“Your ribs are broken.”
It wasn’t a question, so he didn’t bother to answer.
“We need to hurry!” she cried out, her voice revealing full-blown panic.
As Camden took a step, the young woman gripped his waist, nearly staggering forward in her attempts to offer him support. But in desperate need, he made no protest.
Agonizing step after step followed until they’d finally made it up the walkway to the house. Lights blazed from above the home’s door. The woman reached out to stab at the doorbell, and Camden gripped the door frame in order to ease his weight off of her.
A man opened the door and blinked hard as he took in Camden’s appearance—hunched over, disheveled, battered and bloody.
Sweat dripped from Camden’s forehead. “Undercover officer . . . I need a phone.”
The man hesitated for only a second before he nodded, then turned to rush back into the house without a word.
Beside him, the woman shifted nervously and took a step back. “You’ll be safe now.”
Camden turned his head to gaze at her. Every instinct screamed that she needed his help. She seemed terrified, and with good reason. If Butch and the brothers discovered she’d helped Camden escape, she’d probably be killed.
His hand shot out and he grabbed her wrist. “Don’t leave.”
“Let go of me!”
Camden pushed aside the panic in her voice. It was something to be dealt with later. He grunted as another shooting pain stabbed his insides.
The homeowner came back, holding out a phone.
“Can you dial for me? Number is . . .” Camden recited the number for the task force. He let go of the woman’s arm as the man began dialing. “Stay,” he ordered her.
Leaning against the door frame, he accepted the phone and raised it to his ear.
“Camden?” Eli sounded out of his mind with worry.
“It’s me.”
“Where the hell are you?”
“Newburgh.” He gasped out a brief summary of the past hours. “The emergency signal . . . how many did you get?”
“One. How many did you send?”
“Three.”
“Goddamn it,” Eli bit out.
Another wave of dizziness swept over Camden as he asked the girl the location of Cobb’s property, and he haltingly relayed the info to Eli. Maybe they’d have a shot at raiding it before the brothers got back.
He leaned heavier into the door frame and held the phone out to the homeowner who was standing by, listening to his side of the conversation with wide eyes. The man’s face blurred, and he now had two heads.
“Needs this address . . .” Camden squeezed his eyes shut after the homeowner took hold of the phone. A thick fog was seeping into his brain.
He was unable to think, unable to say anything else to the distraught woman beside him. Her quiet sobs were the last thing he heard as blackness overtook him and he fell forward.
CHAPTER 15
Autumn let out a shriek as the cop collapsed onto the wooden porch. The homeowner had just ended his call and held the phone in midair as he stared down at the cop.
Snapping out of his daze, the man sprang into action. He grabbed hold of the unconscious cop’s arms and began dragging him inside the house.
Autumn trembled and looked toward the street. Should I run? The cop had talked to his boss about a raid on Butch’s place. If Butch and the brothers were caught, they would be arrested, and she might be too if she went back there. But if she stayed here, this might be her best chance at staying out of jail and escaping from Butch.
Her decision made, she swallowed hard and looked at the homeowner. “B-be careful. His ribs are broken.”
The man stopped his movements. His gaze narrowed as he looked at her. “Were you the one who did this to him?”
“No!” God, why would he even think that?
Autumn’s gaze darted back to the cop. His face was stained with his own blood, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. Where blood wasn’t visible, bruises and scrapes were evident. She would never do something like that to someone, wasn’t physically capable of it.
“They’re sending the police,” the man said harshly, “so don’t even think of going anywhere.” He exchanged a glance with his wife, who had come into the living room, her arms wrapped around herself as she stared wide-eyed at their uninvited guests.
The hatefully spoken words set off an even deeper panic inside Autumn. Would the cops think the same thing the homeowner had? That she’d hurt this man?
Her head and heart pounded simultaneously as she sank onto the porch. Her life as she’d known it had changed. That much was clear. But what would happen now?
The bands tightening on her head intensified as she focused on sucking air inside her lungs. Car doors slammed on the street. Footsteps pounded up the steps and moved past her into the house.
Autumn heard but couldn’t comprehend the words spoken to her. Despite the pressure inside her head, she felt light-headed. And hot. She swayed and then caught herself. Then she swayed again.
“Get another medic up here! She needs help too!”
• • •
Autumn opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was lying on a gurney inside a moving ambulance. A uniformed medic sat a foot away, his knees brushing against her as he tended her with efficient movements. A playback of the last hours rushed through her mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
The medic was frowning when she opened them again. “You’re awake.” He placed an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. “Inhale some nice deep breaths for me, all right?”
Autumn nodded. The next minutes were spent focused on her breathing. Every exhalation she made into the hard plastic mask created a wheezing sound.
The medic wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her arm. “We’re on our way to Mercy Hospital. We should be arriving soon.”
Mercy was located in Pennsylvania, just outside of Scranton. Why were they going so far from Newburgh? To hide out from Butch?
She tried to move her hand and met resistance. Her blood pressure skyrocketed when she realized she’d been handcuffed to the gurney.
Velcro ripped as the medic freed her arm from the blood pressure cuff.
“Try and relax for me, all right?” he said.
I’m handcuffed and you want me to relax? Rather than respond, Autumn turned her head away.
The ambulance sped along for another twenty minutes before slowing to a stop. When the medic opened the back door, a uniformed officer stood waiting. He studied Autumn before acknowledging the medic.
“I’m going to escort you all inside.”
Autumn’s gurney was lifted from the ambulance and wheeled into the emergency room. The officer followed alongside as they moved down a corridor. A plump, middle-aged nurse in blue scrubs was seated at a nurses’ station and quickly stood when she spotted them.
“We’ll use room three.” She pointed to a room across the hall.
“Syncope, but she’s stable,” the medic said. “Her blood pressure’s actually elevated now.”
“All right.” As the nurse came around from behind the counter, she zeroed in on the handcuff attached to Autumn’s wrist and frowned.
Autumn squeezed her eyes shut as she wondered about the undercover cop. Wait, he wasn’t a cop; he said he was a federal agent. How was he doing? Had he been brought to this hospital too?
The medic locked the gurney in place beside a hospital bed.
“Let’s transfer her,” the nurse said, and the officer stepped forward to unlock Autumn’s handcuff. “On the count of three. One . . . two . . . three.”
Once Autumn was settled onto the hospital bed, the officer raised the handcuff to reattach it, but the nurse raised a hand.
“Wait. I’d like to get a gown on her first.”
While the nurse helped Autumn change, the medic excused himself and left with the gurney.
Autumn trembled hard after she was handcuffed t
o the bed. Am I under arrest? Afraid of the answer, she didn’t ask.
“Do you need to question her now?” the nurse asked the policeman as she straightened the sheets over Autumn.
“It won’t be me. Another officer is on his way.”
Nodding, the nurse picked up Autumn’s shirt and frowned. “Is this your blood?” She pointed to a bloodstain and raised her eyebrows at Autumn. It was the first time the nurse had spoken directly to her. The woman’s tone was frosty, and her lips were pursed together.
“It’s not,” Autumn whispered.
“You’re not hurt anywhere then?”
“No.”
“Do you have a history of fainting?”
“No.”
“Use the call button if you need me.” The nurse nodded at the cop before leaving the room.
The officer moved to follow, but at the door, he paused and looked back. “Someone will be here soon to get your statement.”
Autumn let out a rush of breath after the door closed. Sinking back into the stiff pillow, she shut her eyes.
• • •
As the hospital room door opened, Autumn startled awake. An attractive man with piercing green eyes stepped into the room.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
Autumn’s mouth dried as she stared up at him. Was he a cop?
“Your name,” he repeated. His jaw tightened as he took another step forward.
Autumn swallowed hard. “It’s Autumn.”
“Autumn what?”
“Autumn Mason.”
“I’m Special Agent Grayson Matthews.” He flashed a silver badge in a leather wallet before shoving it back into his pocket. “Why were you with the agent who was undercover?”
“I . . .” Autumn quickly closed her mouth.
What was she supposed to tell this agent? That she’d tried to help the other agent after Butch and the brothers had beaten him to a pulp? Would they try to blame her as an accomplice for the beating? For the kidnapping? She’d watched cop shows on TV; she knew how this worked.
And it scares me to death.
The agent frowned. “Well?”
Autumn took a deep breath and clutched the sheets, pulling them higher over her chest. Averting her gaze, she whispered, “I can’t tell you that.”
Agent Matthews’s jaw instantly tightened. “What’s your connection to the Wicked Disciples? Which one of them do you know?”
She took in a breath. “All of them.”
“Do you live with them?”
It wouldn’t hurt to answer that question, would it? “I live with Butch.”
“Butch Cobb?”
She nodded.
“You’re his girlfriend?”
Autumn blinked hard. It was true, wasn’t it? She did live with Butch as his girlfriend. She gave the agent a tight nod and noticed his lip curl with disgust.
“Where is he?”
Autumn took in a breath but didn’t answer.
“We raided his place but didn’t find him. So, where is he?”
He stepped even closer. If he was trying to intimidate her, it was working. But what upset her more was the thought of Butch on the run, mad as hell at her and wanting her to pay.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. When the man’s gaze hardened, she asked, “Have you tried the clubhouse?”
“He’s not there.” He was no longer trying to mask the hostility in his tone.
God, she couldn’t win here. Should she tell him she was afraid of Butch? Would the agent calm down if he knew that? Or was it best to just keep her mouth shut?
Pressure ballooned inside her head. Closing her eyes, she reached up and rubbed her temples, hoping to alleviate some of the pain. She’d had headaches that had come on quickly before, but never one this bad.
“I don’t know where he is,” she said, risking another glance at the agent.
He was frowning at her. “What’s wrong?”
“My head hurts.”
The man glared at her and stalked out of the room. Moments later he was back, followed by a nurse in green scrubs. This one looked young, not much older than herself.
Autumn could barely make out the words the nurse and the agent exchanged. All she could think of was Butch. He would come after her. He’d want revenge for what she’d done.
With a hand still clasped against her forehead, she turned onto her side and curled into a ball. She flinched when her arm was grasped in cool hands a few seconds later.
“It’s okay, hon. I just want to give you something for the pain.” There was a swab of wetness and then the sting of a needle.
The nurse gave Autumn’s hand a quick squeeze. “You’re going to feel better soon.”
The agent was leaving the room as Autumn opened her eyes. She let out a small sigh of relief.
“Do you get these headaches often?” the nurse asked.
“When I’m stressed.”
“Are they always this bad?”
“Never this bad.”
The nurse nodded. “What I gave you should help you sleep too.”
After the nurse left the room, a peaceful feeling began to envelop Autumn. Her bunched muscles relaxed and her terrifying thoughts faded. She closed her eyes with a sigh, welcoming the rare opportunity to leave her worries behind.
CHAPTER 16
Mercy Hospital, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Camden blinked open his eyes and focused on the worried face hovering over him.
Grayson.
He glanced around. By the look of it, he was inside a hospital room, and based on the sunlight streaming through the window, he’d slept for several hours. Memories of the beating returned, and he laid a tentative hand over his ribs.
“How’re you doing?” Grayson asked.
An image of his terrified blond rescuer flashed inside Camden’s mind. He shot out his hand, grabbing hold of Grayson’s wrist as he demanded, “Where is she?”
“Who? The girl?”
“Yes.”
“Autumn Mason. She’s in the next room over.”
Autumn. Camden blinked rapidly, staring up at his friend. “How is she?”
A muscle twitched in Grayson’s jaw. “Okay. They gave her something to help her sleep. It’s you we’re concerned about. You’ve got four broken ribs, Cam.”
Camden glanced at the IV hooked up to his arm. With whatever he’d been given, he wasn’t feeling too much pain. “I need to see her.”
Grayson snorted. “She’s Cobb’s girlfriend.”
“I know.” Camden shifted in the bed, the movement sending a jolt of pain through his torso. “But she saved my life.”
He wasn’t going to be able to rest until he reassured himself that Autumn was all right. The girl had risked her own safety to help him, and he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why.
And that stab of attraction he’d felt for her when he first laid eyes on her . . . that was something new. He’d been too busy with his career for anything other than the occasional one-night stand for years, but this innocent slip of a girl with the heart of a lion intrigued him. And she obviously needed his help.
Closing his eyes, he steeled himself for what was to come. As he gripped the bedrail, pain like he’d never experienced ripped his insides, worse even than the burns he’d sustained a year ago. He gasped out in agony as he pulled himself up.
Grayson reached out and grasped his shoulder, pushing him back to the bed. “What the hell are you doing?”
Camden batted his hand away. “I need to see her.”
Sitting upright against another jolt of pain, he braced his hands against the mattress, ignoring Grayson’s muttered curses as he slowly pushed to his feet. Dizziness surged, nearly making him stumble, and he grabbed the bed frame.
“You’re fucking crazy. You know that?”
Gritting his teeth, Camden waited for the staggering wave of dizziness to wash over him. He wasn’t going to be able to walk on his own. That much was clear. His gaze raked over the r
oom before landing on the IV pole beside the bed. He took a tentative step forward and grabbed hold.
“Just get back onto the bed, Cam. All right?”
Camden eased out a breath. “I need to see her. She’s got to be terrified.”
Grayson muttered something under his breath but didn’t object any further. Instead he followed Camden as he slowly made his way toward the door.
“Which way?” Camden asked once they reached the hallway.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Grayson pointed. “It’s the room to the right.”
Camden’s temper flared when they entered Autumn’s room. She lay sleeping, looking so vulnerable and innocent except for the handcuff that tethered her to the bed frame.
“Uncuff her, Gray.”
When his partner didn’t move, Camden narrowed his gaze on him. Grayson closed his eyes for a long moment before letting out a sigh. He stepped forward, drawing a set of keys from his pocket.
Autumn woke as Grayson took hold of the handcuffs. She squinted up at Grayson before her gaze met Camden’s. When those gorgeous blue eyes of hers widened in recognition, a jolt of awareness hit him.
Confusion was evident on her face as Grayson unlocked the cuff. She sat up and rubbed at her wrist.
“How are you?” Camden asked.
She opened her mouth and then closed it again as she stared up at him. She had to be terrified; she certainly looked it. The need to protect her that welled up within him stunned him with its strength.
“Everything’s going to be all right, Autumn, I promise you. My real name is Camden. Camden Taylor, but you can call me Cam.”
When she didn’t respond, he racked his brain, trying to think of something that would put her at ease. “Have we called anyone for you?”
Grayson answered for her. “Not yet.”
“Who should we call?” Camden asked.
Autumn wet her lips.
“I have a brother, but I don’t know where he is.”
“What about your parents?”
She shook her head as a pained look came into her eyes.
Had she lost them? Or was she from a dysfunctional household? You didn’t end up living with a man like Butch Cobb if you came from a normal background.
Meeting Danger (Danger #1) Page 8
