Page 30 of Red Queen (Red Thorns Crew 3)

And the one thing I did need was lying in a hospital bed with parents poking and prodding at her a million miles a second.

I’m sorry I lied to you, gorgeous.

Because I honestly saw no way for any of us to get out of this all right.

10

Dani

I slowly panned my gaze over to my father. My eyes narrowed as he watched Max being hauled out of the room. He didn’t even fight, didn’t even attempt to protest the arrest. Did that not show my father the kind of man Max was?

“You didn’t call work, Daddy, did you?”

His eyes fell to mine. “I did.”

Mom sighed. “What did you do, Peter?”

He whipped around on her. “What any good man should do to his family. Something is going on, and it isn’t right. That man has dragged our daughter--”

“--out of a fucking pool to save my life, Dad! Come on!”

He glared at me. “You curse at me one more time and I’m pulling you from the semester.”

Mom gasped. “Peter. I’ve had enough of this. Rein it in now.”

He balked. “Are you kidding me right now, Rena? Our daughter almost died! She did die!”

Mom nodded. “Yes. But she didn’t. The entir

e reason why she’s here and not downstairs with the M.E. is because of the man you just called the cops on.”

I lifted my hand. “See? She gets it. Why in the world can’t you?”

Dad held his hand up to me. “I won’t hear another word of it. And if you so much as sass me one more time, you’re done for the school year. You'll come home, recuperate, and we can re-enroll you next year. I won’t stand for this.”

“I’m not yours to control. I’m not a pawn. You can’t force me to do anything.”

Mom yelled. “Enough, you two!”

My back stiffened as Dad stepped away from my bed. I glared at him with heat rising behind my eyes before I shoved my elbow into the red button by my bed. Mom’s eyes welled with tears. Dad hugged her tightly as Mom shook her head. And as a nurse came trolloping into the room, Dad spun around on her.

“Is everything all right? Do you need to take vitals or something?” he asked.

The nurse looked at me. “You rang?”

I nodded. “I want them out.”

Mom took my hand. “No, honey. Please. Let us stay.”

Dad narrowed his eyes. “Don’t do this, Danika. Think about your education.”

I snickered. “The only reason why you agreed to pay for it was because I was following in your footsteps. I’m shocked you haven’t held it over my head before now, since I changed my major without consulting you in the first place.”

Then I turned to the nurse.

“When can I go?” I asked.

Dad interjected. “When you’re healthy and ready to--”

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