Auctioned to the Gentle Dom [The Spectrum Auctions 5] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Doris O'Connor

  “Yes, I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll get him there. Have you rung the others? Good…oh god, I hope so, too.”

  Rissa ended the call, and when she clicked her fingers in front of his face, he finally snapped out of his temporary stupor.

  “Come on, let’s go. She’s at the Royal Free. Mike said to get a move on.”

  Logan nodded, bile rising in his throat.

  “Right, I need to find my keys, I—”

  “With all due respect, Sir, if you think I’m going to let you get behind the wheel of your car in the state you are in, you can think again. I’ll drive. Give me your keys.”

  Normally speaking, Logan would have objected to that tone of voice, but as the keys rattled in his shaky hands when he finally managed to pull them out of his trousers, he conceded Rissa had a point.

  Somehow they made it out and into his car. Neither one of them said a word as Rissa negotiated the heavy traffic with growing impatience. He had no idea his gentle vet nurse knew so many inventive swear words like the ones she was mumbling under her breath, and he slid forward in his seat when she screeched to a halt outside the hospital.

  “Go, I’ll park the car and I’ll find you.”

  Logan approached the reception desk with wooden legs and he had to clear his throat several times to get his voice to work.

  “Can I help you, sir?” The middle-aged receptionist looked up at him expectantly, and he croaked his question.

  “Yes, my fiancée has been brought in by ambulance. The police said to come here.”

  The receptionist regarded him thoughtfully over the rims of her spectacles, and Logan wanted to punch something at the barely disguised pity in her eyes.

  “Has this fiancée of yours got a name, sir?”

  “Yes, of course, sorry, Lindsey Callan-Brennan, though you might have her under Honoraria.”

  The woman nodded, tapped on her keyboard, and Logan’s whole world shifted on its axis when she went still. He knew that gathering of one’s professional mantle only too well, and when she looked up at him again, he wanted to be anywhere but there.

  “Take a seat for a moment. Someone will be out to speak to you shortly, sir.”

  “No, I know how this goes. Just tell me where she is already. I don’t need to fucking sit down. I need to see her. She’s got to be all right.” Logan hit the desk, pain radiating up his arm, and the receptionist jumped.

  “Sir, I appreciate you’re upset, but this hospital has a zero-violence-tolerance policy. Unless you calm down you will—”

  “I’ve got this, lady. He’s calm.” Jonas stepped up behind him, and Pedro and Slade took one of Logan’s arms each. “Come on, amigo, you heard the lady. They’ll send someone to see you. You’ll be no good to her if you get yourself chucked out of here.”

  His friends half dragged him away, pushed him down onto one of the plastic chairs, and Alexej pushed a Styrofoam cup into his hand.

  “Here, black, extra sugar, drink that. You had a shock.”

  Numb, and not being able to make sense of anything right now, Logan drank the foul-smelling liquid masquerading as coffee in one go. His stomach rebelled, but the fog in his brains cleared enough for him to bellow at the Russian.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked.

  Alexej crossed his arms over his chest and smiled.

  “Welcome back, Logan. As you ask me so nicely, I’ll answer you.” Guilt pricked at Logan’s conscience, as the Russian smirked. “I was in a meeting with Slade at his offices when Mike rang. Considering the circumstances, I thought you might need my help.”

  Logan groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose as that headache he’d been fighting returned with a vengeance.

  “What fucking circumstances? No one has told me anything. Mike said there was an accident, that’s all, so if you fucking know something, then tell me already.”

  Alexej crossed his arms over his chest, Pedro looked concerned, and Jonas put a hand on Logan’s shoulder to stop him from getting up again. Just at this moment, Rissa skidded to a stop in front of them, the rubber soles of her surgery shoes squeaking on the floor. Slade grasped her round the waist to steady her, as she panted.

  “Any news yet? Where is she? How is she?”

  “I’d like the fucking answers to that, too, girl.” Rissa’s face fell at the rough tone of his voice and Jonas frowned at him, while opening his arms wide for Rissa to snuggle into his embrace. Witnessing the tender interaction between the two only make Logan feel ten times worse. Fuck, he couldn’t lose his little bird, not now, not ever, and especially not after the way they’d parted company.

  I haven’t had a chance to tell her I love her.

  Logan hung his head in his hands as the enormous truth hit him in the gut. What a fuckin’ time to sort that out in his head.

  Slade was saying something. Logan could see the other man’s lips move, but for the life of him, he couldn’t make out what he was saying. He must have missed something because everyone was staring at him as though they were expecting him to say something.

  “What?” he asked and Pedro’s eyebrows rose.

  “Did you hear a word I just said?” Slade asked.

  “No, sorry, I’ve just figured out how much I love her, dammit.”

  Alexej snorted, Jonas rolled his eyes, Rissa giggled, and Pedro simply shook his head.

  Slade gave a short laugh, and punched him in the shoulder.

  “Took you long enough, mate. Now, like I was saying,” Slade continued, “Mike overheard the traffic report when it came in, and naturally, hearing it was Lindsey, he took charge. She was rear-ended at a traffic light, but…” He paused and Logan wanted to shake the man to get the rest of the story.

  “What? For god’s sake, spit it out. How badly did she get hurt?”

  “In the accident, not too bad, but Logan, she was run off the road deliberately. Some guy got out of his car and attacked her.”

  “What?”

  Logan’s shout made the receptionist glare at him again, and he put his hands up to placate the woman. Tempering his voice somewhat, and ignoring the gut-wrenching fear churning his insides, he addressed Slade again.

  “What do you mean, attacked? Who would do that?”

  Slade’s jaw tightened, and Alexej stepped up.

  “We were hoping you had some idea. Our resident police subbie”—he smirked as he said that—“is pulling the CCTV for the junction, from what I can gather. This piece of scum tried to drag her into his car. She fought, your girl, but he punched her and she went down, and hit her head on the curb.”

  “Alexej, that’s enough.” Slade interrupted him, and shook his head.

  “That’s his woman. He has a right to know what happened. Besides, the sooner we find out who hurt one of our own, the sooner I can take care of it.”

  A chill went down Logan’s spine at the quietly uttered words. The Russian’s accent got so strong, he was hard to understand, and there was a quiet fury blazing in his amber eyes that didn’t spell anything good.

  “There’s only one man I can think of who would want to harm her, and that’s Montgomery, but he’s back in the US, last I heard.”

  “Kevin Montgomery?” Alexej spat those words in the air, as though they were poison. “Fuck it, I should have tak—”

  “Alexej.” Slade’s quiet warning hung heavy between them all, and the Russian crossed his arms over his chest and scowled into thin air.

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions, amigos,” Pedro said.

  “Which one of you is Lady Callan-Brannan’s fiancé?” The clipped tones of a nurse put an end to any further discussion, and Logan shot to his feet.

  “I am. How is she?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Dr. Festher, I assume?” At his nod, the nurse smiled. “Please follow me to the relative’s room. We really should have this conversation in private.” She glanced between them all, and Logan shook his head.

  “I don’t need privacy, please.
I just need to know how she is, and when I can see her. Please, I need to see her.”

  He felt rather than saw his friends draw up behind him, and the nurse smiled. Not in pity, thank god, but seeming sympathy, as confirmed by her next words.

  “I understand, but she’s having a scan right now, and then she’ll be going to neurology for observation.”

  “Neurology?” Logan sat back down with a thump, and Alexej started pacing. “Why does she… fuck. That means she’s in a bad way, right?”

  “Are you sure we can’t take this somewhere more private?” the nurse said again, and Logan shook his head.

  “No, these are our friends. Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of them.”

  “Very well, then. When your fiancé was brought in, she was deeply unconscious and bleeding heavily from a wound to the back of the head. Closer inspection showed that wound to be superficial only, and an initial X-ray showed there to be no skull fractures. However, we have some concerns regarding any internal damage. Hence she’s being moved to Neurology for close observation, and an MRI scan.”

  She put her hand up when Logan was going to interrupt her. “As I’m sure you are aware, head injuries can turn life-threatening in an instant. Early signs are good. While your fiancée is unconscious, her vitals are strong. She is breathing on her own, but that’s really all I can tell you for now. A neurologist will be down to see you, once we know more, and we’ll take you up to see her when she’s settled on the ward. Hold on tight for now.”

  Logan nodded, and Slade added his thanks.

  “Thank you very much. Is there anything we can do in the meantime?”

  “Lady Callan-Brennan will need some nightwear and toiletries, so if someone could arrange that. Also, we have been trying to contact her parents, but we haven’t had much luck. Neither her father or mother have responded to our messages, so—”

  “They wouldn’t.” Logan somehow got those words out. “Her father is a drunk, currently in rehab and her mother is in transit to New York. It will be hours before she lands yet. I do have a number I can reach her under, but I would rather not worry her until we have to. Georgina tends to panic, and Lindsey doesn’t need that.”

  “Well, I shall leave that with you. I’d best get back.”

  With that, she left, leaving Logan none the wiser and more worried than ever.

  “Right, I’ll take Rissa to pick out some stuff for her, if that’s all right with you, Logan. I can’t just sit here and do nothing,” Jonas said.

  He put his hand on Logan’s shoulder, and squeezed hard. “She’ll be all right, you’ll see.”

  “We’ll keep you posted, Jonas,” Slade said, and Pedro rose to his feet, too.

  “I’ll go and see what’s keeping Mike. I’ll be right back.” Before anyone could stop him, Pedro strode away, pulling his phone out of his pocket as he went.

  “I should go and fill Laura in. She’ll be worried sick, otherwise,” Slade said. He looked torn, and Logan nodded and waved him away.

  “Go, I’ll be fine here on my own.”

  “No, you won’t be, and I’m not going anywhere.” Alexej sat down in the chair next to him, and Logan didn’t have the strength to argue with him. They sat in silence, until Lindsey’s neurologist approached them.

  “Mr. Festher, my name is Levi Johansen. I’m the consultant neurologist in charge of your fiancée’s care. I apologize for the delay in coming to see you, but we ran into some unexpected complications. No, don’t panic.” The doctor interrupted him when Logan inhaled sharply. “Your fiancée is stable and doing well for now, but the next twenty-four hours will prove critical. The scan showed there to be a small bleed, resulting in some swelling of the brain.”

  Alexej let out what sounded like a string of Russian swear words, and Mr. Johansen gave a wry smile.

  “Quite. However, as I know this has already been explained to you, her age works in her favor here. Best case scenario, the bleeding stops on its own and the swelling will subside. Worst case scenario—”

  “Surgery.” Logan interrupted the consultant, and the man gave a sharp nod.

  “Yes. Though, should that be the case, let me reassure you that I have very steady hands, and this would be a fairly standard procedure. Either way, I’m as confident as I can be that your fiancée will make a full recovery in time.”

  The consultant smiled at him, and Logan stuck out his hand.

  “Thank you. I appreciate your candor.”

  Levi Johansen returned his handshake with a firm grip.

  “It’s what I do. A porter will show you to her room in a minute. Be warned though. Her assailant punched her in the face, so she is not looking like you’ll remember her. The swelling will go down and there won’t be any permanent damage, however. We’ve put her under sedation to give her body the best chance to heal, so don’t expect her to respond her to you.”

  Alexej swore again, and the other man’s quiet fury grounded Logan. Despite her consultant’s warnings, seeing the extent of her injuries still came as shock. One of her eyes was hugely swollen, as was her nose, from what he could see from under her oxygen mask. Her lips appeared split, and a gash marred the skin on her neck. The white bandage around her head was a stark contrast against the normally-so-rich luster of her chestnut hair. Right now it was a dull, matted mess, and Logan sucked in rapid breaths. It was that or be sick with the conflicting emotions that bombarded his soul right now.

  When had she become this precious to him that losing her was unthinkable? He made a solemn vow there and then to not only show her how much she meant to him, but to voice his feelings. Women needed to hear the words, he knew that, and he’d never had an issue saying those three words to Elena. He could almost see her scowl at him, and he shook his head to clear it off the image. Enough.

  Elena was his past. Lindsey was his future.

  Heart pounding against his breastbone, he approached the bed. Under the watchful eyes of the nurse checking her vitals, he picked up Lindsey’s limp hand and, bending over her slight form, dropped a tender kiss on her forehead.

  “I’m so sorry, little bird. You’re going to pull through this, do you hear me? I need you home with me, where you belong, baby.”

  There was no answer, of course, not even the slightest flicker to show that she’d heard him, but Logan kept on talking to her anyway.

  Jonas and Rissa came back with a hold-all of essential items for both Lindsey and him.

  “I figured wild horses wouldn’t drag you away from her bedside,” Jonas said as he placed the bag next to Logan.

  “Damn fucking right, they won’t.”

  Mike’s eventual arrival with the grainy printouts from the CCTV footage confirmed Montgomery had been the attacker, a fact which pitched Logan further into his own personal hell. He’d underestimated the slimebag’s need for revenge, and Lindsey had borne the brunt of that mistake.

  “I’ve already put out an APB on him.” Mike’s words shook Logan out of his misery. “We’ll nail him for this, Sir.”

  Alexej, who was still hovering in the back ground—lord only knew why, because Logan hadn’t counted on him as a friend until now—took one of the blown-up close-ups of Montgomery off Mike. The cop frowned at the action, but he didn’t say anything. In truth, the closed-off expression which Alexej currently sported did not invite any comment. His amber eyes held a dangerous gleam, and Logan and Mike exchanged a glance of concern.

  “I’ll take care of this.”

  “I can’t let you do that.” Mike stepped in front of the other man, and a silent battle of wills seemed to be going on between the two of them. Alexej matched Mike in height and build, but if Logan had to take bets on who would win this stand-off between the two of them, he would have put his money on the Russian. There was something almost feral about him, a deadly determination to get the job done, which Mike was lacking.

  Slade intervened before things could get out of hand.

  “Mike, I mean no disrespect to the
Met, but Montgomery has escaped arrest countless times, when the evidence was overwhelming. What makes you think your guys will get him this time?”

  “This time it’s personal, and if I have to bring that fucker in myself, then I will.” Mike took his eyes off Alexej for a second to address Slade. When the Russian made a move, Mike made a grab for his handcuffs.

  “Don’t make me arrest you, man. This isn’t your fight.”

  Alexej smirked, and crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Neither is it yours, subbie, so get out of my way, and let me do what I should have done a long time ago.”

  Mike’s nostrils flared at what he no doubt considered an insult, and sure enough he got right into the other man’s face.

  “We’re not at the club, and even if we were, the only person I sub to is My Lady. Pulling this crap here is out of order. Stay out of it and let me do my job.”

  Alexej’s hands pulled into fists, but Slade’s calm voice defused the situation.

  “You both need to remember this is a hospital, so take this elsewhere, if you must. None of this is helping Lindsey, or Logan, for that matter.” Both men’s fighting stances relaxed somewhat. “Mike, listen to me. Your hands are tied in this. Saying it’s personal is all well and good, but Scarlett will have my hide if you risk your badge over this. I’ve known Alexej a long time. He can…deal with this.”

  A tense silence fell in the room, only interrupted by the reassuring beep of Lindsey’s monitors, and eventually Mike stepped out of Alexej’s way. He didn’t look happy, but he nodded.

  “Fine, do whatever it is you do. I’m sure I don’t want to know the particulars. Just make sure that fucker pays for his crimes, and for the record…” He looked around the room and grinned. “We never had this fucking conversation.”

  Alexej smirked.

  “Of course not.” He stepped up to Lindsey, and after a questioning glance at Logan, bent to whisper something in her ear. Logan didn’t catch the Russian words, but the grim determination in the other man’s expression, coupled with the leashed aggression that poured off him, made him think he’d just promised her something.