Page 61 of Atone in Darkness
The sympathy in the other woman’s voice was almost Marisol’s undoing. “I feel so out of my depth that I can’t even begin to guess what I should be asking.This is all new to me.”
Brenna looked grim. “Yeah, I got dragged into this world kicking and screaming, too. Long story short, Blake took a bullet meant for me.”
Marisol shuddered. “Chase got shot this morning. We were talking, and neither of us noticed one of the guards had slipped around behind us.”
“So we have a lot in common. It’s tough watching the man you love die.”
“I never said I lovehim.”
Brenna slowly smiled. “But you do, so let’s not pretend otherwise.”
Okay, then. “So what do I need to do to help him?”
“To be honest, a lot of that time is pretty fuzzy in my mind. I held Blake’s hand. I talked to him. I ignored him when he told me to get away. I sent out for his favorite cookies. In short, I did anything and everything I could to lead him out of the darkness and backto me.”
“But I don’t even know what kind of cookies he likes.”
Okay, that sounded pretty pathetic even if it was true.
Before Brenna could respond, the door opened and another woman walked in. Marisol automatically stood.
The newcomer held out her hand. “Dr. Riggs, I’m Dr. Laurel Young, Devlin’s wife. I know you’ve had a rough day of it already, and I’m guessing my husband has been part ofthat. He can be a real jerk when one of his men is hurting.”
Marisol didn’t argue with her assessment. Instead, she shook Laurel’s hand and said, “He had good reason to worry. It was bad enough that Chase got killed, but watching Larem stab him was horrifying. No one will tell me why he did that or what it did to Chase.”
The two other women exchanged wary glances. Finally, Laurel said, “I haven’tgotten the okay to explain about that, but he acted out of a sincere desire to help. From what we’ve learned about Chase’s experience while a captive, I’m not sure he would have made it back even this far without Larem intervening.”
“Then thank him for me.”
“You can thank him yourself. He hasn’t left Chase’s side since they brought him in.” She held out a clipboard. “For now, take a look atthese lab reports and tell me how they compare to the last set that you ran. I need to know if hisresults are improving or getting worse.”
It was a relief to be doing something familiar. She quickly scanned the page and read through Laurel’s notes. “The blood count is lower, but that’s to be expected considering how much he bled. The first set of chemistry levels looks about right for the amountof trauma he experienced. The second are almost back to where the last ones I ran... let’s see, it’s been about four days ago.”
Laurel looked relieved. “That’s great. I’ve already cut back on the sedative we were giving him. He should be coming around soon, so we should get out there.”
It was about time. Marisol needed to see him, to know firsthand that he was alive and breathing. As theyfiled back out of the small room, Laurel dropped her voice to a near whisper. “I’ve asked his sister and Jarvis to step out for a while. They weren’t happy about that, so I can’t promise you’ll have much time alone with Chase.”
“That’s fine. He’d want his family there. He told me about Gwen and how she’d raised him.”
All that mattered was that she would finally be back with Chase. Laurel crossedthe room, walking by several stainless steel tables that looked more like they belonged in a morgue than in a patient ward. Marisol stumbled to a halt to stare at the chains that hung down from each corner. “What are those for?”
Brenna shuddered, and Laurel sighed. “I know this is hard to hear, but Devlin said you saw Chase come back once back at that compound. His eyes flashed orange, and hedidn’t act like himself. Is that right?”
“Yes. He warned me to get out of his cell and lock the door.”
“That’s because when that happens, they might strike out and hurt someone. These guys are all big enough and strong enough to do some real damage if they aren’t in full control when they wake up.”
She reached out to touch one of the chains. “Hence the need for these. We take them off as soonas we know the patient is completely back.”
She led the way toward an area curtained off in the back corner. Marisol braced herself for what she was about to see.
And then there was Chase, pale and unnaturally still. He was covered with a thin sheet that did little to disguise his nude body and the chains that had cut into his wrists and ankles. God, how he must have struggled attempting tobreak free of his bonds to have done that much damage.
“Oh, Chase, I’m so sorry.”
Then he jerked awake and slowly turned his head in her direction, his orange eyes staring at her with feral intensity. She wanted to run, to hide. But for his sake, she forced herself to keep moving forward, knowing that was the only way she could save him.
And maybe herself.
