Her Titans by Genevieve Jasper
Madelaine
33
I wake up the next morning feeling like a new woman. A new woman with a hole in her shoulder, but a new woman all the same. I’m in a new room which is a lot bigger than the first one. It’s bright, with the outside wall covered in windows that start about knee height and run to the ceiling. It also contains a second bed, currently occupied by Lia, with Maxton, Atlas and Quincy slumped in chairs around the room. I try to sit up but twinge my shoulder and gasp at the stab of pain that runs down my arm. Quincy opens his eyes and jumps when he sees me awake.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just trying to get up. I need the bathroom.”
He helps me get off the bed and I make quick work of relieving and refreshing myself before Quincy helps me back into the bed.
“Sit with me?”
“Anything, gorgeous.”
He moves the top half of the bed so it’s more upright and leans against it, pulling me back so I’m under his arm, resting my head on his shoulder.
“I must’ve been out for ages.”
“You clearly needed it. They gave you some more pain meds while you were asleep, too, which might have helped. It’s late Sunday morning now.”
“Is Max okay?”
“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll explain it to you,” he says, not expanding any further than that.
“When did Lia get here?”
“Last night. Causus is around here somewhere, too. No one wanted to wake you.”
I wince slightly as my shoulder throbs again.
“Should I call for the nurse?”
“No, let everyone sleep.” Before he can argue with me, Caus comes through the door holding a big white bag that I can smell immediately.
I sit up, careful to use my other arm. “You bought Carlo’s?!”
“Of course, only the best for the best,” Caus grins.
Lia stirs next to us and sniffs as she wakes up.
“Carlo’s?!” I can’t help but laugh at her bloodhound nose. “Lai, you’re awake! How are you feeling?” she asks, hopping off her bed and coming over to stand next to mine.
“Not too bad, thanks for coming.”
“Of course! And now the pastries have made it all worth it.” No wondering who I get my nonchalance from.
Quincy reaches over me and pushes the call button, not looking at all repentant when I narrow my eyes at him.
“What? Now it’s only those two lazy fuckers still asleep.”
Caus is ripping into the bag and hands Lia an almond croissant and me a Pain au Chocolat.
“When can you get out of here?” Lia asks me before taking a big bite.
“Yeah, about that,” Caus starts, but Quincy shoots him a look.
“We’ll discuss it when the others are awake,” he says to my questioning gaze.
Caus walks over to their chairs and waves pastries under their noses, both of them rousing in seconds, which makes me laugh.
“Problem solved,” he announces.
“What's going on?” Atlas asks sleepily, stretching out his back.
“I’m waiting for one of you to tell me that. Apparently when I leave needs discussing between all of us, and not me and my doctors.”
They both exchange glances with Quincy and Caus before Maxton speaks. “Do you trust us?”
“Absolutely.” I didn’t even need to think about it. There was no question.
“We have a plan,” Atlas starts.
“Well, technically, we started a plan already,” Caus jumps in.
“My God, dude. Shut up!” Quincy groans.
Caus shrugs and shoves a third turnover into his mouth.
“We haven’t talked with you that much about what happened after you got shot, but Leighton obviously got away,” Atlas carries on and worry seeps into my brain. “We realised before you got out of surgery that he must’ve had somewhere bugged, most likely the office. Jeremy swept the house, and it turns out it was the office, the conference room, and the second garage.”
“So…”
“So, we thought we could draw him out sooner rather than later and deal with him once and for all.”
I nod slightly, it all making sense so far.
“We left the listening devices in and made sure he heard us saying what we wanted him to hear,” Max explains.
“Which was what?”
“First, arguing with Causus and severing our new treaty.”
“Why? He wouldn’t go back to Caus after taking Lia,” I say.
“No, but it takes away another level of security that he won’t be expecting,” Caus explains.
“What else?”
“Our plans for security in the hospital, with fabricated gaps.”
“You’re drawing him here?”
“Yes, but you’ll never be alone, I swear,” Quincy assures me.
“So why would he come?”
“He doesn’t know that.”
“So you’re expecting him to stroll in thinking there’s no one here to protect me and you’ll grab him when he surfaces?”
“Pretty much, yeah,” Quincy shrugs.
“How long do I have to stay?”
“He thinks you’re leaving tomorrow morning and his best chance is tonight, so not too long. I doubt they’d release you before then, anyway,” Maxton explains.
“Okay.” I nod slowly, absorbing everything. “Lia, you can’t be here,” I insist.
“I wasn’t planning to be. The further I am from that creep, the better.”
“We haven’t even told him the right room, Lai,” Caus tells me. “You’ll be fine.”
The nurse ends their explanation by coming in to administer some more pain medication. My shoulder is pounding and my head has joined in the party, so I’m very grateful.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Lia says. “I really just wanted to see for myself that you’re okay.”
“Always,” I promise. “Thanks so much for coming.”
“I’ll see you out,” Caus offers, grabbing a fourth pastry before following her out of the room.
I eat three pastries myself before my eyes droop again.
“Do you want some space?” Quincy asks as I relax back against him.
“Never.”
I wake up to Quincy shuffling out from under me.
“Sorry, gorgeous,” he says when he sees me awake. “It’s go time.”
Confusion washes over my face, I’m still groggy from my nap. “What time is it?”
“3 p.m., earlier than we thought. He must be keen.”
“He’s here?”
“They’re following someone who fits his description on the other side of the hospital, headed towards your fake room,” Maxton explains as Jeremy enters the room. “Jeremy will stay with you.”
“Good afternoon, Miss Lai. I’m so glad you’re recovering.”
“Thanks, Jeremy,” I reply with a smile. “I’m good. I’m glad you’re okay, too.”
Maxton, Atlas, and Quincy all kiss me before leaving together.
“I’m so-”
“Please don’t apologise, Jeremy. None of what happened was your fault.”
He smiles tightly at my refusal. What was it with alpha men and taking the blame for everything?
“Would you mind helping me up so I can use the bathroom?”
“Of course,” he says, reaching over to bring me to sitting. The door goes, but Jeremy is blocking my view. “Did you forget something?”
Jeremy jerks forward and then slumps to the floor.
“Only you, love.”
“Leighton,” I breathe in terror.
“You remembered! How could you forget? We’re soulmates,” he says as he waves a gun between us, that must be what he hit Jeremy with. I look down, trying to find a sign he’s okay, but he’s motionless on the ground.
“What are you doing?”
“I've come to get you. Are you ready?”
“Leighton, I need to recover. Here, in the hospital. I was shot, remember?” I don’t make any move to get off the bed, continuing to stare at him dressed in scrubs with a mask and tinted glasses.
“Yeah, that was careless of you,” he mumbles as he pulls at my uninjured arm.
“I can’t go anywhere with you.”
“You can and you will,” he breathes in my face. I cringe back in shock and my bad shoulder twinges, making me hiss through my teeth.
Leighton doesn’t notice my pain as Jeremy’s phone rings, down near the floor. He bends to fish it out of Jeremy’s pocket and I think about hitting him but it seems futile at the moment. I can’t exactly fight him. Leighton answers the phone and listens to someone on the other end before hanging up without replying.
“Fuck’s sake, they really ruin everything, don’t they?”
He grabs me by the upper arm below my injured shoulder and I cry out at the torrent of pain, but he ignores me. Jerking me over to the window wall, we stand with our backs to the glass. He yanks me in front of him, one hand gripping my injured arm and the other pointing his gun under my chin. This is how Atlas, Maxton, Quincy and Caus find me when they return.