Page 23 of Vengeful Pawn

When I say yes, she’s up and at my side as I wait for Easton’s answer.

“Baptist,” he replies, following us out of the house.

I grab hold of Coral’s hand as we run to my truck, ignoring everyone attempting to keep the girl at the scene. I don’t fucking care about protocols right now. Coral doesn’t feel safe, and the woman who stole my heart could be injured. She’s coming with me.

Bishop jumps in the truck with us, not saying another word, but offering what support he can. We’ve always been as close as brothers, so he anticipates my thoughts better than anyone. When I tell him to call my mom, he’s already doing it.

Images of Mia flash through my mind, and the horrific thought of not hearing her snort while she laughs, or seeing the twinkle in her eyes when she teases me, or the wonder on her face when the baby moves, it’s almost too much.

“You need to calm down, man.”

Bishop’s words penetrate, but they don’t stop me from seeing Mia’s head tossed back in pleasure as I eat her pussy from one orgasm to another, over and over until neither of us can move.

We were getting to a good place. A place of accepting that we were more than a one-night stand. We were going to be a family, and if I lost either of them, would I want to carry on with life?

It’s a selfish thought. My family alone is plenty of reason to live, but handling a world where Mia isn’t part of it is unthinkable.

“Who was it?” I blurt out. I’d been so focused on Mia that the intruder never crossed my mind.

“I don’t know,” Coral whimpers as she grips her knees tightly, nails digging in. “I was so scared. Mia told me to hide, so I did.” She’s openly sobbing now, and I take her hand.

“It’s not your fault, Coral. Mia is a fierce protector; she never would have allowed you to be hurt.” The truth of that kills me. “Did you see her?”Do I even want to know?

“No. They took her to the ambulance before I was even out of the tub. I don’t know anything. I wish it was me.” The near-silent confession makes me hit the brakes and pull over to the side of the road.

Gripping Coral’s shoulders, I turn her to face me. “Listen. There isn’t a world in which that should have been you. It shouldn’t have been Mia, either, but if given the choice again, she would have done the same thing. I hate that she’s likely hurting, but she wouldn’t want you to blame yourself or wish for it to have been you. She got you and your sister out of your situation because you both deserve to have an amazing life.” Giving the girl a quick hug, we drive the rest of the way in silence.

Bishop is working to find out who broke in and hurt Mia, and as soon as he has a name, the man is fucking dead.

“Go. I’ll park,” Bishop offers as I screech to a halt in the ambulance bay.

“Come on.” I hold Coral’s hand again as we rush inside. Thankfully, the triage nurse isn’t busy and waves us over. “I’mlooking for my wife, MiaBella Dion; she was brought in by ambulance.”

The woman taps away on a keyboard before a noticeable change overtakes her expression, and the fear I’ve been fighting off sails in like a wrecking ball.

“She’s in surgery.” My heart plummets to my toes. “I’ll get a nurse to come down to get you. She’ll be able to give you a far better update than I can.”

Thanking her for her help, we move over to the waiting room chairs and drop into them. Coral slumps next to me, appearing every bit as torn up as I am.

“How long have you known Mia?” I ask.

“Six or seven months. She met Charlotte first.” I never got the details of their situation because, if I’m honest, it never mattered to me. They needed help, and I was there and willing to do it. “I met her about a month later, I guess. She’s the one who convinced us to come forward. Then Castle and Cross got involved, and that’s when…”

When Mia worked her magic to get them into Haven House.

CHAPTER 16

MiaBella

Everything hurts like little fires lit all over my body. My throat hurts, my head pounds, breathing makes me want to cry, and as I move my fingers, I whimper. At least, I think I do because I don’t hear anything above the incessant beeping sounds.

Movement in my belly sets off a chain reaction of agony, and I try to scream but am unable to do so. The room is blurry when my eyes crack open slightly, but I can’t see more than a few feet in front of me. Closing them again, I count down from one hundred until my nerves have calmed some and stopped the imminent freak out. Recalling what happened brings on an agonizing headache, so I start counting again.

“Miss Mia? Are you okay?” Coral’s sweet voice is like a violin at a symphony. Welcoming and calming.

Raising my hand slightly, the warmth of hers holding onto me is soothing. She rests her hand on my palm and quietly cries in the room.

When she collects herself, she says, “I’ll get Mr. Hendrix. He went to grab us some drinks and snacks. He didn’t want to leaveyou, I swear, but me wandering around alone was not a good idea, either.”

---