“I don’t want to. I just got her trained.” He pulls her hair, and when I see the black and blue bruise on the side of her face, my hands shake from anger.
“She’s fucking pregnant, you bastard!”
“I know. That’s the only reason she’s still alive. Figured it’d be fun to fuck with your spawn.”
How the fuck did he know it was mine? My eyes must show the shock I feel because he laughs. “You didn’t know?”
Just then, Jay and Neil enter the room, and the moment he moves his eyes from me to them, I take advantage and charge him. He wasn’t expecting the move, so I’m able to rip Jessa out of his hands. God, it’s only been three days, but I can already tell she’s lost some weight. He fucking starved her. I twist my body so my back is facing him, and a burning sensation rips through my spine. Fucker shot me in my back. I fall to the floor, landing on my side so she doesn’t hit the cement first. Jessa grunts and although it pains me that she’s hurt, she’s alive. And she’s fucking mine.
I know the guys have my back, and three shots ring through the almost empty room before the thud of Marco’s body puts a sardonic smile on my face.
“Fuck,” Jay clips as he kneels down next to me. “Call an ambulance,” he hollers to Neil.
“Already did,” he grunts. “I’m gonna shoot these fuckin’ shackles off her.”
As soon as he rapid fires two shots, Jessa’s body falls on me even more, and she moans. “Hey, baby. Can you open your eyes for me?” I rub the hair off her face and swallow down the copper taste in my throat.
She moans again, and I bite back a groan of pain as my chest begins to throb. Not the kind of throbbing it normally does when she’s near, telling me I have a purpose to be alive. No, this throbbing is one that tells me I might not be around much longer … But I saved her, so I’ve fulfilled my purpose for living, and that makes the pain bearable.
Her eyes flutter open, and she licks her dry lips and whines when she swallows.
“There she is. There’s my pretty girl.” Her scared eyes meet mine, and she becomes blurry. It takes a moment for me to realize it’s because my eyes are filling with tears … Shit, I don’t even remember the last time I cried. Don’t know if I even have before.
“Knew you’d come,” she mumbles.
I smile, and just as I’m about to tell her I’ll always come for her, everything around me blurs and darkens. I think I hear her … Jay, for sure. He’s yelling at me. But then he stops, the pain in my chest disappears, and I fall asleep with my girl in my arms.
* * *
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.” The doctor changes my bandages, and I grunt a response.
Yeah, I’m a regular fuckin’ miracle. I figure this is my reward for all the other shit I’ve had thrown at me my whole life.
“How is she?” I know that she’s alive. She’s just sleeping, which is her body’s way of healing.
“You know I can’t discuss her con—”
“How in the hell is she?” I grind out between my clenched jaw.
The doctor sighs and I sit up and put my shirt back on. I refuse to wear a fuckin’ hospital gown.
“She’s healing.”
I nod at him and hop off the bed.
“I highly advise against you leaving this room. You should still be observed for at least twenty-four hours.”
“My pregnant woman was tortured and tied to the ground for three fucking days. You can observe me in bed with her.”
“Mr. Mitchell, you were shot in the back. The fact that you’re alive is a miracle, let alone walking. For your sake, I strongly suggest—”
Enough of his bullshit. I don’t need to get permission from anyone to hold her. “I’m alive for her, because of her. If you need me, that’s where I’ll be.”
As soon as I got to the hospital, the doctors stitched me up, and now, I’m good as new. The bullet was a through and through, and like the doctor said, miraculously didn’t cause major damage. Something about the angle I was in as I was falling. The trajectory of the bullet made its way through without hitting anything important. It’s pretty much just a flesh wound to my back and chest from the point of entry and exit. But my fuckin’ chest is sore as hell.
Eighteen hours of not seeing her are too many. I’ve gone too long; threats of her safety kept me away, when in reality, if I had been with her, he never would have gotten his hands on her.
I walk into her room and don’t hesitate to crawl into bed with her. My hand presses against her belly, gently rolling her to her back and resting her head on my chest. I wince when she sighs against my wound, but I hold her a little tighter. I’m exhausted, but I got some sleep earlier today, so I’m not missing a moment with her now. I trace my fingers over her bruise and wish I could have pummeled Marco before he died.
She moans again, and it fuckin’ tears me apart that since rescuing her, the only noises I’ve heard her make are those of pain. “Hey, baby.” I gently run my thumb over her lips and kiss the top of her head as I close my eyes and soak her in.
Chapter 16
Jessa
He holds me, and even though I should be mad at him, I snuggle deeper. His arms are about the only place I feel safe right now. His breathing is even, yet strong, brushing over the top of my head, and I blink my eyes open.
When I look down, his scarred hand rests protectively on my belly, and my eyes immediately fill with tears. He must know that I’m awake because his grip on me tightens.
“Shh … It’s okay now.”
I allow myself a good cry in his arms and cling to him like I wish I could have been doing all along. He finally sits me up and wipes my eyes with his thumbs. “Hi,” he whispers.
“Hi.”
“Let me call a nurse.”
“How long was I out for?”
He pushes the button with a red cross on it. “It’s been almost twenty-four hours.”
“Is the baby okay?” I rub both hands on my belly and wait anxiously for his answer.
“Yes. Our baby is perfectly fine. You were dehydrated and … and shit, Jess, look at your beautiful face.” His eyes slowly scan my bruises. “Considering how long he had you for … Fuck, I expected—”
“Good morning, Ms. Crew.” The doctor walks in and offers a weak smile.
“Hello,” I say shyly. My mind is still so confused from everything.
“I know this may seem like a shortsighted question, but how do you feel?” He squirts some hand sanitizer on his hands and rubs it in.
“I’m sore. Hungry. But overall, I’m okay, I guess.”
He chuckles and nods at me. “You and this gentleman sure know how to make a remarkable recovery.”
A nurse walks in, and Ty moves enough for them to do their exam. “Aside from being dehydrated, your injuries are minimal, Ms. Crew. We’ve treated the abrasions on your ankles, and the IV is helping as well. Dinner will be brought to you shortly, but only broth and Jell-O tonight. In the morning, you can try something a little more solid.”
“Okay.” I squeeze Ty’s hand. “The baby is okay, right?”
“Yes. The OB came in and performed an ultrasound, and everything appears to be as it should. The little girl is right where she—”
“It’s a girl?” I interrupt.
“I’m sorry. I assumed you knew.” The doctor blushes.
“No, I wanted it to be a surprise.” My voice clogs with emotion, and Ty sniffles. I look over at him and catch the tail end of him wiping his eyes. “Ty,” I whisper.
His Adam’s apple works its way up and down, and he gives me a slight shake of his head. He’s not ready to talk about it. “Okay.” I lean into him and finish listening to the doctor.
He wants me to stay through the night and until tomorrow afternoon at least. I agree, as long as Ty can stay with me. We have so much to talk about. So much to figure out. I’m so confused about so much. Why Ty was there with the police in the first place. How he knew where to find me. What happens now that Marco is dead.
As soon as the doctor and nurse leave, I roll to my side and Ty does the same, so we’re facing each other. He runs the tips of his fingers over my arm, and I smile as goosebumps rise on my skin.
“Why didn’t you tell me it was mine?” His voice is small, so small.
“I tried. I came to the shop, and Chip said you quit. I had no way of getting ahold of you.”
“Fuck, Jessa, pushing you away and leaving you was the last thing I wanted, but me being around was dangerous.” He holds my hands between his and kisses my knuckles. “I realize now that you’d have been better off if I’d stayed. I’ll never forgive myself for letting him get his hands on you.”
I shake my head. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Did he … did he rape you?”
My stomach lurches at the thought, but I manage to shake my head. “No. He did some stuff but not that.”
“What did he do?” Ty growls.
“Hey …” I lower my voice to try to calm him down. “He’s dead now. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
“Me? Me! You think I care about me? I don’t give a shit about me. I care about you. I don’t give a fuck what he did to me.”
“What did he do to you? Why did he hate you so much?”
He swallows loudly and flops on his back, scrunching his eyes together.
“Oh my God, you were shot, weren’t you?” I frantically rip his shirt up and see the bandages, tears falling onto his chest at the thought of what he endured for me. “I remember you pulling me away and then—”
“Eye for an eye, Jessa. Marco wanted me dead because I killed a member of his family.”
“But you didn’t. I did. I killed him.” My voice rises. “He should have wanted me, not you!”
“Before that night, baby. The man who was raping my mother was Marco’s dad. I killed Marco’s father. He—” Ty stops talking and looks over my head, his eyes going on alert and his biceps flexing as he pulls me to him tightly.
“Just have to get a reading,” a male voice comes from behind me.
I turn and look at a man wearing blue scrubs and a mask around the lower part of his face. The hairnet covers most of his hair, but some black strands peek out.
Ty sits up straighter as the man gets closer. “Where’s your badge?” He stands now and positions himself in front of the bed.
Without any kind of warning, the man raises his hand, fit with a scalpel blade, and slams it down at Ty. Ty’s reflexes are fast, though. He grabs the man’s wrist and twists him somehow so the blade is at his throat. They scuffle, and suddenly, Ty’s pressing the man into my bed, his masked face turned toward me.
“Who sent you?” Ty presses the blade into the guy’s throat, and a trickle of blood drips down his neck and falls onto the crisp white sheet.
“Nobody,” he grunts.
“Who?” Ty screams and bends one of the man’s fingers back so far it snaps.
I put my hands over my mouth so I don’t cry out as the man fights to get away from Ty’s intimidating frame. Finally, after what seems like ever, he gives up and answers Ty. “Marco,” he pants.
“Marco’s dead. Try again.”
“Hope it was worth it.” The creep smiles and coughs, making the scalpel dig further into his neck.
Ty’s concentration is solely on the man who came in here trying to kill one of us. I’ve seen Ty in intense situations before, I’ve seen him fighting for his life, but there’s an intensity in him now that wasn’t there before.
“I’m gonna kill you anyway, so you can either make it painful or make it fast. Personally, I’d like to see you suffer a little. Teach you a lesson about threatening my woman.”
“So much money.”
I thought he was tense before, but holy shit, he looks like a statue, he’s so solid. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“Five mil.”
“Oh my God,” I gasp. A fucking reward for killing Ty?
“Look away, Jessa,” Ty commands.
“Ty …”
“Look away, baby.”
I close my eyes and bury them in my hands, then whimper when I hear gurgling. The unmistakable sound of a body falling to the ground echoes around the room and in my head. Someone touches me, and I scream.
“Just me. We’ve gotta get outta here.”
My eyes stay closed as I grip his shirt. “What did you do to him?”
“Slit his throat.” He takes out my IV and lifts me in his arms. My eyes fly open, but I bury my face in his neck to avoid seeing more brutality. “Put me down; you’re hurt.”
“I’m fine.”
“Ty,” I argue, squirming to get down.
“Jessa, let me do this.”
“Fine.”
He carries me out of my room and down the stairs, where a police officer lies in a pile of blood. “That was your protection detail. Fuck.”
His face is tight and his eyes alert, so much like the man I first met. Except now, I know what he was looking for. Never would have guessed I’d find love in the arms of a murderer. But that’s what I am, too, so I guess we were destined for each other. He kicks open a door and sets me on my feet outside, before pulling a cell phone from his jeans pocket.
“Need to send a crew for cleanup in Jessa’s hospital room. Stairway, too. Pick me up on Pine and Washington. Seven minutes.” He tosses the phone into a garbage can and tugs my hand. “Can you walk a few blocks, baby?”
“Yes.”
His eyes soften for a brief moment before he leans in and kisses me. Once. Twice. So gently. “I love you. And I’m a fool not to have told you that until now.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to answer as he starts walking. It’s dark now. Twilight was gone about an hour ago, and the streets are quiet and eerie. He stops at a garbage can and lifts the lid, then reaches down and pulls out a gun.
I gasp as he does something with it … something I’ve seen in movies where they check for bullets, before he tucks it in the waistband of his jeans. He leans in and grabs another one, does the same test, and then keeps it in one hand while he takes mine in his unarmed one.
“Ty?” I question, as we walk past Washington Street.
“Just follow me, okay?”
“But—”
“Jessa, I really need you to listen right now.” He stops and turns to me. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Then just follow me, okay?”
I nod. He kisses my forehead.
After several more blocks, I begin to slow, my muscles still sore and achy.
“Almost there.”
“Okay.”
He pulls me behind a building, and about thirty seconds later, a black SUV pulls up. I squeeze Ty’s hand, but when Neil hops out of the driver’s seat, I run to him.