Page 94 of A Hurt So Good

“Yeah, I’m sure he was hiding in there,” I add.

“I’m just glad it was me and not her,” she says, nodding toward Sasha.

“He said your name,” Sasha adds.

“What? He did?” I ask.

“Yeah. He told her to shut up and said Arya.” Fuck. He knew it was her. He had to have known we would show up there at some point, and he was going to what? Wait it out, hiding with Sasha in there? That thought makes me sick to my stomach. Anything could have happened to Sasha. The thought causes a chill to run down my spine.

“Well, we’re all here and safe now,” Dad adds.

“Where are they guys?” Arya asks.

“Handling things,” I inform her. She knows exactly what that means, too. I don’t need to explain it to her.

“They said I could go home today. I don’t have to stay since the cut wasn’t that deep.”

“That’s good. We want you home,” I tell her.

“She’s coming with, right?” she asks, looking at Sasha. That isn’t something we’ve talked about or had time to talk about, but dad answers for us.

“She is. There’s no reason for her to be in that house alone when we have the space,” he says.

“My mom’s there,” Sasha tells him.

“I know, honey. I’m sending a nurse to stay with her,” he informs her. I can’t believe he’s doing that. I smile as I glance over at him. He just gives me a nod. His phone chimes in his pocket, and when he pulls it out, I see the way his eyes narrow.

“What is it?”

“Let’s step outside a minute, Harlon.” I nod and lean down, pressing a kiss to Arya’s cheek before standing and following him out of the room. Once we’re in the hall, he turns the phone for me to see.

“He isn’t my son. He was her dad’s cellmate.” I curse. I roar, and I slam my fist into the wall. A few nurses watch me, but they don’t say a word. My dad rests a hand on my shoulder so I’ll calm down and not get kicked out of the fucking hospital. I take a few deep breaths and steady myself.

“What the hell are we going to do? Once he finds out he didn’t get the job done, he’ll send someone else,” I tell him.

“I don’t doubt that. For whatever reason, he wants her dead. I have no idea why that is,” he says.

“This is all fucked up. We can’t tell her this, not right now.”

“She has a right to know what she’s up against, Harlon. Letting her know will keep her in line. She won’t want to wander off by herself if she knows.” Shit. He’s right. I nod my head, knowing he’s right.

We head back into the room and find her and Sasha smiling. It doesn’t take long before I hear War screaming down the hall, either. I open the door, stick my head out there, and call to him.He turns his head and flips off the nurse, before he and Denz come this way.

I step aside and let them in, and they go straight to Arya. War leans down and kisses her like he might never see her again, and Denz does the same when War moves.

“What did the doctor say?” Denz asks.

“She’s good. She has a ton of stitches, but she’s good to go home. Nothing major was hit,” I inform them. They let out a breath of relief the same way I did.

“When you heal up, I’m going to spank your ass so fucking hard,” War warns her. Arya smiles, and it’s fucking breathtaking.

“I just want you guys to know that … when he had me like that, with the knife to my throat … I couldn’t stop thinking about the three of you and being away from you. I … I love you guys.” Hearing her say the words sends warmth through me. I didn’t know if she felt what I felt. I don’t know what the guys feel either, but I know I love this girl. We share a glance before looking back at Arya.

“We love you too, little bird,” War tells her. Tears fill her eyes once more but she quickly brushes them away.

“Can we get out of here now? I hate hospitals."

Chapter 37

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