novelxo Chapter Billionaire One 203
Chapter Two Hundred Three
BARTLETT
Thave news!" Doc Rhodes says coming toward me from around the nurses station
Throwing a quick glance over my shoulder at sweet Lady Rosen, I step out into the hall to confer with the doc. I hesitate to leave her for even one little minute just on the off chance that she could wake up and I could miss it. For some reason, I want to be the very first thing she sees. "What's that?" I ask.
Doc Rhodes grants me a mirthful smile, probably noticing the way I continue to stretch my attention from him to her and back again. "You know the only reason you're even allowed in there is because I've known you from the time you were born, right? It's actual hospital policy that you either be immediate family, a guardian, or some form of medical personnel."
I chuckle, sending him a half grin that says try and remove me.
Doc Rhodes rolls his dark brown eyes and his silver mustache twitches with delight as he wiggles his nose. "Anyway, back to the news."
"Yes, please. Let's hear it," I tell him
him, thi
training my eyes on
The first thing is, her name is not Rosen, it's Rose. According to her father, Rosen is her older brother and she is wearing his jacket."
My head jerks in the doc's direction. According to her father? So "They were able to get in touch with her family so soon? A clocal of gloom descends on me almost immediately. I know I should be happy for her and I am, but........ I'm unhappy for me. The sooner they get here, the sooner 11l be pushed out.
Doc Rhodes flashes a wide grin full of sparkling ivory teeth. The policere able to make contact with her parents after they impounded the RVs. Apparently, Miss Rod Gruber and companions are all members of the same church. The official story is that she and a few members of her youth group drove out here without permissions."
"Youth group?" I scoff in disbelief. 'Like a church youth group
"Thats what I'm hearing." Dic Khudes ways, but the doct
"Don't know of very many congregations that arm their
members with firearms, but then again I don't get out much. Every other moment that I get out of my practice is spent at this hospital.
•
"As far as I'm aware, church hasn't changed quite that much, Doc. She went out there saving souls, that I can assure you."
Doc Rhodes chuckles, "Next thing you know, they I be claiming that she came all the way out here to pray for the wildlife."
Tanicker, peeting loward Rose and trying to picture her with
thing other than a rifle in her hundi. Nope, can't do it. Might have something to do with the gunpowder stains on her fingers, but I'm pretty sure that girl doesnt even say grace before dinner,
They were out here hunting Doc. Five of them were. She's lucky I found her when I did, I divulge, shaking the memory of her turning blue beneath Gayles jaws.
"According to the dispatcher I spoke with just a few moments ago, one of the Kitsap Rangers found human blood smeared on the bark of Hemlock tree. In the woods." He meets my gaze pointedly. They re still saying it was a bon. And with this new evidence, they re extending the search for bet I'm almost afraid to ask, but..."
I shake my head softly. "Just bet. The rest were male and-"
course; Doc says, cutting me off when one of the nosier nurses edges closer to us to try and listen in..
the bell for, I don't know. Maybe she has a fetish for wild animal attacks, or it could be that Doc just being paranoid. My brothers
1/3
Chapter Two Hundred Three
and I grew up in Port Orchard. From the time we were hom we have led there. When we turned eighteen and everything changed, Doc Rhodes became my fucking neighbor. So grant it, he's seen his fair share of weird shit. He knows the animals in our woods are more than meets the eye, but he never outright said so. When I turned eighteen and bought the house next to his, I spent a lot of time trying to drink my pain away. Just like the rest of my brothers, I like a house with a lot of windows, and apparently so does Doc Rhodes - Why? Because we have better eyesight than most creatures do and we like to see what's coming for us before it shows up. On the outside, Doc Rhodes house and my own, have only one very distinct difference. Mine is on the corner of the street and his house isn't. Anyway, one night I was drunk and i shifted in my living room thinking It might be easier to walk on four legs instead of two (I was wrong by the way - double the effort for double the legs) and when I realized it wasn't going well, I shifted back. When I was finally ablo to see clearly, I realized I wasn't even in my house. I was in Doc Rhodes house, standing right in his kitchen. He didn't say a word, just poured me a fresh ning of coffee and walked me home. He never even mentioned it. Not one time and neither have I. He's just like the rest of Port Orchard's homegrown community, loyal.
rse a placating smile, charming her as I twirl my finger in a gesture for privacy. She just rolls her eyes then scampers off
So, I throw the nurse a
down the hall.
Leaning closer to the Doc's car, I whisper, "The rest of her friends were male, so it is my belief that the forest didn't show them any
mercy.
"Such a shame," Doc Rhodes remarks. "Unfortunately for Rose, that means the authorities won't have anyone else to blame. With this big a mess, they're going to want to make an example out of her. You know they are."
Yeah, I know. I just prefer not to think about it until I can smuggle her out of here. "Good thing nothing happens without crossing Rainier's
desk first."
Doc Rhodes laughs then says thoughtfully, 'Rose's father spoke of having her transported home to be looked after by a private nurse. I didn't argue with the man over the phone because it wouldn't have done any good, but when he gets here I plan to make it clear that, yes, she's a patient, but she is also a criminal. The only wat to help his daughter stay out of prison, will be to cut all the bullshit."
Just then Doc Rhodes' name resonates through the corridor, repeating over the loudspeakers like he's going on sale. With a shrug, he takes off down the hall, leaving me to my thoughts. I step back into Rose's room and slide the door closed, smiling to myself when I remember how many layers of clothing the EMTs had to cut through to get to her body. Rose was wearing three pairs of jeans over a thick pair of leggings and three thick ass sweaters under her brother's heavy denim jacket. As it turns out, a lot of the scratches that Gayle sought to maim her with, never even broke the skin. The clothes Rose had on made her appear sluggish and much bigger than she is. But don't get me wrong, I have zern issues with a plus sized woman. Especially one as pretty as Rose. I was a little disappointed to find out that her ass wasn't going to be quite as thick as it was under four pairs of pants, but until she wakes up and I can get a proper look at her, I'll reserve
judgment.
Out of all the hunters out there tonight, Rose was probably the most dangerous. For some reason, that fact makes me smile. It probably shouldn't, given who's side she was on, but I can't stop seeing the way she handled that rifle.
Scooting closer to the side of her bed, I reach out and trace my fingers over her arm until I clasp her tiny palm in mine. The skin on the top of her hand is so smooth and so soft, but the inside is covered in calluses. Probably from playing with all the wrong toys, Something tells me this one never played with dolls. She probably never wears make-up, or fusses over her hair. I doubt she believes in wearing skirts or dresses, not to mention heels. Which is a real shame because she has a voluptuous figure.
I stroke her hand in mine as I watch her, trying to imagine her fingers dosing around mine. Tiny, baby prickles fire between our palms, too weak to connect. Almost as if the bond between us is as frail as her body after the attack. Like it's slipping away from us along with the beats of her heart.
Fick Quinn, where are you? It's not just
ist the clothes that I need him to bring me, of course not. It's something much more important.
I need him to stand guard while I do the one thing that I know will ensure Rose recovers. And honestly, I couldn't care less if I have her
consent or not.
1 am going to n
mark her.