Page 23 of Midnight Danger

“Jay has it, you put it at the base of your wardrobe, same as in your apartment. Everything is safe at the vault in my house.” I stared at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts. So many questions swirled around, the most predominant being: How did his business partner know to find them on a remote road in the countryside? Why did he not let her claim her place as her father’s heir? And why did he take a terrified child, change her name, and dump her in the care system with nothing more than a teddy bear?

“Fine, we’re going home.” Cassandra struggled to turn and drop her feet out of the bed.

“What the hell are you doing?” I muttered. “You need to get your ass back into bed and let the doctors take care of you.”

Her feet hit the floor and her hand grasped the bedrail to steady herself. “I can heal at home. The sickness is obviously pregnancy related, and as you keep telling me all I need is rest.”

“Get back in bed, Cas,” I growled.

“No. You’re determined to sit there and worry. At least at home there are snacks and cushions to prop myself up on. You can prowl about and make the twenty million calls that are already forming in your head.”

She teetered to the red button I’d moved aside since I was here and could get a nurse. My teeth ground together. At least at home no one would see if I tied her to the bed.

“Can I help you?” A nurse popped her head through the door.

“Yeah, I really want to go home and sleep in my own bed. Is that possible?”

“Of course. I’ll get doctor to come and speak to you.” The nurse disappeared again.

“Cas…”

“No!” she snapped, her finger pointed at me. “If this is going to work, we are equal partners in this relationship. I am not sitting on my ass while you plot the demise of whoever did this. I am going home to sit in a cocoon of my cushions and eat ice-cream. Understand?”

A discreet cough sounded behind Cassandra as the doctor stood watching her tirade. “Sounds like you’re feeling better. All your bloods are fine, I’ll get the nurse to strap your ribs and you can go home.”

Her eyes narrowed on me because she knew I’d seen the doctor standing behind her. A wide grin spread over my face. “That would be great. I have clothes here for her to change into.”

The door closed behind her. “I suppose you think you’re funny.”

“I know I’m hilarious,” I retorted with a wink, lifting the overnight bag off the floor. “Sit on the side of the bed.”

I tugged her yoga pants on and placed her flip-flops on her feet. The nurse came in a few moments later and began to strap her ribs. The bruising on her skin was starting to show in its glorious technicolour. Malcolm would pay for every one of those bruises.

“No overexertion for a few weeks, just take it easy. You’re very lucky that the majority of your injuries are minimal, but the body still needs time to heal.” The nurse chatted on in the background as I typed on my phone.

My car had already been brought to the hospital with a bag for Cassandra in it. All her clothes were hanging in my apartment and most of her other stuff in boxes. Yeah, I was moving everything fast, but it wouldn’t take the right people long to track her to that apartment. The Council employed brilliant hackers. We were just lucky Jay was among them. The best place to protect her was my home. There wasn’t a member of the Council who would make a move against me. They wouldn’t dare because the majority of them knew that the problems that disappeared were because the three of us made them vanish. We could easily do the same to them if we put our minds to it.

“Ready?” I asked, holding a loose blouse in my hands. It buttoned down the front, so she didn’t have to pull it over her head.

“Looks like you’re being spoilt,” the nurse said. “Your fiancé has thought of everything.”

“Apart from a ring,” Cassandra muttered darkly.

“Now, baby, that’s only because you couldn’t make your mind up.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead and flashed the nurse the smile I normally used for the press. “We good to go?”

“Doctor Johnson has left a prescription at the desk for you. I hope you feel better soon.” She waved on her way out of the room.

Linking her arm through mine, I led Cassandra from the room. I knew a wheelchair would have been met with objections. Another nurse at the reception area handed me her medication.

Cassandra was pale, her face strained when we eventually got to the car. “I knew you should have stayed another few days,” I snarked, putting the car into gear to pull away.

“Just leave it, Zee. I hate hospitals, it was stressing me out.” Her eyes closed and she sank back into the seat.

I turned the radio on and let the gentle classical music soothe her on our way to my apartment. She only woke up when the car stopped, blinking in the dim light of the underground car park.

“Where are we?” she muttered, beginning to stretch, but wincing.

“Home.”