Tempted Heir (The Heirs 7)

I’m careful as I maneuver us out of the vehicle while Uncle Jax runs for the front door. I hear him shout, “We have, Dash. Come. Quickly!”

Aunt Leigh and Miss Sebastion reach the door as I climb the steps, and then Aunt Leigh lets out a painful sob, “Oh My God. My baby.”

Miss Sebastian is the first to move toward me. “Her bedroom upstairs,” she instructs as she takes hold of Dash’s wrist. We move together, and when Aunt Leigh is still frozen on the spot, Miss Sebastian snaps, “Come, Leigh. She needs you.”

Dash’s body begins to shudder violently, and I have to tighten my grip on her, so I don’t drop her. “God, Dash. Oh, God,” I mutter, an all-consuming fear taking hold of me.

“CT scan first,” Aunt Leigh says as she pushes by us. It looks like she’s recovered from the shock of the severe state Dash is in. I follow her inside Dash’s old bedroom, which has been converted into a hospital room. Aunt Leigh points to the bed.

Alexei’s men must’ve brought everything over.

God, I owe Alexei so much.

As careful as possible, I lay Dash down on the bed, and then I have to stand back as Aunt Leigh and Miss Sebastian take over.

Seconds later, Miss Sebastian takes hold of my arm and pulls me out of the room. “We can’t be near the machine when it scans. It’s just a couple of minutes.”

Nodding, my eyes lock with hers. “She’ll be okay, right? You can fix her?”

Miss Sebastian pulls me into a hug, not answering my questions.

Uncle Jax comes down the hallway, his skin almost translucent. “Carter is with Tristan and Alexei. They took Josh to some warehouse.” Worry tightens his voice, making it sound as if he’ll snap at any moment.

Josh.

I walk down the hallway and away from the room before I pull my phone out. Dialing Tristan’s number, I wait for him to answer.

“How’s Dash?” he asks immediately.

“I don’t know. Aunt Leigh is doing a CT scan,” I tell him what I know. “She looks so fucking bad,” I admit to my brother.

“She’ll pull through,” he tries to encourage me. “What do you want me to do with Josh?”

“Nothing,” I grind the word out. “Just hold him there until I can get away. I don’t want to leave Dash until I know she’s stable.”

“Okay.”

“Tristan,” I say so he doesn’t hang up. “Don’t give him anything to drink or eat.”

My brother lets out a dark chuckle. “Of course.”

“Don’t touch him, either,” I warn him, knowing how short my brother’s temper is.

“Aww fuck, there you go and ruin all the fun,” he mutters, probably trying to make me smile, but it’s impossible right now.

Chapter 20

CHRISTOPHER

After cleaning myself up, I peek into the room again and see Aunt Leigh and Miss Sebastian working on Dash’s back. There’s an entire bucket of bloody towels, and they’re still busy.

Miss Sebastian notices me. “It’s still going to take a while. I’ll call you when we’re done.”

Nodding, I step back into the hallway.

“At least there’s no internal damage,” Uncle Jax murmurs.

I’m unable to count my blessing while my fiancée is a bloody mess.

Shaking my head, my eyes meet his, then he says, “There’s nothing we can do here. Let’s go take care of Josh.”

I glance back into the room, then nod. “We might as well.”

Uncle Jax pops into the room. “We’re meeting Carter and the boys. We’ll be an hour at most. Just call if you need anything.”

Aunt Leigh doesn’t even respond. She’s one hundred percent focused on Dash, her hands moving fast to repair what she can as fast as she can.

The sight is comforting.

“Okay,” Miss Sebastian answers, also not looking up.

We leave the women to tend to Dash while we go take care of Josh.

Honestly, I haven’t thought much of Josh. I was too focused on Dash. I have no idea what we’re going to do with him. I’m alternating between beating him until he looks a million times worse than Dash and asking Alexei to kill him.

Once we’re in the car, and I’m driving us to the address Dad sent, I ask, “What do you want to do with Josh?”

As much as I would like to end the fucker, it’s not just up to me.

Uncle Jax thinks for a moment. “It’s too late to hand him over to the police. I’d love to see him behind bars for life, but we both know that will never happen.”

Agreeing, I nod.

“He hurt my baby,” Uncle Jax mutters, his voice heavy with emotion. The sound makes my heart shrink.

“Do we kill him?” I ask directly, knowing it’s the only outcome at the end of the day. We can’t let him go, and after what he’s done to Dash… he deserves death.

Uncle Jax sits frozen next to me, but from the harrowed expression on his face, I know he’s thinking the same thing as me.