Chapter Forty

Theo

T he bitter smell of antiseptic bites at me and I can’t help but wrinkle my nose in distaste. Footsteps squeak on the waxed linoleum and I hear soft beeps of medical equipment as we make our way down the hall. I am hit with a wave of dread as memories wash over me; hours that melted into days spent inside the small off-white boxed cell of the hospital room while I waited and prayed for my girl to be okay. She walks beside me now, and I can’t help the hand that I place along the small of her back, as much to reassure myself that she is here with me, that she is safe, as it is to guide her in the right direction.

I haven’t set foot inside a hospital since her last admission. I detest hospitals, can’t stand the memories that fight to overwhelm me at just the thought of being here. But when Finn called a short time ago, demanding to know if I had Danica and to make sure that she was okay, before asking us to meet him here, I couldn’t say no. Not after everything he has done to help the both of us over the course of our long friendship.

Speak of the devil. . . I can tell the exact moment when Danica spots her friend as she immediately moves to rush towards him, but I grab her arm, holding her back. She shoots me a look I can’t quite decipher, but fuck it. I am not letting go of her for one damn second. I can’t. Not when we’re here . I need her, need to feel her here with me and know that I have her; that she’s safe.

We move forward at a more sedate pace than what she would prefer, but eventually, we reach the end of the hall where Finn is waiting for us. I give him a brief nod and come to a stop, bringing Danica with me. She pulls against the firm hold I have on her arm, but I won’t let go.

Giving up in her attempts to free herself, instead, she reaches out her free arm and grabs Finn, pulling him closer for a tight hug. He stiffens in her arms, and I find myself tensing at the sight of her holding another man, fighting back the irrational jealousy at her hugging one of our closest friends. Mine . My body screams it and I fight down that wild part of me, the irrational part that wants to throw her over my shoulder and just run far away, to hide her where no one can find her and keep her safe forever.

“Is he-?” The words are quiet as she steps back slightly, out of Finn’s arms. But I can’t help but note the tense concern written all over her face as she searches Finn’s, looking for answers that aren’t there.

“He’s out of surgery. They said he lost a lot of blood but he appears to be stable for the moment.” Danica is still, eerily silent at Finn’s words. The pallor of her face is at odds with the rigid set of her shoulders; strength and determination radiating off her in waves, despite her fears. I know she has to be afraid, there are sure to be a million different thoughts and emotions running through her at this moment, but she doesn’t let them get the best of her.

“I’m going to see him.” Her words are quiet, resolute.

Finn just nods in response. “He’s been waiting for you.”

My fists clench at his words, and every inch of me burns with a desire to take her away from this place, away from him . It takes everything I have in me to stand back quietly and watch as she walks away from me, and enters his room.

The hospital door closes with a soft click, and I turn to Finn. “What happened?”

“I don’t know all the details just yet. I was. . . unavailable. . . last night. Jonathan was on watch at the center. One of my guys found him a few hours ago. Looks like there had been a fight. He was bleeding out. I have some of my best guys on the scene searching for evidence but given the pattern of her stalker and all his break-ins and vandalism attempts prior to this, I am not certain they will find much of anything. Jonathan saw something, I’m sure of it. But he was rushed into surgery as soon as he got here.” He stares at me, eyes cold and assessing.

“They tried calling Danica first, she’s listed as his emergency contact, but her phone was off. I was second on his contact list as his employer. I got here as soon as I could. The doctors were able to remove the bullet and stabilize him, but the damage was not as bad as the blood loss itself. We’re not sure how long ago the incident was, but he had to have been bleeding out for a while.”

Shit. When Finn called to say there had been an incident and that Jonathan was in the hospital and asking for Danica, he hadn’t given any specifics. If the fucker had been shot, then her stalker was escalating, which means Danica is in real fucking danger. They aren’t playing games anymore.

“Want to tell me why Danica’s phone was off?” Finn quirks an eyebrow at me. Never one to judge, he has seen the best and worst of me, but he is fiercely protective of Danica. I used to be one of the few people who he trusted implicitly when it came to Danica’s safety, and I can’t fault him for his skepticism now.

“No.” My clipped response doesn’t lessen the scowl on his face, but dammit, it’s none of his goddamn business. “Want to tell me why you weren’t there last night when Danica needed you? She said she tried calling-” I catch myself just barely before referring to him as ‘fucking’- “Jonathan but wasn’t able to reach him. Obviously, that makes sense now, given the circumstances. But where were you exactly, when she tried reaching out to you for help? Whoever that fucker is, they broke into her goddamn home. And this time, she didn’t have any of you to turn to when she needed help.” I glare harshly at my friend, crossing my arms, because dammit I want to punch him in the face for abandoning our girl when she needed him.

“I told you. I was. . . unavailable. I can’t get into details now, but it was unavoidable. Regardless, Danica knew how to handle herself. We have gone over these scenarios’ countless times, and she did what instinct and training led her to do. She got to a public place, somewhere relatively safe, until my team was able to rendezvous with her. The question is, why were you there? And why did you step in? We have protocols in place for every eventuality and you step into the middle of it, and then whisk her away, not telling anyone where you’re taking her? Not okay, man.” Finn just shakes his head, annoyance written all over his features. But I know him, and I know he could track my phone, even with hers off.