Page 88 of Nothing to Do

“This is where we slip out,” Roxie said.

Before her friend could leave the bed, Zane moved. “No, you stay. We’re leaving.”

“Told you he’d be mad,” Roxie muttered.

As Zane came to her side of the bed, Zairn wandered in. “Always knew you’d end up in bed with him, Lola.”

Tripp enjoyed that, but she didn’t have the time to judge Roxie’s reaction. Zane scooped both arms under her.

“What are you doing?” she asked as he lifted her.

Tripp leaped up and the ice scattered everywhere.

“Taking you to the hospital.”

“I don’t need to go to the hospital,” she objected as he took her sideways out of the bedroom door, navigating with an awareness of her ankle that escaped Tripp. “Please just take me back to bed.”

“I’ll take you to bed after the x-rays.”

“We don’t need x-rays. It was stupid, I went over on my ankle and I fell down like two stairs. It was stupid, the stairway was dark and there were people. I wasn’t paying attention, I…”

They’d got all the way from the room to the elevator. As the doors closed, she sighed and her head fell against him.

“You think I’ll take risks with your health?” he asked and kissed her hair. “I don’t care if you’re mad at me, Wanderer. This is important. Your health is important.”

“How did you get here so fast?” she asked, stroking the buttons of his shirt. “Why were you and Zairn—”

“We flew in to have dinner with a friend.”

“A friend you’re hiding from me and Roxie?”

Though… Roxie may have known because she hadn’t hesitated to call Zairn either. If they’d been there for dinner, Zairn didn’t need a sat phone to speak to his other half.

“We wanted to surprise you,” he said, a hint of scorn in his tone. “You should’ve gone straight to the hospital. You should’ve called an ambulance. What would you have done if Tripp wasn’t there?”

“I don’t know. Roxie’s resourceful, she’d have figured it out. She looked after me.”

“And Alessia?”

“I don’t want her to know, she’s having fun and security are protecting her. She has your people and Roxie’s. She knows to stay with the group.”

Reiterating that didn’t guarantee her sister would make the smartest choices. Especially with alcohol in her system. To those who didn’t know her, Roxie may seem like a frivolous person. For those who’d heard her talk about the people in her life, it was obvious how much the woman cared. Roxie’s security was handpicked, people Zairn had approved, and Roxie couldvouch for. If Alessia did wander a little from safety, security would protect her.

Paying no heed to bystanders, Zane carried her through the lobby and into a waiting SUV. He put her on the seat, legs extended and closed the door. Hey, he didn’t expect she’d—he got in the door opposite her feet, carefully raising both her legs as he did. The moment the door was closed, they drove off.

“You have to keep it elevated,” he said, snagging a bag from the floor to snap an ice pack and lay it over her ankle.

That he didn’t ask which she’d hurt was a bad sign. Just how swollen was it? She didn’t want to look.

“I thought Tripp carrying me through the lobby might look bad,” she said, resting her head on the back of the seat. One of his hands stayed on the ice pack while the other stroked her knee and up her thigh. “I was wearing more clothes then.”

Not by much. If anything, the shirt may cover more than her spaghetti strap dress. He didn’t respond, his concern was still there, still potent. Maybe it wasn’t just concern, maybe he was angry.

“Drift, are you pissed?”

“No,” he said, his attention snapping to her. “Why would you think I’m mad?”

“You’re not talking to me.”

---