Page 30 of Tainted Blood

“Claudia, I’m coming right now,” he calls out, tilting his head to the door with a smile.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, baby.”

“She’s amazing.”

“I know. Get some rest. The more you rest, the sooner we can scoop up your amazing girl.”

“I will. Goodnight.” He walks to the door, and I shout, “Goodnight, Claudia.”

“Goodnight, Ian.”

I pop my meds, and sleep comes a little slower this time since I slept the day away, but it’s part of the recovery process. It’s almost nine when I wake up again. It’s only because the housekeeper knocks on the door, bringing me some breakfast and more water to take my meds.

“Good morning, Mr. MacNamara.”

“Good morning, Sarah. Please call me Ian.”

She smirks at me, setting the tray down. “Are you feeling better this morning?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want the curtains open?” She moves toward them.

“No, thanks. You’ve done enough for me.”

“I have a son your age, and I’d hate to see him in your position. He’s serving in the military, so it does scare me.”

“I’m sorry. I hope he’s out of danger, but I know that’s like hoping for sunlight at midnight.”

“I never heard it like that,” she says with a soft laugh.

“Sorry, I’m still on my meds.” I spin my wrist with my finger pointed at my head, joking that I’ve gone crazy.

She smiles and fixes the covers at my feet. “Please let me know if you need anything. The doctor should be here soon.”

“Thank you.” I dig into my breakfast, and it’s fabulous. The eggs are perfectly cooked, and the bacon is just the right crispness. I don’t have a cook at home. I only hired a cleaning crew to come in once a month to do a deep dive. Normally, I wash my own clothes or take them to the dry cleaner’s.

Unlike my brothers, I travel a lot, working on my side ventures. I co-own a casino in Vegas, which keeps me so damn busy. Fuck—I need to check in with my business partner. I’m sure Jack already took care of that for me. The guys are incredible and so damn reliable.

I finish my delicious breakfast and then take my non-drowsy meds, leaving the drowsy ones until after the doctor comes. Luckily, most of my pain is manageable. I haven’t had too much, as long as I’m not moving too fast or in awkward positions. Still, I need to get back on track or I’ll be a sitting duck. We don’t know who my father has working for him or how dangerous he is now that he’s out on his own.

I set my tray off to the side and then move into a seated position with my feet off the bed, letting my body stretch before I attempt a trip to the bathroom. Today isn’t so bad, and I’m able to walk without too much pain. After a quick clean up, I limp to the window and take a peek outside. It’s different to be staying at my brother’s place because it’s a completely different angle of the property, but other than that, it feels like I’m at a comfortable, inviting hotel.

A hard knock on the door takes me away from the window. “Come in,” I called out, moving to the bed a little faster than before, but still struggling. Taking a seat on the edge, I wait impatiently for good news.

“Hello, Mr. MacNamara. How are you feeling today?”

“Anxious to get back to my normal routine.”

“I can understand that, but it’s going to be a while. You went through something extremely traumatic, both physically and emotionally.”

“The emotion I can toss to the side, but it’s the lack of my range of motion that’s the problem,” I admit. Since my attacker’s not my real father and he’s always hated me, the attempt on my life didn’t have the impact that it should have.

“Let me take a look, and then we’ll go from there.”

“Okay.”

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