CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Romy wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. Although she was delighted to see Blue, see the relief in his face as she woke from her coma, feel his kiss on her dry lips, the pain of her injuries was searing – and worse, she kept reliving the stabbing over and over again.
It had happened so quickly, so utterly shockingly. One moment, she was walking down the corridor, charts in hand and the lights had gone out. One more step and she felt a crushing blow to her head and slumped to the ground. Then someone, a man, was flipping her onto her back and pushing her scrub top up. Dazed and disorientated, she heard him say, “I’m going to enjoy this.”
Then the pain, god, the overwhelming, unimaginable pain as he drove the knife into her soft belly again and again. Her mind whirled…Dacre? Wasn’t this what Dacre wanted to do to her? Had he come back from the dead? No…
He gripped the handle of the knife and stabbed her again, with more force this time. Romy could feel her spine scream with pain – he’d hit it. Oh god…she really was going to die here, wasn’t she?
No more Blue. No more life. Just death. Her would-be-killer stabbed her again, clearly becoming aroused by her pain. Someone…please help me…she closed her eyes, not wanting to see the triumph on his face.
The shout. Closer this time. Now Dacre…no, not Dacre. Another man, another…Franks…Carson Franks…yes…that was him…cursed loudly and began to stab her with more urgency. She raised a hand, trying to stop him. Whoever it was coming would be too late.
God, a blow so hard that Franks had trouble wrenching the knife out of her. She could smell her blood, smell the rust and salt of it.
Her attacker bent down and whispered in her ear as she gave into unconsciousness. “I promised I’d gut you, pretty girl, and I have. You won’t survive this…but if, by some miracle you do, I’ll do it again, and again, and again until I know, once and for all, that you’re dead.” He gave a throaty chuckle. “And then I’ll kill your husband and children…”
She had no time to scream before the emptiness came.
Romy groaned now, hearing the scraping of a chair. “Sweetheart?” Her mom. She felt Magda sweep a hand onto her burning forehead. It felt nice, cooling and soothing.
Momma? God, she hadn’t called Magda that in years, but all she wanted to do now was cry. These last few years with Blue, the kids, dealing with Dacre and Gaius, and now this…everything had happened so quickly.
“Oh, sweetheart.” Magda, tears swimming in her own eyes, dried her daughter’s tears. “It’s okay, we’re all here, we all love you.”
Blue. Romy’s mouthed the words, her throat tinder-dry. Magda helped her sip some water.
“He’s just getting some coffee, darling. He’s been awake for twenty-four hours, hoping that since you woke up, he’d be able to talk to you.”
Tired.
Magda nodded. “You will be honey, you’ve been through a tremendous trauma.
Gracie, the twins.
“Artemis has them at the moment. She and Juno have been taking turns looking after them. Romy, do you remember what happened?”
She nodded determinedly. Carson Franks. Magda frowned. “You’re sure?”
Romy nodded again. She gazed at her mother. Why?
Magda sighed. “He says he has an alibi, but I believe you, darling. We’ll inform the police. But don’t you worry about anything…Blue has been working with them, as well as Atlas.”
Atlas?
Romy saw her mother’s eyes cloud over. “Atlas is fine, sweetie…but Mateo…Mateo was shot and killed. We think he was mistaken for Atlas.”
Romy groaned silently, and began to sob, covering her face with her hands, inconsolable, and eventually Magda had to call one of the nurses. The nurses injected a sedative into Romy’s i.v. drip. “You need to relax, Mrs. Allende. Your blood pressure is a little high for my liking.”
Romy closed her eyes. Everything was such a mess. When she looked at her mother again, it was with anger. She managed to just croak, “Why isn’t Franks in jail?”
“They’re working on it, honey. Now that you’re awake, it will be a big help and don’t worry about security. There are two huge guards outside your door, and the kids have a protection detail like they’re members of the Royal family. Which they are – to me, at least.” Magda half-smiled and Romy squeezed her hand gratefully.
I love you, Momma.
Magda bent over and kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Get some more sleep, baby. The more rest you get, the better you’ll feel. I’m sure Blue will be glad you’re lucid. He’ll wait if you’re asleep when you come back.”
Blue Allende walked slowly, heavily, up the stairs to Romy’s floor. Since Romy’s attack, he hadn’t had more than a few hours’ sleep, and it was taking its toll. Now Romy was…not out of danger, he thought, she’ll never be out of danger while Carson Franks is free. No, Romy was beginning to recover, and now that she was, he could start to think straight again.
“Blue?”
He turned to see Atlas Tigri walking up the stairs behind him. “Hey, Atlas.” His anger at the man was tempered now that Romy was awake – Blue had guessed that it had been Romy who asked Atlas to keep Carson Franks’ threats quiet. It would be just like her, after all. Not wanting the fuss.
Besides, Atlas looked broken. Losing his twin brother, and worse, it being a case of mistaken identification…Blue didn’t know how Atlas was still standing. “How are you doing?”
Atlas shrugged. “Like you, I suspect, some good days, most bad. If I didn’t have Ebony and Fino…”
Blue clapped his shoulder gently. “I’m sorry, Atlas, about Mateo. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”
Atlas ignored the mention of his twin, his eyes anguished. “How’s Romy?”
“Still groggy. I’m just on my way to see if she’s still awake. Come with me.”
The two men made their way back to Romy’s room, where Magda smiled at them both. “She’s in and out of sleep and her voice isn’t very strong, but she’s lucid. She remembers what happened, and who did this to her.”
“Franks?”
Magda nodded. “She seems angry.”
“Wonder why. Hey, beautiful.” Blue stroked Romy’s cheek, and she opened her eyes and smiled at him. “Hey, sweet thing,” Blue said tenderly, and bent down to brush his lips against hers. “I brought you a visitor.”
He stepped aside so Atlas could see Romy, and she, him. Romy’s eyes filled with tears and she reached for Atlas’s hand. So sorry.
Atlas was visibly moved. “Thank you, Romy. Just keep getting stronger, will you? For all of us. Ebony sends her love. When you’re stronger, she’d love to see you.”
Romy nodded. She looked at her husband. And the kids. Blue hesitated, and she narrowed her eyes at him. He chuckled. “Fine, as long as they don’t crawl all over you. You’re still very sick, baby.”
They’ll make me… “…feel better.” Romy croaked, motioning for more water.
Blue pulled up a chair next to her and helped her take a drink, then stroked her hair back from her face, his gaze intent on her.
“Don’t worry, baby,” she whispered, finding that speaking almost under her breath worked well. “I’m going to be okay.”
Blue half-smiled. “You are in so much trouble, honey.”
“I know, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Carson Franks. We get threats all of the time, so I wrote it off as another…it was my decision not to say anything so don’t blame Atlas.”
Atlas started to protest, but Romy stopped him. “Atlas…words cannot express how sorry I am about Mateo.”
“Romy, please, don’t. I should have made sure we were fully protected. I think, like you, I didn’t take the threats seriously enough.”
Blue was still studying his wife. “Romy…you sure it was Carson Franks who stabbed you?”
“Definitely. Mom tells me he says he has an alibi. Whoever is giving it to him is a liar. I saw him, I heard him, every second while he was attacking me.” She swallowed hard, remembering. “He threatened to finish the job, should I survive, and then he told me he would go after you and the children.”
“Motherfucker!” Blue hissed and got up, pacing. He yanked out his cellphone to call Det. Halsey. “Halsey?”
“Hey, Dr. Allende, I was just going to call you. Mateo Tigri’s shooter just rolled on Carson Franks. We’re going to his place to arrest and charge him now.”