"Listen to me carefully," Rome murmured right next to my ear, his voice calm, as if he were explaining a simple rule to a child. "You can walk out of here like you've got some goddamn sense. With some dignity." He tightened his grip on my arm, pinning it to my side. "Or you can keep fighting, make a scene, and draw the police down on this entire wing. And thenyouget to explain to the cops why Vinny's got a bullet in his gut and exactly who put it there."
I stopped struggling.
My chest heaved violently against Rome’s frame, my eyes burning with pure rage as I glared at him, then over at Bael.
Bael didn't look away. "You gonna be a problem?" Rome asked, loosening his palm just a fraction.
I shook my head violently.
Rome took his hand off my mouth but kept a firm grip on my arm. I straightened my rumpled jacket, wiping my face with the back of my sleeve. I didn't look at Bael again.
I let Rome guide my arm, letting myself be dragged away from the surgery doors.
The last thing I heard before the heavy hospital doors swung shut behind us was Bael's quiet, lethal voice echoing down the corridor behind me.
"I need you to handle something for me tonight."
Chapter Thirty-Six — Vinny
Two days.
I’d been awake for two fucking days, and Bael still wouldn’t let me see her.
The white-hot pain slicing through my gut was nothing compared to the agonizing ache in my chest every time I asked about Jamie, only for Bael to tell me to shut up and rest. I was stitched up, pumped full of heavy antibiotics, and lying in one of our safehouse bedrooms like a goddamn invalid. Every single time I tried to swing my legs over the edge of the mattress, Bael or one of his people pushed me right back down.
“Rest, bro,” Bael said again, leaning heavily against the doorframe with his massive arms crossed over his chest. “She's good. You ain’t. Handle your own shit first.”
“I need to see her,” I growled, my voice sounding raw and scraped hollow. “Just tell me she’s okay.”
"I've been awake for two days, Bael."
"Yep."
"And I haven't seen her once."
"Nope."
I glared at him, my knuckles turning white against the blanket. "Bael. I swear to God—"
"You need to rest before she starts nagging you," he cut in, completely unfazed.
"Don't tell me what the fuck I need." I shifted, instantly wincing as a sharp line of agony tore through my side. I pressed a hand over the thick bandages. "Where is she?"
Bael didn't answer.
"Bael. I swear—"
A sharp knock at the door cut me off. Bael didn't move an inch, didn't even blink. He just barked, "Come in."
The heavy wood door swung open, and Rome shoved Jamie into the room.
He pushed her hard enough that she stumbled a step before catching her balance. I immediately noticed her wrists were raw and red, marked with angry zip-tie burns. My hand curled violently into the bedsheets, my vision flashing red.
Jamie straightened up, glaring back over her shoulder at the giant. “You big bitch," she spat, her eyes flashing with pure fire. "I’m gonna kick your ass if you push me like that again, on God.”
"What the fuck did you do to her?" I snapped, my glare cutting to Bael. "Why the hell is he treating her like that?"
Bael didn't even blink. "What? The bitch is hardheaded. She tried to bolt the second we got clear of the hospital. Feisty as fuck, wanting to throw hands with grown-ass men. It was either tie her up, snap her neck, or let her run."
