Page 20 of Dirty Empire

“Yep,” I say, trying to match the level of excitement in her voice but failing miserably.

Her face is full of too much makeup for someone who runs around, taking care of sick people. She grabs my chart, reading through everything before she changes out my IV bag.

“Are you feeling any pain? Do you need more pain medication?”

The pain I feel isn’t physical. “I’m okay, thank you.”

“If you change your mind, you can always press the nurse’s button, and I’ll bring you some.”

She turns to walk out of the room, but not before I notice the way her eyes linger on Maverick. Now I understand the makeup caked on her face—my stomach twist with a knot of jealousy. I have no reason to be jealous. I have no claim over Maverick; he can fuck anyone he wants. But it still makes me feel like shit as I lay in the hospital bed, probably looking like I got run over by a truck while nurses have probably been flirting with him since I got here. I have much bigger problems to worry about than who Maverick chooses to sleep with.

“Can you tell me what happened?” I ask Maverick.

He fills me in on what happened after Miles took me, how he’s had to recover from the gunshot wound in his chest. How he came up with the plan to get Miles arrested, but it had ended in his death. It was a lot to take in, and by the time he finished, my body was physically exhausted.

“Go to sleep, Hazel,” he says, noticing my eyelids getting heavy. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”

I remained in the hospital for a few more days. My body had issues absorbing all the nutrients it needed, so I couldn’t leave the next day. The investigation continued regarding Miles’s trafficking ring. The news of his arrest and subsequent death made national headlines, especially as many prominent leaders were implicated in the investigation. Maverick was able to clear his name due to the enormous bribes he’d paid to high-ranking officials.

Meanwhile, my discharge from the hospital came around soon enough. Maverick had stayed by my side the entire time. He had people drop off clothes for him and anything else we might need.

As I sit on the edge of the bed, Maverick comes close and stops in front of me. His eyes are filled with patience and the kind of hope I can’t seem to muster. I’m thankful for him. He probed my eyes with his.

“Listen,” he whispers, “You don’t have to decide everything at this moment. Just come home with me. Stay in that same guest room. No pressure. Take your time to decide how you want to move forward. I want to be here for you. That’s all. Plain and simple. It doesn’t have to be about us right now, just about you. I won’t pressure you about anything. Just take a breath and relax for a while.”

I nod in agreement. “That sounds nice, Maverick. Thank you.”

That all I wanted. Fragments of my soul have been taken, and I need time.

The nurse whizzes in with a wheelchair. He hands me the discharge papers and a prescription for pain. Maverick gently accepts the reins of the wheelchair, pushing me along the corridor. The driver of a cream-colored Mercedes opens the door for me. Still somewhat weak, I lean on Maverick to climb into the back seat of the car. He thanks the nurse, giving him a handsome tip, and gets in on the other side of the vehicle.

“Take us to the airport, please.”

The driver takes us to a small airport on the island where Maverick’s private jet awaits us. I timidly boarded the plane, looking back at the ocean and exhaling. I hope I can leave the toxic memories behind

I sleep the entire plane ride until I’m woken up by the landing. Maverick’s mansion comes into view. Last time, I missed the fact that he had a private runway on his estate. Any signs of the war on his property a few weeks ago aren’t evident. He leads me to the guest bedroom and gives me space.

*****

I open my eyes to see darkness. Nothing. I try to move my body, but it's like I’m being held down. What the fuck is going on? I focus all of my energy on moving, but I can’t even lift my pinky finger. That’s when the smell hits my nose. The dungeon. The smell of a wet basement. The small sound of rats sniffing around on the floor. I try to scream, but it's like the words are stuck in my chest. My heartbeat picks up. How did I get back here? I was safe. Small light starts to stream into the room. Miles is standing in the doorway with a smile on his face.

I gasp awake, feeling like my heart is about to explode out of my chest. Maverick’s wide eyes meet mine.

“Hey, it's okay. You’re here with me.”

The lights in my room are on, and the door is wide open as if he’d rushed inside. Had I woken him? My body is drenched in sweat as if I’d just gone for a run. It takes a few minutes for me to recover enough to speak.

“I thought I was back.”

I don’t need to elaborate. He nods his head in understanding.

“Shh lay down. I’m right here.”

I didn’t think I’d ever be able to fall asleep after a dream like that, but as he wraps his arms around me, my eyes start to drift close.

I didn't leave that room for a week. I tried. I did want to join Maverick for dinner every time he asked me to, but I had no motivation to talk to anyone. The thought of climbing the stairs down to the dining room exhausted me.

Maverick did what he says he would. He didn't pressure me and gave me my space. The man was a saint. I saw who he really was. This man went to bat for me; he put his life on the line. Nobody had ever done that. Nobody at all. When I yelled in the night from the flashbacks and nightmares, he came. When I broke down as I recalled Miles covering my mouth and violating me with rats crawling in the background, he held me. He rocked with me and soothed me back to sleep. When I lashed out in anger at him for being kind, he wrapped me up in his arms. This man was a fucking saint. He was in pain himself. The carnage on his property. The dead souls. I did this. I caused this. If it weren’t for me, this shit wouldn’t have happened. I wanted to make the pain stop. I wanted Miles’s voice to stop. The noise. The excruciating penetration as he grunted on top of me. The dungeon walls that caved in on me. My heart was in agony. I wondered if I would ever be whole again.

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