upward, wrapping her in the blanket, ignoring Max’s demands that
Ryan and Dillon tried to pull Liam back, their questions urgent about his wound. They tried to get him to sit down, but he shook them off, only wanting to get to Lauren. He pushed Max aside, uncaring of his own injuries or that Max was her brother and by all rights should be the one seeing to her. Lauren was Liam’s. His and Noah’s, and Liam wasn’t leaving her side.
Noah eased onto the couch, holding Lauren in his arms. Liam knelt in front of Noah, his shaking hand going to Lauren’s bruised and bloodied face.
Behind them Seth was on the phone, his voice low and urgent. Liam had no idea what happened to Joel or how he himself had been shot, or if Seth had the other man under control, but he wouldn’t allow himself to do anything but focus on Lauren.
“Lauren, honey, you’re safe now,” Noah said in a choked voice. “Open your eyes. You’re safe, I swear it.”
Her eyelids fluttered sluggishly and then opened. She stared sightlessly at Liam, almost as if she didn’t recognize him.
“Lauren?” Liam whispered. “It’s me, baby. It’s Liam.”
Her eyes were dull and she didn’t react to his voice. It was apparent that she’d retreated to somewhere far away from where she was.
Noah lowered his head to kiss her brow, but she didn’t stir. She continued to stare lifelessly at Liam, but it was as if she looked beyond him. Into nothing.
Tears burned Liam’s eyelids. His fingers curled into tight balls. Helpless rage fired through his body. He’d allowed this to happen. She’d been taken by this bastard because she’d protected him and Noah.
As he lifted his gaze to his friend’s, he saw the same answering grief and rage in Noah’s eyes.
Liam leaned into Lauren, resting his forehead against hers. “Fight this, baby. Don’t let that bastard win. Come back to us. Come back to me and Noah where you belong.”
He turned, searching out Knight with fury in his heart. He wanted to kill the son of a bitch with his bare hands. But Knight was lying on the floor in a pool of blood, his eyes glassy and fixed in death. He glanced back to Noah, question in his gaze.
“He shot you,” Noah said in a low voice. “You barged in, intent on saving Lauren, and you never even saw him pull his gun. I had to put him down.”
“Good,” Liam said savagely.
Then he put his forehead to Lauren’s once more.
“He can’t hurt you anymore, baby. He’ll never hurt you again.”
She didn’t stir, and fear gripped Liam’s throat. He glanced up at Noah again, grief so thick he had to swallow back the knot in his throat.
“What did he
He touched her bruised face again in a whisper soft touch. He was afraid of causing her more pain. He had no idea what Knight had done to her before he and the others had arrived.
Noah’s mouth tightened and his throat worked up and down as though he were fighting the same overwhelming grief that consumed Liam.
“We were too late,” Noah whispered. “He hurt her. The son of a bitch put his hands on her. Did you see the marks on her back? The bruises on her face? Not to mention the bruises and marks we
“Noah, Liam.”
Seth’s grim voice broke into their conversation. Liam turned to see the other men standing right behind them, worry reflected in their gazes. To the side, the man who’d been about to rape Lauren when they arrived was bound hand and foot, forced to sit upright against the wall.
“The ambulance just pulled up,” Seth continued. Then he looked at Liam. “You and Lauren both need to go to the hospital. You’ve been shot and you’re still losing blood.”
“I’m not leaving her,” Liam said fiercely.
Adam held up his hand. “No one said you had to, son. We’ll all be there. She won’t be alone. Let’s get you patched up so you can be with her that much sooner. The quicker you let them take a look at that arm, the quicker you can be back with her. She needs to be in the hospital.”
Noah nodded his agreement. A moment later, the paramedics entered the living room, followed closely by the local police. It was a madhouse of endless questions. To Liam’s frustration he was separated from Lauren as one medic tended her and the other bandaged his arm.
When they began to wheel her away on a stretcher, Noah walking beside it holding Lauren’s hand, Liam bolted up from the couch and strode after them. Over his dead body were they leaving without him.
Max was about to climb into the back with Noah and Lauren when Liam shoved him out of the way and hauled himself up to sit beside Noah on the bench next to the stretcher. When Max would have protested, Adam put his hand on his shoulder.
“Think what you would do if it was Callie and her brothers were trying to be at her side. They love her. Just like you love Callie. You’d never allow yourself to be parted from her, just like Noah and Liam won’t allow themselves to be away from her. Let them go. We’ll follow behind and you can see her at the hospital.”
Max sighed, but Liam could see that Adam’s words had hit the mark. Liam sent Adam a grateful look. The last thing Liam wanted was a confrontation with Max Wilder when the priority had to be on getting Lauren the care she needed.
The other medic closed the doors and then hurried to get into the cab. Liam reached down for Lauren’s hand, pulling it up so he could twine their fingers together.
“We’re with you, baby,” he whispered. “We won’t leave you.
He leaned down to brush his mouth across her delicate hand.
“I love you. Don’t leave me, Lauren. Hang in there and be strong. We’ll guide you back home.”
CHAPTER 39
DOES it make me a complete bastard that I’m not sorry you had to shoot that asshole?” Liam muttered in a low voice as he waited for the nurse to return so he could get out of this goddamn room.
“No,” Noah said simply. “It simplifies matters. Lauren won’t have to testify against him now that he’s dead. We turn over the disk to the D.A. and let him do the clean up.”
Liam nodded and glanced impatiently toward the door. Max was with Lauren, a concession he and Noah had been willing to make only because she currently slept, and they’d been assured by the doctor that she would remain so for a few hours yet. When she awoke, Liam and Noah would be by her side, and Max would just have to deal.
But first he had to get the hell out of this damn exam room.
“Where the fuck is she?”
Noah sighed. “Chill, man. You took a bullet. It’s a wonder they haven’t tied your ass to the bed. You should be lying down and taking it easy, not running all over the damn place.”
“You saw her,” Liam said in a quiet voice. “Would you have her wake up and us not be right there? She was out of it, Noah. She’d retreated to God knows where, and at this point I’m worried we’re not going to get her back.”
“We’ll get her back,” Noah said firmly.
His arms were folded tightly over his chest and his jaw was set in a tight line. There was a hard glint to his eyes and his face was set in determination.
Then Noah’s gaze settled on Liam’s bandaged arm.
“You know that’s going to hurt like a son of a bitch when the adrenaline wears off.”
“It already hurts like a son of a bitch,” Liam muttered.
