Sully takes two steps toward her before he stops himself. We may be at war with an unknown enemy, but he’s at war with himself too.
Wolf shrugs. “For now, it’s the best we got. Sully, when’s the new doc coming?”
Sully checks his phone before stuffing it in his pocket again. “Ten minutes.”
Seventeen minutes later, there’s a knock on the door to the hallway of the hotel. I pull my gun from my shoulder holster that I never took off and move to stand just inside the bathroom. It’s located to the left of the door and bathed in shadows, so whoever’s at the door won’t see me. It’s the perfect—and only—place for any advantage.
Sully checks the peephole and Wolf stands in front of our girl, gun casually hanging from his hand.
Sully disengages the lock and opens the door, and a weaselly-looking fuck walks in the room.
“You’re late, Doc.” Sully’s voice is unyielding.
A bead of sweat rolls down the side of his face and gets lost in his shirt collar. “Yes, well, I got caught up in traffic,” he says as he walks further into the room. He pauses to stare at Wolf before looking around him to Alaina. “What happened to her?”
I step out of the shadows holding my gun aimed at him. I walk until the barrel of my gun presses into his back. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”
He stills.
Ah, so he does have some self-preservation, after all.
“And I don’t appreciate having to wait,” I tell him, holding the gun so it just presses into his skin. “Do you have any more questions?”
“N-no. I’ll just treat what I can. But . . .”
“But what?” Wolf snaps.
“Well, it’s just that I can’t tell if this blood is hers, and without taking her dress—”
“Finish that sentence and it’ll be the last thing you ever do,” I growl in his ear as I click off the safety.
The doctor’s gulp is audible. “Yes, yes, of course. I’ll just look for open wounds.”
He gets to work, and Wolf stands over him, watching his movements like a hawk. Tension lines every inch of his body, but he’s not so wired that he’s going to take the doc’s head off prematurely.
I back off a little and stand next to Sully. “He’s right, though. We should’ve brought clothes for her.”
“Aye. That dress looks rough. I passed a gift shop in the lobby. I’ll go see what I can get.”
I lift an eyebrow. “At midnight?” I pull my attention away from Alaina long enough to see Sully shrug.
“I’ll get . . . creative if I have to. But if their water park is still open, I’m betting their other shit is still open.”
I nod my agreement. “Be careful, brother.”
“Always,” he says as he walks out the door.
I refocus on Alaina just in time to see her stir awake as the doc reaches inside his black duffle bag. Before I can even shout, Wolf has his arms wrenched behind his back.
“I was just getting her some pain medication. That’s it—I swear!”
I walk toward them and pause next to him. Tilting my head, I let him see the monster inside me. Satisfaction rolls through me when he shudders.
“For a doctor, you sure are jumpy. Where do you practice again?”
Wolf tugs on his arms, and the doctor yelps. “St. Luke’s Medical Center.”
“Remind me never to go there,” I tell my brother, quirking a smile.
“What’s going on?” Alaina groans the words, stealing our attention. “Wolf? Rush?”
I walk around the bed until I’m standing next to her. I lean down and brush away some hair from her face, my gaze bouncing around her beautiful face. “We’re here, baby. We’re getting you checked out, okay?” My voice is low, meant only for her ears.
She holds my gaze as she nods. “You’re not leaving, right?”
I hear the thread of panic in her voice, and I can’t deny her this small comfort of my reassurance. Not after everything she’s gone through because of us.
I slowly shake my head. “No, we’re not leaving you.”
She exhales, and I see some weight lifting from her shoulders. Her gaze bounces between my eyes. “Everything hurts, Rush.”
I smooth back her hair with the palm of my hand. “I know, little bird, I know. Tell me where, okay? And we’re going to get you taken care of.”
I straighten and step back, but before I can get two steps away, she snakes her hand out and grasps mine, linking our fingers together.
I nod at her once before I turn to face the doctor—who’s arms are still pinned behind him. I’m not surprised to find Wolf staring at me, but I’m a little thrown by his knowing smirk.
I’m sure the smug dick thinks just because I showed a little compassion and humanity that I’ll be all soft. Fuck that. Any softness I might’ve had was conditioned out of me years ago.
Until her.
She’s reignited a part of me I thought I lost long ago. Unfortunately for her, it means she gets my undivided attention right now. That’s a lot for anyone to handle—most don’t.
I tap my fingers against my leg as Alaina details everywhere she’s hurt, my blood pressure rising with every cut, injury, burn she points out. I’m itching to do something, but she never lets go of her grip on my hand, so I stay put.
Finally, after way too long, the good doctor peels off his blue rubber gloves and tucks them inside his duffle bag. He pulls out an orange prescription bottle and cranks off the white lid.
“Here. Take these for the pain. They’re a little stronger than your average ibuprofen, but you should only need them for a few days,” he says, tipping the bottle over and dumping a handful of pills in Wolf’s hands.
“What the fuck kind of backwoods prescription is this?” Wolf yells, curling his fingers around the pills.
The doctor pales and his hand trembles, the pills rattling against the bottle. “I-I told you, I was running late. This was all I had with me.”
“What is it?” Wolf enunciates each word, nostrils flaring.
“Just hydrocodone-acetaminophen.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you just say Vicodin?” Wolf flattens his lips, glare firmly fixed on the good doctor.
The doctor stumbles over his words as Sully comes back in the room with a bundle of clothes under his arm. He sets the clothes down and moves to stand next to the doc.
“Time to go, doc.” Sully claps a hand on his shoulder and steers him toward the hotel door.
“Oh, okay. What about my payment?”
Sully chuckles. “It’s already been wired to your account—the original amount. And if you fuck us, don’t forget we know where you live, Samuel Barnes of 876 White Tail Court.”
The doctor—Samuel—trips over his feet at the sound of his given name.
“Ah, did you really think we didn’t know who you were, doc? C’mon, I know our reputation precedes us, so you should’ve known better.” Cruelty drips from my words, a deadly promise in each one.
Samuel picks up the pace as he practically scuttles out of the room. Sully walks out with him to make sure he leaves without making a scene. Wolf and I help Alaina change out of her ruined dress and into the hotel-branded tee and leggings Sully bought at the gift shop.