Page 33 of Obsession

“Please don’t die on me, Hollis,” I whispered, tightening my grip on her limp form. “You’re not getting off that easy.”

I stormed into the doctor’s home, kicking the door off its hinges as I entered. The sound echoed through the house.

“Doctor!” I bellowed. My voice boomed through the quiet space. “Get your ass down here!”

The woman appeared at the top of the stairs, her eyes wide with fear as she took in the sight before her. Good. Fear was what kept these people in line.

“Help her.” My gaze locked onto hers. “If she dies, you’ll wish you’d never been born.”

The threat hung heavy in the air. I heard the doctor audibly swallow and saw the way her hand trembled as she gripped the railing.

“Y-yes, Mr. Tredway,” the doctor stammered, hurrying down the stairs. I could see the desperation in her eyes as she tried to prepare for whatever horrors awaited her.

“Riot,” I corrected her sharply. “My old man was Mr. Tredway, and I refuse to be associated with him. I only keep his name to remind me of the hell I endured.”

“Right… Riot.” She swallowed hard. “I’ll do my best.”

“You better pray your best is good enough.” I watched her every move. She had no idea just how close she was to her own destruction. And if she didn’t save Hollis, she’d find out firsthand.

Let her live. For once in my miserable existence, let me have this one fucking thing.

I followed the doctor into her home office. The cold metal of the examination table sent a shiver down my spine as I gently laid Hollis on it. Her fragile form seemed so out of place in this sterile room. The doctor hovered nearby, her eyes darting between Hollis and me as she tried to gauge just how close to the edge I was.

“Start fixing her,” I said, my voice icy and hard.

“Y-yes, Riot,” the doctor stuttered, scrambling to gather her instruments. She approached Hollis cautiously, as if she were a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any moment. And maybe she was -- because if anything went wrong, I’d make damn sure there’d be an explosion the likes of which Raven’s Vale had never seen.

As the doctor worked frantically to stabilize Hollis, I paced the length of the room, each step echoing like a gunshot in the otherwise quiet space. My impatience grew with every passing second, a mounting pressure inside me threatening to erupt in a storm of violence. My gaze never wavered from Hollis.

The smell of antiseptic filled the air as I watched the doctor work, each stitch she made on Hollis’ skin igniting a burning rage within me. My eyes lingered on every bruise and cut marring her body, fury building with each new injury I discovered. Damn Crash and Kane to hell -- I should have made them suffer ten times worse for what they did to her.

“Are you almost fucking done?” I asked, my fists clenching by my sides. The doctor flinched, her hands shaking as she tried to steady her needle. “Hurry the hell up.”

“Almost… done,” she whispered, beads of sweat forming on her brow. “I’m doing my best.”

“Your best better be enough,” I said, my glare drilling into her. “Or I’ll rip you apart limb by limb, and that’s a fucking promise. Remember, Doc -- if she dies, you die. Keep that in mind when you’re stitching her up.”

With that, I turned my attention back to Hollis, my gaze softening ever so slightly as I took in her battered form. She was alive, for now. And I’d make sure she stayed that way, no matter what it took.

The doctor nodded once, her hands steadying as she finished tending to Hollis’ wounds. I could tell she knew just how serious my threat was -- and that it wasn’t an idle one.

“All right,” she said at last, stepping back from the table, her eyes never leaving mine. “Her vitals are stabilizing. She’s out of immediate danger, but she’ll need ongoing care. I’ve done everything I can for now. I’d recommend putting her in the hospital, but I don’t think you want that.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” I replied.

The last time I let Hollis out of sight, my brothers had tried to kill her. Fuck if I was going to let the hospital take care of her when I couldn’t remain her with her twenty-four-seven. Not without freeing up some hospital beds by sending a few patients to the morgue. No, if I was going to lose my shit right now, I’d better do it at home and aim it at the two men who deserved it.

I owed Crash and Kane a lot more pain than I’d already inflicted. I wouldn’t kill them. After all, they helped maintain the status quo in this town. Handling it all on my own wouldn’t be easy and would take me away from Hollis even more.

My gaze shifted back to Hollis, her face pale and fragile beneath the dim light of the room. She looked so vulnerable. The sight stirred something deep inside me, a fierce protectiveness that threatened to consume everything else.

What the fuck was wrong with me? Possessive, I understood. Why did I feel the need to protect her? Because she belonged to me? I hoped that’s all it was. I didn’t have time for soft emotions like love or any of that romantic shit. Quickest way to ruin a man.

I allowed myself a small, bitter smile as I stared down at Hollis. She was still alive, and I intended to keep it that way. And as for Crash and Kane? They’d pay, in blood and agony, for every mark they’d left on her. That much, I swore.

* * *

The moon glared down at me as I carried Hollis through the night, her body limp and fragile in my arms. The mansion loomed ahead, its darkened windows telling me Crash and Kane weren’t there -- or were hiding from me.

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