Page 97 of The Firebrand
“They should have called the desk to leave your name. Hospital rules allow only family in here.”
Rein sauntered up to the nurse, fingering her ID tag. “Susan. Such a lovely name.” Stroking her temple, he pretended to brush back a lock of hair.
The female relaxed. Her jaw dropped slightly, and her pupils took on a lazy, dreamy stare. “I must have been so caught up in my reports. We’ve been expecting you.”
She stumbled out the door, shaking her head.
Rein paced the room for hours. He memorized each chip in the paint, each faded tile, each piece of equipment. When he sat, he touched Braelyn’s cheek, watching her breathe. Tired of that, he opened a window. With elbows on the sill, he gazed out at the lights twinkling in offices, listened to the muted hum of traffic, observed the near-empty parking lot. It was late. When he returned to his vigil in the chair beside the bed, he clasped Braelyn’s hand between both of his. He kissed her fingers one by one.
“When you wake, you’re coming home with me. Just until you’re safe. I’ll deal with your chit-chat, your messes, your complications. I’ll manage my urges. My problem. Not yours. When all’s clear, you can return to Earth.”
Feeling better with a solid plan, he put his head on the edge of the mattress and closed his eyes. He dreamed of Braelyn in the alley. In that moment, he was helpless, her hand wrapped around a cup of coffee and a silly cellphone at her ear. He tucked her against his body, pressing his lips to hers. He tongued every sweet crevice of her mouth while she responded to him with equal passion.
****
Jacewoke up toasty, snuggled under a cozy comforter atop a plush mattress, a soft pillow under her head. She slitted her eyes in case anyone was nearby, twisting her neck left. Right. No one.
Strange.
Scooting up to lean against the headboard, she rubbed the sleeve of her white cotton pajamas between a thumb and forefinger. She was clean. She was freshly clothed.
Months ago, Jace had been imprisoned in the root cellar of a farmhouse. She escaped, running until she collapsed. Not giving up, she crawled, but a monster with fangs…
No. I can’t even think about the man with the red eyes of death.
After the monster, she had awakened in a fetid, damp cell where other captives were being tortured. If the screams were any indication. A very big guy stuck a needle in her arm to draw blood. Once he slammed the cage door shut, Jace suffered alone in the cold with only a thin mat on the ground and a smelly, threadbare blanket to keep her warm.
Grabbing a strand of blonde hair that had fallen over her shoulder, she brought it to her nose.
Crisp, clean, citrusy.
Jace sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, waiting for the dizziness to pass.
She surveyed the new, large room. Two chairs sat off to one side. She wobbled upright, sinking bare feet into the thick carpet. She wandered over to a floor-to-ceiling bookcase.
After perusing a few titles, she pivoted toward the other wall. Heavy drapes hung over a window. Curious about what lay behind the fabric, she pulled them open. No. Brick. Her stomach clenched.
To the side of the faux window was a door. Jace opened it. A closet filled with pants and shirts. Mostly sweats, jeans, tops. In her sizes. She gazed at the floor. Running shoes, boots, slippers. She rushed to the dresser. The top drawers contained panties, bras, socks. The bottom, more pajamas. Again, her sizes.
She flung open another door. A bathroom. It looked fully stocked. Panic bubbled up like bile in her throat. The room was prepped for the long haul.
Approaching the remaining door, Jace wrapped her hand around the knob, twisting. It was locked.
She pounded on the wood, calling for help. No one answered. Striking harder with two fists, she yelled. After what seemed like hours of screaming and banging, her arms grew weak, her throat sore. She slid to the floor, weeping softly, persisting with weakened taps.
I won’t give up. I won’t give up. I’m not a quitter.
She must have fallen asleep, because she roused when the jarring edge of the door rammed into her back.
“Move, damn it,” a deep, gruff voice growled at her. Jace scooted along the carpet to get out of the way.
With the door cracked wider, the voice grumbled, “Come out to eat. Meet your fellow inmate. You’ll be spending a lot of time together.”
Jace pushed up onto two hands and her knees until her legs were steady. She peeked out the open door, venturing a cautious step into the other room. Her gaze pinged around before she focused on individual items. A sofa along with a couple of chairs fronted a television. A cozy fireplace stood off to the side. A kitchen was on the other end. No windows. Three doors, including where she stood.
A huge male with gigantic arms loomed near a table. He slammed down two steaming plates of food. His index finger pointed to a chair in front of one plate. “Sit.”
Once Jace obeyed the command, he disappeared into another room. When she heard muffled voices, Jace raced for the third door. It was locked. Just when she scrambled back into her seat, the man returned, yanking a woman by an arm. She bent forward to bite his hand. He slapped her across the face, shook her, and shoved her into the other chair at the table.
