Page 80 of An Unexpected Everything
“It took me a while to find you. It shouldn’t have really. But your family is a little annoying. You own so many things. And you hid them from me before. I thought you were just a little accountant. A sad woman with a broken heart who needed a firm hand. But it turns out you’re some rich bitch who thought you were better than me. But don’t worry, I’m going to make sure you know exactly who I am.” He tilted his head, studying my face as I tried to work the ropes at my wrist. I would not be a victim. Iwould not let him hurt me. I needed to get out of this and check on Weston.
While the ropes on my shoulders and chest were tight, my wrists weren’t that well done. If I kept his attention on my face maybe I could get my arms outstretched and try to do something. I just didn’t know what.
“Now, once I’m done with you, I’m going to find that bitch I left behind in Wyoming and finish what I should have done. But don’t worry, she’s only scared because she heard what happened to you. You on the other hand I sent a special gift. Did you like my friend?”
I froze, bile filling my throat.
He smiled softly, his eyes darkening. “Oh yes. All I had to do was convince a friend of a friend back in prison to have a little chat with you. He was dumb about it though. He should have waited until the others weren’t around. But we weren’t aware you had so many brothers. Maybe once I’m done with you and I make sure that bastard on the ground back there is truly dead, I’ll work on those too. You have sisters, don’t you?” he asked, grinning.
“Fuck you. Don’t you dare hurt them.”
“Tut-tut. I would be careful about how you speak to me.”
I twisted my wrists, loosening the rope around them, and smashed my fist into his face.
“Screw you.”
I thrashed against the ropes binding me to the tree, and somehow they loosened. The man didn’t know how to tie knots thankfully, and I wiggled from beneath them, crawling across the ground as I tried to get up.
“You bitch!” he spat as he reached for me. He pulled at my hair, shoving me to the ground. I kicked out, punching.
“You’re going to pay for that.”
“You are,” a low voice growled from the side, and then Weston was there, shoving himself at William.
Relief slammed into me even as horror filled me. Because William had a knife, the one he’d just slid out of his pocket as he tried to shove it into Weston’s shoulder.
“She’s mine!” William screamed.
“Weston!” I called as I leapt toward the two of them, shoving the man that I loved out of the way. Fiery pain slid across my arm as the knife glanced over my skin, and I let out a shocked gasp before Weston was there again, his leg broken even as he crawled and slammed his fist into William’s face. Again. And again.
I kicked the knife away as Weston continued to hit William in the face, in the side, anything to keep him down.
“Don’t kill him,” I said through choked sobs. “Just don’t kill him.”
Before I could do anything, to try to stop the bleeding on my arm or blink away the black dots in front of my vision, two other people ran toward us.
I flinched as someone touched my uninjured arm, and realized it was Dorian.
“Isabella,” my brother whispered, and then I burst into tears as Dorian tried to stanch the blood on my arm and held me close.
I looked over to see Hudson pinning William to the ground and tying him up with such ease that I had to wonder where he had learned that. But it didn’t matter. All that mattered was Weston was still breathing.
“Weston,” I whispered as I reached out for him.
He sat there, chest heaving, blood covering his side, his face, his hands, and I was so grateful that he was alive, that the man that I loved was safe, but I couldn’t hear his voice in full as I finally succumbed to the darkness threatening my vision and passed out in Dorian’s arms.
“You should still bein the hospital,” Hudson warned.
I shook my head, immediately regretted the action, and reached out to hold Weston’s hand. “Iamin the hospital. But I’m not leaving Weston’s side.” I was still in my hospital gown, though no longer attached to an IV. I was still technically admitted, but Hudson had helped me break out of my room to sit by Weston’s bed. He was still sleeping after dealing with the doctors and nurses and I had no plans to leave his side.
My brother let out a deep breath. “Fine. But sit down and don’t wear yourself out. The family will be in the waiting room soon. You know they’d have been here sooner if there wasn’t that logging accident on I70, blocking the highway for a few hours. Not to mention the subsequent brush fires.”
I nodded along, knowing Hudson was trying to explain why it was only the two of us when I knew the rest of the Cages would be here en masse.
He patted my shoulder before leaving to talk to someone, I wasn’t sure who as I was only barely listening.
“Weston. I…I love you so much. You saved me. You savedus. And I hate that you were hurt. I’m not leaving, Weston. You’re mine. I’m sorry about that. Meaning you’re going to have to deal withallthe Cages. And if you think I’m overbearing when it comes to making sure you rest and heal, just wait until you get to know the rest.”
