Present
“Winter?” I mumbled, feeling her and smelling her everywhere as I searched in the black.
I couldn’t see anything, and I couldn’t open my eyes as I shifted on the bed under me.
Jesus. Everything was so fucking heavy.
“Shhh…” a voice said. “You’re going to be okay. Just close your eyes and rest. You’re safe.”
Hands touched my face and forehead, like checking my temperature, and the warmth of her skin was like a dream. It felt like being in the shower with Winter the first time. Peaceful.
“Your hands are warm,” I said, so weak I couldn’t even swallow as I put my hand over hers, keeping it on my face. “I’m really fucking lightheaded. Don’t move, okay? Just stay.” I breathed shallow. “Just stay.”
A kiss touched my forehead. “I’ve always been here,” she whispered.
When I woke up again, it took several minutes, but I got my eyes open, the drowsiness taking forever to wear off.
Was that a dream? Where was Winter?
I put hands under me and scooted up in bed, using every ounce of strength I had and feeling a sharp pain in my side.
Ah, fuck. I coughed, touching the bandages on the side of my torso, noticing my hospital gown was down around my waist. An IV stuck in my hand, and two heart monitors were attached to my chest.
My neck ached, my head hurt, and I was groggy as fuck. What the hell did they give me?
I saw someone shift out of the corner of my eye and looked up, noticing everyone was in the room, either passed out on chairs or waking up.
Will rose from his seat, heading over to me, while Kai was passed out on a recliner with Banks curled up on top of him, and Michael and Rika were asleep on the couch.
“How long have I been out?” I asked him, looking for a clock.
He poured me a cup of water, and I downed the whole thing, handing it back for more.
“A few hours,” he said. “You never sleep long.”
“I want to leave.”
The other started to stir, Banks rubbing her eyes and sitting up, while Rika stretched on the couch.
“Yeah, it’s not happening.” Will handed me another water. “You need to stay put.”
“Fuck that.” I ignored the cup he held out and tried to remove the sheet on top of me.
But then Michael was on the other side of me; he and Will both pushing me back down.
“Lie down or we’ll lie you down,” Michael threatened.
“Aw, you care?”
“With you bed-ridden, you can’t cause trouble,” he pointed out. “It’s nice.”
Whatever. I wasn’t fucking staying. I’d rather pierce my eyeballs than lie here, resting.
I’d rather chug a gallon of piss warm milk than stay in bed, doing nothing.
I’d rather get a third degree burn on my dick.
Or develop a peanut allergy.
“Where’s Winter?” I demanded, taking the water and downing it.
Both of them remained silent but exchanged looks.
What? My heart began to hammer.
Will cleared his throat. “Okay, I don’t want you to freak out,” he started. “We will all handle this. But you need to stay calm, okay?”
Stay calm? She was in the fucking car on the way to the hospital. What happened?
“What?” I barked, noticing Kai jump awake to my left.
Rika and Banks approached the bed, too.
“She’s, um…” Will paused, struggling for words.
What the fuck?
And then he broke out in a smile, pulling back the curtain that hid the other bed in the room.
“Right here,” he teased.
I looked over, seeing Winter curled up on top of the made bed, still wearing jeans and sneakers, but with Will’s sweatshirt on now, it looked like.
“Want me to wake her up?” he asked.
I shook my head, seeing her mouth twitch a little. “No, leave her.”
I sighed as everyone surrounded my bed, and I wished they’d all go away. This felt so pathetic, and I wanted to leave now. Why were they even still here? Banks, I could understand, but the rest of them?
Reaching down, I peeled away the surgical tape and gauze on the right side of my abdomen, trying to gauge how bad the injury was.
Peering under the bandage, I spotted a small incision, examining it.
“Three stitches?” I said out loud.
Three?
“Don’t worry, there’s more on the inside,” Banks informed me. “Ten whole stitches. Super manly.”
I let my head fall back on the pillows, tightening my abs a few times to gauge the pain.
“The injury wasn’t that serious,” Will said, folding his arms over his chest. “But ignoring it was. You lost a lot of blood.”
“Luckily Rika had the same blood type,” Michael stated.
“Yeah, luckily,” Kai mumbled.
I almost laughed. Rika gave me blood? Like really?
I shot my eyes over to her, dropping my gaze to the Band-Aid on her arm where they’d drawn the blood.
Interesting.
“You going to say ‘thank you’?” Michael prodded.
“Someday.”
Rika let out a snort. “Well, now that he’s fine, I need to go lock up the dojo.”
“I’ll go, too,” Kai moved around Banks. “Some inventory came in that needs to be sorted.”
“See you at home,” Rika told Michael, leaning up to kiss him.
“I’m heading out, too,” he said.
Kai kissed his wife as he, Michael, and Rika started to leave the room, but then Rika stopped and looked over at me.
“I would say ‘I’m glad you’re okay’,” she told me, “but I’m still deciding.”
I quirked a smile, and she shook her head, probably more at herself than me.
They left, but Will and Banks stayed, Banks handing me a bottle of water.
“I’m going to get you some real food and pick up some clothes,” she said, smirking. “I gather you won’t be here for long.”
Damn straight.
“Thanks,” I told her.
She leaned down and did something she never does… she kissed me on the cheek. But before she could rise again, I grabbed her arm, keeping her eyes level with mine.
“I, um…”
I trailed off, wanting to say something, but I didn’t know what.
Before my friends and before Winter, Banks was my safe place. She could read me, take care of me, and just be there with no talking or expectations. She was the best thing in my life for a lot of years. I was tired of disrupting hers with all my bullshit.
I wanted to tell her that I…
I didn’t know.
The words tasted like sand on my tongue, and I knew they’d come off disingenuous and unnatural sounding, because I never said shit like that, but…
I finally just met her eyes and shrugged. “Ya know.”
A soft smile crossed her beautiful face and her eyes started to glisten. “Yeah, I love you, too,” she told me.
Will sniffled at my side, feigning heartbreak, and I jerked my chin at him.
“Go. Both of you,” I told them. “Get out of here.”
He laughed as Banks walked around my bed toward the door.
“We’ll be back with food,” Will called out, leaving the room with her.
I hadn’t meant to fall asleep again, but one minute I was looking over at Winter, knowing why she’d chosen to distance herself all the way over on the other bed instead of curl up on mine, but I was still relieved she decided to stay at all.
What a fucking mess. Every time something good happened…
I needed to take her to Maine. Out in the woods, away from everyone else, no WiFi. Maybe then we’d get some time.
The curtain was drawn again between us, the nurse probably pulling it closed for privacy or to not wake Winter, and I sat up in bed, noticing a brown bag on the tray and some clothes on the chair.
Had Banks and Will already come and gone?
I grabbed the bag, opening it. Looking inside, I inhaled the scent of Marina’s piroshki and groaned as my stomach rumbled. Grabbing one of the buns, I popped it in my mouth and ate it before tearing off the sheet and swinging my legs over the side.
“Winter,” I said, not bothering to whisper.
She didn’t respond and I didn’t see her move behind the curtain.
My body ached like hell, but I forced myself to stand anyway, stretching and rotating limbs to wake them up.
Reaching over, I whipped the curtain aside, the rings sliding across the track, but when I looked at the bed, it was empty.
Where was she?
“Winter?” I called.
Was she in the bathroom?
I tried to walk, but the cords attached to me stretched taut. Reaching down, I pulled all the plugs out of the wall, yanked off my monitors, and slid out my IV, a stream of blood following and spilling onto the floor.
“Fuck,” I mouthed.
Walking over to the chair, I stripped off the gown and pulled on some jeans Banks brought, a T-shirt, and shoes and socks.
“Winter?” I called again.
I looked around, not seeing a clock or my cell phone. I couldn’t remember where I’d left it, but it was dark outside, so I knew it was late. Or really early.
Stepping across the room to the bathroom, I knocked on the door, straightening my back and not feeling as sore as I thought I would be. Will was right, I guessed. It wasn’t that serious.
When there was no answer, I opened the door, not finding her in the bathroom, either.
I opened the door to the room and entered the hallway, looking both ways for Winter or a nurse.
“Hello?” I called.
Where was everyone?
All the doors were closed, the corridor was dark, and the only light I could see was from a desk up on the right.
I headed up to it, finding the chairs behind the nurses’ station empty.
“Hello!” I shouted, getting pissed off.
What the hell? It was the evening, but there had to be someone here.
Blood trailed down the back of my hand from the IV injection, dripping off my fingers, and I spotted some gauze on a cart, grabbing it and wrapping some around my hand before tearing it off and tucking the end inside the rest.
“Hey!” I barked into the dark.
Something was wrong.
Heading back toward my room, I passed it and rounded the corner for the elevators.
But as soon as I did, someone caught me and shoved me against the wall, putting their hand over my mouth.
I grabbed their collar, ready to shove them off, but Rika pressed her finger to her lips, telling me to be quiet.
Will stood behind her, both of them peering around the corner from where I just came.
Finally, she took her hand off my mouth and backed away.
“What the fuck?” I whisper-yelled.
“Someone tried to take Alex from the dojo tonight,” Will told me. “She was able to fight them off and run, but…”
He looked down at Rika.
“What?” I hissed, losing patience.
“One of them was Miles Anderson,” Rika said.
Miles Anderson. One of them. Which meant there were several, including him.
It wasn’t hard to figure out motive. And then suddenly everything dawned.
“My father,” I said what I was thinking out loud.
She looked up at me, fear in her eyes. “Yeah, I can’t find Michael, and…”
“And Winter’s gone,” I added. “Shit.” I ran my hand through my hair and then met her stare. “He knows.”
She nodded, agreeing with me.
“We hired security to guard your hospital door,” Will told me. “We’ll deal with this—”
“Fuck you,” I cut him off. “We’re leaving now.”
“You’re not well enough.”
“Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?” I glared at him. “Go get some fresh air!”
Clear your damn head, because you’re confused.
He cocked an eyebrow, looking displeased, but then shared a look with Rika, and let out a laugh. “Yeah, we thought so.”
And he tossed me a black backpack.
I opened it up, finding some clothes, a pullover, and a cell phone.
I grabbed the hoodie, dropped the bag, and pulled it on.
“Where’s Banks?” I asked.
“She and Kai are with Alex, talking to the cops,” Rika said. “She’s safe. They’re waiting for us.”
“Do you have a plan?” I snatched up the bag, digging out the cell phone, already finding Rika, Will, and everyone else already programmed in.
“No, that’s your domain,” she answered.
My domain. So since we played our little mind games, she thought I was that good?
Not when I was aching, hungry, and distracted, though.
Jesus. Winter. If he hurt her…
I scrolled through, trying to call her just in case.
“Damon,” Rika spoke up as I let the line ring. “Gabriel will give me Michael, because of his respect for Evans Crist and a sign of good faith, but Alex is disposable to him. She saw the information we were looking for. He’ll find her and kill her.”
I knew that. I knew what our problems were, Rika.
But she kept talking. “And he knows that even if we give him the evidence we have about my father’s accident, we were smart enough to make copies. He’ll want assurance we won’t use it. He’s going to keep Winter.”
“The hell he is.”
No one answered, so I hung up and led the way to the elevators. Adrenaline was taking over, and I barely felt my stitches at all right now.
“He’s going to ship her off somewhere you can’t find her and do who-knows-what with her.”
“Fucking hell, Rika!” I growled over my shoulder.
What the hell? Was she trying to give me a heart attack? Winter was with my father right now. Every second was a risk.
We rushed into the elevator and Will pressed the floor for the parking garage.
Rika stayed silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was calm and soft. “Absorb it,” she said. “Process it. And then get your head straight again. When you do, tell us what the hell we’re doing.”
She was right. I needed to calm down. I couldn’t fucking think with my mind racing and spinning like a tornado.
My father would have Michael and Winter at his house. He wasn’t trying to hide them from us. He wanted to bring us to the table.
But Rika was right. In the digital age, there were no guarantees. He knew we had the evidence backed up.
He couldn’t get his hands on Alex tonight, and he couldn’t hurt Michael.
Winter was his assurance.
Think.
Negotiation was useless. I would never let him keep Winter.
We needed to get on the property, undetected, and he wasn’t going to be dumb enough to fall for Banks as a diversion again.
Fuck, fuck, fuck…
My mind started wandering from one scenario to the next, and finally, I had it.
“David and Lev,” I said. “They’re still working for Banks, right?”
My father’s old employees who left on bad terms, hated my father, but knew the lay of the land and everyone who worked for Gabriel. They worked for my sister now, who also stole my father’s cook, Marina.
“Yeah, you want me to call them?” Will asked.
I nodded, all of us charging out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened. “Tell them to meet us at the hilltop gate. Tell them to bring something good from Marina. Something my father’s men would miss.”
