Beep, beep, beep.
The sound echoed harshly off the cold, barren walls. I slowly forced my eyes open, feeling the gritty grip of a heavy hand clutching mine. Where was I? I turned my head and saw Max. He looked... unsettling, somehow. Older, with an unnatural energy flickering beneath his skin, his blue eyes glinting dangerously. They softened just slightly as he watched me struggle to stay conscious.
My heartbeat pounded deafeningly in my ears as he crouched beside the bed, his hand tightening around mine. "You’re awake. Finally,” he whispered, his hands suddenly cupping my face, fingers tracing through my damp hair.
Dried blood streaked his clothes, darkening his hair, sharpening his features into something menacing. He peppered frantic, lingering kisses over my face, neck, and hair, as if trying to drown me in his madness.
“What… what happened?” My voice came out high and fragile, nothing like my usual tone.
“You were stabbed.” His voice cracked, eyes wide, knuckleswhite as he gripped my hand. “Right side, near your ribs. I… I thought I’d lost you. They said you were bleeding fast, your blood pressure dropped, and your pulse skyrocketed. You went into shock.”
“What?” I screeched out in a hoarse voice.
He sucked in a shaky breath. “They stabilized you… lost a lot of blood. You scared the hell out of me.”
I tried to move my legs. Hospital sheets scraped harshly against my bare skin. The gown hung awkwardly on my body.
"How... how did I get here?" My voice was trembling.
He glanced nervously at the door, then back at me, a hint of urgency in his eyes. "I brought you here.”
A sudden dread clutched my stomach. We were in a public place. No sign of authority, no FBI, no nothing. What if someone recognized me? What if they knew who I was?
“I can’t be here. I don’t have ID, anything—no birth certificate, no wallet..." My voice cracked.
He shook his head slowly, voice low but steady, almost too calm. “Don’t worry. It’s all been handled.”
"Handled?" I repeated, my heart pounding. "What do you mean by ‘handled?”’
He fidgeted, his hands twisted nervously in his lap. “I lied a little. West showed up with a stack of forms and this whole ‘federal protection’ script. He got you flagged as a protected witness and rushed some emergency licenses. We signed everything at your bedside and pushed it through. Everything’s done, filed, and sealed.”
My pulse hammered against my ribs.
“Paperwork? You met Agent West? What the hell are you talking about?” I tried to sit up, but the monitors and IV lines restrained me. My head was throbbing, and I barely registered the pain.
“Don’t,” he snapped sharply, a cold edge sharpening hiswords that made me shiver. “We’re being watched. You need to stay calm.”
His voice dropped to a trembling whisper, almost a gasp. “I thought I was going to lose you. I had to make sure you were safe. Everything I did, every lie, was to protect you. I’m not sorry for that.”
“Max… tell me,” I croaked, my throat dry and burning.
He swallowed hard, eyes flickering away from mine for a tense moment. “You’re… married. Surprise.”
A wave of nausea churned in my stomach, forcing me to lie back to avoid vomiting all over my sheets. I was married? Tears blurred my vision as disbelief consumed my thoughts.
I blinked rapidly, my heart pounding erratically. “I… what?”
A crooked, guilty smirk curled his lips. “You don’t have to be scared anymore, Trouble,” he whispered, lowering his head slightly. “You can live a normal life.”
Shock ravaged me.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
He winced, ducking his head as if expecting to take a punch. “Don’t hate me. We had no choice."
"No choice?” My laugh was sharp, hysterical. “You married me off while I was unconscious? Do you even hear yourself?” The monitor beside me screamed as my pulse spiked wildly.
"Calm down," he snapped, glancing toward the nurse’s station. “It’s been about 36 hours. You were out for a day and a half after the surgery. But everything’s fucked right now, and we saw no other way to keep you alive. And no, I didn’t marry you off to just anyone.” His eyes bore into mine with an unsettling intensity. "I married you. We were engaged anyway."
