Page 26 of Wicked Revenge

His breath, fanning my face in waves, smells slightly of mint, making me think he pulled his mask up at least enough to uncover his mouth. I slowly turn my head towards him, finding that I was right. His stubble beard and plump lips are uncovered, revealing a sharp, chiseled jawline, and a tattoo that goes up his neck that peeks out of his hoodie.

I bet the rest of this man is gorgeous. I want to see the rest of him. I want to see all of them.

His eyes meet mine and the smirk that tilts the corner of his mouth as he blows his breath on my face threatens to undo me.

“All done.” He straightens up, pulling his mask back down and removing the gloves, revealing more tattoos on his hands. “The glue is dry to the touch, but you’ll need to wait a few hours before getting it wet.” He starts to clean up the supplies and moves back to the bag at the end of the table.

“Thank you.” My voice is raspy, and I’m so thirsty. I look at my best friend who is not even trying to hide her shit-eating grin now. “Can I have some water?”

“Yes! I’ll run upstairs and grab it. Some clothes for you, too,” Ella says, her smile fades into a seriousness when she continues. “Are you going to be okay alone with them for a few minutes?” I know what she is asking. Am I going to freak out again?

“I’ll be fine, El. I’m sorry for freaking out and scaring you.”

She comes to my side and hugs me. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’ll be right back. Then we’ll figure out what to do next.”

She steps back and looks at the two brothers intensely, both of them giving her a nod before she walks out of the room and shuts the door.

The silence that follows her departure isn’t awkward. It’s comfortable. My eyes dart back and forth between the two men. Both of them stare at me, studying me like they are trying to figure me out.

Good luck with that.

Chapter 15

This is definitely not how I envisioned tonight going.

We were supposed to take the hunter down to keep Emma safe, buying us more time to find her. I never would have guessed our lives would be turned upside down in a matter of hours.

I know what I told Maddox earlier tonight, after I stitched the stab wound this little vixen gave him. I guess he was right, I didn’t understand. I can’t explain this feeling in my chest. All I know is I want to wrap her in my arms and protect her.

I’ve never been particularly bloodthirsty like Maddox or Royal, but an unbridled rage rushed through my body when we came running into the room to find her cowering in the corner. I saw the scars. I decided instantly that I would bleed out whoever put those marks on her.

After a few minutes of just watching each other in silence, Ella returns and helps her into the clothes she brought down for her. I get another look at her body, unashamed at how my eyes take in her tiny figure. As beautiful as this woman is, this is not sexual, right now. No, I’m mentally cataloging every mark, scar, and blemish that has caused her pain.

I have so many questions that need to be answered, but I don’t want to overwhelm her. I wait until she is dressed and sipping on the water Ella handed her, before I pick the one that needs to be handled immediately. He is currently tied up outside this room with Maddox.

“Will you tell us what happened with Doc? Did he hurt you?” I try to keep the rage out of my voice when I ask, but it's exceptionally hard. I don’t want to send her into another panic.

I watch her face, waiting for her to answer. I can see the mental walls go up as her expression changes, and she retreats back into herself.

She pulls her legging-clad knees up to her chest, her bare feet flat on the exam table. I step towards her, and she flinches. She fucking flinches! I feel my heart squeeze inside my chest when she drops her head down and covers her face with her hands. I look at Ella and my brother, a silent plea because I am about 10 seconds away from ripping Doc’s head from his body and delivering it to her as a gift.

Ella steps towards her, gently pulling her hands down so she can look at her face. “You don’t have to tell me details. Just tell me this. Is he on the list?” Her question has my eyes snapping up to Royals as he does the same.

“What list?” We say in unison.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ella retorts, her tone telling us to shut the fuck up and let Raena speak. “Is he, Rae?” She presses, and Raena slowly shakes her head no.

I think we all sigh with relief before the little vixen finally finds her voice. “But I don’t think we can let him go either.” She must see the confusion on all of our faces. “Listen, I appreciate you saving me and all your help, but I don’t know who to trust. It’s not safe for me here. There are people who can’t know I am back and if the doctor recognized me…” she trails off, squeezing her knees tighter with her arms before dropping her head again. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispers.

I understand where she’s coming from. She has clearly been through some traumatic shit, and somebody's responsible. She doesn’t know anything about us. I realize that if we want her to trust us with her secrets, we’re going to have to do the same.

I look over at Royal, his eyes find mine, and I can tell by the look that he knows it too. He gives me a slight nod, and we both slowly move in beside her on either side of the table. Ella looks between us both.

“Can we trust you, Ella?” I ask, already knowing the answer but needing to ask it anyway. She nods at me before moving to stand at the foot of the table. This is a risk, but I just have this gut feeling that this is a risk worth taking.

I drop to my knees beside her, Royal doing the same on the other side.

“Baby Girl, look at me.”

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