“The right leg?”
Her expression was grim. “The break was more severe than anticipated. We’ve had to piece it back together with several pins and a metal plate. Your friend’s quick actions in the field undoubtedly saved her foot. Boadicea may require further surgeries in the future to keep the leg functioning, but we’re confident she’ll have close to a full range of normal movement.”
Pins and plates, Braun thought and let it seep in. “But she’s a dancer. She loves to dance. It’s not just her job, it’s her escape from reality.”
Regret flickered in hazel eyes. Faraday laid her hand on his, squeezed gently. “I’m afraid her reality is changing. The severity of the break has left the bone weakened. While the pins and plates will hold her weight for non-strenuous activities such as walking, I’m sorry to say the odds of her dancing again are little to none.”
Connie squeaked in distress.
Braun just stared at the doctor, sickness churning his belly. “Physio?”
“Physical therapy is something she’ll need. The team will come by in a few days and sit down with her, discuss her options and what needs to be done in order to make her recovery easier.”
“When...when can I see her?”
“We’ll take her to the ICU when she’s out of surgery. I wouldn’t imagine you’ll be able to visit her before morning. My advice would be to go home and get some sleep, but from previous experience, I know you’re not going to take it. I’ve got to get back, but I’ll ask the nurses to keep you updated through the night.” Faraday pushed to her feet. “If you have any questions, ask one of the nurses. If they can’t answer, they’ll get in touch with me and I’ll do my best to respond quickly. You have an extraordinarily strong woman, Mr. Fitzpatrick. This will shock her, but she’ll bounce back.”
“Thanks, Doc,” he murmured.
Jesus fucking Christ. The prospect of losing her lightened, fluttered away to hover in the back of his mind. He didn’t think it would ever leave him now he’d almost suffered the loss, but it wasn’t the sole weight on his shoulders now. It was replaced by the haunting sense of grief for her talent, for her passion.
How the hell was he supposed to tell her she’d never flow with the music again? That her father had not only come close to ending her life, but had succeeded in crushing her dreams of dancing?
He’d rather bite his tongue off.
Abraham.
Braun shoved to his feet. The furnace of his temper was roaring, prodded into life once more, and the fires of vengeance were burning too hot to extinguish. He faced his friends, the Masters of Avalon, and their faces mirrored his fury, his devastation.
“Atticus, we have a job to do.” His voice was low, hoarse.
“Braun, this is the wrong time to consider doing anything stupid.” Connie gripped his arm, her eyes intent on his, but there was no stopping him now. “Bodie needs you here more than she needs you running around out there trying to right a wrong you had no control over.”
He shook her off, as carefully as he could manage. “I’d say this is the perfect time to do something. He damn near killed her, Connie. We were a hair’s breadth away from burying her six feet under the fucking ground. Now she’s left with a ruined leg and months of pain ahead of her. Where I come from, an eye for an eye isn’t just a quote from the New Testament; we fucking live by it. I’ve not lived in the country of my birth for a long time, but that’s something I find astonishingly apt right now.”
Atticus stepped up beside him, phone in hand. “You can’t win this one, Connie. I’m standing by Braun on this. The fucker hurt our little girl, and it’s not the first time he’s beaten a woman to death.” He waggled the phone. “I did some digging via some contacts of mine. Abraham McGee is the scum of the earth, and his wife’s just as bad. We’ll be doing the world a favor.”
“For fuck’s sake.” Connie yanked on her hair. “With that reputation, how the hell do the two of you think you’re going to do this? You’re Doms. Not assassins.”
“Three.” Jasper spoke up from behind them. “Three of us, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make this nightmare come to an end. It’s not happening again. They don’t get another chance to do this to Bodie a second