Crime Boss Baby (Bad Boys and Babies 3)

He slaps me again and stars dance across my vision.

“Your Savio family crime syndicate?” He scoffs. “They only think you're safe. They let you come to this meeting. What good protectors they are.”

“I have other ways,” I hiss. This isn't my family's fault. This is mine. I should have brought Ethan. I'll never make this mistake again.

“You mean you'll get your precious Dante to stop me?” He laughs and the sound makes me shiver. “Go ahead and try it. I'll destroy him. I own the world he operates in. He can't save you. No one can.”

I set my jaw. I'm not going to let fear overcome me. He's bluffing. There's no way he's that powerful. Dante won't fail me.

A slow, sinister grin crosses Mr. Norwood's face. It's a thing of nightmares. “You are so like your mother, Cara. I should have come for you earlier.”

I close my eyes as he winds up his hand again. Stars aren't the right word for the tiny floating lights that fill my vision.

Be strong. You can survive this. You can survive anything, I tell myself. I cling to those words as he hits me again. And again. And again.

Be strong.

Chapter 21

I stumble out of the building and out into the cold. I hate the cold, but at least I'm free.

My clothing is torn beyond saving and I'm bleeding from my lip and at least one cut above my eye. I'm fairly sure the back of my head is bleeding, but I don't dare stop to try and find out. I have to get away from him. At least all he did was hit me.

“Cara?” Ethan calls, closing the car door behind him and hurrying across the snow. I must look like a disaster for him to have left the car. I certainly feel like a disaster. He catches me just as my legs give out. He's so warm, but all I can think about is how I'm getting blood on his suit.

He cradles me close and runs to the car. I didn't know he was that strong, but I feel safe now that I have Ethan here. Ethan won't let Mr. Norwood hurt me. He would have stopped Mr. Norwood if he had known.

“You need a doctor,” Ethan says quietly, his eyes going to the gash above my eye. Worry darkens his face as he tucks me into the car and pulls the remnants of my dress up around my shoulder. I think of telling him no. I hate doctors. But everything hurts and blood is trickling down my face. I don't want a scar. I nod weakly, pain spiking the motion.

Ethan's brows knit. His concern for me is only growing, and if anything that unsettles me more than the blood on my face. He runs to the driver's seat and peels out of the parking lot. The car surges with power as he pushes it as fast as he can.

I close my eyes. I'm tired straight through my bones. I haven't been this exhausted in a long, long time. I don't know how my mother put up with it for as long as she did.

Probably fear of something worse.

I feel like I've only blinked, but when I open my eyes, I see the bright lights of an urgent care. I'm glad he brought me here instead of a hospital. Ethan is opening the door, but I don't have the strength to stand. He picks me up and carries me inside like I'm a small child. I rest my head against his shoulder, content to be small for a moment.

The waiting room is empty and a nurse takes one look at me and runs for a doctor. I only notice that Ethan has set me down on a gurney because I'm suddenly cold without him holding me.

Ethan glances at the doctor running in our direction. “I need to call Tony. Are you okay by yourself?” His voice is thick with guilt. He thinks he has failed me even though Mr. Norwood set him up to fail.

“This isn't your fault, Ethan.” I mean it. I was the one who told him to stay in the car. I was the one who wanted to look important. If I'd just let him do his job, Ethan wouldn't have that guilty look plastered on his face.

“I'll be fine, Ethan,” I tell him as the doctor reaches us. “Look, the doctor's here. I'll be okay.” I try to smile, but the movement makes me wince with pain instead.

Ethan hesitates for a moment before moving to let the doctor poke and prod. The doctor closes the thin blue curtain behind him and looks me over. I answer his questions as best I can, telling him what hurts and what doesn't. I tell him that I was mugged.

Through a crack in the curtain I can see Ethan on the phone. His face is grim and determined. I can see him take a deep breath before picking it back up again.

“Did the man who brought you here do this to you?” the doctor asks. His face is worried and I know he saw Ethan slam the phone as well.

“Ethan?” I shake my head, ignoring the pain that it causes. “I told you I was mugged. Ethan would never have allowed this to happen if he had been there. He keeps me safe.”

The doctor nods, not fully believing me. To be honest, I'd have a hard time believing the beaten up girl with the violent man bringing her in too. “Would you like to file a report? I'd recommend it.”

I almost laugh. What would I report? That the esteemed political powerhouse John Norwood beat me? I'd be dead in two seconds. John Norwood is willing to kill. “No. No report.”

“If you change your mind, let me know.” The doctor looks unconvinced, but isn't going to argue with me. “We'll take you for x-rays once we get that cut stitched up. Regardless of what we find, I'm going to prescribe a mild pain killer and a sedative so you can get some sleep tonight. I'm also prescribing you an antibiotic. That cut on your cheek looks nasty, and I'd rather it not become infected. Check with the pharmacist to see if this will affect any other medication you're on.”