The door opens and footsteps approach, but I don’t bother looking at the doctor. He’ll wake me up once he’s ready to examine me.
He pauses at the edge of the bed and repositions my arm, even more reason to keep my eyes closed. I’ve always hated needles, and IV’s give me the creeps. Once it’s in, I’ll have to keep a blanket over it or I’ll get nauseous just looking at it.
I hiss when the needle pricks my skin, but I’m too sleepy to pull my arm away.
It takes longer than it should to realize I can’t open my eyes, and when I’m lifted into someone’s arms, I know something’s wrong.
But no matter how hard I try, I can’t scream for help, and eventually I have no choice but to let the darkness drag me under.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
RONAN
NOW
As soon as they wheel Chloe away, my back is pressed to the wall with Ryker’s knife poised against my throat.
I’d probably have been more surprised if this wasn’t his immediate response to us being alone, if I’m honest.
Crew sighs. “We talked about this.”
“That was before I saw her bruising,” Ryker snaps, digging the blade into my skin. The pain is welcome, a reminder that despite everything we went through tonight, we both escaped with our lives, no matter how short-lived that relief may be.
Dad has spent almost two decades chasing a ghost for what he allegedly did to my mother and never stopped hunting Chloe despite her being an innocent party to her father’s sins. He’s not going to let his son get away with abandoning his responsibilities.
That alone should be enough to make me walk away from Chloe.
She deserves a peaceful life with someone that can give her everything she wants and needs, not a man who will always be hunted by his own family.
But not even that is enough to make me leave her.
She’s a part of me, the piece of my soul that’s light amongst all the darkness, and even if I wanted to let her go, I can’t.
I know what it’s like to live without Chloe Weaver, and death is a far kinder fate than ever experiencing that again.
“The man that did that to her is dead,” I tell him calmly.
“So you say,” Ryker growls.
“Chloe wouldn’t have been clinging to him if he were the one that hurt her,” Camilla says as she steps back into the hallway with arms crossed over her chest. “She’ll be pissed if you hurt him, so I suggest you let him go.”
Ryker mutters something under his breath before taking a step back and shoves his knife back into its sheath on his black jeans.
She nods and steps toward Crew, allowing him to envelop her in his arms. “Now that we’re not threatening bodily harm to one another, we need to talk about what happens when we leave here.”
“Should we leave Chloe alone?” I find myself asking, my skin itching with the need to have eyes on her. The last time I let her out of my sight, Ralph almost violated her, I don’t plan on ever making that mistake again.
“She’s resting for a minute. The nurse is just getting everything ready for them to examine her.”
“Go on then, Little Menace,” Crew prompts.
“Ronan will be coming back to New York with us?—”
Ryker begins to argue but is quickly cut off by her icy glare.
“As I was saying, Ronan will be coming back to New York with us because Chloe has requested it. She doesn’t want to leave you here to fend for yourself after saving her.”
My chest warms at her words. My girl has always been kind to a fault, always putting everyone else before herself, and I can see years on the run haven’t hardened her.
