Page 177 of The Reluctant Hero

“Are any of them dead?” I ask blandly. My voice is still hoarse but talking to him has eased it some.

He blinks at me and says, “Fair enough.”

He offers me a heavy-duty pain medication that I refuse. I’m not drugging myself up with so many people here. I tend to get chatty when I’m loopy.

Then he tells me to try ibuprofen and a nap. That sounds better, but a nap is unavailable at the moment.

The sluggishly bleeding scrape on my arm, plus the stench of the alley, has him handing me a bottle of antibiotics that he demands I take without argument. He gives me some bandages and ointment for it. My split eyebrow, which started sluggishly bleeding at some point, is sealed with some kind of super glue for skin that burns like hell. The back of my head has two goose eggs that hurt, but no concussion. My knee is a little swollen. All-in-all, I’m not as bad off as it feels.

A gentle knock comes from the door and I twist in the chair to watch the doorway. Jakob hasn’t left my hand once, even when the doctor asked me to set it aside. When I pull it onto my lap, he clears his throat and checks the door. He comes back with a plush robe that he offers to me.

“Your bath is waiting.”

Service with a really wary smile. What a great hotel.

37

The Dying Song

Mikael

Cade is dragging Jake into the sitting room we usually use to talk about business. It has two leather couches facing each other and armchairs large enough to comfortably fit my frame. I usually laugh when Gabe sits in one of them. Today, that humor is lost.

I plant my ass and put my head in my hands. I’m shaking, and I can’t stop. I’ve been running on pure adrenaline for most of the day. The sudden drop isn’t surprising. It isn’t helped by the emotional hits I’ve taken the past few days. I thought I was hardened against that.

Until I got a glimpse of myrakas. Her face was bruised and swollen, with a bleeding cut bisecting her eyebrow. That first sight of her brought everything into perspective. It’s one thing to be told about the things that have been happening to her. It’s fear with the gut-wrenching need to see her. Make sure she’s ok. Hold her.

Seeingit is another story.

At first glance, with her twisted away from us, she seemed fine. Then she turned and my soul got crushed under reality once again.

I let this happen to her. What would it have cost us to listen to her? To find out if it was blackmail or anything that could have forced her into betraying us. The stark fear on her face as she realized she was getting arrested haunts me. I wanted to break those cops into pieces for putting their hands on her even though they’re on our payroll. The only thing that keptme in place was all the evidence that we were spoon-fed like children.

I drop my hands from my face to see Gabe come in with Ace in full, furious tow. I’m enraged they left her alone with the doctors. My first instinct is to jump up and go to her.

Cade shoves Jake onto the couch.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” He rages in Jake’s face.

“You left heralonewith them?” I roar.

My voice makes Gabe and Cade stop and look at me warily. Ace starts pacing like a caged animal and glares at Gabe. Jake gives me a sweet smile.

“Left her aloneagain,you mean?”

I lunge for him. Cade stumbles back with wide eyes to get out of my way. The coffee table between us hits my leg and shoots away from my advance. Jake’s speed is unbelievable as he spins over the back of the couch and dances away.

When I don’t catch him, I pick up the couch and throw it at him instead.

He dodges it with a laugh and circles me, fists up and ready to go despite our size difference. At least he isn’t holding a weapon yet.

“Enough!”

Gabe’s yell cuts over us like a blast of icy wind. It usually works for me. Not this time.

The distraction, short though it is, makes me lose sight of Jake. Until he scrambles up my back to get me in a chokehold. His arms feel thin to me but they’re made of iron as he tightens down. I can’t tell if he’s trying to kill me or knock me out.

“Shit,” Cade hurries to my back as I grab Jake’s elbow to pull his arm away. I’m surprised when he hardly budges.

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