Page 78 of Chief's Addiction

“How are you feeling? For real this time,” Mason asked, perching carefully on the edge of the bed.

“Like I got hit by a truck, then the truck backed up and hit me again,” I admitted, wincing as I tried to shift positions. My entire body protested the movement.

His jaw clenched. “Doc said the pain meds would wear off about now. I’ll get him to bring you something stronger.”

“What happened exactly?” I asked, struggling to fill in the gaps in my memory.

Mason’s expression darkened. “You were at the mall with Beckett. Spike and his men grabbed you both and took you to a warehouse near the docks.”

As Mason spoke, it all came flooding back. The mall, the van, thinking we were going to die in that warehouse. The memories were so vivid, so terrifying.

“Beckett!” I cried out, struggling to sit up. “Where’s Beckett? Is he okay?” Pain shot through my ribs and up my spine, but I didn’t care. I needed to know he was safe.

“Whoa, easy,” Mason said, gently pushing me back against the pillows. “Beckett is fine. He’s been hanging out in the Matrix with Zero for the past couple hours.”

My brows furrowed in confusion. “The Matrix?”

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he brushed a strand of hair away from my face. “It’s what the guys call the tech room downstairs where Zero keeps all his computer shit. The kid’s fascinated with all that stuff, apparently.”

I closed my eyes in relief. Beckett was okay. He was safe. Mason was here. We’d made it out.

“You love me?” I asked suddenly, my brain circling back to what he’d said to my brother. The words had spilled out before I could stop them.

Mason leaned closer, pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. “Yeah, I do,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “Don’t have a lot of practice saying it, but it’s true.”

I searched his face, looking for any hint of doubt or hesitation. There was none. Just raw, unfiltered honesty in those dark eyes.

“I love you too,” I breathed, suddenly exhausted despite having just woken up. My eyelids felt like they had weights attached to them.

“You need to rest.”

“Stay with me?” I asked, fighting to keep my eyes open.

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away,” he promised, his hand finding mine again.

As I drifted off, I found myself hoping that my brother would come around, that he’d see how happy Mason made me. But even if he didn’t, I knew where I belonged now.

Right here, with the man who had moved heaven and earth to find me.

Chapter 19

Chief

I sat beside Cora’s bed, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she slept.

Doc had given her something stronger for the pain, and she’d drifted off mid-sentence while telling me about some surfboard she wanted to buy for Beckett. The thought of her planning for the kid’s future even while she was laid up in bed, battered and bruised, made something in my chest squeeze tight.

My fierce, stubborn woman had a heart of gold.

I ran my hand lightly over her forearm, careful to avoid the IV line and the ugly purple bruises that circled her wrists. The evidence of what that motherfucker had done to her was written all over her body—the swollen eye, the stitches at her temple, the deep dog bite on her calf. Each mark was like a knife in my gut, a reminder that I’d failed to protect her.

The door creaked open slightly, pulling me from my dark thoughts. A small face with big jade green eyes and dark hair peered around the edge. It took me a second to recognize her. She was the brunette from Spike’s warehouse, the one Killer had been guarding like a junkyard dog for the past week. Memphis. That was her name.

When her eyes came to mine, they went wide with alarm. She jerked backward, trying to disappear behind the door.

“Stop,” I said, keeping my voice low enough not to wake Cora but firm enough that the girl froze like a deer in headlights.

She remained half-hidden behind the door, one slim hand clutching the doorframe so hard her knuckles were white. Fear was radiating off of her in waves. Jesus, I knew what those bastards had done to her, but seeing the fear firsthand wasn’t something I’d get used to.

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