’t been any improvement in her condition or she experiences a worsening of her pain or symptoms, you’ll need to bring her into the clinic so I can take X-rays and perform further diagnostic tests.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Silas said gruffly.
The doctor nodded and then let himself out of the apartment, leaving Silas free to return to his bedroom.
To his surprise, Hayley was awake and lying on her side, her eyes shiny with tears. He hurried forward, sitting gingerly on the edge of the bed, and touched the uninjured side of her face.
“What is it, sweet girl?” he asked.
Her gaze flashed to his and he saw relief swell in her moisture-filled eyes.
“I thought you’d left,” she choked out. “Oh God, I was so scared, Silas. Please don’t leave me.”
He was baffled by her response and discomfited by the need so clearly outlined on her face.
“Shhh, princess. I told you I wouldn’t be far away. Are you still in pain?”
She slowly shook her head. Then her expression turned pleading. “Please stay with me, Silas. I’m so scared. Please don’t leave me again.”
“I won’t leave you,” he said soothingly. “You need to rest now, Hayley. You’ve been hurt very badly.”
