Page 45

Time moves like molasses in this place.

The hospital staff have known since early this morning that Cammie is being discharged today, so I don’t understand why the fuck it’s taking this long to actually get out of here. Nurses come and go. Doctors review charts they’ve already looked at three times. Someone has to sign something else. Another set of instructions gets printed. More medication is ordered. Another round of waiting.

Finn came back from his shopping run looking quietly satisfied with himself. He brought three different outfits for her to choose from and two pairs of house slippers. Cammie picked the bright blue short-sleeve dress that’s loose and swings around her legs. She also went with the unicorn house slippers.

I still have no idea where he found them, but he somehow also managed to produce a pair of bright pink earrings shaped like lips. They’re dangling from her earlobes right now, little kisses swinging every time she moves her head. She was unreasonably pleased by them, pulling Finn in for a kiss in front of everyone.

Piers is handling all the paperwork. He’s got everything forwarded to him, I’m sure. He’s been snarling at anyone who dares second-guess a single one of his directives, voice sharp enough to make the administrative staff move faster.

Beck is deep in doctor mode, reviewing every medication list like he’s trying to catch his colleagues in a screw up. He’s second-guessing care instructions left and right and shooing away any nurse who tries to help Cammie move from the bed to the wheelchair, or from the wheelchair toward the door. He’s hovering like she might break if anyone else touches her.

Me? I’m the logistics guy. Everyone else is so focused on getting Cammie home they’ve forgotten the danger still lurking out there. But I haven’t. I can’t.

Out there somewhere is a lunatic alpha who’s decided Cammie is a threat to her twisted little relationship with the Pissant Pack. I’ve been calling them that in my head ever since I heard Cammie mutter it. Fits them perfectly.

Fucking pissants. If those three cowards were standing in front of me right now, I’d give them a reason to need a hospital bed. But they’re not here. And that makes it worse. Because if they were, the real threat would be too. There’s no way the unhinged alpha female who shoved Cammie into traffic would let them come here. And if she was near, I’d find her. Instead, she’s still out there. No arrest. No leads worth a damn. Just an unstable alpha with a grudge and nothing left to lose.

I scan the hallway again, eyes narrowed, shoulders tight. The elevator is only thirty feet away, but thirty feet is more than enough space for shit to go wrong. I’ve already checked the stairwells, the service exits, and the loading dock. I’ve got the car pulled up at the curb with a clear line of sight. Extra security detail is waiting downstairs, discreet but ready. It doesn’t feel like enough.

Cammie’s laugh drifts out from the room. From where I stand, I can see the side of her face looking up at Finn, a soft smile playing on her lips. The tightness in my chest eases for exactly half a second before constricting again.

We need to get her the fuck out of here.

“Ready?” I ask, stepping into her room.

Cammie nods from the wheelchair. She looks better in that bright blue dress and ridiculous unicorn slippers, pink lip earrings swinging. Her scent is coming back too. Faint still, nothing like that night at the club when it had wrapped around me like something deliberate, but it's there. Vanilla and lavender underneath the hospital smell, soft and warm and unmistakably her.

Finn hovers right beside her like he’s afraid she’ll vanish if he steps more than two feet away. Piers walks a few paces behind, scanning the hallway with the same sharp focus I am. Beck’s the one pushing the wheelchair, grinning like he won the lottery.

We start down the hall. At the corner I throw up a hand. Everyone stops instantly. I step forward alone, checking the next hallway, the elevators, the blind spots. Clear.

Behind me, Beck can’t help himself. “You know, on my off days I help Leith out with his security company,” he says, loud enough for me to hear from around the corner. “Basically, his right-hand man. I’m telling you, I’m a natural at this protective alpha shit.”

I don’t even turn around. “It’s take your son to work day every time you tag along.” The elevator is clear.

Cammie lets out a soft laugh. I step back to where they are waiting, a smile tugging at my lips.

Beck bends down next to her wheelchair, stage-whispering loud enough for all of us to hear, “You don’t believe that, do you, sugar?”

“Absolutely,” she says.

Beck straightens up, still grinning. “When we get home, I’ll show you how manly and protective I can be. But right now, I’m your doctor, and I’m the only one qualified for that role. Leith never tags along on my surgeries.”

I roll my eyes and wave them forward. The elevator doors slide open and I step in first, scanning the empty car before motioning everyone else inside. Beck pushes Cammie’s wheelchair in. Finn stays glued to her side. Piers brings up the rear.

At the ground floor I exit first, hand hovering near the holster under my jacket. I check left, right, then signal the rest of them.

Cammie sighs behind me. “Is this necessary?”

I glance back at her. Before I can reply, Piers answers. “Leith is doing his job, sunshine. Keeping you safe is our priority.”

She doesn’t argue, but I can feel her eyes on my back as we move through the lobby.

Finn touches my shoulder. It’s light and only lasts for a second. I know what it means. Appreciation. He knows I’m locked in protective mode and doesn’t want to pull me out of it, but he still wants me to know he sees it. That protecting her matters. To him. To Piers and Beck. I give him the smallest nod.

My head stays on a swivel the whole way. Checking exits. Scanning faces. Looking for anyone who doesn’t belong. My gun is holstered at my side even though I’m not technically supposed to have it in the hospital. Fuck that. This is Cammie. I’m still not sure what she is to me yet, but I know she’s worth protecting.

I spot one of my guys near the front entrance and give him a short nod. He nods back. All clear.