Playing Jax [Wylde Shore 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Jan Graham

  “Did the man in the cupboard find you?” She coughed, and he noticed a wheezing sound as she exhaled. Rhia shivered as he held her, and he suddenly realized her hair and clothing were soaking wet. She looked more like a woman saved from a drowning than someone who had been in a burning house.

  “I need a medic.” Steve was carrying Rhia back toward the driveway as he yelled the words as loudly as he could. Christian and Barry started sprinting toward him. “She’s alive, but I need Daniel or one of the medics.”

  Christian changed direction and headed back toward the front of the house. Barry waited until Steve reached him, then raced alongside them toward the ambulance. Daniel met them halfway across the lawn. Rhia clutched Steve’s shirt as he tried to lay her down so Daniel could check her. She didn’t appear to want to go anywhere, and he had to admit neither did he. He sat down next to her and pulled her onto his lap, much to the amusement of Daniel who smiled and shook his head.

  “I don’t think she’s breathing properly. She’s wheezing, and she was coughing when I found her. She’s been hit. There’s a bruise. I don’t know why she’s wet. I need a blanket.”

  Daniel smirked, and Steve knew it was because he was jabbering, but it didn’t stop him. “Oh and she isn’t making a lot of sense. I think she might have a concussion.”

  “Is that it, Doctor Jax?” Daniel shined a torch into Rhia’s eyes. The fact the action made her grimace and she tried to swat the light away convinced Steve she would recover. She was going to be fine.

  “Ouch.” Daniel jerked back quickly. Rhia tried to push his knee away from her leg. Steve hissed in a breath when Daniel raised the hemline of her dress. The blisters spread across the middle of her thigh. The wound was red, angry, and obviously painful.

  “We need to get her to the hospital. I can’t treat that here, not effectively. We’ll start her on oxygen in the ambulance, because I can hear that wheeze without even listening to her chest.” Daniel indicated for Steve to pick Rhia up and pointed toward the ambulance.

  “Steve and I will have to drive behind the ambulance, Rhia.” Daniel explained. “The paramedics will look after you and Cal until we get to the hospital. Patrick needs to come with us as well. He needs observation.”

  “No, take me with you.” She looked up at Steve and pouted. Yeah, she was going to be fine.

  “You need to be in the ambulance. It’s not for long,” Steve reassured her.

  “Don’t forget to thank the man in the cupboard, Steve.” Rhia place her hand on his cheek and smiled up at him as he laid her down on the trolley in the ambulance.

  “Baby, I’ll thank anyone you tell me to. I’m just so happy you’re alive.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “How’s she doing?” Cal walked into the room, IV drip in tow.

  “Are you meant to be walking around?” Steve asked.

  His friend smiled and pulled up a chair. “I’m not walking around.” Well, he wasn’t anymore now that he’d taken a seat. Steve chuckled to himself. Cal was certainly a law unto himself. “The burn isn’t too bad, and I learned a new skill. Who knew I could fly?”

  “Yeah, it wasn’t a very graceful landing though from what I remember. You might need to practice that one a bit.”

  Steve looked at his friend. The burn on his right shoulder and arm was covered in a special dressing to promote healing and prevent infection. It was the same dressing they’d placed on Rhia’s leg. Cal’s burn hadn’t been as extensive as they first thought. The man knew how to duck and roll to extinguish flames. It wasn’t the first time he’d been a little singed, but this incident was the only one predicted to leave a scar. The other injuries would heal. He’d broken his wrist and dislocated his elbow as he’d landed. Steve heard the guy scream when they were down in emergency as everything was put back into place, and he hadn’t envied him.

  “You know, I had planned to let you heal and then kill you.” Steve smiled at the shocked look on Cal’s face. “I thought you’d triggered the fire, thought Rhia was…you know. Carlie told me that’s not what happened, so you get to live another day.”

  “She came to visit me you know. She thought I was asleep.” Cal looked a little guilty. “I heard her crying, and I just lay there and didn’t say a word. I let her cry. No one’s ever cried for me before. I mean I eventually pretended to wake up, but…what do you think that means…the tears?”

  “I think it means you’re a dickhead who needs to grow up. If you actually put the same amount of energy into committing to someone, as you do to chasing women, you could have an amazing relationship. Carlie likes you man. She just doesn’t need the heartbreak of being one of many short-term fucks.”

  Cal nodded in agreement, like he usually did when Steve gave him the lecture about settling down. He hoped one day the information would sink in and his friend would at least try and change his ways. The other thing he needed to change his ways about was working so hard.

  Steve sat there as Cal filled him in on the reports he’d received a few hours beforehand from the local fire house. He’d gone over them while Carlie had visited. Because the firefighters were ready to go as soon as the blaze erupted, it had been extinguished relatively easily, thus preserving vital evidence. Some of the sensors had been saved, so there was a possibility of getting fingerprints. The layout of the accelerant in relation to where Rhia would have been lying was fairly damning. The intention had been to kill rather than maim. It had been Rhia leaving the house that triggered the sensor at the back door, and Cal was convinced that someone had assisted her.

  He’d seen Rhia in the ambulance and told Steve there was no way she would have moved fast enough or been coherent enough to orchestrate the escape. She had most of the accelerant washed from her body before exiting the house, probably in the bath. When the initial after-fire inspection of the house was conducted, the bathtub was filled with water with the plug still in place.

  “It was the man in the cupboard, like I keep telling you,” Rhia said groggily. “There was someone else there.”

  “I know, baby. We believe you, and we’ll figure out who it was so you can thank him.” Steve assumed it was either a Good Samaritan by the name of Marcus or one of his men sent to check on them. He couldn’t confirm the information straight away, and Marcus may not ever admit to it if he asked, but Steve couldn’t think of anyone else it would be.

  “So how are you feeling, Ms. Rhia?” Cal leant forward and gave her a kiss. Steve decided under the circumstance Cal was allowed one peck on her cheek.

  “I’m okay. Sorry you got hurt, Cal.”

  “It’s all for the best, love. It may have been the wake-up call I needed to become a better man. Time will tell.” Cal stood up and began to walk slowly from the room. “I’m going back to bed so you two can have private time. I think it’s nearly time for my next sponge bath. Some of the nurses in this hospital are damn sexy.”

  “Yeah, well I hope the nurse you get is a big butch-looking woman who slaps you stupid every time your dick goes hard as she’s washing you,” Steve said.

  Cal turned around as he reached the doorway. “You want to know the scary thing about what you just said, Steve?” Cal gave them both a cheeky grin. “I’d probably enjoy that.”

  Steve laughed and kissed Rhia’s hand when she let out a gasp of shock at Cal’s admission. The look of surprised confusion indicated she didn’t know whether Cal was joking or not. Steve didn’t say anything to her because he had to admit he wasn’t sure if Cal was joking either. The man could be a little perverted at times. Steve knew deviating from the norm was nothing new for his friend.

  Rhia wiggled over in the bed and patted the space next to her that she’d made on the mattress. Steve didn’t need a second invitation as he hopped onto the bed and stretched out beside her. Hospital beds weren’t designed for two, but after a few adjustments, they managed to make it work. Rhia rested her face against his chest as he enfolded her in his arms. They didn’t speak, simply held each other and dr
ifted off to sleep.

  * * * *

  Rhia stirred in her sleep. She was dreaming of bacon—she could smell it—and oranges. She could smell oranges. She came fully awake and opened her eyes. Steve was next to her on the bed, still asleep. She pushed herself up and away from his chest. Why could she still smell bacon and oranges? The combination was a strange one, but her mouth watered all the same.

  “Good morning.” Barry and Meg whispered the words in unison, and Rhia turned to see them setting up a breakfast tray on the rollaway trolley near the bed. Rhia’s eyes grew moist. She was determined not to cry. Meg must have noticed because she came over to the bed and hugged her anyway. Barry merely walked over and kissed the top of her head, as was his way of showing her affection. He returned to setting up breakfast.

  “Is that contraband breakfast I smell?” Steve stretched his body and yawned.

  “It’s for the patient, and even if you are in the bed, you don’t fall into that category,” Barry said gruffly, the smile on his face showing he was only joking with Steve.

  “There’s enough for an army, Barry, so stop teasing. Look at him, poor Steve looks like death,” Meg snapped. “Rhia I bought you some clothes to wear home today. I’ve hung them in the cupboard. Once we get the all-clear. I’ll clean the house for you before you go back there. It will be just like nothing happened.”

  “I cleaned it last night when I went to get Rhia’s nightgown and a few other things. Well, most of it. I had to throw out the rug, and I need to buy a new coffee table because the leg was damaged. I might not have gotten all the fingerprint and forensic gook off the door and a few other places, so it might be worth double checking,” Steve explained.

  Rhia looked on in amusement as Meg slapped Barry on the arm.

  “Are you listening to this? Why don’t you take a leaf out of Steve’s book and learn how to clean?” Meg asked.

  “I don’t need to clean because I cook.” Barry pointed to the breakfast.

  “Steve does both.” Rhia smiled innocently at her brother-in-law. Barry responded with a mock angry growl. “Are you still delusional from your ordeal? No man does both.”

  Rhia wasn’t delusional, just a little sore and still somewhat tired. She ate the biggest breakfast that she’d ever eaten in her life. For some reason she was ravenous. It occurred to her as she asked for a second helping that she was probably consuming more than Steve, or Barry, which was saying something. It obviously didn’t matter to anyone because there were no comments from anyone in the room.

  Rhia proceeded to answer a barrage of questions from Meg and Barry about how she was feeling. She answered as truthfully as she could, but apart from the physical symptoms of aches and pains, she wasn’t sure what she felt. She was thankful the kidnapping was over, that apart from a few minor injuries, everyone was fine, and that Steve hadn’t been harmed.

  She was concerned what would happen to Patrick, worried for his future and the charges he would face. He’d been their saving grace yesterday. Without him alerting Steve and collecting the information needed to make sure Harper was apprehended, things could have turned out very differently. One or both of them may have been dead. Rhia hoped his assistance would be taken into account when he was sentenced. Steve assured her it would, but he couldn’t guarantee anything else. The length of sentence handed down would be up to the magistrate.

  “You look tired, sweetheart. Why don’t you try and have another sleep?” Steve ushered her back to the bed.

  “Yes, I’m surprised you can move after that huge breakfast you just ate.” Darn it, trust Barry to notice how much she’d eaten.

  “I was hungry. I’ve been through a lot, and I can eat as much as I like,” she retorted as Steve tucked her in.

  She knew Steve was going to have to go to the station, but he promised he’d be back to collect her and take her home this afternoon. Daniel needed to discharge her, but he’d already said it wouldn’t be until late in the day. He wanted to wait on blood test results before her release. That was okay with Rhia. She could use a day lounging in bed. It would have been nicer if it was her bed and Steve was with her, but she’d take what she could get.

  When everyone left she snuggled down under the sheets and tried to put yesterday’s events out of her mind. She managed to rid herself of all of them except one. Her thigh throbbed. The memory of Harper delighting in the pain she inflicted on her wouldn’t leave.

  Oh look, if you join the dots it spells a word…Steve.

  Rhia didn’t try to hold back the tears that fell. She didn’t care about the fact she would have a scar, or a series of them, and she could cope with it being sore while it healed.

  She sat up and reached for a tissue. Harper was the most sadistic creature she had ever encountered. She could have given her a bigger scar, something more painful, a more serious injury, anything. Instead, she’d made sure the constant reminder of what occurred was the name of the man Rhia loved.

  Harper had taken his name, seared it into Rhia’s thigh, and forever associated it with an act of evil. She tried to tell herself it didn’t matter, that she was being silly, but the thought troubled her. She heard the door open and quickly wiped her eyes. Daniel looked at her and gave a brief smile.

  “I’m used to patient tears, particularly when they’ve been through what you have. So don’t stop on my account.”

  It was all the permission she needed. He placed the box of tissues in her lap as she began to sob. She watched with tear-filled eyes as he collected her chart from near the bed, walked over and closed the door, then sat down next to the bed. “When you’re ready, tell me what’s wrong.”

  Rhia tried to stop crying, but now that the tears had started she couldn’t seem to stop them. The mound of wet soggy tissues mounted on the bed while Daniel sat patiently waiting.

  “I’m being silly. My leg hurts, and I tried to sleep and couldn’t. It’s just so horrible what she did.”

  “You’re not being silly. In fact, it’s a perfectly normal reaction. Now, first the pain, I can’t give you much for that because you were right, you are pregnant. We gave you a mild narcotic last night…” He must have seen the shocked look on her face and added hurriedly, “Don’t worry, it passes out of the baby’s system fairly quickly as your body metabolizes it. Still, I’d prefer not to use codeine again, unless the pain is excruciating. That leaves Tylenol, for pain that’s less than unbearable.”

  “It’s just like a dull throb to an annoying ache really.”

  “Tylenol it is.” He smiled and scribbled on her chart. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Rhia took the time to compose herself. She liked Daniel. He had the most soothing deep voice and a delightful bedside manner. He returned with the pain medication as well as a packet of tablets. He poured her a glass of iced water and resumed his seat near the bed.

  “That’s the pain taken care of and, hopefully, once the pain eases you’ll be able to sleep. As for what Harper did, that just takes time, Rhia. I’m referring you to a counselor who specializes in the type of trauma you’ve experienced.”

  “No, it’s just the burn, what she did with the burn. You know what it says?”

  Daniel looked a little confused, so she explained what had happened, what Harper said it read. Admittedly, Rhia hadn’t seen it and now it was covered with the bandage, so she couldn’t see for herself.

  “When it’s healed, you can see what scars are left. Last night, because of the fact it had accelerant on it and because it had been washed with an acidic substance, it was so inflamed a word wasn’t visible. I can’t tell you if it says Steve’s name or not at this point. We can both look at it in a couple of days when we change the dressing. Even then it will still be hard to tell exactly what the scaring will look like once the healing process is complete.”

  Rhia understood what he was saying, and it eased her mind a little, but she was still concerned about the connection Harper had sought to make. “I don’t want his name associated with somethin
g so cruel, with anything she did to me.”

  Daniel looked at her thoughtfully for a long while. “Do you know that Angel has a tattoo on her right hip?”

  Rhia shook her head. It didn’t surprise her, though. Steve was Angel’s brother and he had tattoos.

  “She does. It says, Property of Christian and Daniel Shore. The design makes it look like she’s been branded. I guess what I’m saying is, even though it wasn’t your choice to have Steve printed on your leg, will it matter down the track? You love him, I assume. I know he loves you, and you’re having his child. Bearing his name on your skin…can’t you view it as something positive?”

  “It’s not the same. I bet Angel’s tattoo looks nice, not an ugly psycho hack job like mine.” She bundled up the tissues and threw them in the bin near the bed.

  “Steve did Angel’s tattoo for us. He’s quite good at it.” Daniel noted the look of surprise at his statement. “He often went undercover when he was in the drug squad. He said it was easy to fit in if people thought he was a tattoo artist, rather than a cop. Christian and I used to tell him that was just an excuse. He actually learnt to do tattoos because he still liked to color in.” Daniel winked as if indicating he’d just revealed a well-kept secret.

  “I didn’t know that he was a tattooist. I guess we’re still learning all there is to know about each other.”

  “It takes time, but you two have plenty of that. In a year you’ll probably know more about him than you want to.”

  Rhia laughed, thinking Steve might feel the same about her.

  “Anyway, as for your psycho-hack-job as you called it, it will take a while before we know what you’ll be left with. If it’s too ugly for you to cope with, you can always ask Steve to cover it up and turn it into something beautiful.”

  Rhia felt a bit better, until Daniel said the counselor was coming to see her just after lunch. He told her that Marley Hendricks specialized in post-traumatic stress counseling and added she was involved in the Kink community on a personal level. According to Daniel, that meant there was nothing Rhia couldn’t talk to her about. He also informed her she wouldn’t be going home until after Steve had an appointment with him at three o’clock. Apparently that meant she had plenty of time to rest, which Rhia took as a hint to have a sleep.