Judge (Shady Valley Henchmen 1)

“Don’t leave me,” I whimpered, feeling the tears slip out of my half-open eye.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he assured me, trying to find places to stroke me that weren’t swollen or broken open. “Can you tell me anything?” he asked. “What he looked like?”

“I didn’t… he was behind me,” I said. “He slammed me against the wall. And then… and then the ground… and I didn’t… I didn’t remember to scream and…”

“Hey, it’s okay. It’s over. He’s gone. He won’t get near you again.”

“I should have screamed.”

“Stop. This isn’t on you. You were startled. And maybe a little confused. Gotta have a concussion with this egg on your forehead,” he added, running a fingertip over the spot in question.

Suddenly another voice interrupted. “Is she conscious?” he barked in an authoritative voice that made me immediately think cop, not paramedic.

“Yeah,” Jass said, starting to slide me off his lap.

“No!” I hissed, trying to reach for him.

“Hey, I’m right here. But the paramedics are getting out of their truck now, okay? They are going to need to look at you. But I will be two feet away,” he assured me.

For the next five minutes, unfamiliar faces peered down at me, touching me, flashing light in my eye, rolling my head around to check out my scalp.

“Okay, Delaney,” one of them said. “We are going to need to take you to the hospital to get checked out, okay?” he asked even as the other guy moved a gurney in at my side.

“Jass?” I called as my body was lifted and strapped onto the gurney.

“I’m right here,” he said, moving a step closer. “I’m coming with her,” he added in a tone that brooked no argument.

So then I was loaded up in the ambulance and the paramedic was fussing over me.

“Give her something for the fucking pain,” Jass growled when I let out a cry.

“We’re two minutes away from the hospital,” the paramedic told him, voice calm. “They can give her a drip immediately.”

Sure enough, not two minutes later, I was being wheeled into the emergency room, and Jass was being told to head back to the waiting room.

From the sound of things, that did not go over well.

A part of me wanted to demand he got to stay with me. The other part, though, was a little overwhelmed by the nurses and their questions, my body being inspected and scans ordered and carried out.

Luckily, though, the paramedic was right.

There was pain medicine that, while it didn’t numb everything completely, made it possible for me to at least be able to think somewhat clearly.

And where did my mind go first?

To something Jass had said in that alley.

About telling my brothers.

My brothers.

Shit.

My gaze shot to the clock on the wall near the door, trying to calculate back to how long ago I’d been brought in, how long I could expect before my brothers came bursting into the emergency room. And then scolding me for lying to them.

A low, strobe-like whimper escaped me, making the nurse give me a tight smile.

“You okay there, honey?”

Physically?

Nope.

Emotionally?

Hell freaking no.

I was pretty sure I’d rather be back in that alley in agony than dealing with my brothers.

“I’m okay,” I assured her, trying to take a deep breath, but, apparently, that kick to the side that had sent me flying also bruised my ribs. Which made the simple task of breathing painful. I couldn’t imagine how awful moving was going to feel.

“The doctor will be back in a couple minutes to talk to you about your scans,” she assured me. “How about I send that yummy guy with the big attitude back here to check on you? He’s been wearing down the floor in the waiting room.”

“Yes, please,” I said, shooting her what I hoped passed as a grateful smile with my face that felt twice its usual size.

Not five minutes later, I could see him looming in the doorway.

“Fuck, Dell,” he said with an exhale.

“Way to reassure me that it’s not that bad,” I scoffed.

“Baby, you know it is. Done a lot of damage in my day, been on the receiving end of a lot of it too, so I’m just being realistic here. It’s not great. I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep you for a night.”

“They wouldn’t let my brothers stay, right?” I asked.

“What?”

“They’re going to be so mad at me,” I said, closing my one half-good eye as the sting threatened tears.

“Baby, no they’re not. I’m sure they’re worried sick about you.”

“I wasn’t supposed to be in Vegas! Nyx and I lied and said we were going to see her aunt.”

“Even so. They’re not going to be pissed. You’re hurt. You were attacked. They are going to want to find the motherfucker who did this, not punish you about it.”

The noise that came out of me was neither agreement nor disagreement. Though, honestly, he had a lot more faith in them than I did.