light and ignored the speed limit. He roared down Van Ness Avenue, then turned again. A second later, he spotted her.
The weight that had been choking him lifted. She was sitting at the curb, staring at nothing. She had soot on her cheeks and her legs were bare.
Rhys pulled up beside her and leaped off the bike. “Haven!”
She blinked. “Rhys?”
“Yeah, baby. People are worried.” I was fucking destroyed.
Then she leaped up and ran at him.
He caught her and she burrowed into his chest.
“God, baby, I was so worried.” He held on tight.
“There was an explosion, smoke, fire.” Her voice hitched. “I got Mrs. Girard out.”
Of course, she hadn’t worried about herself, and had made a point of helping others.
Blankly, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She blinked like she was surprised to see it. “I should have called.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “But then I saw them.”
“Who?”
“Two guys in the crowd. They were looking for me.”
His arms tightened on her. “You’re safe now.”
She was shivering and he scooped her up into his arms. She pressed her face to his neck.
Rhys smelled coconuts and smoke. Then he spotted the blood smeared on the side of her head. “Haven, you’re bleeding.”
She made a sound and looked up. That’s when he realized her eyes weren’t fully focused.
“I think…something hit my head in the explosion.” She blinked. “Where are we?”
His heart clenched. She was probably concussed, and she’d been wandering around, out of it and hurt.
“Come on, I need to get you checked out.”
“Okay. I feel safe with you, Rhys.”
Her words were so quiet he barely heard them.
“Come on, baby.” He managed to get his phone out. “Vander, I found her. Can you meet me with an SUV?”
As Haven snuggled close into Rhys’ chest, he held on tight.
Chapter Nine
Haven sat quietly on the hospital bed. She’d been checked over, and now the nurse was taking care of the cut on the side of her head.
It was small, but it had bled a lot.
She’d been asked lots of questions about her bruised face, and she’d finally convinced the nurse that Rhys hadn’t given them to her. Then a police detective had arrived to take her statement about the explosion. She hadn’t mentioned the men in the crowd, but she’d told the detective everything about how she’d gotten out of the building.
The older man had eyed her carefully before giving her his card and leaving.
Rhys sat in a chair beside the bed. He was staring at her, hadn’t taken his eyes off her the entire time.
She fidgeted a little. The painkillers had kicked in, and had helped clear the fog in her head. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to be pissed off or scared about what had happened. At least she’d heard that no one had been killed, and Mrs. Girard’s family were with her and she was recovering.
“All done.” The nurse pulled off her gloves. “I recommend no more adventures for you.”
Haven choked out a laugh. “I didn’t want any of the ones I’ve had. Believe me, robbery, beatings, attempted kidnapping—twice—and now my apartment exploding… Not fun.”
The nurse’s eyes widened.
Haven felt something pumping off Rhys and glanced at him. His face was hard, his brown eyes glittering.
Her chest locked. Right now, he looked as scary as Vander—all that easygoing charm gone.
“Get some rest,” the nurse said. “You have a mild concussion, so you need someone to stay with you.”
“Okay.” Hopefully, she could stay with Gia. She glanced at the bed and saw her cell phone. That was all she had left of her stuff. God.
With a nod, the nurse left.
“Well, I—”
Rhys dragged his chair closer, startling her. He took her hands, holding them tight enough to hurt.
“Rhys?”
His forehead dropped to her thigh. “I thought you were dead.”
His harsh voice and his words made her belly clench. She rested her hand on his head. “I’m okay,” she said softly.
“There was no sign of you, your apartment was in ruins and on fire…”
His voice cracked.
Oh, God. She tangled her fingers in his hair. “Rhys, I’m right here.”
He lifted his head. Then he rose, his mouth on hers. He kissed her like he couldn’t breathe and she was air.
A shiny sense of relief flooded her. Just being close to him made her feel better.
His fingers moved up to press against the side of her neck. He lifted his head, his gaze intense and turbulent as it locked on hers. He pressed his fingers to her pulse.
Her heart skipped a beat and she knew