Page 47 of Cherished By the Sinners
“Are you two finished?”Mason asked the techs once Darlene came back out.All the blood that had been on her had been washed off, leaving her pale with dark circles under her eyes.
The bruising on her neck and arms looked even more pronounced.
It made Mason want to kill something slowly with his hands.Preferably, the asshole who’d hurt her.
“Yes, but—” the female tech began.“We’re supposed to stay with you until we touch base with Detective Johnson.”
“Give us a minute,” Magnus said.“We need to talk to our employee.”
The two techs both raised their eyebrows.Their disbelief painfully obvious.
Mason had to put a lot of effort into keeping his mouth shut.Yeah, yeah, we’re acting like boyfriends, not employers.Mind your own damned business.
The two techs did move to the other side of the room, though, which was acceptable.
Mason crouched down in front of Darlene and took both her hands in his.“Are you in pain?Do you have any other bruises like the one on your leg?”
She snorted.“I’m still swimming in adrenaline, so I’m not feeling much yet.Besides my neck, that one on my ankle is the worst.”
“Let me see,” Mason said, leaning toward her to see her neck.
Magnus joined him, lifting her hair out of the way.
The bruising on her skin told a story of violence and fear.
Mason reached out, but didn’t quite touch her.Causing her additional pain was unacceptable.“I’m so sorry we weren’t there to prevent this.”
“You can’t be everywhere at once.That awful cop went to a lot of trouble to get both of you out of the way.”
“He did, didn’t he?”Magnus asked.“I wonder how much money that asshole was making from this bit of theatre?”
Darlene snorted again, but this time it was part of a laugh.“If he was getting paid, someone had to be paying him.”
“Indeed,” Magnus said.“We will follow the money.”
Mason didn’t say anything, he couldn’t.An earthquake was happening inside his body, shaking him apart.Heneededto do something, heneededto protect Darlene, with his body if necessary.But, with so many eyes on them, he couldn’t.
He was afraid, very afraid, that if he showed her how desperately he wanted to touch her, comfort her, guard her, she’d run.
She squeezed his hands, and his gaze met hers.She smiled lopsidedly.“Hug?”
Her request cut the bonds he’d imposed on himself, and he reached for her.He grabbed her up and wrapped her in his arms, pulling her as close as he could get her.
The scent of her in his nose, her body fitting against his as if she’d been made for him, was a relief so profound, tears flowed down his face.“Thank you,” he whispered into her ear.“Thank you.”
He crouched there for long seconds, holding Darlene.
She sniffled a few times too, then sighed.“We should go.I’m getting tired and I still haven’t gone to the hospital.”
She looked over Mason’s shoulder and smiled.“Magnus looks like he’s standing guard over us.”
Mason glanced at his brother, who was standing right behind him blocking the view the techs had of him and Darlene and nodded.
When Mason got to his feet, Magnus leaned down to whisper to Darlene, “I will always have my brother’s back and yours.”
“We can go now,” Mason said to the two techs, who picked up their gear and walked out of the change room.
Nika was waiting for them in the lobby.After a few words with the techs, she turned to Darlene, she smiled.“You look much better.”Nika ducked and Darlene lifted her chin.“That looks nasty though.I still want you to go to the hospital.”Nika studied Magnus and Mason.“Magnus, please accompany Darlene along with Detective Davis to the hospital.Mason, you’re with me.”
