15. Beatriz

FIFTEEN

Aconstellation of bruises settled over Beatriz"s body. It was the first image she was presented with when she awoke the day after the unexpected attack. It took her a minute to realize where she was, staring up at the dark ceiling, the glow of machines pulsing next to her. She then felt someone's hand on hers, protectively firm but gentle in its caress.

It was Mike. Even asleep beside her, he looked more concerned than she had ever seen him before. Seeing him there sent a flow of warmth through her body which in itself felt healing.

She didn't immediately recall what had happened. All she knew was the pain in her was real, throbbing like tiny pencils were being pressed into her skin. Beatriz didn't want to wake Mike, but she couldn't sit there frozen in pain.

She swallowed, her mouth as dry as a desert, and tried to croak out his name.

"Mike …"

Mike's eyes darted open, the green infernos both intimidating and beautiful. He leapt to his feet and embraced her by yanking her upper body from the bed and pressing her chest against his own.

"Beatriz, my God …" he muttered.

His strength was overpowering. Beatriz groaned, and he quickly let her go, apologizing repeatedly.

"I'm sorry. We've been waiting so long. I was so afraid."

She shook her head and smiled, feeling delirious from the drugs but compelled by his fierce affect. She sat herself up in the bed, her body aching mildly every moment.

"Trust me, I want you to touch me," she said, a salacious look casting over her expression. "I think that'll heal me quicker than anything else."

He tenderly reached for her cheek and stroked it. Beatriz felt like she could finally breathe again. She closed her eyes as his other hand ran up her arm to her shoulders, and he brushed his fingers along her neckline. It was an intimate gesture that caused a spark to ignite within the deep recesses of her belly.

No one ever made her feel that. No one in her entire life. Despite the pain in her body, she wanted him. She wanted him all over her. That would make the agony disappear like a spell. It was truly otherworldly.

"I was so fucking worried, Beatriz," he whispered, his touch growing more firm. "I thought you were gone."

Beatriz swallowed hard, the memories slowly rising in her mind like smoke to a ceiling. She didn't want to think about what happened. She wanted to bathe in his presence, his touch. But it all came fast, like a train about to fly off the tracks.

She opened her eyes, the emerald of his stare intense and radiant. She was ready to tell him, but first, she needed to know what happened to her body.

"What happened?" she asked.

"You were being attacked in the alley outside Indulge. You seemed pretty out of it as soon as I got there."

Beatriz ruminated, and it all started to come together. Mike noticed, stopping the stroking of his thumb that ran down her jawline. She loved it when he touched her like that. It was so incredibly soothing.

She hated that he stopped moving his hand. She didn't realize that she had missed him that much while she blacked out. It was awful.

Beatriz lifted her hand to his, trying to encourage his touch once more. But he was stern.

"What's wrong?" he said curtly.

"Can you call Tristan and Barbara in here?" she asked, laying her head back on the pillow. "I don"t feel great, and I don't want to have to repeat myself. I have to tell you all something."

Mike moved into action mode, his eyes sparkling with intrigue and conviction. He parted from her, leaving her arms vacant.

"No need to call," he said in a clipped tone. "They are already here in the waiting room."

Mike left the hospital room, but not before checking that she was comfortable and satiated. His care for her made her swoon, especially since she was in such a vulnerable state.

"I'm fine, darling. Go get them. What I have to tell you is crucial."

He nodded. God, he was such a caretaker. She could tell that no matter how much she assured him that she was okay, he wasn't going to leave her side. There was a special kind of beauty to that certainty, as rare as a pearl in an oyster shell.

Mike did as he was asked and retrieved Tristan and Barbara from the waiting room.

Barbara was the first to come in, cradling a gift basket in her arms brimming with snacks and homemade goodies. Tristan trailed behind her, along with Mike, who closed the door promptly behind him.

"God, sweetheart, we are so happy that you are okay," Barbara exclaimed, placing the basket next to Beatriz. "I know you're probably not hungry for treats yet, but sometimes it"s good to have some around for visitors."

Her eyes narrowed at Mike.

"I'm fine," he growled. "Don"t worry about me."

"Let's get to it then," Tristan said, pulling up a chair next to her and taking her hand in his. "Tell us what happened, honey. We are all listening."

Beatriz told the three shifters everything that she could remember, detail after detail. She mentioned how she had texted Mike before leaving Karla and the triplets and how she had intended to help out Ellie. She mentioned the intuitive sensation that something was wrong. She said that she took it upon herself to investigate what the two people near the delivery van were talking about.

That was when she dropped the bomb about what she had overheard.

"They were talking about dealing drugs out of the bar," she said, her heart galloping wildly in her chest. "That they hadn't worked at the other clubs and such, that Indulge was the best place to start again."

The reaction was as explosive as Beatriz anticipated. Barbara stared thoughtfully at Beatriz, strategy dancing in her eyes. Tristan and Mike exchanged looks, fiery anger burning in their glares.

"Did they say anything about the family?" Barbara inquired calmly.

Beatriz nodded. "They want to take you down. They mentioned you by name. I know the woman, Wallis, but the man, apparently named Franky, I didn't recognize."

"Those fuckers." Mike sent the chair he was sitting in sailing backward so hard that it smashed against the radiator.

That use of force wasn't anything new to Beatriz … she was one of ten shifters. Overly-expressed emotions happened daily while growing up.

"That is trying to take us out from the inside," Tristan mused, rising to his feet. "We have to act fast."

Beatriz was still feeling groggy, the energy of the moment going to her head. The men were ready to rush out of the room when Barbara, the only level-headed person in the room, raised her hands in the air like a referee at a soccer match. Mike and Tristan went still, looking to their matriarch for a competent reply to the information they had all just received.

"Let's keep in mind that Beatriz needs to heal. She has endured trauma. She doesn't need to be privy to a screaming match."

Mike's expression altered, and Beatriz"s heart dropped in her chest. He looked like a puppy dog that she wanted to cuddle into a slumber.

"I'm sorry," Mike said, racing to her side. "Tristan and I will depart and discuss. You rest."

He kissed her hands, and each digit was given individual attention and care.

Tristan gave Barbara a nod, then led the way out of the room. Barbara picked up the chair Mike knocked over, shaking her head sarcastically.

"These men," she muttered. "Who knows how they manage to keep their heads on straight?"

Beatriz laughed and felt her throat strain, causing her to burst out in a coughing fit. Barbara went to the bed, laid her hands on hers, and spoke.

Beatriz found it very easy to get lost in her blue eyes, anchoring her to the moment.

"Let's not worry about them right now. You just sit here and rest. Do you need some tea? A foot rub? Anything, darling."

Beatriz smiled. She was thankful to have the Wolfe family around, who were clearly all going to be there for her when she needed it.

"I'm okay right now. Just going to rest, as you said. Maybe watch some TV."

Barbara nodded, then pulled up a chair. She searched for the remote and clicked the TV on.

"They shouldn't be long. We will just stay here for now, sweetheart."

Beatriz was thankful that Barbara remained in the room. But she couldn't stop thinking about Mike, about the betrayal of Wallis, and the illicit drugs being siphoned through the Wolfe bars and clubs. She also was plagued with the image of her mate being mortally wounded, all because she decided to pry into the business that wasn't her own.

As if to read her mind, Barbara patted her hand and winked. She tried to rest while they waited.