Page 28 of Rescue Me

I don’t respond. I can’t. My focus is entirely on Reid, on the way his body feels too light, too fragile as I lift him into my arms. He doesn’t fight me, doesn’t say a word, just leans against me like he’s already given up.

I carry him out of the house, every step feeling heavier than the last. The fresh air hits me like a slap, clearing my head enough to keep moving. I reach the car, open the door, and carefully settle Reid into the passenger seat. His head lolls slightly, but he turns to look at me, his hazel eyes glassy and unfocused.

“Baby,” I whisper, my eyes burning as I take in the bruises, the exhaustion etched into his face. “What the fuck did they do to you?”

He doesn’t answer. He just closes his eyes, his body sinking into the seat like he’s finally allowed to rest. And I promise myself, right then and there, that I will never let them have him again.

Chapter eighteen

ZANA

The hospital room is white, sterile and eerily quiet except for the sound of Reid’s sharp, panicked breathing. He jerks against the restraints, the leather straps on his wrists digging into his pale skin. His movements are wild, frantic, like an animal caught in a trap. The sight of him like this—thin, bruised, broken—makes my stomach twist. When he wouldn’t stop fighting the nurses earlier, they had to strap him down for his own safety but that’s only making him panic more.

“Reid,” I whisper, keeping my voice as steady and calm as I can despite the anger coursing through me. “Reid, stop. You’re safe.”

He doesn’t hear me or maybe he doesn’t believe me. His chest heaves, his hazel eyes wild and unfocused as he thrashes against the bed. The effort makes his ribs scream—I can see it in the way his face contorts—and yet he doesn’t stop.

I reach for his wrist, my fingers wrapping gently around it. His skin is cold, clammy, and he jerks harder. “Reid,” I say again, firmer this time. “You’re going to hurt yourself.Look at me.” I force some of my Alpha into my words, hoping that it’ll soothe him the same way it does Ethan.

His head snaps toward me, his eyes narrowing. For a second, there’s nothing but fear and defiance in them. He doesn’t trust me—why would he? He doesn’t even know me.

“You’re safe,” I repeat, leaning closer so he can hear me, feel me, even if he doesn’t want to. “I’m not going to hurt you. You’re not going back there if I can help it. I promise.”

His movements slow, just a little, his breaths still ragged. I keep my grip steady on his wrist, not holding him down, just anchoring him.

“Reid. It’s okay to stop fighting. You’re safe.”

The tension in his body starts to ebb. He slumps back against the pillows, his head rolling to the side as he stares up at the ceiling. He’s still breathing hard, but at least he’s not thrashing anymore. I reach out and brush the damp hair off his forehead, my hand trembling just slightly.

“I’ve got you, baby,” I whisper, my fingers brushing against his temple. “No one’s going to hurt you again. I swear it.”

His eyes flicker back to me, glassy and tired, but there’s something else there too—something like hope, buried under layers of exhaustion and pain. He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t nod or even blink, but I can feel it. He’s listening. I take my chances as I lean down and press a kiss to his forehead, Reid relaxing just a bit more.

Slowly, his gaze shifts, his nose twitching as he scents the room. His body tenses again, but this time it’s different—not panic, but something closer to recognition. “Ethan,” he murmurs, his voice hoarse and cracked. His eyes widen, darting around the room, continuing to search.

A smile takes over my face and I hope it shows him everything I can’t say right now. “Yeah, baby. Ethan’s the one that found you. I wouldn’t have even known you existed without him. He’s my Omega.OurOmega,” I tell him.

Reid doesn’t look like he believes me, his lids sliding shut but for the first time in the last several hours, he’s calm. One of the nurses peeks her head in and grins before she pushes inside. “I definitely thought he was going to rip himself out of those restraints. He should be out for a little while once the meds kick in.”

I nod but don’t respond otherwise. I don’t need to. I’ve broken a lot of rules getting him here. Hell, I’ve probably broken a few laws. But looking at him now, safe and finally resting, I’d do it all over again. Every risk, every line crossed—he’s worth it.

“Zana, there’s two officers here to speak with you. Would you like them to come in here or—”

I give her another nod. “They can come in.” I’m not leaving Reid for one second if I can help it. I pull up a chair to the side of Reid’s bed, wrapping his hand in mine just as two familiar faces step into the room. I’ve dealt with the police a few times, a few of the lawsuits requiring a little more than just my words. And in this instance, Detective Liam Rourke was the one who pulled enough strings to get me in front of the Wilhelm’s house.

The second officer, Detective Grayson, has also been a tremendous help the past few years, a Beta with a penchant for bad jokes and an easy smile that doesn’t match the intensity in his eyes. Rourke clears his throat as he moves closer but still a respectful distance away from the bed. “Zana. What the hell happened?”

I snort, shaking my head as I lean back in my chair, glaring at the Alpha. “What happened is that the Wilhelms are exactly as bad as you’ve been suspecting, if not worse.” Rourke warned me that going into that house would anger me, that the richest are usually the worst but I didn’t believe it then. I do now.

Grayson raises an eyebrow, mustering up a laugh as he takes a seat by the door. “That’s not surprising but your Beta is in awful shape, Zana. What’s the story this time?”

This time?Grayson doesn’t seem to notice he said that but I won’t dwell on it. “Reid was supposed to be their pack Beta but the way they treat him… it’s beyond what any contract should allow. He’s injured and malnourished. He couldn’t even fucking stand up when I went into that house.” My thumb massages the back of Reid’s hand as I stare at him again. “I don’t even know the full extent of what they’ve done to him, but it’s enough to tell me they’ve been skating the line of legality for months.” The list of injuries the doctor gave me is appalling.

Rourke exhales sharply, running a hand through his dark hair. “But you managed to get him out?”

I nod, my jaw tightening. “Barely. I had to lie, twist the narrative to make it seem like I was there to help him recover so he could ‘serve them better.’” The words taste bitter even now. “It was the only way to get them to agree. If they’d known what I was really doing, it would’ve been a fight right then and there.”

Rourke pulls his own seat up beside me as he observes Reid resting in the hospital bed. “You lied on official business,” he says, his tone flat. But there’s no judgment in his eyes—just concern. “You realize that puts you in a tricky spot, right?”

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