He shut off the truck as the garage door lowered. I moved to get out, but his hand flew out to stop me. “Wait ‘til the door is closed all the way.”
I leaned back, feeling some aches and pains throughout my body.
When the door was closed, Liam glanced at me again. “I’ll come around.”
I didn’t say anything as he jumped out of the truck and prowled around the massive garage, looking for anything out of the ordinary. When he was done, he checked some kind of monitor on the wall before backtracking to where I was.
When he offered his hand to help me down, I took it.
“I kinda feel bad for thinking of you as just some inflated athlete,” I told him, slightly sheepish.
He barked a laugh, and it echoed beside my ear. “Here I thought you liked me.”
“I do,” I said, moving back just slightly so I could meet his stare. His eyes were gray and stormy… definitely the eyes of a man who didn’t always have it easy. “I just meant you’re a lot more like Alex than I realized.”
A sound rumbled out of him. “This isn’t my first rodeo full of people coming for my family.”
“I know you have a wife and son to protect. I can wait out here, away from them—”
“I was talking about you.” He interrupted.
My brow wrinkled as I tried to understand. “But—”
“You’re my family now, just as much as the people inside.”
Alex said that before. He called me family. Until now, I hadn’t really believed that Liam felt that way, too. “You barely know me.” I wasn’t trying to sound bratty or ungrateful. I was just pointing out the obvious.
“Alex loves you. That’s all I need.”
I started to shake my head, but the look in Liam’s eyes stopped the action. “We both know,” he said, gesturing between us, “that you two are in love with each other. You don’t have to admit it to each other, but there’s no use in trying to deny it for me.”
“What if I’m a horrible person?” I challenged, lifting my chin. “Would you still accept Alex loving me?”
Liam chuckled. “He needs someone like you to bust his balls on the daily.” His eyes twinkled, and the man I saw before, the cautious protector, was gone. “Promise me you’ll do it in front of me as much as you can. That shit is funny.”
“That wasn’t even an answer,” I said, my lips twitching. If the situation hadn’t been what it was, I would have been laughing.
He glanced over his shoulder as he led me toward the door leading inside the house. “If you were a horrible person, Alex wouldn’t have let you into his house.”
I fell silent. There was no arguing with this one. Not about this anyway. Besides, I was beyond exhausted, and dizziness made everything in front of me sort of slosh together. I pressed a hand to my stomach and swallowed, trying to push back the nausea I wasn’t interested in feeling.
Where is he right now? Is he safe?
Liam pushed some buttons on the keypad on the wall near the monitors he’d been checking earlier, and the sound of some locks unlatching on the other side of the steel door echoed. Once the door was ajar, Liam gestured for me to go ahead of him, so I did.
I stepped into a mudroom that was large and much less tactical than the security in the garage, the locks on the doors, and the overall feeling I’d had as we pulled inside. The slate tile on the floor was rich in hues of the earth, and the large wooden cabinets lining the wall looked like high-end lockers you might find in some exclusive private school. There was a braided rug in the center of the floor and a large wire basket with various sports balls and a jump rope inside. Beside it was a large piece of sidewalk chalk, having fallen out of the box it lay beside.
A large iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, filling the space with warm light, and over on the far wall was a washing station for who I assumed was Charlie, along with a deep sink and a few other cabinets for storage.
Liam kicked off his boots and slung the jacket he was wearing into one of the lockers. When he was done, he reached for Alex’s red jacket, and I flinched away.
He held out his hand like he meant no harm. “Just trying to help.”
“I want to wear it,” I said, unable to bear the thought of taking off the only piece of Alex I had with me.
He nodded and went to another door, one that was also closed and locked. I assumed that one led into the house. Once the locks were disengaged, he pulled it open, looking back at me.
I hobbled forward. The more time I spent on my feet, the sorer and stiffer I became. Another rush of dizziness came over me, and I swayed. Liam gasped a little and rushed forward, slipping his arm around my waist for support.
“Easy now,” he murmured.
I leaned into him, and together we walked into a kitchen that was so big it probably should have felt cold. It didn’t. It was warm and enveloping. Safe. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I blinked them back.
Bellamy rushed into the room from beneath a wide archway leading in from another room and gasped. “My God, Sabrina! What happened?”
“Had a bit of an accident,” I said as Liam guided me into a high-backed chair at the bar.
“Where’s Alex?” Bellamy asked, glancing around us.
“He’ll be here in a bit,” Liam answered, closing and locking the door to the mudroom.
“Is he hurt?” Bellamy pressed.
I nodded, and the tears I was holding back fell over my cheeks. Bellamy rushed forward and hugged me gingerly, and I sniffled into her sweatshirt.
“Where’s the baby?” Liam asked.
“He’s in bed,” Bellamy said over my head.
I heard Liam move across the room. I pulled back and swiped at the tears on my face and watched him opening a cabinet door to reveal more monitors. After a few taps on the screen, he brought up the image of Shaw’s room. Liam studied the monitor a few moments, and when he seemed satisfied his son was okay, he turned back to us.
“What’s going on, Liam?” Bellamy asked.
“Someone ran us off the road,” I answered.
“On purpose?”
“This house stays on lockdown until I say otherwise,” Liam ordered. “You and Shaw are not to leave. You either, Brina.”
“I’d tell you he’s only bossy like this when he’s worried, but that would be a lie,” Bellamy said, glancing down. She gasped. “My God, you’re bleeding!”
“In more than one place,” I said, pushing my hands free of the coat and showing her all the cuts on my palms and arms. One of my wrists was an ugly shade of purple. No wonder it hurt so much.
“She needs a doctor, Liam,” Bellamy declared. “Did you see her face? She probably has a concussion.”
I couldn’t even take offense because I was sure I looked worse than hell.
Liam dug his phone out of his pocket and hit the screen. A few moments later, he began talking into the line.
I sagged against the back of the chair, not even listening to his call. My eyes grew heavy, and all I could think about was Alex.
“Brina!” Bellamy snapped. I jolted up and blinked. “Don’t go to sleep.”
“Doc will be here in a few,” Liam announced.
“You have a doctor coming here?” I asked.
“It’s safer here than the clinic at the resort.”
“He’s a good doctor.” Bellamy promised. “He knows how to keep a secret.”
“Should we call Alex?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer was no.
“He’ll be here as soon as he can,” Liam said, patient.
I nodded miserably.
“Let’s get you cleaned up some while we wait for the doctor,” Bellamy offered kindly.
More tears slid over my cheeks, burning the cuts and scrapes on my face. As she led me out of the kitchen, I stopped and turned back toward Liam. “You’re right, you know. I do love him. I didn’t want to, and I certainly didn’t want to admit it. But now… after tonight…” My voice wobbled as I pictured the way Alex had looked pas
sed out and bleeding in his Hummer. As I glanced around this house where he wasn’t. “But now I’m afraid I won’t even get the chance to tell him.”
Liam’s face softened. “You’ll get your chance, Brina. I promise.”
“C’mon,” Bellamy said, and I went with her, clinging to the certainty in Liam’s voice.
Alex
“Where is she?” I asked, striding through the door into Liam’s kitchen. I paused only long enough to make sure the locks were engaged before turning an impatient eye to my best friend who was leaning against the counter with a bottle of Jack and a shot glass beside him.
“Upstairs with the doc.”
I muttered a curse and started for the door.
“Hey,” Liam called.
I looked back as he poured the shot of whiskey.
I backtracked, tossed the alcohol down my throat, and slammed the glass on the counter. “I’ll fill you in after I see her.”
He didn’t try to stop me again. He knew better. He knew I wouldn’t be able to focus on shit until I’d seen for myself how she was.
I jogged up the stairs and into the master bedroom where I heard low voices.
“Sabrina,” I said before I was even fully through the door.
“Alex!” She gasped, lurching to her feet and instantly swaying.
“Whoa,” the doctor said, reaching for her, but I rushed in, nearly knocking him aside to pick her up.
“Not looking so hot, kitten,” I said, eyes eating up every inch of her battered, pale face.
She relaxed into my arms and gave a deep sigh of relief. “What took you so long?” she demanded.
I sat on the large upholstered bench at the end of Liam and Bellamy’s massive bed, holding her in my lap.
“Good heavens, Alex! Your head!” Bellamy fussed.
She reached out for me, and I drew back, shaking my head. “I’m fine.”
“You are not!” both women declared at once.
I rolled my eyes and looked at the doc for a man’s opinion. “I’m going to have to agree. I think you need stitches.”
“I knew it!” Sabrina gasped, reaching up to finger the side of my head. “You’re still bleeding.”
I didn’t give a rat’s ass about my head. “How is she?” I asked.
“Concussion, sprained wrist, a few contusions, abrasions, and two stitches in her cheek.”
With every new injury he listed, I grew colder and colder inside. I started to go numb when he said stitches, and callous indifference began to fill me. I might have already killed the man who did this to her, but I knew there were more. I would kill them, too.
“Alex,” Sabrina whispered, and her warm hands seared my face when she touched me. I snapped back, letting the warmth from her palms seep into my skin. “I’m fine. It’s all just superficial.”
The fuck it was.
“Alex.” She beckoned again.
When I looked down, she leaned up. Her lips caught mine, melting the worst of the freeze inside me. I made a sound and moved against her lips, tasting salt from the tears I hadn’t been here to wipe away. Not caring about the audience, not giving two shits about anything but her, I licked over her lips, lapping up whatever was left of the sorrow she cried and soothing away whatever pain I could.
Doc cleared his throat, and I lifted my head, but not before brushing against her one last time.
“Perhaps now that Alex is here, you will consider taking off the coat so I can check your arms and back?”
I stiffened. “You haven’t done that already?” I glared at the doctor. “What the fuck have you been doing?”
“Don’t yell at him!” Brina gasped. “He’s been checking the rest of me!”
I glanced at the doctor, waiting for an explanation. This shit was unacceptable. I was going to have to fire him for this negligence. I couldn’t have a doctor at the resort that clearly had no sense of urgency.
Doc cleared his throat. “She refused to take off the jacket.”
I felt my eyes narrow. “You do something to make her uncomfortable?” The menace in my tone was unmasked.
The doctor blanched and alarm spilled over his features. “Of course not! Mrs. Mattison was here the entire—”
“I wouldn’t take it off because it’s yours,” Brina said, cutting off the doctor. My eyes snapped to her, and she sighed. “He didn’t do anything wrong, Alex. I just refused to take it off.”
Oh. Well. That was okay, then.
More than okay, actually.
I stood, lifting Brina with me. “I apologize, doc. I, ah… It’s been a long night.”
“He has a head injury.” Bellamy came to my defense.
“He’s just being a jerk,” Brina declared.
Through the monitor on the bedside table, the baby fussed. Bellamy started for the door. “I’ll be right back.”
Gingerly, I set Sabrina on her feet, making sure she was steady before reaching for the zipper on the jacket. It definitely had seen better days. The back was scuffed and beat up from her being dragged across the road, and the collar was dirty. Around the wrists were dark stains of blood, but Brina’s raw-looking fingertips clung to the edges of the sleeves as if it were her lifeline.
All because it is my jacket.
My heart thudded heavily as I reached for the zipper and pulled it down. I wished we weren’t standing here with a doctor. I wished we were in my bedroom and not Liam’s. I wished that beneath this jacket she was completely naked and mine for the taking.
She moved stiff and slow when I peeled it off her. My jaw clenched because I could tell she was in a lot of pain. Her wrist was wrapped already, and a few bandages covered her other wrist and hands.
“I want that back,” she told me when I tossed it aside.
“You can have anything you want, kitten. My entire closet.”
“The sweater?” the doc asked, glancing at me and not her.
My back teeth gnashed together, but I knew him seeing her in her bra was pretty necessary. She could be injured and none of us know it.
Gently, I pulled her around so she was facing me and reached for the hem of her sweater. Our eyes locked, and for long moments, I forgot the circumstances of this moment and it became just me and her as I peeled off her clothing.
“Seems to be nothing more than road rash. Just use some of the cream I gave you for the other cuts. It should work fine,” the doctor said, ruining the moment.
I made a sound, acknowledging him, and snuck a glance at her cleavage.
The way her chest rose and fell told me she was all too aware of where I was looking. My fingers ached to touch her. My lips taunted them because they’d already had a taste.
“It’s your turn,” Sabrina said, drawing my eyes. On the way up, I caught the large scrape beneath her chin, grabbed her face, and lifted so I could see it further.
It was raw, red, and already starting to bruise. I made an unhappy sound, and she grabbed the front of my shirt, fisting it over my abs. “I’m okay.”
I kissed beside her lips, because I could, and enjoyed the way her fingers tightened farther into my shirt.
“I really think I should take a look at your head. It appears you’ve lost quite a bit of blood.”
Sabrina snapped out of it, straightened, and spun to the doctor. “Yes, please.”
I turned her back, glancing down at her chest. I got the doc needed to check her over, but enough was enough. Picking the red jacket back up, I draped it around her and pulled it closed to cover her skin.
Brina said nothing as she pushed her arms through and gestured for me to sit. I did but pulled her down to sit close beside me. My hand sought hers, and I linked our fingers tight.
I ended up with seven stitches, the diagnosis of a concussion, and whatever else he went on and on about.
I was fine. I’d sustained far worse injuries overseas and never had any kind of medical care. The only reason I sat still long enough and let the doc poke me with a needle and thread was because it was wha
t Sabrina wanted. And maybe I wanted to stop the blood from dripping into my eye. It was annoying.
The doc was finishing up when Bellamy and Liam entered the room, Liam carrying a very awake Shaw.
“We woke him. I’m sorry.” Sabrina apologized.
Bellamy smiled. “You didn’t wake him. Liam did.”
“I can’t help that when he hears my voice, he wants me,” Liam said, not bothered at all. He was wrapped so far around that boy’s finger it was a wonder he could piss straight.
Bellamy looked at Sabrina. “When I put him to bed, Liam wasn’t here. He wanted to say good night.”
As if he understood everything, Shaw leaned against Liam’s shoulder, hugging him close. Liam made a soft sound and rubbed his hand over the baby’s back.
Shaw looked just like Liam, with gray eyes, light-brown hair, and the same face shape. I never really figured Liam as the kid type, but dude, he was totally a kid type. Or maybe he was a Bellamy’s kid type.
I glanced over at Sabrina and suddenly understood. I was never a kid guy. Hell, I never thought I’d have any. I wasn’t the fatherly type, even though my dad had been the best. I didn’t even like kids ‘til my nephew came around. I’d do anything for that boy, and now, sitting here with Brina’s hand tucked in mine, I knew without a doubt I would be a kid person if my kids were hers.
“Well, since you both have concussions, I advise you to stay awake for twelve to twenty-four hours,” the doctor instructed. “I know that’s a cautious way of handling this, given you are both responsive and able to hold a conversation, but in my experience, it’s better safe than sorry.” He went down a list of even more directives, but I ignored him. I wanted to be alone with Sabrina. I wanted to make sure she was okay, and I wanted to make sure she hadn’t seen me kill that man.
I was largely confident she hadn’t. After all, she was tucked against me like I was her safe haven, something I wasn’t sure she would be doing if she’d just witnessed me snap someone’s neck.
You’re no good for her, man. You’re only making it worse.
“Thank you for coming, doc,” Liam was saying when I snapped out of it. “I really appreciate the house call and your discretion.”
Subzero (BearPaw Resort Book 4) Page 14
