Page 105 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
Dazed, I struggled to rise, but George kicked me in the ribs, the blow flipping me onto my back. He towered over me, lips curled in a sneer.
“Pathetic. You thought you could beat me? Look who’s got the upper hand now. Not such a tough guy, are you? At my feet, where that bitch Zoey would be. I’d make you suck my cock, butyou’re not my type.” He scoffed. “I don’t have time. I have to go get the fucking brat.”
“You probably couldn’t get it up, anyway,” I spat, glaring up at him from where I lay crumpled on the pavement.
George’s face twisted with rage. Before I could react, he kicked my jaw so hard that my head snapped back and my mouth filled with the coppery taste of blood.
Spots danced in my vision as I struggled to focus. I heard the click of a gun being cocked and forced my eyes open to see George taking aim, the barrel of his pistol pointed directly at my head.
But just as George’s finger tightened on the trigger, the wail of approaching sirens shattered the tense silence. His head whipped around, a snarl of frustration contorting his features.
“This isn’t over,” he growled, lowering the gun. Backing toward his car, he kept his eyes locked on mine. “I’ll be back for the kid. And for you.”
Then he wrenched open the driver’s side door and got in behind the wheel. I watched helplessly as he gunned the engine, tires squealing against the asphalt. With a sharp jerk of the wheel, he mounted the curb, then executed a hasty three-point turn behind Zoey’s car and tore off down the narrow alley I had used to overtake him.
Ro was my last desperate thought as the edges of my vision began to darken and the pain threatened to pull me under.
The sirens grew louder, blue and red lights strobing across the night sky. My tenuous grip on consciousness slipped away.
Then darkness washed over me.
30
NOAH
Floating.
That was the only way I could describe the sensation as I slowly drifted back to awareness. It felt like I was suspended in a warm, dark void, detached from the physical world.
Gradually, muffled sounds began to filter through the haze. A rhythmic beeping, the soft whoosh of air, quiet murmurs.
“...going to be okay...” Zoey’s voice said, strained but reassuring. “...had an operation, but the doctor said he’ll be fine...”
Her voice pierced through the fog in my mind, and I latched onto it like a lifeline. I struggled to open my eyes, fighting against the heaviness that weighed down my entire body. It took a monumental effort, but finally, I cracked my lids open, wincing at the harsh fluorescent light.
“Noah?” Zoey’s face swam into view. “Can you hear me?”
My throat was rough like sandpaper, but I forced the words out. “Ro... is he...?”
“He’s safe,” Zoey said quickly, putting her hand on my arm. “Thanks to you. You saved him.”
Relief crashed over me in a dizzying wave. Ro was safe. My eyes flicked down to where Zoey’s fingers rested against my skin, the contact sending a tingle of electricity through my nerve endings. But what about...
The thought trailed off as I took in my surroundings—the sterile white walls, the beeping monitors, the IV line snaking from my arm. Hospital. I was in the hospital.
“What... happened?” I croaked, trying to piece together my fractured memories. “George...?”
Zoey’s eyes darkened. “He got away. But the police are searching for him.” She squeezed my arm. “Don’t worry about that now. Just focus on getting better.”
I wanted to argue, to demand more answers, but exhaustion seeped into my heavy limbs, dragging me back down into the waiting darkness. As my eyes fluttered closed, I heard Zoey’s soft, soothing voice.
“Rest now. I’ll be here when you wake up. I promise.”
Sometime later, sobbing woke me up. “It’s all my fault!” Ro cried out, his small frame shaking. “If I hadn’t snuck out of the car, Dad wouldn’t have hurt Noah.”
My heart clenched at the anguish in his voice. I wanted to sit up, to reach out and comfort him, but my body was like lead, weighed down by pain and fatigue.
“Oh, honey, no.” Zoey gathered Ro into her arms. “None of this is your fault. You hear me? None of it.”
