Page 16 of Veiled Vengeance

Asher gawks. “Seriously? You came here without an exit plan?”

“I’m not that dumb.” I nod my head, gesturing to the black SUV in front of us.

“We’re going to steal one of their cars? Are you sure you’ve thought this through?”

I scoff. “Of course, I have.No soy estúpido. It’s not like they don’t know where we live, or where we’re going. They can come get their car if they want to.”I’m not stupid.We approach the driver’s side rear door only to find it locked.

“What now, Einstein?”

I lift the butt of my gun and smash the window in. Glass rains down on the pavement and I reach my hand into the shattered window, careful to avoid shards of glass, and unlock the door.

With a flourish, I open the door and gesture for Asher to get in. “After you, my liege.”

Asher rolls his eyes and motions to step up into the car, but he falters. I’m right there to catch him, but I feel my heart stop. I don’t want to alarm anyone, but Asher doesn’t look good. The bullet wound in his shoulder needs to be treated. He’s lost so much blood.

I swipe the glass onto the floor, not even registering the small pricks in my arm when the shards of glass pierce my skin. “Vamos, viejo. Let’s get you in,” I grunt as I help lift Asher in.Come on, old man.

He glares once he’s settled in his seat. “I’m not that much older than you.”

I only smile as I close the door in his face. Peering into the back of the SUV, I see that Hayes has made himself comfortable in the back, with Iris in his lap. He strokes her hair softly and whispers encouraging reassurances in her ear. Zane got Spencersituated in the seat next to Asher and is fiddling around under the steering wheel, likely trying to hotwire the car.

Opening the passenger door, I hop in the car and buckle my seatbelt. “Click it or ticket,mis amigos,”I shout backwards.My friends.

The roar of the engine fills my ears, and Zane sits up in his seat. He throws the car into drive, and the tires squeal as he speeds away.

“Asher needs a doctor,” I whisper under my breath.

“Where do you think I’m heading?” Zane’s voice has an edge to it, and I don’t blame him. What we walked in on was worse than what I imagined. I knew it would be bad—I know how these things go—but there’s a reason they say seeing and believing are two different things.

Anthony is going to die a slow death for what he did to them. With the way Iris’s pants hung down around her legs and the dried blood on her inner thighs, it’s not hard to guess what happened to her. Asher’s bruises were expected but still alarming. I know he’s tough, but that doesn’t mean I want his limits to be tested. Then I saw Spencer, her ripped dress, and the black tear streaks that stained her cheeks . . .

Yeah, Anthony is fucking dead.

I turn my head back to check on everyone. Asher is lying across the seat with his head in Spencer’s lap. His eyes are closed, but he speaks in a hushed voice that only Spencer can hear. She runs her hands through his hair and talks with him in the same tone.

I hate knowing that they went through . . . whatever that fucker put them through. But I’m happy they had each other in that hellhole.

We pullup to the emergency room doors of St. Barnabas Hospital. The tame, brown brick building is in complete contrast with the chaos inside.

Zane throws the car into park, and we hop out together. “Are you sure Elena is on shift?”

“She basically lives here. If she’s not, she’s probably inside somewhere.”

As we gather Spencer and Asher from the backseat, Hayes gets out of the back with Iris still in his arms. Zane runs inside and comes back out, followed by nurses and doctors with gurneys. They quickly get Asher loaded onto one and Spencer on another. They shout rapid-fire questions, asking about their condition and what’s wrong. We answer each one as best we can.

Iris fights the doctor who is attempting to load her on a bed. She clings to Hayes’s neck, refusing to release him or go anywhere without him.

“No! Don’t touch me!” Iris kicks at the closest doctor.

Elena appears at the door, and her eyes widen in shock. She dashes toward us. “Stop it!” she yells as she pulls on the shoulder of the male doctor who has a hold of Iris’s ankle. “What the hell is wrong with you?” She doesn’t give him a chance to respond. “Inside, now! Go make your rounds.”

Iris cries and Hayes keeps his arms firmly around her. “It’s okay. It’s okay,” he tells her.

Elena places a hand on Hayes’s shoulder. “If you wouldn’t mind coming with me, I can get her checked out inside. Are you okay to keep carrying her?”

Hayes nods and follows Elena inside.

The other nurses and doctors follow after Elena and head inside with Spencer and Asher. Zane and I follow suit and split when Spencer is taken to one room and Asher another. Zane tilts his head, gesturing to Spencer’s door, then walks into Asher’s room.

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