Page 51 of Boss Daddy

Rage boils inside of me. This girl can’t be more than twenty-five years old. Anyone who would hurt a woman like this is a piece of shit who deserves worse done to him.

I glance in the rearview mirror, catching the panic in Erin’s eyes. Tiffany’s breathing is shallow, her head lolling to the side. I push the SUV harder. The hospital’s only a minute or two away.

“She’s out!” Erin’s voice cracks, panic bubbling over.

“Check to see if she’s breathing. Check her pulse.”

In the rearview mirror I watch as Erin presses her hand lightly against Tiffany’s sternum, feeling the faint rise and fall. “She’s breathing, barely. Thank God. We need to get there now, Samuel.”

“We’re almost there,” I assure her.

Erin pulls in a deep breath, her tension radiating through the car. She holds onto Tiffany as if letting go would shatter her.

I pull the SUV to a halt in front of the ER and slam it into park. I jump out of the driver’s seat in seconds. I pull open the back door, lifting Tiffany into my arms as gently as I can. Erin scrambles out after me, her face pale but determined.

“Help!” I call out as I carry Tiffany through the automatic doors. The sterile, fluorescent lights of the ER hit us like a slap, and a nurse rushes forward, calling for a stretcher.

“Over here,” the nurse says, motioning to a gurney being wheeled toward us. I set Tiffany down carefully, my jaw tightening as she moans faintly, her head rolling to the side. Erin steps up beside her, gripping the edge of the stretcher.

“We found her in the street. She said someone beat her and shoved her out of a car.”

The nurse nods as she begins an initial assessment of vitals.

“I’m staying with her,” Erin says.

The nurse shakes her head. “Unless you’re family, you can’t come back with us.”

Erin’s face hardens. “I’m the closest thing she’s got right now. She doesn’t have any family here.”

“I understand,” the nurse says firmly, “but you need to stay in the waiting area.”

Erin doesn’t move. “She’s scared, and she’ll wake up alone. I need to—”

“Erin,” I say. “Let them do their job. She’s in good hands.”

For a moment, I think she’ll argue, but then she steps back.

“Does she have any family in the city?” the nurse asks.

Erin nods. “Yeah. Her Mom and Dad.”

“If you could get a hold of them, that’s the best thing you can do for her right now. We’ll take it from here.”

Another nod, then she watches as the nurses wheel Tiffany away, her arms crossing over her stomach like she’s physically holding herself together. I don’t miss the guilt flickering across her face. It’s eating at her, even if she doesn’t say it.

Erin doesn’t run—not from her past, not from this. She’s smart enough to know she can’t fight this battle alone, and that might be what saves her.

She turns to me, her jaw set, her eyes glistening with tears. “She didn’t deserve this.”

“No,” I agree, stepping closer. “And neither do you. You can’t carry the guilt for this.”

Erin stares off, her gaze distant, like she’s miles away. I place a hand gently on her shoulder.

“Hey,” I say, my voice low. “You with me?”

She blinks, coming back to the moment, and looks up at me. A weary smile tugs at her lips, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“You sure?” She nods, though it’s half-hearted, and her smile wavers. “You’re not alone in this, okay?”

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