?
? .93%[
28)
ir stirred as she slowly became aware of the steady beeping of a heart monitor and the faint murmur of voices around her. The antiseptic scent of the hospital filled her nose, and the stiffness in her body reminded her that she was definitely. not in her own bed. Her head ached, a dull, persistent throb, and her ankle was elevated, wrapped tightly.
Before she could fully open her eyes, she felt the warm, firm grip of a familiar hand holding hers.
“ir,” Roman’s voice was quiet but filled with intensity. “Are you awake?”
She forced her eyes open, blinking against the brightness of the room. Roman was seated beside her, his expression unreadable but the tension in his posture evident. His other hand rested on her thigh over the hospital nket, his grip grounding her. He looked… well, rumpled. Not his normal self.
“Hey,” she murmured, her voice raspy. “You look like hell.”
Roman let out a breath, something between augh and a scoff. “You’re the one in the hospital bed, sweetheart.”
Before she could respond, Sutton appeared on the other side of the bed, her expression soft but filled with concern. She reached for ir’s other hand. “You scared the hell out of us. Twice now<b>.</b><b>” </b>
ir sighed, already exhausted. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to make this any easier.”
Keira, standing at the foot of the bed with her arms crossed, smirked. “Honestly, I’m impressed. It takes real skill to nearly die twice in twenty–four hours. Most people settle for once.”
“Keira,” Roman warned, his voice dangerously low, but she only raised an eyebrow. She knew he would never truly be angry with Keira, she was the smartass out of the three sisters. He had seen them in action before.
Keira proved his point by adding, “Rx, big guy, I’m just saying if she keeps this up, we’re going to have to bubble–wrap her. Maybe get her a helmet.”
ir groaned. “Please don’t. I can’t take all of you hovering. I’m fine.”
Sutton squeezed her hand. “Too bad. That’s exactly what’s going to happen. Do you have any idea who’s behind this? Why would someone try and hurt you? Did you witness something?”
ir winced, shifting slightly. “No clue yet. Could still be an ident.” She knew that was wishful thinking. There was no way this was an ident.
Roman’s jaw clenched, his grip tightening on her hand. “It wasn’t an ident.”
Sutton’s <i>gaze </i>snapped to Roman. “Then who?”
“No idea yet,” Roman said darkly. “Peters is already pulling security footage, and Ethan is speaking with the police. We will find out who is behind this.”
Keira let out a slow whistle. “Oof, someone’s about to have a very bad day.”
Sutton nodded. “And what’s your n for ir’s safety? Because so far, having Ethan tail her hasn’t exactly stopped whoever this is. First they try a car, then part of a building. What’s next?”
“I’m handling it,” Roman ground out. “She won’t be left alone until this person is found. You have my word.”
“Oh, so now I have a permanent shadow?” ir muttered.
Roman’s dark eyes locked onto hers. “Yes.”
16:14 Wed, 18 Jun
ir sighed. “Great. Everyone at the office is going to think that’s strange.”
“I don’t give a fuck what people think. Your safety is more important.”
93%
The door opened, and a doctor stepped in, ncing at the crowd around ir’s bed. “Miss Warner, how are you feeling?”
“Like I got hit by a truck,” ir admitted. “Or, you know, almost crushed.”
28
The doctor gave a sympathetic smile. “Your scans came back clear, no major head trauma, just a mild concussion. Your ankle is sprained, but not broken. You’ll need to take it easy for the next week and avoid any strenuous activity.”
Sutton exhaled in relief. “Good.”
Keira smirked. “Guess that means no boss–rted activities.”
ir’s face burned. “Keira!”
Keira shrugged. “What? If you think Sutton and I don’t know you’ve been busy, you must have an even bigger concussion than they thought.”
Roman, to his credit, didn’t react, though ir swore she felt his grip tighten slightly under the sheets.
The doctor continued, “We’ll monitor you for a few more hours, but we’d like to keep you overnight just to be safe.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Roman said firmly, already shifting as if preparing to take over the situation entirely.
Once the doctor left, Sutton folded her arms. “So. Who’s staying with her?<b>” </b>
“Me. I’ll stay all night,” Roman said instantly.
Sutton gave him a long, measured look. “Good. I know you’ll take care of her. But if anything else happens, I expect a call immediately.”
Roman nodded. “Of course.”
Keira pped her hands together. “Alright, now that we’ve established that ir has a personal security detail, should we talk about wedding ns?”
ir groaned. “Not now.”
Keira winked. “Oh, definitely now. I need something fun to bnce out all this attempted murder.”
Sutton smirked. “She’s got a point. You are technically engaged, ir. Have you even thought about the wedding yet?”
ir exhaled. “I’ve been a little preupied with not getting killed.” She knew what they were doing they wanted to take her mind off her worries and she was worried. This didn’t happen to normal people.
Roman’s grip tightened around her hand. “That’s not happening.”
Keira shrugged. “Obviously. But since you’re stuck in bed, we might as well discuss the fun stuff. Venue? Dress? Huge fancy event or something small?”
ir stared at her sisters, knowing there was no escaping the conversation now. “I haven’t thought about it. We haven’t set a date.” Everything had happened so fast.
Sutton smirked. “Then let’s start thinking”
ir sighed, sinking back into the pillows, knowing she was in for a long conversation whether she liked it or not. And despite everything, a small smile tugged at her lips.
16:14 Wed, 18 Jun
O
Because no matter what happened, she had people crazy, overbearing people, who would do anything to keep her safe.