“Shit. That must be Kyle,” she said.
“Kyle? What the fuck is he doing here?”
“When I passed out, they called him. He’s the emergency contact on my phone. I forgot to change it. I’m sorry.”
The door opened, and Kyle barged in, Samantha on his tail. “Maggie.” He gave Mike a fierce look as he stalked to the empty side of the bed. “Honey, how are you feeling now?”
“Don’t call her that.” Mike glared at him.
Kyle ignored him, reaching for Maggie’s hand.
“Don’t even think about touching her.” Mike’s voice took a harsh edge.
“Mike, a word?” DeVries requested.
He glowered at Kyle, ready to pull him apart if he came near her again. “I’ll be right outside.”
DeVries followed Mike, closing the door behind her—a gesture he didn’t appreciate.
“Should I call her parents?” she asked.
Mike shook his head, his foot behind him pressing against the wall, his eyes pinned to the closed door, his blood simmering. “Nick is probably out of town, and from now on, contacting Andrea is not an option for any given reason.”
“I see. Okay, uh…”
“What?”
“Some reporters followed Burley here.”
“That fucking asshole,” he yelled, and she urged him to keep it down with a warning stare. “Did he talk to them?”
“No. He came straight to her room.”
He sighed. “Well, I’m her best friend. I have every right to be here. I’ve checked her in the ER twice before myself. You can use that story.”
“We’re gonna need some more visitors, though, to make this look normal.”
Kyle stepped out of the room and stood against the wall opposite from Mike.
Mike’s foot dropped. “Did you bring the press on purpose?”
“That’s what you care about? Maggie just had an accident. Her arm is broken, and she’s all bruised and depressed, and all you care about is the press? Your image? What about her?”
Mike stalked toward him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I care about nothing but Maggie. And if she doesn’t want the press saying certain things, I make sure they don’t. Got it?” His hand fell on the doorknob.
“You only care about taking what’s not yours,” Kyle mumbled.
A wildfire raged in Mike’s chest. “She was never yours. Don’t forget your place, Burley. You’re only here because she forgot to change her emergency contact.”
“Yeah. Forgot. Keep telling yourself that.”
Mike pictured his fist connecting to the jaw of this cazzone. “If you think she still has a thing for you, you’re delusional. You had your chance, and you blew it. She’s all mine now, and I won’t let anyone or anything take her away from me.” Mike looked at DeVries as he shoved a finger in Kyle’s face. “He doesn’t get to leave or talk to anyone till we figure out this mess.”
Kyle squared off against him, and the dynamic changed. He was tall. Too tall with broad shoulders and beefy hands.
Mike backed up a pace to compensate, anticipating a fight. This was good. Really good. God, he’d been waiting for an excuse to take a swing at this giant ass for so long.
“I don’t take orders from you, Gennaro.” He slapped Mike’s finger away from his face. “But I’ll do whatever is best for Maggie.”
