Page 54 of Pretty Pink Poison
The nurses and psychiatrists moved in and out in soft shoes, all calm efficiency, pretending like they didn’t notice me in the hallway rather than in her room until I stopped them. Then they looked at me with big, scared eyes. “Sir, there’s nothing we can do but keep her comfortable. Her wrists are healing nicely. Her blood work looks great now. We’ve gone over the risks and believe she can go home with proper—”
“She’s not going anywhere.”
That one brave nurse had the audacity to frown at me. “If that’s the case, maybe she’d like more company in there rather than you sitting out here, sir.”
They didn’t agree with me having her in there still. This was a private facility, but I’d had it cleared out for her, and I wouldn’t be letting anyone back in until she was well again.
I should’ve known that she hated the silence. That she hated being boxed in. Christ, shetoldme, in more ways than one through those Oracle recordings. I didn’t take her seriously enough. I thought keeping her safe meant keeping her caged. I told myself distance was control, control was protection. I never considered it was punishment. That her father had been sick enough to keep her in it.
And now I was doing the same.
The front door to the facility opened, and in walked Ezra and Rafe. Both of them wore looks of disapproval, and I knew what was coming.
“What the fuck happened?” Rafe said probably because I hadn’t called him to give him any sort of update.
“You need to release her,” Ezra immediately barked, not caring about what had happened before but definitely investedin what happened to her now. “You can’t take over a whole-ass facility to use as a makeshift prison.”
“She needs proper care.”
“I’ve got psychiatrists, therapists, and nurses here around the clock.”
“Yeah, well, to her, this isn’t care,” Rafe agreed softly with his brother as he looked around. “It’s obsession and control. And it’s causing ripples now, Bane.”
“Stefano called Father and—”
“Fuck that man. He should be buried six feet deep. Matter of fact, I’m going to be doing that as soon as she’s healthy.” I dragged a hand down my face, trying to scrub away the memory of blood red tiles.
“You need to go home and get some sleep and maybe I can—”
“I’m handling it.” No one was taking care of her except me.
“Like you have so far?” Ezra snapped. “She slit her wrists, Bane. That’s—”
“Shut the fuck up,” I growled, my voice a whip through the building. His jaw clicked shut, but his eyes burned.
I turned to Rafe. “If she’s marrying you in a few years, you should…” What could I even say? Should be here for her? I wouldn’t let him. I wouldn’t let anyone take care of that girl right now but me. I didn’t give a fuck about her marrying my brother. Yet, I was upholding a facade for him.
Rafe’s eyebrow raised like he wanted me to continue, but then he sighed when I didn’t. His voice was quiet, steady. “Just make sure she’s okay or it won’t look good.”
“Or maybe we just let her go and off her bastard father whose payment for his debt was handing her over.” Ezra offered. “Our partnerships won’t even suffer that—”
“No,” Rafe and I said together. And then Rafe stared at me like he was trying to put together all the pieces of a puzzlehe couldn’t see. “Bane takes care of her until I’m ready. Right, Bane?”
He didn’t care to help her himself, although he’d always had claim to her first. He handed her burden over to me like it was mine to bear rather than his.
Because I already carried her, always had and always would. Because the second I saw her lying there, bleeding and whisperinghappy birthdayto herself, I knew I’d never forgive myself if I lost her, but my brother would have moved on in a heartbeat.
“She will be fine,” I said, my throat tight. “But I’m keeping her here for the week.”
He stared at me before he asked, “Is that because you’re figuring out what the hell happened in your relationship with her to cause this or for the sake of our family?”
“The family.” I stepped back at the accusation, because Rafe knew I’d always put the family first. “It’s always been for the family. Our relationship doesn’t go beyond that.”
He waited a minute longer before he sighed and shook his head. “I’ll tell Father you have it handled then.” He turned to Ezra and murmured, “Let’s go and let them figure their shit out.”
Their shit. As if Bianca wasn’t going to marry him in the future. But that was the problem with Rafe. He didn’t care about her the way I did. He never had. Bianca may have been his on paper, but she wasmineto protect.
And I’d nearly lost her.
