I was a prisoner to medical supplies.

Selix cleared his throat.

My eyes shot to his. I let the sheet flutter over me, pretending my body wasn’t in a million pieces.

“Explain,” I seethed.

How the hell was I supposed to go after Pim like this?

“I heard them leave. Noticed you overboard. Managed to get to you before you drowned.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, Prest. I’m sorry for not coming sooner and preventing them from taking her.”

Whatever he’d been up to while Pim and I had been ambushed wasn’t his fault. That was entirely on me for not paying attention. As much as I blamed him for her disappearance, he’d pulled me from the sea. He’d saved one person. Too bad he’d saved the wrong one.

Before I could thank him and curse him in equal measure, Michaels strode through the door with a stethoscope over his neck and black bag in hand. “Selix told me you were alive.”

“Alive, yes. But you won’t be for much longer if you don’t fix me.” Waving at my broken body, I growled. “Take this shit off me.”

Michaels placed his bag of tricks onto the mattress, nudging my good leg. “Afraid they can’t come off yet.”

“Well, they have to ‘cause we have Chinmoku to hunt and French bastards to slaughter.”

Selix crossed his arms. “I’m in the process of tracking down the men who took Pim. I’m on it, I promise. All you need to do is rest.”

“Wrong. All I need to do is get out of this godforsaken bed.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him or appreciate his promise. If Selix said he was doing something to find them, then I had no doubt he was. But it didn’t stop my rapidly building rage. I wasn’t going to lie here while he did the work. I’d never been good at accepting help. And I definitely wouldn’t start now—not when the woman I loved was on the line.

I let Pim down. I had to be the one to fix it.

Michaels popped a few pills, grabbing the glass of water on my bedside. “Take these.”

“I’m not taking anything until you give me answers.”

“Take them and then I’ll give you answers.”

My head pounded as I focused on the painkillers. I couldn’t deny my thoughts were scattered thanks to agony. If I could ignore the pain, perhaps I could work better. Faster. Cleaner. We’d find Pim before the end of the day, and I’d have two more kills under my belt when I took the men’s hearts for stealing her.

Snatching the tablets, I tossed them into my mouth and swallowed them dry. Glowering at Michaels, I raised my eyebrow for him to keep his side of the bargain.

Nodding, he said, “You were in surgery for a while. I had to enlist an extra pair of hands from a hospital not far from here. That bill is going to sting, by the way. Just letting you know in advance.” He cracked a smile, but when I continued to glare, he slipped into bullet-point form of my maladies. “The bullet got you in the shoulder. It tore a few ligaments, which means you might end up with a buggered joint, but I did my best. The stitches in your hairline will come out in a week. Only had to sew seven, even though your thick skull was showing, so count yourself lucky. You over-stretched the tendons in your elbow, so you’ll have considerable weakness and pain while you heal, and physiotherapy will be your friend to get full movement back. Two cracked ribs, possibly bruised kidneys, a broken ring finger, and can’t forget the fractured ankle.”

Glancing at Selix, he quipped, “Did I miss anything?”

Selix shrugged. “Who the hell knows? Sounds more like a grocery list rather than my friend.”

I gave him a look, appreciating the nod to our friendship and his wry sarcasm turning this frustrating moment into a more endurable trial.

Michaels shoved his hands into his pockets. “Look, all things considering, you’re doing better than you should after being attacked and enjoying a one-on-one altercation with a gun.”

I was doing better than expected? Christ, I was useless.

A goddamn cripple.

I always hated being stationary and not moving. My brain existed at a faster frequency; I had no choice but to move in time with it. Lying in bed would turn me insane. Not knowing if Pim was okay would turn me into a monster.

We had to chase after her. Surely, Selix had set sail while I lay like a slab of meat for doctors to poke and prod at. He knew me. He would understand.

“You said I’ve been out for hours.” I looked at Selix. “Where are we? What course did you set?”

My ears strained for the comforting hum of propellers. My body searched for the well-known ocean-rock as we sliced through the waves on the heels of our enemies.

Tags: Pepper Winters Dollar Erotic
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