Page 11 of Twisted Legacy

“She says those things, but she keeps going back to your gym, and she hasn’t cut you yet.”

“She’s threatened to.”

“Yeah, but she hasn’t done it yet.” She grabs Thea’s hand and squeezes. “Help her Coach. She trusts you.”

I look over at the aunt, uncle, parent mashup. “Got anything to add?”

Mrs. Hughes tips her head back, her eyes so similar to Thea’s roaming over my face before locking with mine. “I think LJ has summed it all up rather nicely. Are you in or are you out?”

That’s definitely a Thea-ism. I want to hear her sass me again. I want her knocking men on their asses and staring up at me when she executes a move we’ve been working on, daring me to critique it, and I want to see the look on her face when I call her a good girl for doing it correctly. None of that’ll happen if she winds up with an idiot and sabotages her own recovery.

“When Thea wakes up, as long as she doesn’t have an issue with me, I’ll do it.”

I’m lying. Of course I’m lying. She can have all the issues she wants, but now that I’ve said yes, there’s no way I’m letting anyone else watch over her.

“Okay. Thank you.” She shares a look with her husband. There’s something she’s about to say, and they’ve already discussed it. I get the feeling I’m not gonna like it.

“We’re moving Thea.”

“To a new room?” LJ questions from her post by the bed.

“To a new location. If what Mr. Wolfe says is correct, then we don’t want her where anyone can reach her.”

“Let me know when the medical team is ready to go.”

“There will be no team. Just you, Thea, and a nurse.”

LJ gets to her feet. “Mrs. Hughes, you can’t move, Thea. Didn’t the doctors say she’s not out of the woods until she wakes up? They’re in here every half hour checking on her. We can’t just leave it up to a nurse and Coach Wolfe. What if she has complications or needs surgery again?”

“Thea’s strong. She’ll survive the transport, and we have a medical team waiting at her final destination. We don’t want a bunch of people coming in and out, and knowing where she is.”

Breland looks at the bed. “But I’m not people. She’smybest friend. If she’s going somewhere, so am I.”

Mrs. Hughes walks over and grabs her hands. “I know, LJ, and I don’t want to assume to know Thea’s feelings about you. She’s a complicated person, and I know she likes you. But we can’t risk you knowing either.”

The machine’s beeping increases, drawing all of our attention. The medical team rushes in, pushing us out of the way. Mrs. Hughes looks at the doctor and asks, “What’s going on? Is she waking up?”

“Her heart rate is elevated.”

Thea thrashes around in bed as more people crowd into the room, touching her. “There’s no sign she’s waking up, but we’ll need to run more tests to find out why she’s convulsing like this. Please clear the room.”

“Thea! Thea!” Breland calls her name, trying to be heard over the beeping monitors.

“Please leave. We need to sedate her and keep her calm so she doesn’t hurt herself.”

I drift closer to the bed, taking in the pained look on Thea’s face. I bark out an order. “Back up.” The doctors and nurses ignore me. “I said, back up! She may not be awake, but she senses there are too many people in here. Back up, give her space.”

“Sir, that’s not likely.”

“I will put you on your ass if you don’t move.” I motion LJ over. “Go sit, hold her hand like you were doing.”

She immediately does that, and says, “It’s okay, Thea. I’m still here.”

The monitors slowly quiet, and I point at the screens. “We don’t know what she’s been through, but I do know that on any given day, Thea doesn’t like people messing with her friend, or touching her.”

I look over at the aunt and uncle. “There’s your answer about who’s in this little circle of trust. Breland goes.”

Thea mutters,Big Bad Wolfe, in her sleep. I resist the urge to smile. That’s right sweetness, and I’m gonna chew up anyone that tries to hurt you, again.

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