Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 154595 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 773(@200wpm)___ 618(@250wpm)___ 515(@300wpm)
“She was living in a shitty building in the worst part of town, taking the bus everywhere, and getting into trouble. And then when I track her down, I find her lying face down in a swimming pool. She would have died if I hadn’t been there!”
Immy made a pained noise and Jenner stepped up to her, pulling her into his arms.
“Maeve?” Sampson demanded. “What is he talking about? You were attacked?”
“Why would you live in a bad area?” Jenner asked, looking upset as he continued to hold Immy. “You know we’d give you whatever you needed.”
Maeve stared at them all, her face pale with dark bruises under her eyes. There was still a bluish tinge to her lips that he didn’t like. Was she warm enough? Why the fuck hadn’t the doctor been in to check on her?
He was about to tell them all to fuck off again, when Sampson turned to him.
“And how the fuck do we know that you’re not her stalker? Maybe you drowned her, then regretted it and pulled her out!” Sampson snapped.
The world tilted for a moment as he lost all the air in his lungs. Then awareness snapped back and he turned slowly to Maeve.
A stalker?
What stalker?
But it suddenly became clear, things started to make sense. The flowers. Her leaving town in a hurry. Taking a strange route to get here. Taking out all the cash in her account. Although, the fact she’d had so little in there was something he wasn’t happy about.
That had to be remedied. No way was she living hand to mouth anymore. Since he intended to marry her, what was his was going to become hers as well. And he’d managed to amass quite a healthy bank account over the years. It wasn’t like he had much to spend it on.
The first thing he was going to do was buy her some warmer clothing.
And get her a necklace with GPS.
“What. Fucking. Stalker?”
25
Maeve stared up at Sampson, then Jenner and Immy.
They were all dressed up, Sampson and Jenner in suits and Immy in this gorgeous green dress. Immy held Squish. She quickly handed him to Maeve, who hugged the toy close.
Finally, her gaze moved to Gray, who was wearing hospital scrubs. She glanced down at herself. Yep, she was in a hospital gown. She wondered who changed her. Without thinking about it, she reached up to scratch her cheek nervously.
Gently, he pulled hand away. “No.”
“No?” Sampson said. “You have no right to tell her no. And get your hands off her.”
“I have every right to tell her no,” Gray said arrogantly. Even though they both knew he kind of didn’t.
Then he leaned over her, his hands on either side of her body as he bent down. His voice was so soft and quiet that you could almost be fooled into thinking that he wasn’t completely and utterly furious.
But she could see the flames of anger in his eyes and she knew differently.
He was enraged.
“What stalker, girl?”
Before she could speak the door to the room opened and a tall, older woman stepped in, wearing a doctor’s coat. She stared around at all of them disapprovingly.
“Visiting hours are over. None of you should be here.”
“I’ve already spoken to the director,” Jenner said smoothly. “I think you’ll find we have a special dispensation to stay.”
The doctor stared over at him with a sniff. “I don’t care who you are, Mr. Knight. If you’re upsetting my patient or any other patient in this hospital, then you’ll be escorted out. Are we clear?”
Jenner’s eyes widened. “Crystal, doctor.”
The woman’s gaze went to Gray. “And you. Are you intimidating my patient?”
Gray stood straight. “I am not. I’m here to take care of her.”
The doctor eyed him. “All of you need to leave while I examine her.”
“No,” Gray said quietly, but firmly.
Maeve raised a shaky hand to her forehead. What was going on? Why couldn’t she remember anything?
“Maeve?” the doctor asked in a far kinder voice than she’d used with the others. “Are you feeling all right?”
“I’m . . . uh . . . I can’t remember . . . what happened.”
The doctor moved forward, taking note of her vitals. “Would you like them all to leave? I have no trouble getting rid of them for you.”
All of the men frowned, while Immy turned to give her a watery smile.
“No, they’re all . . . they’re my family.”
“All right. Your oxygen levels are looking a lot better so we’ll monitor them tonight, then if it’s still good tomorrow you can go off the oxygen. Does anything hurt? Your chest?”
The doctor asked her several questions before listening to her lungs.
“Now, you said you can’t remember what happened?”
“No,” she said hoarsely. “The last . . . the last thing I remember is going outside. It was hot and I wanted to sit by the pool and then I woke up here. Have I got brain damage?”