Page 78 of Embraced in Ink

“What’s going on?” Marcus asked, pulling his shirt over his head and then putting on his shoes.

“That asshole attacked Bristol. She’s in the hospital.” Aaron swallowed hard, his hands shaking as he fisted them at his sides even as Marcus's entire body seized.

Bristol.

Hospital.

My God.

Aaron continued. “We’ve got to go. Your family told me you were here. It’s the only way I found you. But I’ve wasted enough time trying to find your ass when I don’t even think you need to be there.”

“Colin? What the fuck did he do to her?”

“I don’t know all the details, but she almost bled out on her floor, and nobody was there for her. We weren’t there because we were giving her space. And you weren’t there because, apparently, you’re too good for her. So, fuck you.”

And then Aaron was gone, and Marcus was grabbing his bag, following after him.

“Shit, let me know what’s happening,” Ronin called from behind him, and Marcus nodded, leaving the other man behind.

He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t do anything. His hands were shaking, and he swallowed hard, trying to catch his breath.

“Fuck, Jesus Christ. Is she going to be okay? She has to be okay.”

“I don’t know. Liam’s texted me updates, but they’re waiting for her to get back from surgery.Surgery. He fucking stabbed her.”

Aaron started breathing hard, and Marcus moved forward, nearly tripping over his own two feet, then put his hands on the other man’s shoulders. “Did they find Colin?” If they hadn't, he'd find the asshole himself and kill him. Right then and there. He didn't care. He'd. Kill. Him.

“Get your hands off me.” Aaron spat the words, and Marcus let his hands drop. Others were watching now, but Aaron waved them off while Marcus did the same. They let them be, and then it was only the two of them standing in a parking lot, Ronin coming in after them.

“Don’t do this,” Ronin said, putting himself between them. “Don’t start fighting. You guys are friends. Family.”

“You don’t even know us,” Aaron grumbled, but there was fear in his voice, and that’s why the man was lashing out. And Marcus let him. He deserved all of this. And more.

“I need to get to the hospital for my sister. She would want you there, even if I don’t know what the hell is going on between the two of you. My mom wants you there, so I came to find you. Everyone else has their family with them, and I was the only one left that could get away. I just needed to breathe.” Aaron’s eyes went glassy, and Marcus cursed under his breath.

“Can you drive?” Marcus wasn't sure how he was reasonable at all right now, but he kept himself together for Aaron.

And for Bristol.

“Yeah, that I can. Because if I get hurt on my way to her, she’ll kick my ass.” They both laughed, but there was no feeling in it.

“I’ll follow you. I’ll get there.”

“Keep me updated,” Ronin said, and Marcus remembered that his friend was even there, making sure that he and Aaron didn’t beat the shit out of each other because there was no other outlet.

Marcus nodded and then went to his car and followed Aaron to the hospital. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that he knew he would be sore later, and he was frankly surprised that the whole wheel didn’t pop right off the column.

He found parking, a little bit away from Aaron, and made his way through the doors, and then through the maze of a hospital to where the waiting room was.

The rest of the Montgomerys were there, waiting. Even his mother and father were there, though his sisters and their husbands weren’t.

He looked at the Montgomerys, and then went straight to his mother, too chickenshit to turn and face Bristol's family.

“Mom.”

“Oh, baby, they found you. Your sisters and their husbands wanted to be here, but we didn’t let them, mostly because we knew we’d pretty much take over the place.” She let out a wobbly smile, and he hugged her tightly, taking in her scent and rubbing her back.

“Are you sure you should be in here?” His voice was soft, but he still worried about his mom. She'd been in and out of hospitals for years, and he hated the idea that she was back here.

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