Page 106 of Moonlit Temptation

I clear my throat and look over my shoulder, meeting Ma's gaze. “Hey, bud, why don't you take Nan and buy her a coffee in the cafeteria down the hall?”

He arches a brow, the expression so similar to mine, it feels like a vise around my heart. “What about Eve? Are you going to protect her from the bad guys?”

I ruffle his hair and work to soften my expression. “Of course I will, bud. Just like this guy does.” I flick my gaze to the character on his shirt.

His mouth purses to the side, like he's really thinking about it. A moment later, he nods. “Alright. Can I get something too?”

I reach into my pocket and pull out a twenty dollar bill. “Something healthy, yeah? It's already past your bedtime.”

“Bedtime, schmedtime. Batman fights crime only at night, Dad.” He hops off the chair and takes the money with one hand, scooting around me and grabbing Ma's hand with the other. “C'mon, Nan, Dad said you need a coffee.”

“Thank you,” I murmur to her. She's distracted though, Hunter telling her about his latest superhero adventures, I'm sure.

I watch them leave for a moment, sure that they'll be safe down the hall for the next ten minutes. I tune back into the quiet conversation between Evangeline and the nurse.

Tension radiates from Nova and Bane like waves in the ocean during high tide. It raises the hair on my arms, and my senses rise to the shift. I'm on alert, half-expecting someone to charge the room we're in.

Not that they'd make it very far between the three of us. Too many years spent living in flight or fight situations. My body is already on high alert. Now it's my mind that plays catch-up.

48

BANE

“Alright, just follow the light, okay?”The nurse pulls a pen light from her pocket, clicks it on, and shines it in Evangeline's eyes.

Silas catches my gaze and jerks his chin to the other side of the room. I nod once, understanding the silent communication. I tap Nova on the shoulder and move to the other side of the room. It's not what I would consider a big space, but it gives us the illusion of privacy. Silas, Nova, and I stand shoulder to shoulder in a loose semicircle, all of our eyes trained on Evangeline. The tension in the room is palpable, and I can feel it thrumming through my veins.

Actually, I think it's been buzzing since the moment I pulled into her driveway. I know from experience that I can withstand so much more.

I haven't had to in years, but some things are like muscle memory. And tempering anxiety is one of them.

I watch the nurse check her vitals, murmuring something too low for me to hear. Evangeline just shakes her head, her gaze flitting back to bounce between the three of us.

We're making her nervous, I realize.

“What's going on?” I ask Silas, making sure to keep my voice low.

“Tell me what happened,” he says.

I glance around the room, looking for any obvious cameras. I think there's a rule surrounding surveillance inside a hospital room like this, but I don't know for sure. “Before I do, did you send someone to take care of the problem?”

Nova's gaze snaps to me. “What problem?”

“I needed a cleanup.” I stare at him, letting him read between the lines.

Nova shifts to face me, tension rolling off of him in droves. “How many?”

“One.”

He nods, his shoulders losing some of their tension. “Did they say anything?”

I shake my head and grimace. “I didn't give him a chance.”

“Tell us what happened,” Silas demands, his gaze flicking around the room. “As much as you can in here.”

I clear my throat and try to recap everything without letting myself visualize it. Once was more than enough. “I saw her leave and when the two of you were still in the parking lot ten minutes later, I dipped out to check on her.”

“I sent Jagger to make sure she got home safe,” Nova interjects.

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