Page 128 of Valor

I do as he said and lay her down. She’s limp, her body cold as ice.

“Any idea what happened?” he asks as he checks her pupils with a penlight while the nurse hooks her up to a machine to get her vitals.

“I found her on the side of the road,” I tell him, taking stock of her battered body for the first time since I found her. There are red rings of raw skin around both ankles and wrists, insinuating that she was bound.

Cuts and scrapes mar her arms and legs.

The hospital gown is torn, and then I realize— “Why is she in a hospital gown?” I demand.

The doctor shakes his head, his expression grim. “I have no idea. But I intend to find out.”

I start toward him, fury pushing past rational thought. Was she being held here and tried to escape? Is this proof that someone here has been behind this whole thing?

A hand lands on my shoulder. “Gibson. We’ve got her now. She’s safe.”

At the sound of Bradyn, I step back, putting distance between me and Dr. Pierce before I do something stupid and try to beat an answer he likely doesn’t have out of him, but I don’t tear my gaze from him as he rushes back to Lani’s side.

She’s battered.

Bruised.

But she’s alive.

“My baby,” Ruth chokes out as she pushes into the room and grips Lani’s hand. Tears burn in my eyes as I let it fully sink in that Lani has lived through a nightmare. Adrenaline leaves my system in one massive outflow, leaving me feeling cold and hollow.

Tommy is right at her side, holding his wife, his expression twisted in a mixture of relief and grief.

“We need to get her cleaned and checked,” the nurse tells me. “Ruth can stay in here, but I need the rest of you out so we can do a physical examination.”

“Come on, let’s get some coffee,” Bradyn says as he squeezes my shoulder.

I nod, desperate not to leave her side even as I know I have to. I’m terrified that she’s going to disappear. Or that I’ll wake up in my bed, having never found her.

God, please let this be real. Please let her be here.

So even though it feels like I’m leaving part of my heart back in that room, I step out and watch as they pull the curtain closed.

LANI

I jolt awake,terror ripping me from sleep. Before I’m even fully awake, panic kicks in. They found me. How did my abductor find me? My hand is still free, so I reach over and rip the IV out. Pain shoots up from my arm, but it doesn’t matter. I can handle it. I can deal with it until I get help.

Pain is temporary.

Death is what I face if I don’t move now. All I see is darkness. There’s no light, not even a sliver from the door. Is it nighttime? Is it?—

“Lani!” Hands grip my shoulders and hold me down asthat voicecalls my name.

“Let me go!” I scream it, my voice hoarse. I fight, struggling against the hold. “Please let me go!”

The hands release me, slipping up to gently cup my face. “Lani,” a strong voice whispers, no longer distorted. “You’re safe.”

My vision clears, the darkness ebbing away until I can focus on Gibson’s face. He holds me, staring into my eyes, his own glistening with unshed tears. “Gibson?” I whisper, almost afraid to believe it. My throat burns as I try to keep from crying.

Is this a trick of my mind?

Some kind of psychological coping mechanism?

“I’m here,” he says. “You’re safe.”

---