Page 37 of The Fox

He tears away from me once more, disgust on his face. He may as well have just slapped me. I whisper that I love him. He doesn’t hear it, but that is how things are these days. I whisper for him to be careful as the door slams.

I take two shaky breaths in, the acceptance of what my marriage has become behind closed doors settling into my heart.

Rolling my lips, I reach for the phone and dial Rhodes’ number before getting dressed. He’d given it to me before Amelia had given into this pursuit. Rhodes had wanted me to have it, just in case.

I don’t know what I’ll find when I get to the emergency room, but I was raised in this world. Hospitals are nothing I’m not used to.

CHAPTER 26

Rhodes---Even Scary Men Cry

I ran the second Parker called me, praying to a god I no longer believe in. The stark smell of sterility, the singular scent that tingles your very core when you enter the doors of a hospital, permeates my nose. I skid to a stop in the entryway, looking for Parker. I find myself hoping that it was all some sort of sick joke, a mistake. Surely, Amelia wouldn’t be here, right? I can feel my heart beating loudly in my chest. I can hear my own pulse.

I find her, pacing along the tall windows. Parker’s usually neatly kept hair is a mess, reminding me of a firecracker’s spark, and there is panic settled in her eyes. Her fingers grip the hem of the brown sleeves of her sweater, the knuckles going white as I walk toward her.

“Rhodes.” Her voice trembles.Fuck. “I need you to listen to me.” My eyes narrow at her words, unease crawling into my gut.

“Parker, where is Amelia?”

“She should have told you. She promised you’d know.Dammit, Ames. Rhodes, she was supposed to tell you.” Her eyes are now darting all over the place, and her hands grab my biceps. “She promised.”

“Parker. Where. is. Amelia?”

Tears fill her face as she struggles to find the words. Parker has never been one to have an issue saying what is on her mind. The fact that she can’t now? It is worrisome. I shift my weight, the need to run starts to overpower reason.

“She was hurt. It isn’t good, Rhodes.” Every cell within me goes still, the world stopping on its axis.No.I was only at the lake for two days—not even forty-eight hours.

“What?” My voice drops, a threatening tone overtaking it.

Parker looks up at me, whispering the only words I want to hear right now.

“She’s in the ICU, room 4013.”

I take off in a sprint, weaving my way toward the crowded elevator, and when I miss that chance, I head for the stairwell. I take the stairs two at a time, refusing to stop until I reach her. I need to lay eyes on her, to see mykochanie. I burst through the stairwell door, going to the left at the directional sign.

There are men in the hall, all armed, all in dress clothes. They’re stoic, almost as if they’re on duty. Sure, I’ve noticed one or two lingering in her vicinity before, but this? This feels different.It feels odd.Not a single one makes eye contact as I walk, searching for Amelia’s room. There is an eerie silence lingering. All I hear is my heart trying to escape the cage of my chest and my boots squeaking on the linoleum floor.

4009

4010

4011

4012

I see Duncan as I approach room 4013. I’ve never seen him so rattled. The man is usually incredibly composed, and yet, he’s in wrinkled trousers and his shirt appears to have been pulled from a pile of laundry. He has a look on his face that further unsettles me.

“Rhodes,” he starts. Duncan raises a hand in my direction, clearly wanting me to halt my efforts.

“Let me see her.”

“I can’t—” I’m not having another word of this conversation. I haven’t interacted much with Duncan apart from a double date with him and Parker a while back. He seems like a reasonable man but right now? He is standing between me and Amelia. Duncan starts to speak once more.

“Where is my girl?” I growl as I step up to him, the unspoken threat looming in the space between us. Two of the suited men take one step toward us, and I don’t back down. I’ll kill to get to her.

His eyes search mine, looking for what, I’m not sure.

“You won’t like what you see, Rhodes. I know I wouldn’t if the roles were reversed.” He stares over my shoulder. I watch him watching Parker as she comes off the elevator. I don’t have time for this.

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