Page 19 of Savage Heart

“Hello?” Odin tried again. “Doc?”

A soft, quiet voice whispered over the line, “H-hel-lo?”

Odin and Trouble both turned to each other, their eyes wide, their bodies tense.

That definitely wasn’t Dr. Elizabeth Simpson.

“Hello, there,” Odin greeted, softening his voice. “Who is this?”

Silence.

“You there, little lady?”

“Is…is this Mr. Odin?” the little voice pleaded, making Trouble’s heart skip a beat.

“Yes. Who is this? Why are you calling from Dr. Liz’s phone? Is she okay?”

A sob sounded over the line, and Trouble was shook, right down to his core.

That couldn’t be good.

“Darlin’, is there someone there who can talk to me?” Odin coaxed gently.

“N-no. It’s just me and Mama,” the little voice answered, and Trouble’s entire body vibrated.

Mama?

Liz was amother?

Odin, his face unreadable, continued, “Can we talk to your mama, sweetie?”

There was a rustling, bumping sound, like the little girl was shaking her head.

“She…she’s hurt. Bad. I ca-can’t wake her up.”

Everything inside Trouble clenched at once, his throat closing around the stone now sitting there.

“Shit!” Odin muttered.

Trouble, speechless, his heart pounding, forced words from his dry as hell mouth, “What happened to her?”

Silence. Introducing an unfamiliar voice probably scared the girl. Shit!

Odin pinned Trouble with a glare, then assured, “Sweetie, that’s my friend, and we are both friends of your mama. Can you tell us what happened?”

A sniffle, then, “He hurt her. She was screaming, and he was hitting her…. The men came to the door, and she told me to hide. She told me to wait ten minutes, but I….” Her little voice shook. She sniffled again, making everything inside Trouble desperate to get to her, to pull her into his arms and hold her tight. To comfort her. To keep her safe. The urge was so overwhelming, he couldn’t put a name to it.

“I waited until I heard them leave, then I found her. She’s bleeding and she won’t wake up. I did what she said—I calledyou. She said that if something happened to her, I was supposed to call Odin.”

CallOdin…not Trouble. If he needed another reminder of how much she hated him, that was it.

Something twisted in his chest, an acknowledgement that Liz couldn’t trust him. He’d made sure of that with his actions ten years ago, and had spent those same ten years regretting it every fucking day. But that wasn’t what made the rage boil through his blood until he could scent it on his own skin.

Someone. Had. Hurt. Liz.

HisLiz. A woman so compassionate and kind, she fucking glowed with it. Who the hell would dare to hurt someone who only ever deserved beauty?

Especially after all the ugly I’ve given her.

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