Jason's POVI stood outside the double doors of the cardiac unit, hands braced against the cold pane of glass, as if I pressed hard enough, I could push through and take her place. Inside, machines hummed and beeped in their steady, merciless rhythm, surrounding a small figure that looked breakable
"Get out," I said, deadly quiet."I'm not finished—""Mama!"A small, fierce cry cut through the tension. Ava burst into the room with Riley just behind her, her hospital bracelet still dangling from her wrist. She sprinted straight to me, and I carefully bent down to hug her, pressing her close lik
Laila's POVThe sharp, sterile tang of antiseptic hung heavy in the hospital air, stinging the back of my throat as I shifted against the stiff sheets. Every muscle in my body screamed from the fall out of that car, the sprint through the warehouses, the rough hands of fear dragging me from one seco
Jason stepped into the light, eyes blazing. "It is tonight." His voice was steel wrapped in fire. "Leave."And they did. Predators who'd likely killed for fun turned and fled like frightened pups.My legs gave out. I slumped against the wall, every ounce of adrenaline draining from me. Pain rushed b
Laila's POVThe driver ignored every word I threw at him, his boot heavy on the accelerator.The city fell away behind us, swallowed whole by jagged silhouettes of factories and warehouses. Streetlights grew sparse, their glow replaced by long shadows that stretched like claws across cracked asphalt
My throat tightened. Too dangerous. "I don't think so. Just one of those faces, I guess."But her gaze didn't waver."Brittany," Jason's voice cut like steel wrapped in silk. "You are making our partner feel welcome, aren't you?"The rebuke was subtle, but the flush beneath Brittany's makeup wasn't.