The question echoes through the incessant beeping of the otherwise quiet hospital room.
My whole life, I’ve been afraid of laying my feelings bare. Of getting hurt, of not being enough. But looking at him now-injured, yet still trying to comfort me-I realize something:
I’ve never wanted to run from anything less in my life.
For the first time in forever, I’m not afraid of falling. I hold his steady gaze, letting the truth take root, and rasp in a trembling voice, “I… I?-“
Simon
This is it. The moment I’ve been waiting for, and my pulse speeds up as the suspense builds.
I can see it in her eyes, feel it in the way her fingers tighten around mine, she’s bracing herself for a monumental declaration.
A loud knock cuts her off, and I swear under my breath as a doctor steps inside, completely oblivious about ripping away a moment I’ve longed for since meeting the woman.
“Who’s here for Simon Jones?” the doctor asks, adjusting the mask over his face. “I’ll show you to the window where you can pick up his medication, and I also need to go over some after-care instructions.”
Victoria hesitates, glancing back at me, her lips parted like she’s considering ignoring him.
Please, just say it. Just finish what you were going to say.
With a soft squeeze of my hand, she sighs and stands up. “That’s me. Simon, I’ll be right back. Just relax and get some rest, okay?”
Rest? After that? Not a chance.
But I knew I’d have to be patient with her after everything that happened with her ex, so that’s perfectly fine. I can wait if I have to; I just hope that I’ll hear those three little words before the wedding. Because after that, everything will change.
I’m still cursing the shitty timing when my phone vibrates on the bedside table. I grab it without thinking, swiping to answer. “Yeah?”
Luis’s voice booms through the speaker. “Sir, I’m so sorry about the trouble at the bar. I’m here at the hospital with the team to check on you.”
I sit up straighter. “Wait, you’re here? You don’t have to?-“
Before I can finish, the line goes dead. I blink at the screen. That bastard hung up on me, too eager to do his job than to listen to me tell him I don’t currently want him to.
I ring Luis back, but he doesn’t answer. I’m thumbing out a text to him when he bursts into the room, a man on a mission.
Nope, not just Luis. He’s flanked by three towering bodyguards dressed in matching black suits. They look like they belong at a high-profile celebrity event, preventing exuberant fans from making contact, not storming a damn hospital ward.
Luis pants as if he just sprinted up the stairs. “Sir, are you all right? I’ve brought a full security team to ensure no one lays a finger on you in this hospital.”
I drop my head back against the pillow, wincing slightly at the knot, despite the softness. “And did you forget my presence here was supposed to remain covert? You’re gonna be in big trouble if Victoria finds out about this.”
Not that I can see for myself, but I’d bet a grand his eyes go wide under those dark glasses. The line of his body snaps tight as he says, “Shoot, I was so worried about you, I completely forgot about not blowing our cover around her.”
“I’ll reveal the truth soon enough. For now, I want you to make her safety your top priority. Call up the local police and district attorney and do whatever it takes to ensure Elon Madison is never a threat to Victoria ever again. There should be plenty of witnesses from outside the club to help make that happen.”
“Understood. I’ll get on it right away.” Luis nods at the man on his left, who nods in return and charges out the door, already off on his mission.
“How’re the wedding plans coming along?” I ask.
“Don’t worry. Everything’s going smoothly, sir.”
Through the cracked door, I hear Victoria’s voice. “Yes, doctor. I’ll be sure to watch for signs of a concussion.”
“Shit, she’s here,” I whisper-yell. “Go!”
It’s too late, though.
She’s pushing inside, her eyebrows lifting higher and higher as her gaze bounces between me and the men standing guard like a damn presidential detail. “Simon? There’s hardcore guys in suits sweeping the halls. I made a joke to my mom that there must be an FBI convention in town. They’re here for you?”
Victoria
“Simon.” My voice is slow, measured. “What the hell is going on?”
I made that joke to my mom earlier, never guessing they’d be here for my injured fiancé. “When they were doing the sweep of the lobby, they were talking about detaining anybody suspicious and?-“
I get a closer look at the giant dude in the center, noting he looks very, very familiar. “I knew I recognized that profile.”
Under any other circumstances, I’d laugh at someone that large slinking away like he can slip into the shadows and magically disappear.
“Don’t even think about it,” I say, jabbing a finger at his chest and deciding I’ll get the explanation from him if Simon isn’t going to give it. “Luis, explain.
Now.”
He glances at Simon, entreating him for backup, so I turn my glare on my fiancé, too.
“Somebody needs to let me in on what’s going on.” I cross my arms, extra tight so they can see I mean business.
Simon sighs from the bed, rubbing at his temples with his fingertips and weighing his words. “Luis is just… being extra cautious. That’s all.”
“Extra cautious,” I repeat in an even keel, not an easy feat after the evening we’ve had. “He and his men went all SWAT team sweeping the hospital lobby.”
Luis clears his throat. “I, uh… Well, ensuring the security of…”
“It’s just a precaution,” Simon says, as evidently Luis isn’t going to finish any of those sentences.
I scrunch up my forehead. “A precaution against what, exactly?”
Anger hardens Simon’s features, his fingers flexing against the hospital blanket. “Against Elon.”
His name sends a chill down my spine. The fear I felt around him in high school is even worse now that I’ve witnessed how far he’ll go and what he’s capable of.
“Luis runs security-it’s why he has connections in every corner. Since he’s also my friend, I asked for his help ensuring our safety. He’s going to make sure Elon is never a threat to you ever again.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.