A muted commotion distracted him. Voices and steps rose in volume as they came closer. A woman holding a microphone burst into the room, her eyes zeroing on Max without hesitation. Max recognized her at once. It was the Asian reporter from the news, looking for her next scoop. In real life, her shifter nature became evident; she was a were-fox. She wasn’t alone; a cameraman and two other people followed her.
It turned out he didn’t need to leave the hospital after all. He should’ve imagined Louise had eyes and ears there as well. The woman seemed to know what Max would do even before he knew. He was tired of the game already and would need to confront Louise soon and put a stop to her harassment. Now though, he had to take care of the press.
The reporter’s long, sleek black hair slid from one shoulder to the other as she hurriedly advanced toward Max. “Is it true you killed your daughter’s mother?”
Max wasn’t shocked by her question, and he had no intention to fall for her theatrical ways. He gave Wilson a subtle nod, and his friend nodded back, reaching for his phone as he stepped out of the room.
“Do you have permission to be here?” Max asked the reporter.
“Mr. Prize, why aren’t you answering my question? Is it true, then? You killed that poor mother,” the woman continued as if she hadn’t heard Max’s question.
“I suggest you leave,” Max said.
“You can’t stop us from uncovering the truth, Mr. Prize.” The reporter’s eyes shone with a maniacal light. The woman was high on something. “You are not above the law.”
Max wanted nothing else but to let his dragon out and burn the woman to cinders, but sometimes, brute force wasn’t the answer. He might have intimidated social services, but if he attacked the idiot in front of him, no tribunal would absolve him, and Amber Rose would end up alone, losing both her mother and father. For his daughter’s sake, he resolved to keep the dragon inside his mind.
“What are you doing here?” Doctor Kalisten asked from the archway.
“I am Alice Weng from King Six, live from Seattle,” the reporter said, reciting for the benefit of the camera. Despite her arrogant attitude, at least she knew better than to expose the hospital as a supernatural haven. “We are here to help justice—”
“You need to leave, now,” the doctor said, cutting into the woman’s explanation with an expression of utter disgust.
“You can’t stop us,” the reporter said, brandishing her microphone.
“I can, and I will. Unless you are a patient, or a relative or friend of one, you and your crew have no business here. Security accompanied me, but if you wish to avoid a scene, leave now.”
“This is outrageous!” the reporter cried, eyeing the four sturdy-looking men who had just appeared behind the doctor.
“What’s outrageous is that you’re wasting my time; time that could mean the difference between life and death for any of my little patients,” Doctor Kalisten said, raising her brow and crossing her arms across her scrubs.
The reporter blanched, her eyes nervously going to the camera. A red light blinked, indicating it was recording. “Of course, we would never want to keep you from saving lives.” She attempted a smile, probably a cue for the cameraman to turn off the camera, but either her sign was too subtle, or the man purposefully ignored her and kept recording.
“I’m glad to hear that.” Doctor Kalisten moved to the side to let the reporter and her crew through the door.
Security silently followed the somber procession, guiding them away.
“I’ll find who among my staff called King Six, and I’ll fire this person,” the doctor said, looking at Max. “Whoever did it doesn’t have the wellness of our patients at heart, and I can’t have anyone with such low moral standards working in my ward.”
Max lowered his head in thanks. After the day he was having, it was nice to have his faith in humanity restored.
“How is Amber Rose?” he asked, stopping the doctor at the threshold as she was leaving.
“Still in critical condition, but stable. I’ll let you know if there are any changes.” The doctor tapped the doorframe twice. “There’s a small parking lot in the back of the hospital. It’s gated, and only employees are allowed in, in case you want to get some fresh hair,” she said before leaving.
Vivienne touched Max’s arm, her small hand pressing slightly over his elbow. “Maybe we could stretch our legs,” she said, her chin tilted as she looked at him with her bright eyes.
“That’s a great idea,” Wilson chimed right away.
“I don’t know—” Max said, eyeing the door.
“We’ll take turns. I stay here as you take a walk around the block.” Wilson sat, stretching out his legs in front of him. He raised his cell phone for Max’s benefit. “If there’s news, I’ll call you right away.”
Vivienne nodded. “Just five minutes.” The warmth of her light caress seeped through the fabric of his shirt.
“Only five minutes.” Max took her hand in his, and they walked out into the parking lot.
A few people milled about their cars, but the place was otherwise deserted. Tall street lights cast white circles creating bright spots and long shadows. A fine drizzle covered every surface with tiny droplets that sparkled like diamonds. Vivienne led him under the colonnade that ran along that side of the building.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do if—” Max shuddered, unable to finish the sentence.
“Don’t go there,” Vivienne said, pulling him back and hugging him tightly.
“I’m powerless.”
“I know.” She rested her head against his chest. “I know.”
Their united shadows created a silhouette on the wall behind them. Max’s outline looked large, almost swallowing Vivienne’s, but she was the strong one of the two, and he thanked the Goddess once again for having Vivienne at his side.
25
Vivienne wished she were a psychic healer to help Max. She could feel his pain and knew that she could do nothing to lessen his fear and despair but stay with him.
Max hugged her back, his strong arms snaking around her.
A slow clap resonated behind them. The smell of shifter dragon and traces of Aurore, a high-end perfume Vivienne had once tried at a Macy’s, reached her nostrils.
Vivienne turned in Max’s embrace, but he was faster, shoving her behind him at once.
“What do you want, Louise?” A calm fury seeped through his question.
Leaning to the side, Vivienne took a look at the newcomer. As she had imagined from his cold greeting, it was the Louise Dortmund, in the flesh, sneering at them from her high heels and powerful suit.
“Maximus Prize, the chauvinist pig, now defender of women,” Louise said, slow clapping again.
“What do you want?” Max repeated.
Instead of answering him, Louise tilted her head to the side to look at Vivienne. “If I were you, honey, I’d run away as fast as I could and forget about this lying piece of garbage.”
“Leave her out of this,” Max said, protectively moving to shield Vivienne as he reached behind for her.
Vivienne grabbed his hand and squeezed it to assure him she was fine.
“It’s just between you and me.” Max’s hold on Vivienne’s hand tightened.
“You care about this one,” Louise said. It was a statement and an accusation all at once. A maniacal edge tinged the woman’s words. “How the mighty have fallen.” She laughed, a cold, hysterical cackle that echoed in the night. “I will take so much joy destroying everything, everyone, important to you,” she taunted him.
Max tensed, ready to fight, but Vivienne wouldn’t let him fall for the woman’s antics. She pressed her other hand against his back and stroked him. The effect was immediate, and Max slowly relaxed. He turned to face Vivienne and said, “Let’s go back inside.” Without another word to Louise, he left her behind.
“You don’t walk away from me,” Louise spat, her voice shrill.
Vivienne clasped Max’s ha
nd tighter when she felt him hesitate and slow his pace. “She isn’t worth it,” she whispered.
The woman’s deranged laughter followed them as they exited the colonnade and crossed the parking lot. Before entering the hospital, Vivienne looked over her shoulder and saw Louise standing in the rain, looking at them.
As soon as they were inside the Pediatric Ward, Max spun and took Vivienne in his arms. “Don’t believe a word she said. I won’t let her hurt you.”
“Don’t worry for me,” Vivienne said. Although she wouldn’t underestimate women like Louise Dortmund, Vivienne was done letting people walk all over her. Fate had already dealt her the most horrible of blows; now it was time to stand up again. “She is nothing more than a bully.”
“My brave wolf,” Max said, leaning down to brush a kiss on her forehead before softly kissing her lips.
It was a chaste peck, nothing more, but it touched Vivienne deep inside. When she leaned away a moment later, she felt the weight of malicious eyes on her. Sure enough, Louise was staring at Vivienne from the other side of the glass door. Even from several steps away, the expression on the woman’s face was impossible to misunderstand. The hatred in her gaze chilled Vivienne to the bone, and she knew that she had just made a powerful enemy in Louise Dortmund.
Vivienne also realized that she had been wrong in her previous assessment. Louise was much more than a bully, but she didn’t say anything to Max. Instead, she burrowed in his embrace to let her new enemy know that Vivienne Bosch would not just roll over and show her belly.
Max enveloped Vivienne in his warmth and rocked her slowly for a few seconds as if they were dancing to a tune only he could hear. She recognized his need for normalcy and hugged him back.
“My ray of sunshine,” he murmured against her hair.
His choice of words brought tears to Vivienne’s eyes.
“Did I say something wrong?” Max asked, worry etched in his handsome features.
She shook her head, trying to find the right way to express the tangle of emotions in her chest.
He wiped her cheek. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t upset me,” she said. “What you said, it was perfect.” She took a long breath before diving into her explanation. “I’ve been living surrounded by darkness for so long,” she started. “To hear you say that I am your light, it’s more than I could ever hope.” She had to take a moment to regroup her thoughts.
Max caressed her cheek with his large hand.
“I am a giver,” she continued. “I’ve been a giver my whole life, but after the accident—”
He drew her closer to him, his hand leaving her face to stroke her back in long, soothing circles.
“That night, when I lost my baby and his father, my light died with them.” Vivienne moved in his embrace, leaning away to look at him. “I thought I didn’t have anything left in me to give.”
“Why would you think that?” Max looked puzzled. “Since the first moment I met you, you have been nothing but a giver. You cared for Amber Rose and defended her since the beginning. You stayed for her even though you despised me. You showed me kindness.”
“Showing kindness to a person isn’t a big deal,” she said with a small smile.
“It is when it’s freely given without any expectation of reciprocation.” He shook his head slightly. “Beside my parents and Wilson, I haven’t experienced much kindness in my life.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Vivienne thought of how she had judged the billionaire before meeting the man and felt her heart ache for him anew.
“People are usually nice to me when they want something.”
“You deserve kindness,” she said, raising her hand to his face. The stubble on his jaw was dark and made him look unkempt and all the more beautiful for it.
26
Max had never met anyone like Vivienne.
You deserve kindness, she had said, shattering his world.
From unwanted orphan and rejected juvenile, to envied businessman, he had never elicited kindness outside of his restricted circle. He had always thought he was lucky to have his parents and Wilson, but now, he realized that he had always wanted more from humanity. Someone to care enough for him to see through his angst and beyond his bank account.
He leaned his chin against her head, inhaling her scent as she borrowed deeper into his embrace. The rest of the world disappeared, and a sense of peace descended on him. The hospital’s sounds and smells intruded into their bubble too soon, though, breaking the magical spell.
“It feels so nice in your arms,” Vivienne said, nudging his chest with her nose as if she, too, was taking in his scent as he had done hers. “You are a professional hugger.” When she leaned away, her smile lit her face, making her the loveliest woman he had ever seen.
Max had thought Vivienne beautiful before, but now that he had spent more time with her, he had discovered her inner traits. Her strength, tenacity, compassion, overall goodness, they were all qualities that elevated her higher than any other woman he had met in his adult life. Vivienne was selfless and ready to give all of herself, even when she thought there was nothing left in her.
“I’m not a hugger or a cuddler,” he said, returning her smile.
“Can’t believe it.” She snuggled closer to him yet. “You are made for hugging and cuddling.”
“I wouldn’t mind practicing with you.” He watched her, mindful of her reaction when she would get the exact meaning of his veiled suggestion.
Her reaction made him want to kiss her senseless.
Becoming a bright shade of red, Vivienne opened her mouth, but no sound escaped her pink lips that acted like a beacon for his mouth.
In any other occasion, Max would’ve unleashed his practiced charm on Vivienne. Not tonight, though. His baby daughter was fighting for her life, and his heart and mind were focused on Amber Rose.
“Don’t mind my brainless comment,” he said with an apologetic smile and a quick peck on Vivienne’s nose. “I enjoy being with you.”
“Me too.” Vivienne cocked her head to the side, her eyes brightening and her skin flushing redder as she said all in one breath, “I’d love to help you practice—”
“Hopefully, soon.” For once, Max would’ve gladly spent the entire night spooning, and that was a first for him.
At the moment, the idea of spending time with Vivienne, caressing and kissing each other—even without going any further than that—sounded divine.
“Let’s get back to the waiting room so that Wilson can take a break, too.” He took Vivienne’s small hand in his and led her across the long hallway.
Just the act of touching her affected him like no other sensual contact ever had. There was something to say about closeness that came in many different forms, and Max was discovering its many nuances with Vivienne. He loved the feeling and wanted to hang onto it for as long as possible before reality intruded again. The stroll ended too soon, and they were already outside the waiting room.
“News?” Max asked Wilson as he crossed the threshold.
“The doctor hasn’t come back yet.” Wilson yawned and passed a hand across his jaw and chin. His eyes were bloodshot.
“You look like crap,” Max said.
“I love you, too.” Wilson smiled, but it was a tired smile.
“Go home.” Max walked to his friend’s corner.
Vivienne followed a step behind and sat in the corner as if to give them privacy. Max wanted her closer to take her hand or brush her leg with his. He was getting used to her presence by his side and felt her absence even though she was but a few steps away from him.
“No, I’ll stay,” Wilson said. “You might need me, and I wouldn’t sleep anyway, thinking of Amber Rose.”
“Thank you.” Max lowered himself to the chair next to Vivienne and let out a hard sigh, leaning his shoulder to rest on hers.
Wilson angled his body to take a better look at Max. “Everything okay?”
> “Louise Dortmund was outside.”
“Why? What did she want?”
“She wanted to make sure I knew she sent the reporter after me.”
“She just doesn’t change,” Wilson commented.
Vivienne shifted in her seat as if she wanted to intervene in the conversation.
Max gave her a nod.
“May I ask something?” Vivienne whispered.
“Sure,” Max answered.
After an awkward silence that stretched a few seconds, Vivienne spoke again. “Why is Louise Dortmund so hell-bent on destroying you?”
“The short of it is that I didn’t have sex with her.” Max scratched his chin.
“One hundred percent true,” Wilson said. “We all went to the same high school and college—”
“I dropped out of UW after my first semester,” Max said with a shrug. “Barely finished high school.”
“Again, true, but not because of his grades. Max is a genius,” Wilson said, slapping Max’s arm.
“I imagined he wouldn’t have become a successful businessman, recognized by presidents and moguls all over the world, otherwise,” Vivienne said with an easy smile.
Max was pleasantly surprised, once again, by how Vivienne had carefully worded her statement. She hadn’t used “billionaire” to describe him. The rest of the world saw the easy money he had made, the yachts, penthouses, jets, villas, outrageous vacations, and supermodels. But not Vivienne. She had just praised his acumen and work ethic. He had the feeling that when they first met, she had probably pegged him for the chauvinist pig Louise called him. The thought made him smile because Vivienne’s good opinion mattered to him. It also touched him that Vivienne had talked about him with the same pride he had only seen in his parents and Wilson.
“Thank you, both,” he finally said, and if there was a catch in his voice, the other two graciously acted as if they hadn’t noticed. “Coming back to Louise, she is nothing but thorough when pursuing personal vendettas. We were once good friends, but I discovered how spiteful she could be early on and distanced myself from her.”
The Alpha’s Gift_Bad Alpha Dads_The Immortals Page 10
