Page 78 of My Three Rivals

My head was considerably clearer, and my eyes were free of the haze that had covered them from the minute I’d woken in the boat storage.

Wyatt dozed off in the armchair behind the door, and I was careful not to wake him as I sat up, gauging the time by the windows. Darkness had fully encompassed the vineyards, and if Wyatt was sleeping, it had to be late.

I came to realize there were IVs in my arms, and as I raised my head, I touched a thick, cotton bandage. My wince woke Wyatt up, and I immediately apologized.

“I’m sorry, babe,” I murmured, my throat dry. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

He shot out of the chair and raced to my side, shaking his dark head of hair, running a hand through it. “What do you need, Tegan? Water? Are you hungry? Fuck, we were so worried.”

I chuckled lightly and reached up to touch his face. “Water would be good if you don’t mind. I’d go myself, but…” I pointed to the banana bags. “Where did they come from?”

“Oh, we have a guy… hang on…” He held up a finger and disappeared out the door.

I groaned softly as I struggled to sit up, the pain in my head insurmountable.

“Dr. Wyborne said you had a concussion,” Maverick informed me from the doorway.

I groaned again, but not from the pain. “Did Wyatt wake you?”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re all that matters. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up,” Maverick replied, shuffling closer warily. “We’ve all been waiting for you to wake up, Tegan.”

I patted the bed, and he jumped up like an eager puppy, relief coloring his face to see I was coherent and alive.

“There are painkillers,” he suggested. “But I locked them up because of Sabrina. Tell me if you want one, and I’ll get you whatever you need.”

I blinked once. “Sabrina?” I echoed. “My cousin?”

“She’s the reason we found you,” Maverick explained. “So we brought her back here.”

I pursed my lips. “Nick is going to come looking for her.”

“No, he’s not,” Atticus said bluntly, joining us with Wyatt behind him. “He’s been arrested, and I’m going to make sure he stays in prison for the rest of his life.”

They sat at the foot of the bed as I cocked my head, but I didn’t ask more questions.

“She can’t stay here,” I said quietly. “She’s… got problems, and I don’t think she can be trusted.”

“No… she’s not staying,” Wyatt replied.

“She’s agreed to go to rehab,” Maverick informed me. “Shady Pine in San Jose will have a bed for her in two days.”

“That place costs a fortune!” I gasped. “She can’t afford that!”

“We can,” Atticus replied. “And we’ve made the arrangements already.”

Stunned, I stared at them. “What the hell happened when I was gone?”

The men looked at each other and exhaled again. “We can talk about that later,” Atticus said. “But first, we need to get you out of here, Tegan. Because Lou’s people are going to come looking for all of us—”

“No,” I said excitedly, sitting forward with a grin. The move was a bad one, and I groaned, falling back. All three men moved to help me, but I waved them away. “No, listen. Lou… he wasn’t working with some large criminal organization.”

“He’s definitely a mobster, Tegan. We know the family he works for,” Maverick told me patiently.

“Yes, maybe he works with them, but this,” I insisted, swirling my fingers around. “What he was doing with Emerson and Nick? This wasn’t sanctioned by his bosses. He was doing this on the side, skimming money.”

“What?” Atticus appeared stunned by the revelation, but I pressed on.

“Think about it—he was always alone. He never had anyone with him. Ever, right?”

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