“Yes, Ry. Please go get yourself looked at and then go home to your sister and brothers. Come back tomorrow, and we’ll talk more then,” he slurs, his head lulling to the side, half in and out of sleep.
Sighing, I stand from my seat. They’re right. I need to check on the kids. I can’t begin to process how I will tell them Dad’s back or that their mom is a conniving bitch who tried to kill our dad.
I rub my fingers across my forehead, feeling the dried blood caked on my skin, the realization making me itchy.
“Okay, Dad. I’ll be back tomorrow,” I say as I bend, kissing the top of his head, “with the kids. They’ll be so excited to see you.”
I want to tell him how big they’ve grown and how hard it’s been, but his light snores signal he’s no longer awake. I peer down at him one more time, soaking in the fact that he’s here before I turn to exit the room.
Walking down the hallway, I pass room after room, each filled with someone injured from tonight’s rescue. A level of guilt hits me. They’re here because they came to save me. That feeling quickly morphs into a simmering rage. Rage at so many people but specifically the incubator that birthed me.
I’m coming to the end of the hall when I catch a glimpse of a slender frame with black hair.
Sam. Her body is facing away from the glass.
Do I go inside? I should go inside. Steeling myself, I push open the door. She doesn’t even react. I don’t want to spook her by getting too close.
Clearing my throat, my words soft, “Sam.” She still jumps at the sounds of my voice.
Shit.
“Sorry,” I whisper, “I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to check on you before I go home.”
Sam slowly turns, mottled bruises line her face, and a splint covers her nose. She looks awful, but that’s not what shocks me. It’s the glare she levels me with. Her ice-blue eyes pierce the dimly lit room. I’m sure her nose would be scrunched in disdain if it wasn’t immobilized.
“What the fuck do you want, you gutter troll? Did you think we would magically be friends because we were taken together?” she snaps.
Rolling my eyes, I try to remind myself of what she’s been through, but fuck that.
“Good to see your glowing personality is alive and well. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
She huffs a laugh, “Okay? I was fucking raped, and no one came to look for me when the rescue happened. Instead, they were all too busy trying to find you.”
My heart breaks a fraction at her words. She’s angry. Her following words incinerate any sympathy I had for her.
“It should’ve been you having your face smashed as two men fucked you. You probably would’ve enjoyed it like the skank you are.”
I gasp, my jaw dropping at her acerbic words.
“You might be hurting, but you don’t get to be a fucking spineless bitch because of it,” I yell. Fuck decorum. Who the hell says shit like that to someone? “Rowan probably didn’t look for you because you’re dead inside. And yes, I know you meant
Rowan didn’t look for you. He’s who you care about, isn’t he?” I ask, my head tilting to the side. She flinches at my pointed question.
“How does it feel to know that he came to find me, the trash, and not once sought you out? Has he even checked in on you?” I jibe, relentless in the evisceration of her. She never knows when to keep her fake ass lips shut.
“They all came for me, even Rowan. I’m the reason they were there. You weren’t even an afterthought,” I grit through clenched teeth. “You might be a decent person if your mouth could be glued shut.”
Turning, I yank the door open, ignoring whatever the ungrateful brat squawks.
Fuck that stupid hoe.
* * *
“I can’t believe you ignored the doctor’s orders and came to get me. Thomas, are you crazy? What if you got hurt or, worse, killed?” I shout at the giant man driving.
“I assure you, Emma, I was fine. I am fine.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I suck my teeth.
Big dummy. Why don’t men ever want to listen to doctors’ orders?
“Right, your zero years of medical school allowed you to give yourself a clean bill of health,” I mumble, and the big oaf bursts out laughing.
“No medical school, but I’d say my years in the military provided me with some experience.”
“Okay, I’ll give you that,” I snark. He’s more than proven his capabilities. I’m just worried. An image of him lying on the pavement as blood pools around him flickers across my mind.
That can’t happen again.
My voice cracks, “Look. I just don’t want you to get hurt because of me. I’m beyond thankful you came for me, that all of you came for me.”
The car pulls to a stop, causing me to look up and realize we’re home. His throat clears, making me turn. His hand resting on the door handle but not pulling it open. His stare pins me to the spot. “I know you’re worried about my well-being, and I greatly appreciate you for it, but you’re like a daughter to me, so know if the choice is ever your life or mine, there is no choice. It will be yours.”
The surety in his words freezes me to my spot. Since coming into my life, Thomas filled the role that my parents haven’t been able to over the last two years.
Warmth envelops me at his willingness to care for my well being, “How about I don’t put myself in situations to make that a viable option?”
He smiles, nodding as he opens the door, “That sounds like a smart plan.”
Squeals shift my focus to the window in time to see Jamie, Kellan, and Kylan torpedoing for the car. I don’t wait for Thomas to come around. Pushing out the door, I jump out and open my arms as my three siblings tackle me.
“Ry,” they all scream. I bask in the warmth of their hugs as tears stream down my face.
I thought I might not ever see them again.
Squeezing them tighter, I say, “I missed you all so much.”
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.