And yet, within five minutes, I was buried so deep inside of her it wasn’t even funny.
“Goddammit!” I shouted again. I rode aimlessly, emotions thundering through me, one after another, like I was getting shot with bullets with each wave. Denial, anger, acceptance, hurt, anger, anger, anger….
Why would she assume the worst of me like that?
Of course, she would, I thought finally. I’d up and left her like she was nothing to me. Up until that moment, I’d done nothing but worship the ground she walked on, and then I just left. And after that, not a peep.
So, I’d not exactly shown her what a stand up guy I’d turned out to be.
And jumping right into her bed like that probably didn’t help, either. I mean, I could have said no. I could have stopped things.
Oh, who the fuck am I kidding?
My body took over and that’s that. But so did hers.
Fine, I’ll forgive us both for that — but the character assassination was totally uncalled for. Though not entirely unexpected, I suppose.
Finally coming to terms with it all — acceptance, again, maybe — I headed over to the hospital. I’d texted Ryder earlier and made plans to meet him there and it was close to that time.
I stopped at a convenience store and grabbed some cold water, doing my best to shake off my experience with Rose, and stop badgering myself for being so stupid. In most situations, I was completely in control, but the moment I realized I was alone with Rose, it stripped me bare of that usual armor I wore.
I’d be more prepared next time, I told myself, as I put my helmet back on and drove over to the hospital, Rose’s angry eyes haunting me the entire way.
Chapter 31
RYDER
“You look tired, Hannah,” Grace said. Hannah mustered a smile and rubbed her neck.
“That chair isn’t the best,” she said. “But I’m okay. I’m just so worried about her.” She looked over at Cherry, the concern shining in her bright green eyes.
“Did you have any luck finding another doctor?”
“Everyone says her doctor is the best,” she said. “And when I pressed and asked them to take a look anyway, nobody would agree to come. They almost seemed afraid to.”
“I’ll get Riot to start digging, something’s not right here,” I said. I was frustrated. We weren’t moving fast enough. Everything seemed to be in slow motion and I didn’t do well with things moving slowly. I wanted results, and I wanted them now.
Seeing Cherry still lying in this damned hospital bed with no discernible change was really getting to me. But we’d spread out over the last few days and none of us had made any progress in figuring out who might have hurt Cherry, and I had no idea who to trust, outside of my own pack.
I heard Blade before I saw him, his heavy muffled footsteps announcing his arrival. I liked Blade a lot. He was a solid dude, always ready to step up for anything I needed him for. I sensed this trip was taking its toll on him, but his lack of hesitation hadn’t gone unnoticed by me. He was a trooper and I was grateful for his presence here. I hoped he had something new to tell me.
“Hey, everyone,” he said, keeping his voice at a respectful whisper so as not to disturb Cherry as he walked in.
We hugged, and he leaned against the wall looking over at Cherry’s motionless body. The machines beeped, the only sound in the room, outside of our breathing.
“No change, huh?” he asked.
“Nope,” I shook my head in frustration. “Any news on your end?”
He nodded, his brow wrinkled, before he reached over and shut the door.
“Ran into a friend last night. He’s the bartender at the pub that all the locals go to — cops and politicians and all those assholes.”
“Sounds like a good source of information,” Grace replied.
“He didn’t hesitate to talk about the murders. Turns out, the sick fucks of this town aren’t really taking things seriously at all. Or, maybe too seriously, considering what angle you’re looking at it from.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Those fuckers are taking bets on who’s next. They’ve got a book they keep behind the bar, with all the bets written down. Lots of kids in town have their names listed and a big ticket hanging over their head.”
“Like a lottery?” Hannah asked, her voice full of alarm.
“No, they aren’t actually picking who gets murdered. They’re just taking a wager on who might be next.”
“You’re right, that’s sick,” Grace said, with disgust.
“The Sheriff’s in on it, too,” he said. “Probably why nobody has been arrested. I’m not sure yet how deep his involvement goes.”
I nodded, taking it in. “Keep me posted.”
“Yeah, sure,” he said.
“Anything else?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“Okay,” I said. “I gotta say, I’m concerned about this doctor of Cherry’s. He’s vague when we ask questions and nobody wants to challenge him, either. Something’s up and I’m wondering if you know anything about him.”
“Maybe,” he shrugged. “What’s his name?”
“Dr. Derek Davenport.”
Blade froze, his eyes wide. “Fuck.”
“Fuck?”
He sighed and shook his head. “He’s Rose’s husband. Or, her ex-husband, I guess. He’s a real prick. I knew him in high school and I’m pretty sure nothing’s changed. I had no idea he was Cherry’s doctor. Shit.”
“I suspected as much,” I replied, my head spinning. “I think we need to insist on another doctor, Hannah. Since you’re the only relative to her, you’ll need to do it yourself.”
She nodded, pursing her lips. I hated putting it on her, but I knew the hospital wouldn’t take orders from me. I wasn’t even sure they’d take them from her, but we’d see. I got the feeling they weren’t too strict about rules here.
“I’ve got this,” she said, looking over at Cherry. “I’d do anything for my sister.”
“Cherry’s lucky to have
