by EJ Whitmer
I fired another round into his stomach. “That was for using Mae and nearly killing her.”
I continued to march toward him and shot one last paintball into his crotch. “And that was for using the word ‘moist’ five times in one conversation!”
Duncan cupped his manhood in his hands and fell to his side with a loud groan as the team rushed over to subdue him. The last thing I remember was the tiger ambling over to me and running its large tongue up the side of my face. I breathed a sigh of relief and let the darkness take me away.
33
A steady beep woke me from a very pleasant dream involving naked firemen and unlimited tubs of whipped topping. I slowly fought my way to consciousness and registered the sound of whispers beyond the beep. Cracking one eye open, I found Gia and Carl seated in the corner of a small white room, whispering back and forth. I opened the other eye to take in my surroundings and established that I was definitely in a hospital.
“What happened?” I croaked.
Gia and Carl leapt from their seats and rushed to my side.
“How are you feeling?” asked Carl.
“Like someone used my head as a battering ram.”
Gia brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes and smiled down at me. “Well, that’s almost accurate. You hit your head really hard. You’ve been out for the past few hours. The doctors said you’ve got quite the concussion.” She grabbed a styrofoam cup of water from the side table and helped me take a drink.
The cool water did wonders on my dry throat. “Is everyone else safe?” I asked.
Carl nodded. “Yep! That dude was done-for after you shot him in the nards! Lilith wrapped him up in vines and Emmett tossed him in the back of her Tahoe like a sack of potatoes.”
“How did you find us?” I asked. “And what the hell was up with the tiger?”
Gia smothered a laugh. “While I was on the phone explaining my powers to Carl, he overheard you and Blake talking in your kitchen. He asked if I’d help him follow you. We picked you up outside of the office and followed you to the restaurant, but lost track of you for a bit when you were chasing down that red car. When we finally found you, Carl revealed his master plan. I may have felt a little bad about the werewolf fiasco, so I went with it.”
“We were totally badass!” Carl boasted.
I smirked at him and nodded my head, wincing at the pain.
“You rest now,” Gia said as she grabbed Carl and pushed him out the door. “We’ll go let the nurse know you’re awake and see if she can’t bring you in some pain meds. We’ll be back later!”
The door had just begun to close behind them when Dom knocked quietly and poked his head in. “I see you’re awake,” he observed. “I came to see if you need anything.”
I smiled and gingerly shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t think so, but thanks. Gia and Carl just left.”
Dom sauntered in and sat on the edge of the hospital bed. “We’ve been worried. The doctors assured us multiple times that you would be fine, but it’s a relief to see you awake. Do you remember much?”
“I think so,” I replied. “I don’t remember anything after I passed out, obviously. But the events leading up to that are pretty clear. Did you find anything else out?”
Dom shook his head. “Not much. We’re still looking into whatever organization sent Duncan to take out our team. He did admit to purposely engaging with Mae to gain access to our building.”
“How could he possibly know he’d find her on Tinder?” I asked.
“Evidently he did a search to look up people who worked for Vance Publishing. He attempted to contact dozens of people. Mae was just the unlucky one who responded back.”
My eyes burned with unshed tears and I bit my lip to ward them off.
Dom smiled sympathetically and patted my knee. “The important thing is that it’s over, Anna.” He paused and grimaced. “Well, at least it’s over for now. Mae is safe. We’re all okay. You just focus on healing up, ok?”
Knowing the tears would flow if I attempted to speak, I gave Dom a thumbs up. He gave my knee a final pat, winked at me and headed out the door.
I relaxed into my pillow and tried to process the information I’d just been given. Unfortunately, my head throbbed with pain every time I attempted to think too hard.
“Yoohoo!” Grandma Rose grinned at me as she shuffled through the door. “Gia said you were awake. I’m so glad! How are you feeling, dear?”
“A little groggy. My head definitely hurts.”
She grimaced in sympathy and sat down on the edge of the bed. “From what I was told, Dom took care of your scrapes and bruises, but that was all he could manage. The poor man was exhausted after the chase and the combat.”
I smiled. “Hey, every little bit helps, huh? Has anyone else been in or are they all regrouping after the fight?”
“Emmett is just down the hall, talking on his cell phone. He finally got in touch with his father and is updating him on what happened. Eric was here when I arrived. He called your brother and asked for your medical history to relay to the doctors. Michael is out of town, so he figured Eric would be the next best person to take charge of that kind of stuff. And, of course, Gia and Carl were here. They were both worried sick, bless their hearts.”
“Did you get the opportunity to talk to Gia?” I asked. “What vibes do you get from her? You said your vision was pretty neutral.”
“I spoke with her a bit,” Rose confirmed. “She seems like a sweet girl. I got the impression she feels kind of lost, especially without her brother. She could use a good group of friends. I told Lilith that if my opinion counts for anything, I think she’d be a wonderful addition to the team.”
I considered this for a moment before taking a deep breath and snuggling deeper into my pillow.
Rose leaned in to kiss my cheek and stood. “You poor thing. You must be in so much pain. I’ll just go see if Gia was able to find the nurse. Your arm must hurt like the dickens!”
My arm?
I hadn’t even noticed the dull throbbing coming from my left forearm. I reached over to pull the sheet off and clapped my good hand over my mouth to muffle my scream. A cast covered my arm from my knuckles to just past my elbow. And not just any cast. A horrendous, rainbow-colored cast with glitter embedded in the wraps. I rotated my shoulder to view the other side and gasped in horror. There on the outside of my arm was a surprisingly well-drawn sketch of a unicorn. Directly below was a signature.
*It’s all rainbows and unicorns from here on out. Get well soon. - EB*
“That son of a bitch! I’m going to beat him over his pretty little head with this rainbow monstrosity! Then I’m going to have to kill my brother. Only Michael would put Eric Blake in charge of my medical needs. And what kind of janky ass hospital has rainbow casting tape!? What am I, a ten-year-old Bieber fan?! Who the hell approved this shit!? It looks like an Andy Warhol painting threw up on my arm! Sweet baby Moses, I’m a damn professional!”
As my internal conniption fit wound down, the only remaining sounds in my room were the steady beep of my heart rate monitor and a low, masculine chuckle resonating through my brain.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
E.J. Whitmer is a young-ish Iowa native who spends her days working in marketing and design. After spending hundreds of evenings reading and dreaming of her own fictional characters, she decided to put them in writing.
When she’s not working or writing, she spends her free time cooking, crafting, attending sporting events, harassing her outrageously good-looking husband or playing with her cat, Capone, and Boston Terrier, Rowdie.
www.ejwhit.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Writing is rewarding in so many ways. I get to be imaginative and just let my brain go crazy. But even better than having a new creative outlet, I’ve made some seriously amazing friends through this journey, like my fellow author, Amy Stearman. (If you haven’t checked out her books, do it now!) Not only is she a fabulous editor and idea bouncer-offer
, but she’s quickly turned into one of my most favorite people ever.
This past January I joined the Iowa Writers Corner and became part of a group of friends that is so supportive and so full of love, I tear up every time I get an IWC email. They’re always quick to give me a good mix of “love love” and “tough love” when I get a bad review. They’re just as excited as my family is for my baby boy to arrive. Just this morning I received two emails, scolding me for working too hard and telling me how much they already love this little man.
Thank you to Izzy James (also a fellow author!), Emily, David and Heather for your invaluable editing services.
And, of course, thank you to my husband, my mother, Jamee, Cally and Amanda for your unwavering support and final read-thru notes. I’d have ended up a crying blob on the floor if it wasn’t for you guys.
Love you all!
