Lottie stirred, her eyes fluttering open. “Razor,” she rasped.
“I’m here,” he said, leaning close so she could see him.
Her voice was faint but clear, “It was a car. A red car.”
Razor froze. “What?”
“A red car,” she repeated, her voice barely a whisper. “It came around us.”
Her words sent a chill through him. His mind raced, anger sparking alongside the fear. “A red car,” he murmured, the words sticking like a mantra. Someone had caused this—someone reckless, someone dangerous. And they were going to pay.
As the hospital came into view, Razor’s resolve hardened. Whoever was behind the wheel of that red car had no idea the storm they’d unleashed. And Razor would make sure they never forgot it.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Lottie’s hospital room was a blur of soft beeping monitors, sterile white walls, and the faint antiseptic smell mixed with the floral fragrance from more than a dozen flower arrangements that decorated every viable surface. And all of those smells seemed to cling to everything. She felt fragile, her body stiff and aching with every small movement, but the real discomfort came from the memories. Flashes of the crash. The blur of the red car, the jarring impact, the sheer helplessness, kept replaying in her mind like a relentless loop.
She couldn’t shake the image of Razor, his bloodied hands trembling as he worked to stop the bleeding, his voice raw with desperation as he called her name. That memory hurt more than her injuries.
Razor had hardly left her side in the first hours after she’d been admitted. He was there when the doctors stitched her wound, his hand gripping hers tightly enough that she could feel his unspoken fear. Even when she was too groggy to stay awake, she felt his presence, his protective energy like a shield aroundher. Now, as she blinked awake from another fitful nap, her eyes searched for him automatically.
Instead, she found Sway sitting in the chair by her bed, flipping through a magazine she was clearly uninterested in. When she noticed her stirring, she leaned forward with a grin. “There she is. About time you woke up, sleepyhead.”
Lottie managed a weak smile. “How long was I out this time?”
“A couple of hours,” Sway replied, setting the magazine aside, Lottie didn’t need to know she’d been out for more than five hours. “Razor’s grabbing coffee downstairs. He didn’t want to leave you, but I told him I’d keep watch. Don’t worry, you’re never alone.”
Her heart twisted at that. She knew Razor was protective, but the way he and the brothers had rallied around her since the crash made her feel something, she wasn’t sure she deserved so much of their time.
“Sway,” she said hesitantly, her voice hoarse from disuse. “What’s going on? I mean, really? Why is everyone so on edge?”
Sway’s easygoing demeanor faltered for a split second, but she recovered quickly. “Razor’ll fill you in when he’s back,” she said, dodging the question. “For now, just focus on getting better. That’s all you need to worry about.”
Lottie frowned but didn’t push. She was too tired to argue, and the pain in her collarbone reminded her she wasn’t exactly in fighting shape. Instead, she leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes, letting the quiet hum of the hospital lull her back into a semi-relaxed state.
Razor returned a few minutes later, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and his phone in the other. His face softened the moment he saw her open her eyes, she was awake, his shoulders losing some of their tension. “Hey,” he said, setting the cup down and moving to her side. “How’re you feeling?”
“Better,” Lottie lied.
He saw right through her. “You look like hell,” he said, his tone affectionate despite the words. He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “But you’re still beautiful.”
She felt heat rise to her cheeks, a welcome distraction from the pain. “Thanks,” she murmured, looking away.
Razor pulled the chair closer and sat down, his knee brushing the side of the bed. He took her hand gently, mindful of her injuries. “Listen, I need you to know something,” he began, his voice low and serious. “What happened wasn’t an accident.”
Her breath hitched, but she didn’t interrupt.
“That car… it wasn’t random. I think it was Shannon.”
The name hit her like a punch to the gut. Shannon, Razor’s ex, had been a problem before, but this? This was something else entirely. “You think she tried to…?”
Razor’s jaw tightened. “I don’t think. I know. She made threats, and now this. Until we know for sure, I’m not taking any chances. That’s why one of the brothers is always here when I’m not. And when you get out of here, you’re staying with me. No arguments.”
Lottie opened her mouth to protest but stopped when she saw the look in his eyes—steely, unwavering, and filled with morefear than he’d probably admit. “Okay,” she said softly. “I trust you.”
His shoulders relaxed slightly at her words, but the tension didn’t leave him entirely. “Good. You’re the most important thing to me, Lottie. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The rest of the day passed in a steady stream of visitors. Hemlock showed up with flowers he’d clearly picked from the side of the road, grinning as he plopped them into a plastic water cup. “They’re wild, like you,” he joked, earning a laugh from Lottie and a scowl from Razor.
