Page 39 of Wicked and Bound

Beside her, Nash’s breathing remained too controlled for sleep. She felt the tension in his muscles. The strain between them.

Desolation overwhelmed her. Even if they escaped this island alive, would there be anything left between them worth saving? Or had their enemies already won by turning them into intimate strangers?

In the darkness, tears slid acid paths down her temples. And Nash, the man who once would have moved heaven and earth to stop her crying, did nothing at all.

At eight the following morning, an unexpected knock on the suite’s door made Haisley’s heart stutter. Nash’s gaze met hers, a warning in their depths. So he wasn’t expecting anyone this early, either. That hardly reassured her.

Nash opened the door to reveal the female doctor with the pristine white coat who’d examined Haisley her first day on the island. Her smile held all the warmth of a scalpel. “Good morning. I’m Doctor Haynes. I’ve come to administer your breeder’s first pregnancy test.”

“Already?” Nash’s casual tone belied the tension in his shoulders. “I haven’t even been here a week.”

“Regardless, we give these tests every Friday. They are state of the art, Mr. King,” Dr. Haynes explained, snapping on latex gloves. “We’re able to detect hCG, the pregnancy-related hormone, within seven days of conception.” Her clinical gazeraked over Haisley like she was examining livestock. “Assuming, of course, you’ve actually tried to get her pregnant. My understanding is that you’ve been fairly…lax in that endeavor. At least until last night.”

Ice slid down Haisley’s spine. As Dr. Haynes arranged her medical supplies with military precision, Haisley tried to bury her shock. These monsters really were monitoring their every move.

Nash pretended to lounge in a nearby chair, the picture of indifference. But Haisley saw his jaw clench when the doctor roughly grabbed her arm.

“Sit,” Dr. Haynes ordered.

Haisley glanced at Nash, who hesitated, then nodded.

He was right; she didn’t have a choice but to comply. Neither of them did.

On trembling legs, Haisley made her way to the couch and lowered herself onto the cushion. The doctor’s needle slid home with little warning. As her blood filled the vial, Haisley’s mind raced. Could she be pregnant from that awful night on stage? What would Nash think? Would a child conceived in such horror be a blessing or a curse? Could she confront her past without it breaking her?

As fragile as she felt right now, Haisley wasn’t sure.

While the doctor processed her blood through a handheld device, Haisley tried to catch Nash’s eye. He stared fixedly at silent football highlights, but his white-knuckled grip on the armrest betrayed him.

What was he thinking? Was he worried she was pregnant with a child he didn’t want?

After five endless minutes, Dr. Haynes’s lips thinned. “Negative.”

“Not surprising,” Nash drawled, relief evident beneath his affected boredom.

“Perhaps not, but Mr. King…” Dr. Haynes’s tone could have frozen hell. “Mr. Gray has already expressed his concern about your lack of effort. We can provide medications if you’re having…performance issues. Or are you too distracted by our new hairdresser to focus on the breeder you paid so handsomely for?”

Haisley’s head snapped up, her stomach plummeting. Nash had been flirting with someone else while she’d been trapped in this luxurious suite of hell?

“That won’t be necessary. I perform just fine,” Nash insisted.

“Good to hear it.” Dr. Haynes packed up her bag with sharp movements. “Remember, you can’t leave the island with your merchandise until we’ve confirmed her pregnancy. I’ll return next Friday. I sincerely hope you try much harder in the next seven days to produce results. You can start by showing us your…enthusiasm with tomorrow night’s event.”

Event?Haisley hadn’t heard a word about that. The next auction was still weeks away…so what had Dr. Haynes meant? Haisley intended to get back to that, but first…

The door closed behind the doctor with a click. Haisley stood and rounded on Nash. “The hairdresser? Are you kidding me? What the hell?”

“Watch your mouth, woman!” Nash’s grip on her arm was urgent as he dragged her toward the bathroom with a growl. “Not another word.”

Haisley dug in her heels and dragged her feet, but she was no match for his size and strength.

He flipped on the shower. Steam filled the air as he turned on the music. This again?

She didn’t fight when he stripped her bare and shoved her into the shower before shedding his own clothes, stepping into the stall, and crowding her against the wall.

Suddenly, his lips were at her ear. “The hairdresser is one of our operatives. Hunter brought her in to help.” His hands framed her face, desperation lit his eyes. “These people watch everything. Question everything. You know that, right?”

“Yes, but?—”

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