ALEX

Pain is the first thing I register. It''s not the numbing kind. The brutal kind. The kind that cuts through your nerves and reminds you you''re still alive when you shouldn''t be.

I thought I was going to die. I was ready to die, but shockingly, my girl saved me.

Fuck, I owe her every breath. I didn''t want her exposed but the deed has been done, I''ll just have to fix those posing as a threat.

I can feel the stitches in my chest like they''re mocking me with every breath. My body''s weak, my limbs are fucking heavy.

But something inside me is burning. Something deeper than pain.

Rage.

Because she''s not here.

Because I heard them. The anesthesia must have weared off because I heard Dad talking to mum about how Athena has been called again and he''s making some calls.

My vision is red.

I rip the IV from my arm and ignore the scream of the machines. The nurse tries to rush to my side.

I grab her wrist midair.

"Don''t. Touch. Me."

Her eyes widen as she stumbles back.

"I need a wheelchair!" she shouts.

"No," I growl. "Bring me Luca."

"Mr. King."

"Bring me Luca. Now!"

She flinches and then rushes out.

I''m in pain right now, telling me I need to lie down isn''t what I need right now.

Luca appears minutester, storming in with Mum behind him.

"Alex," she starts gently, "you need to lie down. You''re barely-"

"Where is she?"

"Who?" She asks innocently.

"Mum, where is she?"

She swallows.

"She''s... being questioned. But your father is-"

"I''ll pick her myself!" I turn to leave when she tugs on my hospital shirt.

"Baby, you just woke up and had a delicate surgery. Trust your father to handle this, he''s not going to let anything happen to her."

Over my dead fucking body! I''m not spending another second without seeing her.

Hell, her face should have been the first I saw when I woke up.

"My father is not her husband," I snap, "He''s yours. Call him back."

The room goes deathly still.

"Alex," Luca steps forward, "you just had open-heart surgery. You''re not going anywhere."

I shift, ignoring the way the pain shoots down my side. "Try stopping me."

Luca looks ready to argue, but I cut him off.

"I would be resting had you protected her. It''s a good thing I''m not dead, it seems only I can keep her safe."

No one answers.

That''s all I need to hear.

I drag myself up and rip off the oxygen line.

"Where the hell do you think you''re going?" Luca growls.

I grab a coat someone left nearby and throw it over my hospital gown. “To bringfn3591 Official source is find[?]ovel/fn3591

back what''s mine."

"You can barely walk-?

"Then crawl behind me."

My head spins, but I grit through it. My body may be broken, but my resolve isn''t.

I''ll tear apart the entire goddamn justice system if I have to. No one touches her again. No one questions her without going through me.

I don''t know how I drove but I wanted to rip apart this son of a bitch for trying to touch my girl. He should thank the lucky stars I''m in so much pain.

"You really shouldn''t havee here. Uncle Eli was handling it." Her sweet voice which I missed so much scolds me as she drives me back to the hospital.

"He touched you. I wille back for him and everything tied to his name." I grit through my teeth ignoring what she said because all my mind keeps reying is that scene.

I''m going to kill Luca and Ryan for failing to protect her.

Her hands are on the wheel, but all I can focus on is the way they''re trembling. She slightly controls it, But I see it.

She''s trying to be calm but I can smell the fear still clinging to her. I can see the redness around her wrists where that bastard pinned her.

"You''re not saying anything," she mutters, her eyes on the road.

"I don''t need to."

I already said enough by walking into that goddamn station half-alive with a pulse line and fury stitched into my chest.

I might pass out right now for fucks sake. But I hold on because she will only end

up ming herself and crying and that does shit to me.

Silence swallows us, but not the ufortable kind.

"I handled it," she whispers. "You didn''t have toe."

Wrong thing to say.

I turn my head slowly toward her.

"He tried to hit you. They should never have called you and tried to threaten your

license. We need to fix that error."

Her jaw clenches.

"You just woke up and the first thing you think of is murder?"

I smile.

"See how crazy you drive me? Making me kill for you and shit."

She res at me. " I don''t want you to kill anyone for me Alex, I''m serious."

"I''ll just break their legs and burn their shit then."

"None of that either."

"No can do. How else will others learn?"

She exhales, her tone trying to stay firm. "If you go after a federal officer, you''ll

ruin everything. Your recovery. Your life. I''m not worth it."

I hold her hand making her turn to face me as she hits a brake on the red light,

"Don''t ever say that again. Do you understand?"

"You almost died-"

"Do you understand?" I harden my gaze.

She''s everything and more. I won''t have her thinking otherwise, not even for a

second.

She nods as she faces back on the road.

She''s quiet now.

That silence that means she''s angry but doesn''t know how to show it.

"Stop trying to be strong all the time," I say.

"What do you want me to do, Alex? Break down in front of everyone? Cry like a

kid?"

"Not everyone, just me.” I say

without hesitation. "Because I want the fucking truth. I want to see what

this world is doing to you and burn it the fuck down.  s

She swallows hard and bites her lip to hide a tremble.

Fuck.

These lips, I want to grab them between my teeth and nibble on them.

But as much as I want to, that''s going to have to wait because my vision is fucking dancing and I''m seeing dots.

Shit!

We pull into the hospital lot. She parks but neither of us moves.

I turn to her while resting my head against the headrest.

"You should''ve been the first person

I saw when I woke up," I say quietet

"Instead woke up to the sound of people debating if you broke aw.”  s

Her eyes drop.

I lean closer, every breath a

punishment against my ribs, but et

Cher

don''t care. My hand reaches neck gently, tracing the skin the detective, pared ng touch content belongs to s

I''ll kill him.

She finally turns toward me, meeting my eyes.

"Alex.. my God you''re sweating! I need to call for help!" Her voice panics and my

lips stretch into a smile.

"I love it when you worry about me."

She res at me with her beautiful eyes. I can look at her all day long.

"This isn''t funny! You shouldn''t have left the hospital in the first ce!" She lifts my

chest and her touch is so warm.

My eyes begin to slowly shut,

"If you''re not the first thing I see when I wake up, I''ll take back my word and kill

that motherfucker."

Then everything goes ck.