The word found flipped around her head for a moment, reminding her she’d been tied up for a long time. She looked down at her bandaged wrists, and her breathing instantly kicked into overdrive. A moment later, the heart monitor started beeping again.
“Bailey,” Marissa said. “You’re safe. Take a deep breath.” She placed a hand on Bailey’s stomach. “Take a breath from here. In through your nose and slowly exhale through your mouth.”
Bailey did as she said and finally lay back, exhaling long and slow again. As she rested her head, the ache faded a bit. She looked down at her hands then up her arms. Bruises covered her all the way up and down, some larger and darker than others. When her eyes focused on the crook of her elbow, her head shot back up. “He drugged me.” She rubbed at the puncture bruises. “I remember. What was it?” Her mouth started to tremble. “What did he put into my body?”
Bailey pinched at the IV in the back of her hand. “What is this?” Her eyes grew wide, and she started to pick at the medical tape. “I don’t want any more drugs. Take it off!”
“Bailey, look at me.” Marissa rested her hand on top of Bailey’s then gestured toward the IV. “This is saline. It’s flushing the drugs from your body and hydrating you. It’s not drugs. Basically, it’s just water.”
She leaned back and looked up at the bag Marissa was pointing to. With another deep breath, she tried to calm herself. “Do you know what he gave me? What he injected into me?”
Marissa nodded and gave Bailey a severe look. “It was an opiate. Street heroin. We’re sure he did it to keep you calm.”
Bailey closed her eyes, trying to remember everything from the time she was locked in the little camp trailer. “What else? Did it do any serious damage?”
“You have a lot of contusions, and you’re severely dehydrated, but you’re going to be fine.” Marissa rested her hand on Bailey’s. “We have to run a lot of tests. We’re not sure if the hypodermic needles he used were clean, so as a precaution, Dr. Sousa is testing for everything.”
Bailey felt sick. “After everything they’ve already done to me, now I have to worry about contracting some nasty—”
“It’s a slim chance, but there is a possibility of Hepatitis C or…HIV. The doctor will explain more in the morning when he visits.”
Bailey lifted her hand to her head, wishing the headache would subside so she could think clearly.
“I’m going to leave so you can rest,” Marissa said, walking over to type something into the computer. Once she was finished, she gave Bailey a sympathetic look and said, “Dr. Sousa will be here in a few hours, and I’ll be in and out checking on you, but if you need me sooner, press this button.”
“Thank you,” Bailey said, trying to smile.
When the door closed behind Marissa, Bailey looked over at Ryan. His eyes were so hurt—so worried. “Ryan.”
He reached out for her and pulled her close. “I’m so glad you’re safe. I was so scared.”
Bailey tried to talk, but her throat seized until she let out a hard, body-jerking sob. “I…I…”
“Shh, it’s okay. You’re going to be fine. I promise.”
“Ryan…Dex…” She tried to breathe, but all she could do was cry.
“I know, but he can’t hurt you anymore.” He squeezed her almost too hard before he said, “He’s dead, babe. Dex is gone.”
Bailey pushed back to look at his face. “How? When?” She used the back of her hand to wipe the tears from her face. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, Bay. I’m sure.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “He broke into a vacant vacation rental. The homeowner showed up and caught him hiding inside the house. When Dex attacked him, he shot Dex.”
Bailey stared at him for a moment, not sure what to think. “Oh, my God. He’s really dead?” She wasn’t sure how to feel. Relief? Sadness? Anger?
“When the FBI confirmed his involvement, he had no choice but to go into hiding. I guess he picked the wrong vacation rental.”
“I can’t say I’m surprised…or upset. He was a monster, Ryan.” She took a long, shuddering breath. “I can’t believe how wrong I was about him. I never thought he was capable of going to such extremes, but I have a feeling I didn’t know him nearly as well as I thought I did.”
“I know, but you’re safe now. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Bailey shook her head vigorously. She lay back, pulling him closer so he’d lie down with her. He scooted up, and she moved over, then locked arms again, holding each other for a long time.
Ryan finally pulled back and braced his hands around her face. Their eyes locked, and he said, “I love you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you from him.”
Tears dripped from Bailey’s eyes as she shook her head.
“He’s gone. He can’t hurt you ever again,” he said, before she could argue.
“But Ryan, what if… Oh, my God. What if they gave me some incurable disease?” She squeezed her eyes closed, trying to take a deep breath.
“We’ll deal with that if it happens. For now, I’m just glad you’re safe.”
She nodded and stared into his intense eyes, wishing it was over, but thankful for Ryan, and relieved Dex was gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
After four nights in the hospital, Bailey was finally going home, and she was thrilled about it. Everything about her lightened when she was told she was being discharged. The sparkle in her eyes, her mood, everything. It was as if someone hit the reset button, and she suddenly became more spirited and content. However, the feelings were also tempered with what if. What if she’d contracted hepatitis? What if she’d contracted HIV? He could see the worry in her eyes, but Ryan refused to worry about it. She was safe, and that fucker, Dex, was gone.
