Chapter 6

CHAPTER6

Some of the files were definitely missing, Andi realized with a frown as she stared down at the stack of folders in her arms that was definitely a lot smaller than it had been last night when she saw them stacked on Devyn’s desk. Maybe she should run back to the office and…watched as a set of large, tan hands took the folders from her.

Biting back a sigh for the man that had sent very detailed and somewhat odd instructions on how to deliver the files to his apartment, Andi looked up and-

“What happened to your face?” she demanded, forgetting his request not to make any noise when she dropped off the files and cupped his face in her hands, careful of the large purple bruise marring one side of his handsome face and pulled him down so that she could get a better look at the bandage wrapped around his head only to immediately regret the move when he bit out, “Shit!”

Grabbing hold of his head with one hand, Devyn stumbled back into his apartment, dropping the files on the table by the door on his way to the kitchen while she stood in the hallway debating what she should do, only to find herself stepping inside and quietly closing the door behind her when he grabbed hold of the kitchen counter and growled out, “Fuck!” Careful not to do anything that would make this worse for him, Andi set her bag on the floor by the door as she took in the insanely large apartment, noting the trail of discarded bloodied bandages leading to the living room.

“Go home, Miss Dawson,” Devyn bit out as she watched the back of his knuckles turn white as his grip tightened around the edge of the counter.

“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Andi murmured absently as she shifted her attention to the kitchen counter and took in the empty bottle of Advil, the unfilled prescriptions for painkillers and prescription-strength ibuprofen, and a few others that he was probably going to need before her attention shifted to the police report next to them and quickly made out the words “attack” and “metal bar” before it was pulled out of her reach.

“Go home and take the week off,” Devyn bit out, dropping the police report in the trash before he reached for the bottle of Advil only to realize that it was empty and dropped it back on the counter with a pained groan.

“What happened?” Andi asked as she glanced around the large apartment, looking for any signs that someone else was there to help him, but there was nothing, no framed pictures of friends and family hanging on the walls or any sign that anyone else lived here.

“It’s just a few bumps and bruises, Miss Dawson. Go home,” Devyn bit out as he pushed away from the counter and stumbled towards a door on the other side of the living room while she returned her attention to the mess on the counter. When she found the discharge papers from the emergency room, Andi picked them up only to frown when she read through the list of injuries that he’d somehow accumulated overnight, a concussion, stitches, bruised ribs, and abrasions on the back of his hands. Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Andi walked into what she was guessing was his bedroom in time to watch Devyn drop down on the bed with a pained groan.

“Get out,” Devyn said, squeezing his eyes shut as she took in the rest of the bedroom, noting the discarded icepack on the floor, the bloodstained sheets, and the bright sunlight pouring into the room from the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked a beautiful pool that looked nothing like the one at her apartment complex before she looked back at Devyn and-

She couldn’t leave him like this.

“I will as soon as someone comes to take care of you,” Andi said, resigning herself to the long week ahead of her as she made her way to the floor-to-ceiling windows and pulled the curtains closed so that the only light in the room came from the soft sunlight spilling in from the living room.

“I don’t need help.”

“You really do,” Andi murmured absently as she noted the comfortable-looking chair in the corner and decided that was the best place to start.

“Leave,” came the demand that she easily ignored as she focused on moving the chair next to his bed.

“Can’t,” she said, pulling and shoving the chair until she finally managed to drag it across the room, and once it was where she wanted it, she dropped down in the chair with a satisfied sigh as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and googled the closest pharmacy.

“This isn’t going to get you a raise,” Devyn bit out, opening his eyes so that he could glare at her.

“Wasn’t expecting one,” Andi said, wondering if she’d be able to find a pharmacy that delivered. Probably not with the painkillers on the list, she realized, biting back a sigh.

“There are better ways to kiss my ass, Miss Dawson.”

“I’m sure there are,” Andi murmured absently as she scrolled through the list of pharmacies nearby, only to settle on the only one that was within walking distance.

“I don’t need help. I can take care of myself,” Devyn bit out as he was forced to turn his head and bury his face against the pillow as his hands fisted in the comforter, letting her know just how bad the pain was and making her wonder what happened last night.

For several minutes, Andi sat there, waiting until his breaths evened out and his hold around the comforter slowly relaxed before she carefully made her way back to the kitchen and decided to find out what else was on that police report.

* * *

“Shit!”Devyn bit out only to immediately regret it when agonizing pain tore through the right side of his head, making the stabbing pain that felt like it was tearing his ribs apart feel like child’s play.

God, this fucking hurt, Devyn thought as he slowly exhaled, only to bite back another curse when the move caused excruciating pain to tear through his ribs. He wasn’t sure what hurt more, his head or his ribs, but at that moment, he wished the asshole that attacked him had finished the fucking job and put him out of his misery. He-

“Why didn’t you call me last night?” came the softly whispered question that sent a fresh wave of pain shooting through his head as he felt a pill pressed against his lips.

Desperate for relief, Devyn opened his mouth and accepted the pill, only to find several more pills gently placed in his mouth before he felt the small rim of a bottle of water brush against his lips. Reaching up with a trembling hand, he grabbed the bottle and tilted his head back as far as the pain would allow and swallowed the pills, praying that they knocked him out before he lost his fucking mind.

As soon as the bottle was empty, Devyn tossed it aside and rolled back onto his stomach so that he could bury his face against the pillow as he said, “I thought I told you to go home.”

“I don’t remember having that conversation,” came the softly spoken words as he felt Andi climb onto the bed next to him seconds before she managed to tear a groan from him when a heating pad was pressed against his ribs.

“You can leave,” Devyn said, forcing the words out between clenched teeth as he reached down and pressed his hand over the heating pad, making breathing tolerable again.

She didn’t say anything else, and he’d never been more thankful for anything in his life as the pain in his head slowly subsided as a haze took over his body, making it difficult to do anything as he was slowly pulled under and-

“Shhh, it’s okay,” came the softly whispered words as the terror that swallowed him whole had him gasping for air as he reached for her, needing to make sure that she was okay as he wrapped his arms around her and struggled to stop thinking about what could have happened to her if she’d been with him.

* * *

“I don’t needyour fucking help,” Devyn bit out, but since they both knew that he was lying, Andi simply ignored him as she lit the last candle.

Once that was done, Andi stood up with a satisfied sigh. It was perfect, absolutely perfect, she thought as she took in the candles giving off just enough light so that they could see what they were doing, but not enough to hurt his eyes, the steam coming off the hot water hidden beneath the extra bubbles that should make this easier and shifted her attention to the man that looked really pissed for some reason.

“No,” was all he said as she stood there debating the best way to get a man that had at least ten inches and seventy pounds of muscle on her into a bathtub against his will.

When nothing came to her, Andi decided to go the honest route. “You smell,” she said with a solemn nod that he didn’t seem to appreciate, not at all if that glare was any indication. Deciding that this was the way to go, she gestured to his bloodstained clothes and opened her mouth to point out that he’d been wearing them for the past two days, only to settle for a sad shake of her head as she let her hand drop away.

That seemed to be enough.

“I’m not taking a bath,” Devyn, her boss and the man that had alternated between glaring at her and holding onto her like she was a lifeline over the past two days, bit out as he moved to push away from the wall only to rethink that decision and pressed his forehead against the wall as he bit out, “I’m fine.”

“And you look it,” Andi murmured absently as she shifted her gaze to the large walk-in shower and debated letting him take a shower, but between his stitches and the fact that he couldn’t seem to stand up on his own without help, she really didn’t think that was a good idea.

That left…

“Not fucking happening,” Devyn said with a wince as he wrapped an arm around his ribs and slowly exhaled as she stood there, swallowing hard as she thought about that police report and…

“Were they waiting for you?” she found herself asking.

“Doesn’t matter,” he said, slowly exhaling as he carefully pushed away from the wall and reluctantly made his way to the bathtub while she stood there, considering him for a moment.

Yes, it did, but she wasn’t going to argue with him, not when he was finally going to let her help him.