Page 69 of Four Times Saved

"Wait, no." Lily sat up.

"Take your time." Eric murmured, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm fine." She looked at us and at the EMTs. "I'm fine." She repeated.

"No, you're not. You passed out while we were..." Eric lowered his voice as he made eye contact with her.

She hugged herself tighter. "What?"

"You don't remember?" His brows raised.

Ethan, Matt and I turned to look at each other and my mind went blank, except for one single thought. If the actions of those men caused Lily permanent brain damage, I was going to hell for what I'd do to them.

She rubbed at her temples, wincing as the EMTs started checking her over.

"Are you in pain?" Ethan gruffed as if the restraint with which he was holding himself made it painful to speak. I awaited her answer with daggers stabbing at my heart.

"No." She reassured us, but I couldn't be sure she wasn't lying. She turned to Eric, her cheeks crimson. "I remember," she said. "I'm sorry. That's so embarrassing."

"It's not. But you need to go to the hospital," he encouraged.

She started shaking her head, too hard for my liking. "No. Please. I can't go back there."

"We can't take her in if she refuses to go with us." The guy I was guessing was the head EMT looked at us as if he was lost.

What kind of stupid rule was that?

"You'll go," I commanded, jumping at my own tone.

My growl wasn't meant for her. It was meant for the pieces of shit that caused this.

She narrowed her eyes at me, intending to argue, no doubt. She didn't do well with commands.

"Please," Matt gasped, and I turned to find his eyes and cheeks turning red.

She locked eyes with him, and his emotion must have moved her because she gulped and nodded.

As they got Lily on the stretcher and we followed them out the door, I pulled out my phone. Still affected by the anger cocktail swirling in my brain and leaking into my blood vessels, I sent Tyler a text.

"It's on. I have a few words for Terry Thornbread." My skin prickled in anticipation for the moment I would meet him face to face, one last time.

Chapter 32

Lily

My lungs burst open in tandem with the doors of the hospital as I stepped outside of the medical air. The machines, the chill of the room, the examination of my stitches, the brain scan...all of it had me trembling like a leaf. Even though I was surrounded by my men, I could see the crazed kidnapper flicking his knife across the room. I'd glance toward the door and my head would cramp, along with my chest. My throat was parched the entire time I was inside there. All I wanted to do was come out.

Now that I was, I looked across the parking lot and hurried alongside my men toward the car. Dashing glances from left to right and over my shoulders, I wondered if I'd see the predators' eyes locked on my movements or their hyena snarls.

Shuddering, I ducked into the car, shutting my eyes and wrapping my arms around myself.

My nails dug into my arms as I suffocated inside my head. "Can one of you call Ann-Marie?"

My men hadn't said a word to me all morning. It might have had something to do with me snapping at them every few seconds because my lung felt like there was a python wrapping its slithery self around me until I became snake food and I didn't know how to communicate that to them.

"Yeah, sure." Ryan nodded.

The bags under his eyes had darkened from his lack of sleep. Neither of the men had slept. I knew because I hadn't slept either. I couldn't close my eyes and refused anything that would knock me out. But he'd had it even worse than the rest of us, nursing a hangover.

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