Page 52 of Live Love Steal
And held to that. I introduced her to the club one person at a time. By the time I was done, she was dragging. “I’ll drive you home.”
In her car, she took inventory of her things. Her backpack was fine, laptop worked, purse was intact, and despite losing all her clothes, she seemed to be bouncing back. Tired, but whole.
Which was a small miracle.
She exhaled. “What a day.”
It was midnight. Not even twenty-four hours had passed since we first met. Yet I’d found out more about her in that short time than in five years with my ex-wife. Isobel was brave, smart, organized, kind, resilient, and most of all, a decent person. She wasn’t judgmental or condescending. Sure, she could be a smart ass and hold her own against someone like Bear, but she didn’t do it maliciously.
“What?” She caught me staring at her.
“You’re beautiful.”
She grinned, but confusion made it wobbly. “I have no make-up on, my hair is a mess, and you still say that?”
I nodded. “Not only beautiful. Perfect.”
Isobel blinked and hastily looked away.
Should I say more? Should I tell her that my heart yearned to hold her in my arms? Should I say exactly how much I admired her?
My phone rang, breaking the spell. I checked the caller ID. It was Sharon.
“Is Noah okay?”
There was a pause on the other end. “Can’t you answer the phone like a normal person?”
“No. It’s midnight, and you’re calling. Either there’s a problem with our kid, or you’re drunk. Which is it?”
“I’m at the hospital.”
My heart froze in place. I could hardly form words, let alone speak. “Is he okay?” It came out in a whisper.
“They’re giving him fluids.”
Okay, that was good. He was alive, and she hadn’t said anything about him dying or anything like that. But I needed a bit more. “Are you in the emergency section?”
Sharon sighed. “Walk in, but they moved us to the other side. He won’t stop throwing up. I didn’t know what to do.”
I bit back my accusation; I’d told her to take him in. “Who’s with him right now?”
“The doctor.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to yell at her for leaving him, but I figured she couldn’t have moved too far from him. The hospital wouldn’t allow that, would they? “I’ll be there in…”
Isobel needed to go home. I had no vehicle if she left without me. The guys in the club were all getting blasted with Jackson, and Bear and Griz were on the move.
Isobel put her hand on my arm and motioned for me to start the car.
Apparently, we were doing this together.
“I’ll be there in about ten minutes.”
Sharon started to say more, but I hung up the phone. Of course, she called right back. “You always hang up on me.”
“I’m driving. I’ll see you in ten.” I pressed the end button, lowered the volume to vibrate, and then ignored the repeated buzzing of the phone.
“She’s going to be pissed.”
