Page 26 of Nikoli

"We should have expected that. It's a private hospital, which means expensive, which means security." Rosie winces.

"I think Carlisle and Jessop have thought about this. They came prepared." Pause. "I'm not sure I want to know how prepared they are."

"Yeah, best not to ask." She grins. "They're nice guys, Nikoli. Regardless of what they may or may not be into."

"I really don't care, Rosie. I just want Willow back." I run my hand over my tired face. "I promised my grandma I would bring her home... The thing is, when this mess is cleaned up, Willow and her brother have a home here. They'll be safe. What if she doesn't think of Boston as home anymore?”

"I don't know, Nikoli." She sighs. "Willow loves you. I think her home will be wherever you are. My home is wherever Rhodes is. He's my home." Rosie pats my arm. "Let's go inside."

I climb out and join Rosie, who suddenly grabs my arm. "That's their car."

"How?"

"Dodge uploaded a copy of the rental agreement to the server at work before they drove it off the lot. All the investigators do that with rental or hotel reservations.”

"At least we have confirmation they're here." I walk to the front of the building and knock on the door. Rosie rings the loud bell. She doesn't get an answer. I bang on the door again.

A tall man in what looks like a white uniform appears. He stands inside with his arms crossed over a rather large chest. "Open this door!"

"You need to calm down," the man yells, "or I will call the cops and have them deal with you."

"Call the cops!" I demand. "Then you can explain to them where my girlfriend is?"

The man's eyes flicker. "What are you talking about?"

"Her car is parked outside. She is nowhere to be seen. In fact, she hasn't been seen since she went to visit her cousin this afternoon." I had to stop myself before I gave too much away. We don't know where Dodge is either. I bang on the door again. "Either you let us in to find my girl or I'm going to keep banging on this door. Maybe I'll start breaking the glass. Get the cops out here."

Rosie joins me and starts banging on the door. The man behind it gets angry. His face is bright red, and he breathes like a bull ready to charge. "You're a fucking idiot," the man yells before jumping forward and opening the door.

19

WILLOW

"Where the hell is it?" Marcus yells.

"Where's what?" Gabe and I are still in his room. After being locked in here with him, hours later, someone had pushed two trays of food through the crack at the bottom of the door. Neither of us ate anything. With how creepy this place is, I didn't want to risk the food being drugged. I was worried about Dodge. No one had mentioned him, and I hadn't asked. Gabriel has an arm around me as I cling to one of his hands. Two men I've never seen before are also in the room. Marcus looks ready to hit me, so I say, "If you tell me what you're looking for, then maybe I can answer." How my voice doesn't shake is beyond me. I'm terrified.

"The room is bugged, you little bitch! I heard every word you said to your brother. You have a copy of the video from that night." The two men exchange glances and Marcus steps forward menacingly. Gabriel's grip tightens on my hand as I try to maintain my composure, my mind racing to find a way out of this dangerous situation.

"You mean the night you killed our father?" I spit at him. Marcus' eyes narrow and his anger is palpable as he takes a step closer. Gabriel's fingers dig into my hand, a silent warning to be careful. I feel the tension in the room escalating and I know I have to tread carefully.

Marcus slaps me hard across the face. I gasp. Pain blossoms in my cheek. Shock and fear rush through me. The room falls silent.

"Leave her alone." Gabe says. He stands and steps in front of me. "I'll cooperate as long as you leave Owl alone."

Marcus' eyes narrow at Gabriel's words, but he finally backs away and leaves the room in a huff. I exhale in relief, grateful for Gabriel's protection in this moment of vulnerability. Only it doesn't last. Marcus and another man—named Randy— burst into the room with Dodge between them. I gasp at the sight of him. His face is bloody and cut, but when I meet his eyes, they are full of rage.

Dodge's presence brings a sense of danger that fills the room and makes my heart race with fear. I brace myself for whatever comes next, knowing that Gabriel's protection may not be enough this time.

Marcus pulls out a gun and holds it to the side of Dodge's head. I see the tension between them; the air is thick with hostility. Dodge doesn't flinch, his jaw clenched in defiance. As Marcus' finger tightens on the trigger, I hold my breath, unsure of what will happen next. To my utter shock, in the blink of an eye, Dodge grabs the gun and smashes his head into Marcus' face. Blood explodes. The room erupts into chaos. Dodge swings a handout, right into Randy’s neck. The man begins to choke, clutching his neck as he drops to his knees. A kick to the head and he's down and not getting up anytime soon.

One of the other men tries to get a bead on Dodge with his gun, so I pick up one of the dinner trays and smash it against his hand, then his face before he can grab it. Gabe grabs the other tray, but he's not fast enough. The other man has Gabe pinned against his chest. I do what my father always told me to do if a man attacks me. I reach between Gabe and the man and grab the guy's groin. I squeeze as hard as I can and twist. The man howls in pain and releases Gabe, who quickly turns and takes the man down with a powerful shoulder thrust, putting all his weight into it. They fall to the ground. I reach out to help Gabe as he struggles to get to his feet. Together with Dodge, we have no time to catch our breath as we dash out of the room.

Chaos erupts in the hallway, and I find myself blinking, trying to focus on the man leading the way. Dodge stops short, and seconds later he lets out a chuckle. "What took you so long?"

"Nikoli?" I whisper. Letting go of Gabe, I let out a groan and throw myself at Nikoli. I don't stop there. I plant kisses all over his face as he holds me close. "I can't believe you're here."

"I would have been here with you from the beginning if you had told me." He cups my head and forces me to look at him. "I was angry when I found out. But I understand." He smashes our lips together.

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