My leg burned and my chest felt like I had an elephant sitting on top of me—weighted, heavy. Inhaling deep, I fought back the pain even though it was blistering. I wouldn’t be taking anymore deep breaths anytime soon. This shit sucked.

Absently, I rubbed my chest as I listened to the consistent beeping noises beside me. Opening my eyes, I took in the room. It was larger than a regular hospital room. Cream colored walls instead of stark white. Comfortable beds instead of clinical ones. Warmth instead of cold and uninviting.

It was the Carsen Lane building.

We sent our high-risk pregnancies here where they would have twenty-four-hour medical supervision. We didn’t have many that fell into this category since we went through such a process before we hired a surrogate, but there were those times a multiple birth happened and those required more observation than the others. Staff was always available on site.

This particular building was an old apartment complex we converted into our hospital of sorts. It worked, and right now I was more than thankful for it.

Four homes, technically three plus this place. We had four different locations where we housed our surrogates during their pregnancies. At which time everything they needed was provided along with a hefty salary. Our business was complicated but profitable.

It was also what got me fucking shot and lying in this bed instead of my angel’s arms.

“Damn son, you look like hell,” Garrett joked, stepping into my line of sight. He appeared like he always did, tall and imposing. It was his humor that took some of the edge of him off. Not much, but some.

“Feel like hell.” I shifted in the bed, bringing on more pain as it spiked through my arm and down to my fingers. “Need a fuckin’ cigarette.”

“Not in this house,” Garrett told me what I already knew. Never would I smoke around one of our pregnant women; I might be an ass, but I was never careless.

My groans came from somewhere deep. “Get my ass outta here.”

“When Doc says you can go home, you’ll be home. Until then, get comfortable.” Garrett pulled up a chair in front of the bed and plopped his ass in it.

“Fill me in. I’m here, so I’m gonna assume shit was handled.” I knew Onyx, Dane, and Garrett would step up and cover my ass as well as take care of business.

“Riley got out of the house, stole a car, and drove straight to my office. One of Ivan’s men followed him, but luckily Case was on his way to where they were keeping you so he took out that fucker. Case was the first to find you. Melanie was fine through everything. Granted the broad was shaken up, but physically she is fine. Currently, she’s holed up in the cabin with Riley and your woman.”

My woman, that shit felt good. “Laurel has a million questions, I bet.”

Garrett smirked. “Fuck yeah. We left that shit for you so she’s waiting.”

“I’m definitely gonna need a damn cigarette.”

Garrett laughed at my pain. “Let’s see, you’ve stalked her for years. You robbed her blind without her having a single clue it was coming. You siphoned her damn gas so when she went to fill the tank, her cards got declined. All to make her seek out her money. You made her chase you down when all you had to do was go to her and explain that her brother was a damn dumbass.”

“It was more fun my way,” I told him, trying to find a way to get comfortable in this tiny ass bed. While the place was upscale compared to a hospital, it wasn’t the California King I was accustomed to. It definitely needed to go on the agenda—bigger beds.

“For some reason, I don’t think Laurel is going to find your way fun. We could’ve put a man on her and kept her safe,” Garrett explained what we had already argued about before I put my plan in motion.

Garrett and I had always been close, coming to the orphanage at the same time and the same age. He’s one of the few who tried to put me in my place.

I shook my head. “Like we kept Melanie safe,” I fired back at him. It was a low blow, but it was how I felt. “Fuck you. She was locked away where Petrov or his enemies could touch her, and we see how well that fuckin’ went with Melanie. I kept her safe no matter how fucked up the way I went about it. She’s breathing and not laying in a bed with a bullet.”

“Speaking of Petrov. His wife was killed. Ivan got to her and slit her throat in the shower at some seedy hotel after making her choke on a sausage link,” Garrett stated frankly. This was him. A man who commanded a room, a lawyer not afraid to get dirty, and a man who rolled with the punches life threw at us all.

I blinked. “What the fuck?”

Garrett raised his hands. “I don’t fucking believe that shit either, but apparently, she was having an affair with her husband’s brother. He met her at the hotel where he shoved a specialty sausage link down her throat as she gagged and took her last breaths then he slit her throat. She bled out in the shower, at least that’s what it appears. Management found her after the room flooded because he left her naked with the water running. Security footage confirmed it was Ivan. The brothers are at war. Andrei hasn’t been heard from in”—Garrett lifted his wrist to look at his watch—“about twenty-six, twenty-seven hours.”

“Then I guess I’ll have some houseguests for a bit.” Ones I didn’t want a single damn bit. Putting them down in the safe room wasn’t an option because eyes needed to be on Riley and Melanie at all times.

Garrett nodded. “Best way to keep the merchandise safe until we can sort out Andrei’s next move and eliminate the threat from Ivan. Dane’s on it, so it’s only a matter of time till he’s a non-issue.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Nothin’ for you to worry with. You rest up.”

“Get my ass home and I’ll be fine.”

The doctor walked in just as I said the words. “Your wish is my command, Mr. Williams.”

It took a bit, but within a few hours, I was escorted into the cabin by Garrett since my leg wouldn’t cooperate for me to make the walk unassisted. Wanting to be in my bed and have my arms around Laurel, I skipped a much needed cigarette. Ellen Sue rushed to the door, throwing it open. She reached out to hug me but pulled back at the last moment.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

I smiled. “I’m okay.” It was a lie, but a necessary one.

Tenderly she hugged me as Laurel rounded the corner. Her blonde hair shined like a fucking halo. She was my brightness. She was my beacon.

“Angel,” I greeted her.

She came right to me, and Ellen Sue stepped aside. I didn’t give her a chance to hesitate as I reached out and pulled her to me, dropping my lips to hers. It had been far too long since I had a taste of her sweet lips and I needed it, I needed this.

Immediately, she gave in.

This was different than before in that it felt as though she feared I wouldn’t return and threw everything she had into this kiss. Fine by me.

Our tongues danced as Garrett stepped away. To keep my balance, but not give Laurel my weight, I shifted it to my good leg.

After long moments, Laurel pulled back and the crack across my cheek stung like hell. “I’m so fucking pissed at you right now. You’d better start explaining what the hell is going on here. No one will give me answers, but you are. If I have to beat every single one of them out of you, I will.”

Chuckles could be heard throughout the room, mine following suit. Loved her fire. It was an addiction I never wanted to get free from. Under that anger lay a passion that when turned lose would bring any man to his knees—including me.

“Let me sit,” I told her, feeling like my legs were going to fall out from under me—not because of her, but my injuries. It amazed me how easily fatigued I had become doing the littlest of things, but the doctor said this was to be expected.

She looked down at me abruptly, her eyes softening. “Of course.” My angel helped me to the couch, sitting down next to me.

Riley and Melanie decided to join Garrett, Onyx, and Ellen Sue. It was a full audience, so most of what I told her would have to be in private. Ellen Sue knew a lot, but not all, neither did Riley and Melanie—only what they’d been told. I’d keep it to just them for now.

I blew out a breath knowing what I was about to lay on her was going to rock her world. “Melanie”—I waved my hand toward Melanie, assuming since she was here she had already been introduced while I was being tended to, “was hired as a surrogate for a very powerful man. There was a contract, an agreement, and a plan.” I glared at Melanie because she was the reason we were all in this mess to begin with. “She was artificially inseminated, becoming pregnant. Your brother hooked up with her within the time frame of that procedure. Then in all of his potential father-to-be excitement, he didn’t keep his mouth shut about the baby being his. This powerful man got wind of it and so did his enemies, putting you in danger.”

“Wait,” she said, holding up her hand to stop me from speaking. “So that’s when you decided to steal my money and force me to come with you.”

“Yep.”

She slapped me hard in the shoulder with the bullet wound, causing pain to burst down my arm. “You’re a dick.” She was infuriated.

“Never said I wasn’t.” The words came out choked even though I tried damn hard for them not to be. “Can you not hit me where the bullet wounds are?”

“Shut it. You’re lucky I didn’t knock you in the nuts.”

My balls pulled up and the decision for the wound was better.

“You do realize if you would’ve come to me and told me what was going on, I more than likely would’ve come with you.”

I chuckled. “No you wouldn’t. You would’ve hunted your brother down and demanded answers. Ones he couldn’t have given you because he didn’t know what he was involved in at the time. Then you would’ve tried to fix whatever it was, putting a huge fuckin’ bullseye on your back for gettin’ involved. And, angel, seein’ you with bullets in your body was not an option.”

“You’re fucked in the head. You know this, right?”

Garrett chuckled. “We keep tellin’ him the same thing.”

I fired over a smile at him, but Laurel didn’t say anything knowing I was right. She would’ve gotten in too deep, and there’d be nothing to do but pull her out with too many wounds on her. No way was that happening.

“You’re here and safe,” I responded over the laughter.

“I cannot believe you went to such lengths for this.” Her head shook back and forth, but her hand came to my thigh. It was a good sign, at least for now. To me, the end justified the means. She may disagree, but she was alive, unharmed.

“Look, angel, Riley and Melanie fucked up and now shit is going down. We’re stayin’ here until we get it straightened out.”

“Are you gonna give me all my money back?” she clipped out, completely contradictive of her hand still warm on me.

“Eventually, maybe.” She glared at me, narrowing her eyes. “I want you here, in my bed—haven’t made any qualms about that one. You’re mine, angel—bottom line.”

She wavered just a bit, but I saw it. Instead of directing herself to me, she spoke to Riley. “So you hooked up with a woman who’s preggers with another man’s kid and told people it was yours, knowing this man could hurt you?”

Angel leaned into me, her smell invading me and a calmness washing over me. Yes, she was a spitfire, but she also knew me as I did her. She’d never leave here. She just didn’t know the extent of what I’d do to keep her right where she was.