Maya Banks - Colters’ Gift

“No,” Noah said simply. “It simplifies matters. Lauren won’t have to testify against him now that he’s dead. We turn over the disk to the D.A. and let him do the clean up.”

Liam nodded and glanced impatiently toward the door. Max was with Lauren, a concession he and Noah had been willing to make only because she currently slept, and they’d been assured by the doctor that she would remain so for a few hours yet. When she awoke, Liam and Noah would be by her side, and Max would just have to deal.

But first he had to get the hell out of this damn exam room.

“Where the fuck is she?”

Noah sighed. “Chill, man. You took a bullet. It’s a wonder they haven’t tied your ass to the bed. You should be lying down and taking it easy, not running all over the damn place.”

“You saw her,” Liam said in a quiet voice. “Would you have her wake up and us not be right there? She was out of it, Noah. She’d retreated to God knows where, and at this point I’m worried we’re not going to get her back.”

“We’ll get her back,” Noah said firmly.

His arms were folded tightly over his chest and his jaw was set in a tight line. There was a hard glint to his eyes and his face was set in determination.

Then Noah’s gaze settled on Liam’s bandaged arm.

“You know that’s going to hurt like a son of a bitch when the adrenaline wears off.”

“It already hurts like a son of a bitch,” Liam muttered.

Noah shook his head. “Then take the goddamn pain medication.”

Liam’s lips twisted into a mutinous line. “I don’t want to be fucking fuzzy-headed when we see Lauren. There’ll be plenty of time to take that shit later. She’s what’s important.”

He turned his head toward the door again.

“Where the fuck is the nurse? What could possibly be taking so long?”

He would have slid from the exam table and stalked out, but Noah stepped in front of him and shoved him back. Hard.

“Sit your ass down. She’s only been gone a few minutes. Adam and Ryan are outside Lauren’s room, and they promised to let us know the minute she begins to come around.”

Liam bit out a string of expletives but settled back on the exam table, his injured arm tight against his body. He wouldn’t admit it, but it was killing him. Nausea coiled low in his belly and sweat beaded his forehead. But he wouldn’t admit it, because he didn’t want to chance any delay in getting to Lauren.

He was still haunted by the scene he and Noah had witnessed. He was tortured by what had happened before they arrived. He’d seen the marks and bruises from Knight’s abuse, but how many more were inside Lauren where no one could see?

A heavy ache settled into his chest, more pressing than even the pain in his arm. Lauren had withdrawn. A self-defense mechanism to protect her from her terrible reality. Liam just wanted her back. In his arms. But he’d failed her in a big way. He’d sworn that he’d do everything possible to keep her safe, but had he?

He bolted more upright when the nurse came back into the room. She glanced warily at him and he supposed he couldn’t blame her after the way he’d acted. He’d threatened all sorts of things if he wasn’t released soon.

Feeling regretful, he tried to ease his expression and relax while she went over his discharge instructions with Noah. She gave everything to him and not Liam, as if she didn’t want to get close enough to Liam to risk potential harm.

That put a knot in his stomach. Yeah, he wanted to get back to Lauren, but intimidating women was something Knight got off on, and it didn’t make Liam feel good to be in the same vein.

“Thanks,” Liam said gruffly.

The nurse looked startled, and then she offered a tentative smile, her face softening.

“I know you’re worried about her,” the nurse said in a quiet voice. “She hasn’t awakened yet from the sedative and she’s resting comfortably, in no pain, I promise.”

Noah let out a whoosh of air in relief and Liam nodded, murmuring his thanks again.

“Take care of yourself,” the nurse said. “No way you should be leaving this soon. I gave your scripts to your friend, and you need to make sure you take them or you could end up very sick and in the hospital, and I’m sure you don’t want that.”

“No ma’am, I don’t,” he said meekly. “Thank you. I appreciate your help. And your understanding.”

She offered a bigger smile and then said, “You’re free to go. Miss Wilder is in room eight just down the hall.”

Liam slid from the exam table and winced when he bumped his arm. He’d refused even a sling or for them to immobilize it against his body. He needed his arm to be free just in case. He could hardly protect Lauren tied up and one-handed.

He followed eagerly behind Noah, simmering with impatience as they strode down the hall. When they got to Lauren’s room, they saw the Colters outside the doorway, leaning against the door frame and across the hall against the wall.

Adam frowned when he got a look at Liam.

“Should you be up, son?”

Ryan held up his hand to Adam. “I know how he feels. And for that matter, if it were Holly and you were the one shot, would you stay away from her?”

Adam’s lips tightened but he remained silent. Liam sent Ryan a grateful look.

Ryan put his hand down over Liam’s uninjured shoulder. “She’s still resting and Max is sitting with her now.”

Liam nodded and then found Seth’s gaze. “What happened with the police?”

“Nothing yet,” Seth said. “They’ve been by of course. Surprised they hadn’t made it down to you yet, but their primary focus is Lauren of course. Castanetti is on his way. He wants that disk badly. They’re going to want statements from everyone involved. They’ve already questioned us and we’ll have to go down to make official statements, but we told them we weren’t going anywhere until we knew for certain how you and Lauren were doing.”

Noah sighed. “Damn it, I don’t want to have to deal with this mess right now. I just want to take Lauren home.”

Dillon cleared his throat. “And where is home?”

Liam and Noah exchanged looks and then glanced back at the Colter men, whose eyes all mirrored the question in Dillon’s.

“She’s family,” Dillon continued. “She’s come to mean a lot to us. She’s like a sister to me and my siblings. She’s like a daughter to our mom and dads. She was . . . happy . . . in Clyde, or at least she was beginning to be. She’d come a long way from the frightened, vulnerable young woman who arrived before Christmas. We just don’t want to see her unhappy again.”

“We haven’t discussed it,” Noah said in a quiet voice. “We have a lot we still have to discuss. All we care about right now is that she’s okay. Not just physically. Everything else can wait.”

“You’re right about that, son,” Adam said in a serious tone. “Everything will work itself out. Just focus on Lauren and making sure she has what she needs. Be there for her. She’s going to need you now more than ever.”

“She’ll need us all,” Liam said.

Even as he spoke the words, he knew them to be true. No matter what may have been in the back of his and Noah’s minds about where they would make their home with Lauren, Liam realized that Lauren would need time. She hadn’t fully healed from her relationship with Knight, much less her abduction and abuse at his hands. It wasn’t something that would be resolved in days or even weeks.

There was no way he and Noah could take her from a place she felt safe and a family who loved her and offered her invaluable support.

A sudden commotion from down the hall made them all jerk around, alert and wary.

“Where are my sons?” an imperious tone demanded.

It was a voice that instantly warmed Liam and terrified him all at the same time, because if there was one person he toed the line with, it was his mother.

LIAM’S eyes widened and then narrowed as he swung back around to pin Noah with his glare.