“Marcy will bring you something a little later, then. You need to keep up your strength.”

  She didn’t linger, which I appreciated. The fact that she hadn’t talked nonstop about Jack was even more of a relief. Every time Amy and I were alone, all she talked about was Jack.

  Thinking of him, I pulled my phone out of the pocket of my hoodie. Skimming my thumb over the little fairies on the back of the phone cover, I debated texting or calling him. I’d wanted to send him a message multiple times throughout the morning, but I’d been so busy—and nervous.

  What if I texted and he didn’t reply? If I called, would he actually pick up?

  My heart told me he wouldn’t let me down, that he would answer, regardless of how I communicated with him, but my brain kept telling me that there was no way he would be interested in anything I had to say.

  Dropping the phone on the bed beside me, I gave in and let sleep pull me down. I just needed a little nap, and then I would text Jack when I woke up.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  nishia

  “Nishia? Nishia, honey? Nishia?”

  It felt like I’d barely closed my eyes, and someone called my name. Groggily, I lifted my lashes to find Marcy standing beside my bed. “I’m sorry to intrude without you inviting me in,” she said with a grim smile. “But you didn’t answer when I tried to bring you a shake for lunch, and then when I came to ask about dinner, you didn’t answer when I knocked or called your name. I was concerned.”

  With my good hand, I pushed my hair back from my face. “I… Ummm…” Still dazed, I glanced at the clock. “Wh…” Shaking my head in an attempt to clear it, I blinked at the other woman. “What time is it?”

  “It’s still early. A little after five,” Marcy said with a frown as she reached out to touch my forehead. Instinctively, I flinched at the sudden contact, and she quickly dropped her hand. “Are you feeling well?”

  “I’m…” Confused, I tried to focus. “I don’t know?”

  “Let me call Deborah,” she muttered, but I couldn’t tell if she was speaking to me or herself. Vaguely, I saw her lift her cell phone to her ear, but when she spoke, the words barely made sense. “Nishia, hey.” Marcy snapped her fingers in front of my face, and I flinched again. “Don’t fall back to sleep, okay? I can’t reach Deborah. I’m trying to get hold of Tammy. Dr. Cainfield told all the staff not to let Amy near you for now.”

  I touched my hands to my head. “Everything is spinning,” I complained through my teeth. “I feel sick.”

  Don’t puke. Do not puke.

  A reasonable voice in the back of my head tried to warn me, but I couldn’t remember why that was a bad idea, and it wasn’t exactly like I could stop the gag reflex once it was engaged. Moaning, I laid my head on the pillow, hoping the spinning and the nausea would ease. “Where’s Jack?” I whined. “I want Jack.”

  Marcy stroked her hand over my brow and I tried not to flinch, but I couldn’t help it. “Jack had to leave for a few days. Remember?”

  “No. I want Jack.” I pulled my legs toward my middle in an attempt to curl into a ball, but my limbs felt heavy. A part of my brain was aware of the cast on one leg, but I didn’t understand why both felt like they were weighted down with cement.

  “What’s wrong?” a voice I recognized asked, the concerned tone causing me to shift my gaze, but I didn’t have my glasses on, and I could barely make out the person who stood beside the cook. “Nishia, sweetheart, are you ill?”

  “Gracie, I tried to bring her a shake for lunch earlier and then again at dinner. She didn’t answer either time, but I wanted to make sure she had something in her stomach,” Marcy explained. “She still didn’t answer and I was worried, so I intruded. I know that was wrong, but I didn’t think Jack would be happy if Nishia went without any nutrients for so long. She was hard to rouse, and then she was confused when she did wake up. Now, she’s dizzy and nauseated.”

  “Get Deborah up here,” Gracie said in a soothing yet commanding voice.

  “She’s not picking up my calls. And Tammy must have already left for the day.”

  “Who else is here?”

  “Amy is scheduled until eight,” Marcy said quietly.

  “Go see what Deborah is doing to keep her from answering,” Gracie instructed. “If she’s busy, then get Amy in here.” I heard Marcy walking away, and then cool fingers stroked over my cheek.

  I tried to curl into myself a little more. “Jack. I want Jack.”

  His mother crouched down beside me. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. Jack had to leave town for a few days. It’s okay, though. I’m here, Nishia. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  “Jack,” I whispered, fighting a sob, and the world spun faster. The shadows started to appear around the edges of what little vision I had, and I shuddered. “Jack will save me.”

  “So will I,” Gracie vowed with such confidence, I ached to believe her. “The nurse is on her way. We’ll get you better again soon.”

  “Jack…” I sobbed through my teeth and the wires. The nausea rolled around in my stomach, and I clenched my eyes closed. “I’m going to puke. But…I shouldn’t.”

  “No, honey, don’t puke,” she encouraged. “Your jaw is wired shut, and you’ll choke on the bile.”

  “It’s coming,” I cried. “I’m gonna—”

  The strong scent of rubbing alcohol hit my nose, and the nausea retreated. I jerked my head away from the powerful stench, but a whimper of relief left me.

  “Just a trick I learned while I was pregnant with Jack,” Gracie murmured. “The morning sickness was horrible, but we were at war, and I had a job to do. Being sick all day wasn’t an option, so I had to find ways to combat the nausea.”

  I heard her shift around, but I kept my eyes tightly closed. Her voice was soothing, though, and I strained to listen. As if sensing I needed her to keep talking, she continued, although her words only confused me more.

  War?

  It was impossible to know if she was speaking metaphorically or being literal. Not that it mattered. I needed to hear her so I could focus on that rather than the way the world kept spinning even with my eyes shut.

  “My pregnancy wasn’t what I imagine most women experience when they have life growing inside them. I had a few complications before I unexpectedly became pregnant, and that weakened my body. After Jack was born, the doctor didn’t think it was a good idea to have another baby. My husband agreed. I would have loved more children, but I have to admit, it was a smart decision. At times, it felt as if I were going to die while I was pregnant, and it took me months longer to recover than it did my sisters-in-law. I couldn’t put Hawk through that again, and I was scared that I wouldn’t survive another pregnancy. My need to watch my son grow up outweighed my craving for more children.”

  Her fingers felt nice as they combed through the hair at my temple. “Then we started Sanctuary. The reward for being able to save women from the same fate my own mother had been a victim of was far greater than my desire to become a mother again. Jack was and still is my world. But this shelter filled the void of being unable to have more babies.”

  “I want Jack,” I whispered.

  “I know you do, sweetheart,” his mother soothed. “He will be back to you as soon as he can, I promise. Until then, I’m here. So is Hawk. We will take care of you until my son can get back.”

  “Wh-where is he?”

  “I don’t know. Sometimes there are things he can’t tell me, and I’ve learned to accept that. Not only because it will keep me from worrying about his safety, but also because I can’t defend him if I know what he’s done.”

  That was just as confusing as her mention of a war. I knew Gracie was a lawyer, but why would she need to defend my big, beautiful bear?

  “Sorry.” Deborah sounded out of breath, and I sensed her standing beside Gracie. “There was an emergency at one of the cabins, and I forgot my phone in the rush. Marcy told me what’s going on. How is she?”

  “I was able to stop her from vomiting,” Gracie explained. “But she still seems out of it.”

  “Let me check her over. Nishia, can you open your eyes?”

  “The world is spinning,” I said as I clenched them tighter. “I don’t want to get sick again.”

  “Just for a quick moment,” Deborah urged. “I promise that’s all I need.”

  Cautiously, I slowly lifted my lashes. A harsh light flashed into one eye and then the other, and I moaned, quickly shutting them again. “No pupil reaction,” the nurse muttered. “She’s clammy, disoriented, and nauseated. If I didn’t know better, I would say she was on the verge of an overdose.”

  “When was her last pain injection?” Gracie asked.

  “She only has anti-inflammatory meds injected. I gave it to her myself when I brought her back after her therapy session with Dr. Cainfield…” Her voice trailed off, but I didn’t dare open my eyes to see her expression.

  “What?” Gracie demanded. “What are you thinking right now?”

  “I didn’t load the syringe,” Deborah said with a heavy exhale. “I just took the one Amy had already pulled for her.”

  “So you’re not sure what you shot her up with?”

  “I’m so sorry, Gracie. I wasn’t thinking. I mean…” She muttered a curse. “Amy is a responsible nurse. No one has ever had an issue with her care before.”

  “I want a blood sample sent to the lab. Now. Put a rush on it. I’ll have Hawk take it directly to the hospital for testing. I want to know what you put into Nishia’s body.” Her tone was arctic cold, making me shiver. “Get an IV started and flush her of whatever toxins she was administered.”

  “On it.” I felt something wrapped tightly around my arm and then a stick in the back of my hand. But not even that small pain made much sense in my mind. “I am truly sorry, Gracie.”

  “Nishia’s the one you should be apologizing to. A careless mistake like this could have been fatal.” Gracie’s soft fingers brushed over my cheek. “It’s okay, sweetheart. We’re going to get you all better now.”

  “Jack?” I asked hopefully. “I want Jack.”

  “He will be back soon.”

  “Promise?” My voice sounded so little, so fragile.

  “He wouldn’t willingly leave you for long, Nishia. You already have my boy twisted in knots.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  jack

  She didn’t call.

  Or text.

  Even as I was making Julio and Fanuco scream and beg for me to stop—or end them—all I could think about was that Nishia hadn’t tried to contact me.

  She didn’t miss me like I was missing her.

  My brain told me to calm down. Chill out. Give her time. But my heart felt heavy, and all I fucking wanted was to hear her voice. See her words on my phone’s screen. A sign, any damn sign, that I meant something to her. That the feelings causing chaos to run rampant in my mind were returned—if only fractionally

  Instead, there was silence. My phone didn’t vibrate once. And by the time the two bastards were lying on the pool tables, what little blood remained in their now-lifeless bodies flowing out onto the dirty floor, my vision had turned dark around the edges.

  Max and I got what we wanted. We had the name of the serpent hiding within Sanctuary’s walls.

  The entire flight home, I imagined how I would end her. But I knew I wouldn’t be the one to do it. Angel’s Halo MC brothers didn’t hurt women. Not even when they posed a threat. That was where our queen came into play.

  Max’s mother, my aunt Raven, would handle it—or at the very least, oversee it.

  For a moment, I wondered if my own mother would want to be there when Amy was slaughtered, but I quickly ruled that out. Gracie Hannigan had too many morals to be present during a torture and murder. She was well aware of the darker side of the MC life, but she never wanted to know details. Her job as the club’s defense attorney would be compromised, and I didn’t want it to tarnish her gentle, beautiful soul.

  “It just doesn’t make sense to me,” Max grumbled as we drove into Creswell Springs.

  “You heard Fanuco as clearly as I did,” I gritted out. “He wasn’t lying.”

  “I don’t think he was lying, Jack. But it still doesn’t make sense. Delaney likes Amy. When she volunteers at Sanctuary, they get along really well. My treasure doesn’t trust just anyone. Yeah, okay, Amy is kind of obsessed with you, but that is what makes even less sense to me. Not only does my wife not sense any ill will in the woman, but with how she feels for you, why the fuck would she betray you and everyone else at Sanctuary?”

  “I don’t fucking know. Maybe Morgan has something on her. Maybe he’s paying her. Maybe she doesn’t even know that she’s betraying us. But the fact still remains that she goddamn is.” I shot my cousin a glare. “And just because your wife doesn’t sense any ill will in that bitch doesn’t mean shit to me. She fell for you, and you’re sick in the head.”

  Max scrubbed his hands over his scruffy face. “Apparently I’m not the only one, man. Where have you been keeping all that darkness, brother? Huh? You scared the life out of those idiots, but even I was shuddering at times with how cold and controlled you were when you—”

  “Don’t tell anyone about what you saw,” I warned. “Especially not Nishia.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Jack. You know I wouldn’t tell your woman anything. Do you think I want Delaney to know what I’m capable of? Hell no. But what I saw, you weren’t you. I’m the one everyone freaks out over, but you’re the scariest motherfucker I’ve ever seen when it’s time to get dirty. You should have been the one the uncles called to get the answers they wanted. I wasn’t even needed for this trip, except for backup.”

  “I was me,” I argued, voicing the truth aloud for the very first time. “I was more me than I ever let anyone else see. At least, anyone who is still alive. I just fight it so it won’t bleed over into the rest of my life.”

  But I didn’t have to fight the darkness with Nishia, a voice in the back of my head reminded me. She kept it back, so only the light would touch her.

  And she hadn’t fucking called me.

  I pulled into Max’s driveway. Seeing Ronan playing in the front yard, I waved at the boy when he ran to meet his dad. “Hi, Uncle Jack!”

  “Where’s your mom, Ronan?” Max asked, looking longingly at the front door to his house.

  “She’s at Sanctuary. Grandma asked her to help out today. Aunt Gracie was upset, and Grandma had to go over there last night with Uncle Ben. Something about the new girl being sick.”

  Max’s blue eyes caught mine through the cab of the truck just as the boy’s words clicked in my head. One hand tightened around the steering wheel, the other already shifting into reverse, but I needed more information.

  “Did she get that bug that’s going around?” Max asked his son.

  “No. Something about too much medicine. I don’t know.” Ronan waved to me again before running over to where he’d been playing. “Bye, Uncle Jack!”

  “I’m going to shower,” Max called over to me. “If my wife isn’t home by the time I get out, I’ll be over to pick her up.”

  I nodded, the vehicle already moving as I backed out of the driveway.

  Had Nishia not called me because she was sick? My heart started jackhammering in my chest as I drove through town, doing triple the speed limit, my knuckles white from clenching the steering wheel to keep them from fucking shaking. Ben would pull me over for sure if he caught me, but one of his deputies wouldn’t dare stop me.

  Hitting the button on my rearview mirror to open the gates, I drove through and sped up the long driveway to the main house. A few more vehicles were parked out front than usual, one of them my aunt Raven’s SUV. Not bothering to put the truck in the garage, I left the door open in my rush to get inside to check on Nishia.

  “Mr. Jack!” Molly greeted me as soon as I stepped over the threshold into the foyer. “Nishia is still in bed. Mommy says she’s got a tummy ache.”

  I rubbed the top of her head but didn’t stop to ask the kid what was going on. She wouldn’t know any important details, and I was in too big of a hurry to get to Nishia to put together the riddle of whatever the little girl had overheard because she wouldn’t have possibly understood what it really meant.

  Sprinting, I made it to Nishia’s door, and I didn’t pause to knock before I burst into her apartment.

  Mom was seated on the love seat in the sitting area with Aunt Raven, and they both lifted their heads with a frown until they realized it was me. Ignoring both women, I shifted my gaze and saw Nishia was in bed. A saline bag hung from a machine beside her, the line attached to the back of her hand.

  “Jack—”

  I shook my head at my mother and hurried into the bedroom. Nishia’s eyes opened before I could reach her. “You’re back.”

  “What happened?” I asked, sounding out of breath. My heart was still beating erratically, my mind racing as my eyes took in every inch of her I could see. She didn’t look sick. I didn’t see much difference in her appearance from when I’d left her early the day before.

  “Jack, I can explain.” Mom walked in behind me. I glanced at her for only a second before my eyes were drawn back to Nishia. “Let’s talk in my office.”

  “I’m not leaving this room,” I bit out. “I want to know what the fuck happened. I was only gone overnight. Barely thirty-six hours.”

  I hadn’t slept, hadn’t even taken the time to stop to eat during that time. Max had been in just as much of a rush to get back as me, disliking being away from his wife and kid. My dad was supposed to be taking care of security while I was gone, so I could focus on the task I’d needed to tend to without worrying.

  Nishia was supposed to be safe, damn it.

  “There was a situation,” Mom hedged. “A miscalculation of Nishia’s anti-inflammatory medication injection. She’s fine now, though.”

  “You should have called me.”