Pack of Lies, page 39
I couldn’t say he controlled the Centre as a whole, but he was their man on the ground.
“Is he OK?” I asked the nurse, hurrying after her down a series of hallways.
“Ask him yourself.” She gestured into a room, where Denzel was sitting up on a hospital bed slurping at a cup of jello.
Marlowe got to him first, barely restraining himself from the running leap he almost made onto the bed. Denzel looked a little beat up, his head wrapped and neck still braced. The thin blanket pooled around his hips, a hospital gown hanging loosely over his form.
He accepted the kisses his mate rained on him with only a slight wince.
I hung back near the end of the bed, tentative. He might have been woozy when he told me he loved me. Fuck, I was woozy too. I’d meant it but saying it out loud had been a bit soon. He hadn’t even apologized yet.
Sure, he’d thrown himself over a railing to save my life, but there was something about those two little words. ‘I’m sorry.’ I wanted them coming out of his mouth.
“How are you feeling?” Marlowe demanded, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Broken rib kind of feels like shit, and my head isn’t doing the best, but I’m fine.”
“What about the neck brace?” I asked.
His eyes snapped to me, looking me up and down keenly. Checking me for injuries. “Nurse says it was a precaution, but I’m fine to have it taken off. They want to keep me overnight, but I’m ready to leave.”
“If they say you should stay, you should stay,” Marlowe insisted.
“No,” Denzel stated.
He got as far as swinging his legs off the side of the bed, but my hand on his thigh stopped him. “You jumped from the second story of a warehouse less than two hours ago. You need to stay.”
The shaking of his head was cut off by his wince and the brace immobilizing him. He brought his hands up to try and get it off. “We’re going home.”
“There are no medical professionals at home.”
“Exactly,” he muttered.
He figured out how they attached the brace, removing it from his neck and leaving it on the thin mattress. There was no stopping him in his quest to get up, and Reese rushed to his side to support him so he wouldn’t fall.
“Not having nurses isn’t going to be a good thing,” Reese muttered.
“I’m going home. Thorn isn’t staying here surrounded by these fucking medical people, and I’m not spending another second without her.”
All I needed to do to squeeze some care and affection out of this asshole was come within a hair’s breadth of dying.
My heart was doing all sorts of stupid things in my chest. Like pitter-pattering over how much he cared about my comfort. I’d been trying not to show it, but looking at the machines surrounding him made me queasy and panicked.
Reese sighed and Marlowe returned to my side, clasping my hand.
“You’re picking a really annoying time to start caring about other people,” Reese said.
“Shut the fuck up and help me get my clothes on.”
I dragged Marlowe out, figuring it was best if Denzel kept some of his dignity around his omegas.
The hallway was less oppressive than the medical room and having Marlowe beside me calmed me too. He leaned against my side, both of us covered in blood and looking kind of like shit. The two alphas stumbled out of the hospital room a couple minutes later, the nurse doing a double take.
“Mr. Peirce, it would be better if you didn’t wander yet,” she said.
“I’m going home.”
“You haven’t been discharged.”
“I’m discharging myself. Tell the doctor to give me a prescription for whatever meds I need to not feel like garbage, and I’ll sign the forms on the way out.”
“If you leave now you acknowledge—”
“I’m taking my omegas home,” he snapped. “They need me at home.”
She looked at us, her lips pursed in a mix of irritation and concern. Marlowe and I shrugged. “We didn’t tell him that,” Marlowe said. “But he likes to pretend we’re damsels in distress. It’s a habit of his.”
“In case you don’t remember, I just jumped off a goddamn balcony to save Thorn’s life, after she put herself in danger to save your life. I think that makes both of you damsels in distress,” Denzel grunted.
Marlowe and I shared an eye roll, and the nurse was looking amused now.
“This is why I hate treating alphas,” she said. “With him leaving against our advice, make sure you’re prepared to take care of him.”
“We’ve got him, don’t worry,” I reassured her.
She strode off to get the paperwork and the doctor, leaving us to deal with the overprotective alpha. I hated how his incessant need to protect was becoming endearing. We’d slowly made our way to the nurse’s station when Quentin rushed inside, his eyebrows drawn together.
“You’re leaving?” he asked, glancing at his brother. We all nodded. “Denny, I really wish you would listen to the fucking doctors, but we’ve got another problem, anyway. Jubilee got arrested. If we’re all leaving, you’ll have to drop me at the GPRE HQ in New Oxford.”
FIFTY-FIVE
THORN
Denzel collapsed onto the bed in the spare bedroom with a series of groans that had Marlowe and I exchanging a worried glance. Reese had helped him into the house and up the stairs, but there was only so much of his weight he could bear for him.
They’d managed a sponge bath to get the blood off Denzel, while Marlowe and I took the shortest showers in the history of ever.
He probably should have stayed at the hospital.
I respected his decision not to stay, though, and appreciated that he’d done it for me. Every time I saw a nurse in light blue, ice ran through my veins. This time around had been better, because I hadn’t been the focus of the medical attention, but it hadn’t been the most comfortable experience in the world. I wouldn’t have been able to sleep there, and after everything I’d been through, I needed sleep. Lots of it.
Reese came over to me when Denzel was settled and panting, pressing a kiss to my temple. “I’m going to be in my bedroom if you need anything. Make sure he sleeps.”
It was doubtful I could make Denzel do anything he didn’t want to, but he looked tired. He probably wouldn’t be awake for long.
Before Reese could leave the room, I went up on my toes for a sweet kiss. “Tell us the moment Quentin calls about Jubilee,” I requested.
“Of course, precious. He’ll be home soon too.”
With the GPRE currently holding him for questioning, it was impossible to know. Quentin had initially said he was arrested, but he’d later determined it might have been for show. There was video footage of him, Dash, and Mercury being led out of that downtown skyscraper in handcuffs.
It really didn’t make the GPRE look good, shutting down a broadcast calling them out. Whoever gave that order might end up fired when this was all said and done.
Unfortunately, for the moment my mate was all wrapped up in their bureaucracy.
Reese left the three of us alone, the air stiff with tension. There were so many words unspoken.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, trying to pull a blanket up over Denzel’s body.
Marlowe hovered on the other side of the bed, rearranging things on the nightstand. Pain medication and water. A dry cloth.
My attempt to cover Denzel up was cut off when he shoved at my hands with a little growl. His arm caught me around the waist and tugged me closer, half onto the bed, and I let out a little squeak. “Good enough for you to be in bed with me.”
“Denzel...” I said. “I shouldn’t be in bed bumping into you.”
“I’m fine.”
Marlowe laughed, his eyes red-rimmed from all the crying he’d been doing, and climbed in on the other side of Denzel. I sighed and settled. Clearly, his bondmate wasn’t too worried about the potential effects of us ramming our elbows into him while we slept. I wasn’t the most immobile sleeper, and after a day like the one we’d had I was liable to wake up screaming from a nightmare.
“He’s too stubborn to say no to,” Marlowe murmured.
“You’re stubborn too,” Denzel muttered. “I just never knew it. Why did you think it was a good idea to go into the city without me?”
The glance Marlowe gave him was withering, but then his eyes widened and he sat straight up in bed. “Leighton! Is she OK? I told myself she was fine, and then you got hurt and I couldn’t entertain the possibility of both of you being injured…”
“She’s fine,” Denzel reassured him. “Bet she’s eager to talk to you, though. I don’t have my phone, but you should go call her from Reese’s cell.”
He popped up so fast I would be shocked if he didn’t get a head rush.
The other omega was out of the room quickly, promising to be right back. Denzel yanked me nearer and I tried to disentangle myself from his grip when I felt his wince. “You’re hurting yourself. You need to sleep alone.”
“No. I told you; I don’t want you to be away from me again.”
“I’ll be in the house.”
“Not close enough. Fuck, Thorn, I thought I’d lost Marlowe, and then I thought I’d lost you, and then you came fucking inches away from falling by yourself. You wouldn’t have survived that.”
I swallowed. I probably wouldn’t have. Omegas were physically weaker than alphas, regardless of how often I insisted I could do everything myself.
“I survived, and so did you,” I said.
“I’m sorry.”
This time I turned instead of trying to get away, the one arm he had slung beneath me pulling me closer. We were pressed together from cheek to toes, but I couldn’t see his face. I pushed myself up on an elbow, staring down at him. He averted his eyes.
“What was that? I’m going to have to hear it again so I know I’m not hallucinating,” I said dryly.
“I’m sorry.”
“How about you look me in the eyes when you say it?”
His gaze flicked back to mine. He didn’t even get all grumpy about being told to repeat himself. “I’m sorry, Thorn.”
“Tell me what you’re apologizing for.”
I didn’t trust this man as much as I would like to, and if he tried to say he was apologizing for being right, I might knee him in the balls on the way out of this bedroom.
“I’m sorry for lying. I’m sorry for thinking it was right to lie in the first place. I’m sorry for equating you with Ava and treating you the way I did because of that. I’m sorry for dumping my trauma on the entire pack and not telling you that I was in love with you because I felt like that would make the possibility of losing you way too fucking real.”
He was fighting back tears again.
This silly alpha was a big, broken teddy bear.
“I’m sorry for failing you.”
I stopped him there with a finger over his lips. “That’s not something I need an apology for, because I know you’re not talking about failing me by keeping secrets. You think you failed me by having me end up in that warehouse in the first place, don’t you?”
Hesitantly, he nodded.
“Not your fault. Just like Ava getting dark bonded wasn’t your fault. We live in a fucked up world, and you can’t always keep the darkness out. The people to blame for mine and Marlowe’s kidnapping are the people behind the Centre, and only Ava’s dark bonded alphas are to blame for how she gave up on the world.”
Denzel didn’t try to argue with me, biting his lip. I imagined he was tempted, but this was him making an effort. It wouldn’t be enough to fix everything he’d broken — the pack, the bond with Marlowe, my trust in him — but it was a start. A step in the right direction.
“Thank you for the apology,” I said, leaning in to kiss his nose. “As soon as you’re well enough to walk on your own, we’re making you an appointment with a goddamn therapist.”
He opened his mouth.
“Don’t argue with me.”
He shot me a pouty scowl. “I was not going to argue. All I wanted to say was thank you. For giving me another chance. I know I don’t deserve one.”
“You don’t, but jumping off a second story balcony and nearly dying is admittedly giving you points in your favour.”
“I’d do it again.”
“How sweet. Maybe I should push you next time.”
Huffing a laugh, he tried to lean up to kiss me, only getting a portion of the way there before he slumped back down with a pained groan. The uncomfortable grumpy expression on his face had me giggling and leaning down for a kiss. I took my time and made it soft, barely running my tongue along his lips.
He ended up cutting off the kiss by yawning.
“Fuck, sorry,” he said tiredly.
His eyes were blurry, eyelids falling closed. I grinned and settled back down beside him. His body heat was intense, but after the chill of the warehouse it was welcome.
“Love you.”
Denzel’s mumbled words only came when he was practically asleep, but I answered them anyway.
“Love you too, you big idiot.”
FIFTY-SIX
MARLOWE
“Lowe? Fucking hell, your face was on the news. It showed you in that hellhole, which was raided ages ago. Why am I only hearing from you now? I’ve been hounding my GPRE contacts for information about you.” Leighton was shouting through the line.
I moved it away from my ear with a wince, giving Reese an apologetic glance. He was lounging back on his bed in only a pair of loose pajama bottoms, staring at me contemplatively.
I’d waltzed in to use his phone, only to find him coming out of the shower in a towel.
That was why I usually knocked on his door before entering. His body was way too libido-revving.
Now I could hardly look at him for fear of perfuming while staring at his bulky chest, covered in a light dusting of hair. Thinking about it wasn’t doing me any favours either. I dragged my attention back to my sister.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled. “Denzel fell from the second story of the warehouse and had to go to the hospital.”
“It would spark so much joy if he broke at least one bone.”
“A rib.”
“Perfect.” There was evil satisfaction in her tone. “But that doesn’t explain why you didn’t call. Weren’t you worried about your dearest sister?”
The last time I’d seen her flashed through my mind. She was running for me, but the guy holding me hadn’t been weak. I also assumed he hadn’t been alone. When I’d come to in the van, there had been four of them.
Reese was beside me in a second, holding my arm and moving me toward the bed. Had he felt my distress through the bond? Our pack bond was stronger again, the cracks and fraying repairing itself slowly. I was worried it would never get back to the strength it had been at before, though.
“I thought you could have died,” I said weakly. “And I didn’t know if I could handle it.”
Leighton barked a laugh. “Sorry, not laughing at your anxiety. I understand that, now you’ve mentioned it. However, I will laugh at the mere possibility of those guys killing me.”
“Last I checked, they put you in a dumpster,” Reese said.
“Remember all the times I said I liked that one? I take it back,” Leighton said. “I’ll admit I was off my game, but death is a little different from a dumpster.”
“You were unconscious.” Reese wasn’t giving it up, his tone dry but a grin on his face. His relaxation was calming me as much as his body being close to mine was riling me up. “Where I come from, unconscious is as good as dead.”
“Fuck you, Reese. Why can you even hear my conversation right now? Lowe, did you put me on speaker?”
I shook my head dumbly.
“He didn’t,” the alpha spoke in my place.
My cheeks went beet red. We were close to each other, and his wheat and hazelnut scent was making me stupid. I needed to get out of here.
“No. I didn’t. Um, I do need to go, though. Are you sure you’re OK?”
“All jokes aside, I’m fine. You better be fine too.”
“I am. Only a couple bruises and some lingering effects from the flash bang.”
“Flash bang? You know, I have to go too, because someone has to make sure this Dr. Hellwood they’re talking about on the news doesn’t get off with a slap on the wrist,” Leighton muttered.
Having her on the case made my lingering unease dissipate. She wouldn’t let him off. My sister knew people, and most of them owed her favours. “Keep me updated?” I requested.
“Absolutely.”
“Can you make sure Jubilee is released from GPRE custody soon too?”
Silence came through the line, then cursing. “Fuck. I must have missed the part of Jubilee’s press conference when he got arrested. Let me guess, the Lorangers are in custody too.”
It wasn’t a question, and I didn’t answer it. “Love you, Leighton.”
“Bye, Lowe.”
She didn’t end the call with an expression of affection often, and apparently today was no exception. The phone beeped and I sighed, letting it drop from my hand onto the bedspread.
All was right in the world. My sister was fine and on the warpath — as usual. Jubilee was hopefully going to be home soon, Quentin in tow. Denzel and Thorn were cuddling each other to sleep in the other room, an open spot waiting on the bed beside them.
Reese and I were friendly together like always.
Never mind how I wanted more than friendly interactions.
Especially now that Thorn got to have him. It was making it clearer than usual that I didn’t.
“Thanks for letting me use your phone.”
I tried to slide off the bed, but he caught my wrist and I stared down at the contact point. He was warm.
Don’t perfume. Damn it, don’t perfume. You’re so good at restraining yourself most of the time…
Or maybe I wasn’t. Maybe it was just that I made a concentrated effort to avoid being alone with Reese so any time my scent went heavy, I could blame it on one of my other mates.
