I didn’t want to come, but Thea insisted to be on the safe side. I couldn’t refuse the pleading look she gave me.
“What’s the damage?”
“Stress fracture and stitches, but you’re lucky. It went in and out and missed anything vital. Minor fragments and the residue left behind, but the nurse said most of it was the force of impact to the tissue from close range.”
“Still hurts like a bitch.” I flop my head back to the pillow, easing my frustration by brushing Thea’s hand with my thumb. “Did you bring my computer?”
“Yeah, hang on.” Devlin nudges Blair, his smile tender as she makes a quiet sound. “He’s up. Want to sleep still?”
“No, I’m awake.” She moves off his lap, wrapping the peacoat around her shoulders. Her gaze shifts to me. “Glad you didn’t die.”
I snort, then regret it when it makes my arm throb. “Hi to you, too. Dev, can you also get the flash drive from the pocket of my jeans?”
Devlin gets my laptop out from a bag by his chair, then rummages through the plastic bag containing what’s left of my clothes in the corner. At all the movement, Thea startles awake, gripping my hand tighter. Her wide eyes relax once she realizes where she is.
“Hey,” I say softly. “Okay, baby?”
“Yeah, I was having a bad dream.” She presses her forehead to the back of my hand. “It wasn’t real.”
“It wasn’t.” I pat the bed. “Come here.”
“No, I don’t want to hurt you.” She gets up, gesturing with her hands. “You just got out of surgery!”
Gripping her wrist, I tug until she falls into an awkward position, bracing her arms on either side of me.
“Do I seem like I’m a severely injured invalid?” I run my good hand up her side. She no longer has the blood-stained coat on, down to a fuzzy yellow sweater and tan pants. “Come here, baby. I need you close.”
“Fine, but if the doctor comes in, I’m not taking the blame for any trouble we get in.”
“I’d break every rule just to have you close.”
She settles on her side next to me in bed, kissing my cheek. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I’m more glad that you’re okay.” I cup her face and pull her closer, capturing her lips in a kiss. Her body trembles as I hug her against my uninjured side, feeling the remnants of tension bleeding away. “It’ll all be okay now. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
She makes a soft sound of agreement, pressing her face into my neck. A hot wetness against my skin makes me squeeze her as tight as I can, trying to pull her pain onto my shoulders to help her bear the weight of what she faced tonight. When things have calmed down, I’ll be whatever she needs to support her through dealing with the emotional fallout of knowing she was a victim of grooming.
“Here.” Devlin brings the laptop and flash drive over, setting it up on the tray table.
I pull the tray closer with Thea’s help.
“What do you think is on it?” she asks.
My brow creases as I open the folder on the drive. From the scraps I know of the guys impersonating federal agents, it could be anything. “Let's find out.”
“Financial reports.” Devlin leans over my shoulder from the other side of the bed.
Not just financial reports. I jerk forward, trying to sit up, only to grit my teeth at the discomfort it causes. Some of the machines connected to me throw off warning beeps before settling down as I lay prone.
“What’s wrong?” Thea bounces her gaze from the screen to me. “Don’t move so much, you’re going to hurt yourself.”
“They’re statements of my accounts.” I nod to each file. “Trust fund and the private accounts.”
The ones I use to grow my bitcoin investments.
“So they’re watching you?” Devlin clarifies.
“No. Well, yes, probably. The balances are all tripled from when I looked at them last. That was only a few days ago.”
Whoever the hackers are, they’re powerful.
Devlin and Thea give me matching expressions, brows rising high. Blair whistles from the visitor’s chair across the room. I was close to my goal before, but this is beyond. With this much money, I no longer have to wait to escape Mom’s bullshit. A disbelieving laugh huffs out of me.
“Holy shit,” Thea murmurs. “That’s a lot of money.”
I already know what I’ll do with some of it. My gaze slides to her. Her dream is to open a bakery. I’ll make that happen sooner than she planned.
A commotion